11:1 King Solomon fell in love with many foreign women (besides Pharaoh’s daughter), including Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.
The Moabites and Ammonites descended from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his two daughters.
The Edomites descended from Esau, who was the brother of Jacob, Esau did not think much of a Messiah who would save people from their sins and establish a messianic kingdom, so he traded in his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Tyre and Sidon were two powerful Phoenician seaport sister cities who ran a naval trading empire on the Mediterranean Sea. The Sidonians were from Sidon.
The Hittites are called “the lost civilization.” For centuries, there was no evidence that the Hittites existed outside of the Bible. Skeptics ridiculed the Bible for years, claiming that the Bible was historically inaccurate. Then, archaeologist Dr. Hugo Winckler dug up forty Hittite cities. Skeptics do not use this argument anymore.
Solomon began to lust for these foreign women. He wanted to make political alliances with all of these kingdoms by intermarriage. He wanted to be like all of the other kings and collect women like automobiles.
11:2 They came from nations about which the Lord had warned the Israelites, “You must not establish friendly relations with them! If you do, they will surely shift your allegiance to their gods.” But Solomon was irresistibly attracted to them.
Israel was warned not to intermingle with these nations, or they would be seduced into idolatry.
11:3 He had 700 royal wives and 300 concubines; his wives had a powerful influence over him.
The Mosaic Law did not allow kings to multiply wives. These foreign wives began to have a negative influence upon Solomon.
11:4 When Solomon became old, his wives shifted his allegiance to other gods; he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his father David had been.
David would be the human measure for all kings. David did not tolerate idolatry in Israel. Solomon not only tolerated idolatry, but he engaged in it.
11:5 Solomon worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte and the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.
In Hebrew, Astarte meant “shame.” She was the Sidonian goddess of sex and fertility. She was especially worshiped at Tyre and Sidon.
Milcom was another name for Molech. This was the national god of the Ammonites. His name means “the one who rules.” Molech demanded that children be sacrificed into the fire.
11:6 Solomon did evil in the Lord’s sight; he did not remain loyal to the Lord, like his father David had.
Solomon had more political wisdom and more insight than any king in history, but he used his political wisdom to worship demonic gods. This was evil. He was completely opposite of his father David. Wisdom without application is evil.
11:7 Furthermore, on the hill east of Jerusalem Solomon built a high place for the detestable Moabite god Chemosh and for the detestable Ammonite god Milcom.
Chemosh was the god of the Moabites. On the Mount of Olives, Solomon offered children in sacrifice to Chemosh.
11:8 He built high places for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and make sacrifices to their gods.
Human sacrifices, demonic worship, and temple prostitution were practiced at these high places.
11:9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions
Worshiping demons in high places made Jehovah very angry at Solomon.
11:10 and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. But he did not obey the Lord’s command.
Jehovah personally warned Solomon about his idolatry, but Solomon refused to listen.
11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
Jehovah informed Solomon that he would tear the kingdom away from him and give it to one of Solomon’s servants.
11:12 However, for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead.
Jehovah will not break the promises that he made to David. The kingdom will be taken away from one of Solomon’s sons.
11:13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.”
The tribe of Judah would be able to rule only one other tribe.
11:14 The Lord brought against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king.
Solomon enjoyed almost forty years of peace. As judgment, Jehovah began bringing enemies against Israel. Hadad was the descendant of an Edomite king. The Edomites came from Esau, the twin brother of Judah.
11:15 During David’s campaign against Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom.
When King David was still alive, he sent General Joab to battle against Edom. General Joab’s orders were to kill every single male in Edom.
11:16 For six months Joab and the entire Israelite army stayed there until they had exterminated every male in Edom.
In six months, General Joab killed every male in Edom except for a few who escaped the city.
11:17 Hadad, who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt.
Hadad was a little boy at this time. He was the prince of Edom. He escaped to Egypt with some of his Edomite servants.
11:18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, supplied him with a house and food and even assigned him some land.
Hadad and some other Edomites lived in a small town in Egypt.
11:19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes’ sister) as a wife.
Hadad married into the royal family of the Egyptian Pharaoh.
11:20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, named Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons.
Hadad and his wife gave birth to a son named Genubath. Genubath was the nephew of the Egyptian queen. He was raised in the Pharoah’s palace.
11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave so I can return to my homeland.”
After King David and General Joab died, Hadad wanted to return and become King of Edom.
11:22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?” Hadad replied, “Nothing, but please give me permission to leave.”
Hadad had everything that he needed in Egypt, except for the throne. He was born as a prince of Edom and he wanted to become a king of Edom. He hated Israel, because they had killed his entire family. He would become a powerful enemy against Israel.
11:23 God also brought against Solomon another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah.
When David was alive, he conquered the city Zobah in one of his earlier campaigns.
11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. When David tried to kill them, they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city.
