Older and Less Wise
For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 1 Kings 11:4 NASB
Not wholly devoted – The Hebrew for “not wholly devoted” is lo hayah levavo shalem (“not was the heart of him completed”). Shalem is another pun on Solomon’s name, but this time it shows that he is not whole. “It is as if the narrator is telling us that Solomon had stopped acting like Solomon.”[1]
Wietzman’s insight startled me. I am old. I have experienced a lifetime of mixed devotion. There have been periods of intense concern with God’s purposes. And there have been just as many times of concern with my own. My spiritual walk is more like an obstacle course; one that I have failed to complete often enough to know the terrain on reruns. I am old, like Solomon, and I wonder if, like Solomon, I am also turning into a fool. I think of the great commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your nephesh and all your me’od (i.e., with everything you have).” I falter over the word kol, “all.” I often pray that God will grade on the curve—but I know He doesn’t. It frightens me, thinking that I might end up like Solomon, seeking to know things only to discover that I have lost my “soul” in the process. Not quite conquering all those ghosts of my past. Not being able to unpack all the baggage from my childhood.
Like Solomon (if he wrote Ecclesiastes), I am bothered by the world. I don’t understand the heartlessness of Man. I can’t imagine the pitiful conditions of most of this world’s life, human and otherwise. I can’t comprehend why I was born so privileged. I feel the weight of it all—and the tragic mystery of the rape of God’s goodness. Sometimes I think that there is only the fleeting pleasure of momentary escape. But God’s grip will not let me run away from this incomprehensible betrayal of His design. I know (there’s Solomon again) what it is supposed to be, but even I contribute to the torture of the design. Maybe I too have been turned away, not by my wife but by my own desperation for worthiness.
This verse tells me that Solomon was not like his father. David’s heart was wholly devoted. At least this is what the text implies. But the more I investigate David’s life, the more I see apathy toward those closest to him. David seems to be a king going about being a king, just like all kings. Except somehow David kept coming back to God. One failure after another, many never cataloged among David’s “sins,” show David to be pretty much like me. Not hayah levavo shalem. But this verse says there was something significantly different between Solomon and David.
Solomon represents what most of us want. Wisdom, power, wealth, prestige, success. Solomon loved the Lord—but—there was this tiny problem that destroyed all those other words attributed to him. Maybe we all want what isn’t worth having.
Topical Index: Solomon, David, wholly devoted, lo hayah levavo shale, 1 Kings 11:4
[1] Steven Weitzman, Solomon: The Lure of Wisdom, p, 13.
Maybe the text is implying that Solomon is not complete (שלם shalem) so that eternal Shalom (שלום) will not be in place under his reign. That elusive vav (pictogram -> nail, peg) does not let him hold to that Shalom…
I’ve heard a lot lately about the beni elohim, and their off spring, the fallen ones. Many seem to be convinced that these issues are about fallen angels and their interaction with men, but I’m not convinced and, maybe, that’s what we’re seeing here. If Cain (and his son) is the archetype, who looked to the things of the earth (fallen countenance) to solve the problems that they were confronted with, perhaps, that’s the “difference” between David and Solomon. While circumstances may have been similar, such as alliances, political maneuverings and daily decisions, David may have had to engage them for a purpose, but to trust in them to “solve” the problem is a different beast altogether. David said it best, “you are elohim, but you’ll die, like man.” But, it’s a fine line Skip, it’s the space in between that matters. Keep on chugging.
So many lessons to be learned repeated in the New Testament but grounded from the old seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Caution alert wherever your treasure is your heart will follow God is Not mocked whatever you sow you shall reap. These are all heart issues which I certainly grounded from the foundation of the Old Testament teachings. I’ll leave off with Jeremiah 11. 4 what I said to your ancestors when I bought them out of the fiery furnace of Egypt if you obey me and do whatever I command you then you will be my people and I will be your God New Living Translation
Just to add when we learn from not only the mistakes we have made but also from the mistakes of others then we are truly wise especially in God’s eyes for what. He has written we learn from those before us Godly wisdom versus worldly wisdom you choose this day whom You Shall Serve. And amen and amen