Solomon's decline

This is where the wheels come off for Solomon. God held up his end of the bargain. Solomon has been given wealth, wisdom, peace on all sides, and harmony within his kingdom. But David had charged him before he died to keep the ways of the Lord, and that if he did so, his descendants would never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel, (1 Kings 2:2-4). But Solomon's polygamy which led to idolatry, rendered that contractual arrangement null and void. So Solomon learns that his legacy will be forever tarnished and that the kingdom of Israel will no longer rest with his descendants. It was likely his despondency over the bad choices he had made that led to this severe punishment, which prompted him to write the words of Ecclesiastes.

In keeping with this discipline, God raised up two adversaries.. Hadad and Razon. There is no extra-Biblical record of either person, though archaeology has confirmed the existence of Shishak, who is the first named Pharoah of the Bible. Egyptian records describe a pharoah at that time named Shesonq, who invaded Israel. Jeroboam is tapped as the man to whom the kingship would be given for 10 tribes, which would be known as Israel. The remaining kingdom would be called Judah, as it was comprised of the tribe of Judah. This was illustrated in Ahijah the prophet's tearing of Jeroboam's cloak into 12 pieces, giving Jeroboam 10 pieces and keeping one for the house of David. But 10 plus 1 equals 11, and there are 12 tribes of Israel. What happened to the 12th tribe? Some scholars believe the omitted tribe was Levi, since they had no land and were scattered among the other tribes as priests, therefore having no distinct tribal identity. Some believe the twelfth tribe was Simeon, which was eventually absorbed into Judah and ceased to be a distinct group. Others believe the missing tribe was Benjamin, who had divided loyalties and could not be counted on either side definitively. Either way, the divided kingdom was the beginning of the end for Israel.

Tomorrow's reading: Ecc. 1:12- 6:12