King Solomon's Apostasy: Covenant Violations Demonstrate Our Need for the King of Kings

1 Kings 11:9-13

Now Yahweh was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not walk after other gods; but he did not keep what Yahweh had commanded. So Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this has happened with you: you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, so I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

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In response to King Solomon’s wayward heart, Scripture states that Yahweh became angry with him (1 Kings 11:9). Consequently, the Lord promised to split the united kingdom and, for the sake of David and Jerusalem, to give one tribe to Solomon’s son (1 Kings 11:11-13). Solomon’s apostasy had violated God’s laws, but the Lord had remained faithful to the covenant relationships that He established.

At the forefront is Solomon’s violation of Deuteronomy 17:14-20. Yahweh required the kings of Israel to be different from other earthly monarchs. Kings were not to be distinguished by cavalry, multiple wives, or great wealth; contrarily, they should be great students of the law. God mandated a humble servant king for his covenant people, a leader who would be ultra-counter to the world’s notions of greatness. Therefore, Israel’s monarch should love and be dependent on the Lord. Sadly, King Solomon failed, swept away by pride and worldly pursuits.

Next is Solomon's violation of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7). David and his descendants were to realize and partake in the provisions of the covenant, but disloyal sons could forfeit the opportunity to enjoy the provisions of the covenant as outlined in Scripture (cf. 1 Kgs 2:4; 8:25; 6:12-13; 9:4,6-7; Psalm 89:29-32; 132:12). If David were to have disloyal sons, Yahweh would end the promised divine protection, and they would lose their rule and the land.

Inadvertently, by not honoring the Davidic Covenant, Solomon’s apostasy can be viewed within the scope of the Mosaic Covenant and even the Abrahamic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant established Israel as God’s nation and put forth expectations for His people. It included commandments (Ex. 20:1–17) as well as rules for Israel’s daily life (Ex. 21–23) and worship (Ex. 25–31). This covenant was intended to fulfill the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Professor William Barrick at the Master's Seminary explains, “In order to receive the promised blessings contained in the Abrahamic Covenant, Israel would have to obey the stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant. In other words, obedience to the Mosaic Covenant would be the means by which the Israelites would manifest their faith in the Abrahamic Covenant (cf. Jas 2:14-26).”^[1]

Remarkably, blessings were tied to the land and promises made to Abraham. The nation was to live for God in the midst of the perverse and crooked world. Israel would be like a priest representing Yahweh, bridging the chasm between the Lord and the peoples of all other nations. Furthermore, David and his sons, the offspring of Abraham, were given royal status within God’s promise.^[2] God was gracious with Israel and its monarchy. So, in the final analysis, Solomon’s sins constitute a significant betrayal of Yahweh in light of His kindness.

Our Need for the King of Kings

Fortunately, God promises that the House of David will endure forever, giving hope through Jesus Christ, who is able to keep covenants perfectly without sin. Because of Christ, all believers are grafted into God's covenant blessings (Romans 11:11-31), and His covenant with Israel will come to fruition, as indicated by His Word (Jeremiah 31:35-37). God's programs for both Israel and the Church will be realized.

Ultimately, our sinless Savior is able to do what sinful men were unable to do. Human kings within the Davidic line fell short, but Christ Jesus is our ultimate reconciler, and He has provided us with a model of obedience and love. It is breathtaking to understand that God's sovereign plan includes a King of kings who loves us and will hold us for eternity. God's promises are everlasting, and He is unchanging.

1. William D. Barrick, “The Mosaic Covenant,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 10, no. 2 (1999): 223.

2. Eugene H Merrill, “The Covenant with Abraham: The Keystone of Biblical Architecture,” Journal of Dispensational Theology 12, no. 36 ( August 2008): 15.

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Psalm 105:8-10

He has remembered His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded for a thousand generations,

Which He cut with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac. 

Then He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,

To Israel as an everlasting covenant...

Isaiah 27:6

In the days to come Jacob will take root,

Israel will blossom and bud,

And they will fill the whole world with produce.

1 Timothy 6:15-16

...which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal might! Amen.

Phillippians 2:9-11

Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 1:5

...and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—

Revelation 17:14

These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and elect and faithful.