If you have ever broached the subject of wisdom in your studies and have studied it in depth, you have most likely discovered something very interesting: wisdom can turn to foolishness.

I'm not saying this to discredit wisdom, because wisdom is good and needed in this world. We need to seek it. But what we also need to understand is that when someone comes to trust solely in his own wisdom, he can start doing foolish things. Even King Solomon, who was one of the wisest men to ever live, did some very foolish things.

According to the Bible, Solomon received his wisdom from Almighty God. Unfortunately, Solomon didn't always apply God's wisdom in his own life. At first King Solomon followed God's instructions, but over time he began trusting only himself and not God. When we study 1 Kings in the Bible and see everything that is written about this man and his actions, it seems that a distinct attitude change came over Solomon after he started marrying women who worshipped foreign gods. These women influenced him to turn away from God (1 Kings 11:3-4).

I can only imagine what it would be like marrying someone who openly worships a form of the Mother Goddess and who daily tries to get me to worship her also. That is what Solomon likely went through after his marriage to the Egyptian princess. Solomon broke one of the important laws that God had given His people: Don't marry unbelievers (1 Kings 11:1-2). The Lord our God gave His people this command to help them better follow the first of His Ten Commandments: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7).

Our Creator is very jealous when it comes to our attention toward Him. I believe that this is partly due to the fact that He loves us and doesn't want us to hurt ourselves by going astray from His Word. If we truly believe and understand God's laws and His Word in our heart and then turn away from Him, we are foolish. I believe that Solomon fell into this category. He was taught God's way from his youth by a man whom God proclaimed to be after His own heart–his father, King David.

Based on the proverbs that King Solomon wrote, it is evident that the wisdom God gave him was very real and very applicable in everyday situations. Take some time to read the book of Proverbs. There are some very useful pieces of information in this book.

Solomon's mistakes

But even though Solomon had all this wisdom and truly was a great and powerful leader, he erred in two major ways. The first was rejecting God's instruction not to marry unbelievers. In doing so, it seems that he let his loins do his thinking instead of his mind. He married too many women! I feel very sorry for all the women who were a part of his harem. He could have slept with a different one each night and wouldn't have slept with the same woman twice for almost three years. One thousand wives and concubines is just too many (1 Kings 11:3)!

I can just imagine being an Israelite in the reign of Solomon. After a while the news that the king was getting married just wouldn't be that important anymore. Solomon would have had to get married or get a new wife or concubine every one to three weeks during his reign to end up having all those women in his harem. Imagine what it would be like if he had called one wife by another's name!

Second, as Solomon turned from God, he stopped trusting in the prophets to bring him God's word. He stopped trusting in the priests to teach him God's word. He started trusting in himself to understand everything around him. When one stops turning to God for guidance and turns to his or her own understanding and knowledge, he falls away. "Lean not on your own understanding" says Proverbs 3:5.

I am not writing this to say that Solomon was not a good leader or didn't have God's Spirit with him at one time. But toward the end of this wise man's days, he foolishly turned from God and began trusting in himself.

Application

The lesson that we can learn from the story of Solomon is a good one that still applies today. We must not become arrogant in our human ingenuity to think even for one millisecond that we are wiser than Almighty God who made heaven, earth and every living thing that dwells therein.

We must not think with our hearts or minds alone but in conjunction with God's Word and His Holy Spirit. When we start to trust in man and "overrule" the Lord, we begin to fall away from the truth. The fight for everlasting life continues and is never over until we take our final breath on this earth. If we stray from God, we need to turn back to Him.

Eventually there will come a time when it will be too late to turn back. That day may be tomorrow for some and for others it may be years from now. Don't take the chance. Don't be like Solomon who foolishly turned from God. Again, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). VT