GROW PLAN
August 31 – September 6, 2026
Day One
Solomon’s Rule
The author of Kings is giving us a long look at Solomon’s successes. So, why does he include this story about Hiram’s disappointment with the towns? The “gifts” we read about coming from Hiram, Solomon and later the queen of Sheba actually amount to international trade. One king would bring them for another king and would receive an equal value of goods to take back to his country. Solomon had pulled off a good deal on Hiram, who later found out the towns he received in Galilee weren’t worth the gold he had given Solomon. Meanwhile, Solomon gained the city of Gezer, a Canaanite community, with a strong Philistine influence. Israel and the Philistines never really reached a peace, so Egypt attacked and captured Gezer and gave it to Israel. Solomon rebuilt the city and fortified it, and the power of the kingdom grew. Israel had never rid the Promised Land of all the tribes of Canaanites that the Lord told them to wipe out, so Solomon made them into slave labor. They helped him build all his fortresses, city walls and the terraces that supported those walls, but all the projects were led by Israelites. Solomon continued to worship the Lord and supported the temple. In addition, Solomon set up a maritime industry, something Israel, an agricultural nation, had never had and wouldn’t really pursue again.
The Lord had fulfilled all His promises to Solomon. He had given him the wisdom he asked for, and he gave him the riches and honor for which he had not asked. The Lord was faithful. How has He been faithful in your life? How has He fulfilled His promises to you?
Day Two
Solomon’s Fame
Sheba was in the Southern portion of the Arabian peninsula about 1,000 miles from Jerusalem. The queen of Sheba undertook a long journey with a huge caravan to support her and carry her gifts to Solomon. She had heard what Solomon had accomplished as the king appointed by Yahweh and had heard of the wisdom God had given him. She asked him all the hard questions she had and was satisfied. These may have been serious questions, and they may have included riddles. The queen toured Solomon’s palace, the temple and the city. She was amazed by his wisdom, his wealth, and the success of the kingdom under his rule. Of more importance, she praised the Lord for delighting in Solomon and placing him on the throne. The two rulers had a fine summit, and the queen did not have to leave empty handed. Verse 13 tells us that Solomon gave her everything she asked for and wanted. She returned to Sheba with a caravan as loaded down as when it came to Jerusalem.
As we can see, the Lord had given Solomon wisdom, riches and honor. But as we will see in the rest of the chapter, Solomon did not fulfill his side of the covenant. How do you respond to the Lord’s faithfulness to you?
Day Three
Solomon’s Wealth
Solomon received about 25 tons of gold each year. This is the equivalent of about $3.7 billion in today’s money. That is an astonishing income. We’re told what Solomon did with this wealth. He made decorative shields for his palace. All of the cups and plates and household articles in his palace were made of gold. He made himself an extravagant throne with six steps and twelve lions made of ivory overlaid with gold. Solomon had so many chariots and horses that he had to build cities dedicated to hold them. However, the Law that God had given to Moses had specific instructions for how kings of Israel should live, and this kind of activity was not permitted. Deuteronomy 17:17 states that the king “must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself.” The previous verse states that the king should not accumulate a lot of horses for himself and specifically forbids going to Egypt to buy horses. We see in 1 Kings that Solomon surrounded himself with gold and amassed huge quantities of it. We also see that he was buying horses and chariots from Egypt. The Lord had clearly blessed Solomon and the kingdom, but it seems like Solomon disobeyed God’s law by keeping those blessings for himself. It can be hard to stay faithful in the good times, when it seems like you need the Lord less and can trust in your own abilities and resources.
Have you noticed that you stay closer to the Lord through bad times than good times? How are your current circumstances affecting your relationship with Him?
Day Four
Solomon’s Failure
Deuteronomy 17:17 also states that the king of Israel “must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray.” Solomon ignored this law with abandon. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Kings points out that many of these wives were foreigners, including from the Canaanite peoples that Israel had not driven from the land. The Lord had expressly forbidden His people from marrying into these tribes “because they will turn your sons away from Me to worship other gods.” (Deut. 7:4) The Lord makes His rules for a reason. He knows better than we do. When we disobey Him, bad things happen. Solomon fell into the very trap that the Lord had warned against. He loved his foreign wives, and they led him into worshiping their idols and even building high places so that he could worship their idols. This is the same principle that led Paul to instruct Christians to marry only other Christians. If one spouse is committed to the Lord but the other isn’t, they don’t head into life in the same direction. They don’t share a common basis on which to make decisions. There will be extra tension, and in the worst case, the unbelieving spouse may pull the Christian spouse away from the Lord. Solomon was the wisest and possibly the richest man who ever lived, but even he could not afford to ignore the Lord’s principles.
Have you ever let a loved one pull you away from the Lord? Commit to avoiding relationships with people who don’t follow Christ that might make you spiritually vulnerable.
Day Five
The Lord’s Response
Kings tells us that the Lord had spoken to Solomon after the dedication of the temple. The Lord accepted the temple, but he spent most of his discussion with Solomon warning him about the terrible consequences of turning from worshiping the Lord to worshiping idols. Here, toward the end of Solomon’s reign, as he grew old, he did exactly what the Lord had told him not to do. God came to him again, telling him that the consequences He had warned him about were going to happen. If Solomon were hoping for a wonderful legacy, the Lord told him that his legacy would be the division of the kingdom. He would “tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.” It wouldn’t happen in Solomon’s lifetime, not because of the Lord’s affection for Solomon, but because of the Lord’s regard for David, Solomon’s father. In fact, the Lord would make sure that Solomon’s descendants kept one tribe because of the Lord’s favor for David, whom he described as having a heart of integrity and doing all that the Lord commanded of him, keeping his statutes and ordinances.
Despite all of Solomon’s wisdom, wealth and success, he did not earn the Lord’s favor because of his unfaithfulness. David, however, who was certainly not sinless, earned God’s favor by following Him and remaining loyal to Him throughout his life. Make up your mind to please God through your loyalty and faithfulness. Be a David, not a Solomon.
Day Six
Solomon’s Response
Solomon had great power and wealth. He dominated his portion of the world, but his power was insignificant compared to the Lord’s. The Lord raised up adversaries for Solomon. The king’s unrivaled success started to crumble as his disobedience to the Lord grew. Hadad the Edomite and Rezon gained power in order to oppose and cause trouble for Solomon. And the Lord chose someone else who would lead the kingdom of Israel rather than Solomon’s heir. The Lord sent the prophet Ahijah to Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s officials, who had been promoted by the king. The prophet told Jeroboam that the Lord would divide the kingdom and give ten tribes to Jeroboam. And, through the prophet, the Lord told him why. The Lord made sure that Jeroboam knew that these were the consequences of being unfaithful to the Lord and worshiping idols. And the Lord held up David as an example to Jeroboam, showing his intention to eventually restore David’s dynasty. The Lord promised Jeroboam that if he were faithful, as David was, then the Lord would give him a lasting dynasty as well. Solomon apparently heard about this. But instead of reacting with repentance, with submission to God’s plan and acceptance of his punishment, Solomon went full Saul and tried to kill Jeroboam. Solomon, the wisest man, was foolish enough to believe that he could oppose God, that he could thwart the plan of the Lord God Almighty.
We cannot oppose God, and when we find out that God is opposing us, the only realistic option is abject repentance. We must run to Him and beg His forgiveness. Solomon failed to do that. His last recorded action was opposing God. If you have disobeyed Him in any way, run to Him now.