When reading the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 the listing of Solomon is unusual. It says, “David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife.”
It is one of those details that make the record authentic. God didn’t need to hide the flawed way in which David and Bathsheba came together. It was sinful. But forgiveness had been obtained and God took the broken pieces and worked out His plan for Solomon, their son, to become David’s successor as King of Israel.
When he was born they named him Solomon. But God told the prophet Nathan that because He loved Solomon he was to be called Jedidiah, which means loved by the Lord (2 Samuel 12:24-25). That’s how the Bible begins the story of Solomon.
I decided to do a biographical study of his life. To do this I used the “3C” study method: collect, correlate, and crystallize. To collect information about Solomon’s life you should read 1 Kings 1-11, 1 Chronicles 22, 28-29 and 2 Chronicles 1-9. He also wrote some psalms, most of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. He is mentioned a few other times in the Bible.
As you read these parts of the Bible take notes on what is said about Solomon’s life. When you spread out the details you have noted begin to correlate the information into an outline. When I did this I came up with three main points:
1. God’s love for Solomon
2. Solomon’s love for God
3. Solomon’s drift from God
As I reflected further on this material I determined a fitting title for the outline would be: The Tragedy of Misused Privilege. We’ll continue this study in our next visit.
