So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. (2 Chronicles 9:22-23)

The King Who Had It All

Solomon is known historically as the richest man who lived and the wisest among men. None surpasses the amount of his wealth, and no man takes on the mantle of knowledge as the son of David. During the reign of Solomon, silver was as common in Jerusalem as stones. Silver was counted as nothing in the glory days of Israel. All of the drinking vessels were pure gold. There were so many gold vessels that silver was considered a useless metal. The Queen of Sheba visited Solomon with a great entourage bringing many gifts for the king. She pressed him with hard questions, which he easily dismissed with remarkable wisdom. When she spoke with Solomon, and she saw all of his wealth and power, she remarked that half of his greatness of wisdom was not told to her. The Queen of Sheba was overwhelmed by the incredible blessings of Solomon.

The Queen of Sheba acknowledged the blessings of Solomon came from the Lord. She could see how the God of Solomon had delighted in him and set him on his throne to be king. Israel was loved by God to establish justice and righteousness. Solomon’s great wealth and power were testimony more to the Lord God than Solomon’s. All of his wealth came from the Lord. The unlimited wisdom of Solomon came from God. No man was blessed as Solomon, and it was clear to the Queen of Sheba that God was a powerful and benevolent Lord. What she witnessed in the kingdom of Solomon was beyond anything she had ever seen. The life of Solomon was a testimony to the Lord.

With Solomon’s wisdom, power, and wealth, the king had it all. He was at the pinnacle of success because of the blessings of God. His life was a testimony to the Lord, and the Queen of Sheba acknowledged the benevolence of the God of Solomon as greater than any on earth. But King Solomon loved many foreign women, and his wives turned his heart after other gods. A man blessed beyond measure by the Lord God turns his heart away from the source of every blessing. Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. The man the Queen of Sheba saw as the greatest among men became a despot of evil and did not wholly follow the will of the Lord God. Solomon had it all and had nothing. He had wisdom, but his wisdom could not keep his heart from turning away from God. The king had the greatest wealth on earth and could not find happiness. His success led him astray, allowing the influence of his affluence to destroy him. The Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart had failed him. God gave one man the greatest riches of the earth with the greatest power and, in the nature of men, proved that man is a failed creature. Solomon was a king who had it all and had nothing because he did not have God. Men seek wealth, fame, pleasure, and wisdom; it means nothing when the Lord is not in the heart. Solomon was rich, and yet he was poor. The poorest man had nothing, but he was eternally rich if he had God. What do you have? Rather – whom do you have? All that is in this world will perish. Possessing God will never perish. If you want to have it all, seek the Lord.