Rezon was a servant of King Hadadezer. King Hadadezer was the king of the city of Zobah. Rezon ran away from his master and organized a raiding band. This raiding band was most likely raiding Israelites. so David became involved in seeking out this raiding band and destroying it.
11:25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed Israel and ruled over Syria.
David was never able to destroy this raiding band. Hadad eventually conquered Syria and began attacking Israel during Solomon’s reign. The Syrians hated Israel also, because David and Joab had routed them as well.
Solomon always had peace in his kingdom, but now he had two external enemies. One was attacking Israel from the north and the other was attacking from the south. Enemies on both borders is a very dangerous situation for any nation.
11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against the king. He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah.
Jeroboam was an one of Solomon’s talented and gifted servants. Jeroboam rebelled against King Solomon. He was an Ephraimite, which was the largest and most powerful tribe in Israel.
11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David.
Jeroboam disagreed with some of Solomon’s building projects. He also knew of the complaints of the labor class against Solomon.
11:28 Jeroboam was a talented man; when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe of Joseph.
Solomon himself recognized some of the leadership skills of Jeroboam. Jeroboam was from the tribe of Joseph, meaning that he was an Ephraimite. Ephraim was the largest and proudest tribe in Israel. Ephraimite leaders included Joshua and Samuel. The first site of the tabernacle was in the Ephraimite city of Shiloh. Ephraimites took pride, because they descended from Joseph. Joseph was the favorite son of Jacob.
Ephraim held a long resentment against Judah. Solomon was from the tribe of Judah. Solomon’s governmental policies of high taxes, forced labor, luxury living, multiplying of wives and horses, and syncretism with pagan gods angered Ephraim. They were ripe for rebellion, especially against the house of Judah.
11:29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah was wearing a brand new robe,
Shiloh was an Ephraimite city. Ahijah was a prophet who was wearing a new robe. He met Jeroboam on the road.
11:30 and he grabbed the robe and tore it into twelve pieces.
Ahijah the prophet tore his robe into twelve pieces. These twelve pieces of the robe represented the twelve tribes of Israel.
11:31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you.
The prophet predicted that Jeroboam would be king over ten tribes. This must have impressed Jeroboam that Ephraim would rule over ten tribes, but Judah would only rule over two tribes.
11:32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
Because of the Davidic Covenant, Judah will retain one other tribe, which would be Benjamin. Judah was a reminder to Israel that Jehovah would still keep his Davidic Covenant.
11:33 I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did.
Jehovah would take the ten tribes of the kingdom away from Solomon’s family, because Solomon introduced idolatry into Israel. Solomon was a syncretist, meaning that he worshiped Jehovah along with many other foreign gods. Like many new agers today, he worshiped many gods.
11:34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules.
Because of the Davidic Covenant, Solomon would rule Israel until his death.
11:35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you.
Solomon’s son would be Rehoboam. Jehovah would take ten tribes from Rehoboam and give those ten tribes to Jeroboam. Israel would become a divided monarchy.
11:36 I will leave his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home.
Judah and Benjamin would become the nation of Judah, or the southern tribes. The other ten tribes would become the nation of Israel, or the northern tribes.
11:37 I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel.
Jeroboam would rule over the ten tribes of Israel.
11:38 You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions, do what I approve, and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; I will give you Israel.
If Jeroboam kept the Mosaic Law and measured up to the standards of David, then Jeroboam would be given an eternal dynasty, similar to that of David.
11:39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.”
The house of Judah would be humiliated, but not forever. Eventually, Jesus would be born into the family of Judah. Jesus will eventually establish the eternal dynasty which was promised to David through the Davidic Covenant. This dynasty will begin at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
11:40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.
Jeroboam was immortal until this prophecy was to be fulfilled. Therefore, Solomon would not be able to kill his servant who would one day take ten tribes away from his son Rehoboam.
Shishak was the founder of the 22nd Egyptian dynasty, reigning from 945–924 B.C. He will later invade Judah during the reign of Rehoboam
11:41 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon.
The Annals of Solomon was an uninspired secular book which does not exist in this day.
11:43 Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam replaced him as king.
Solomon died as the biggest failure in the pages of Scripture. Jesus said, “For to whomever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). Solomon was given supernatural wisdom, but he failed to apply what he learned. He had the greatest opportunity of any man who ever lived. He was given the task of leading the entire world to the worship of the one true God. Instead, he failed to remove false religion. He multiplied wives and horses. He began to worship foreign gods. He turned his heart away from God. The best that human wisdom can do is to worship foreign gods. If Solomon would have asked for spiritual discernment instead of human wisdom, then things may had turned out differently.
After Solomon died, then Rehoboam became the next king. Rehoboam was taking over a kingdom that was wealthy, but involved in syncretism. Syncretism was worshiping Jehovah alongside other pagan gods. Jehovah would tear away ten tribes from Rehoboam and give them to Jeroboam. The divided monarchy was just one coronation away.