King Solomon had many wives and concubines. As he aged, he was not completely devoted to God. He had followed Ashtoreth, a Sidonian goddess, and Molek, an Ammonite god. So the king did evil by not following the Lord, like his father, King David, had done.

God is Angry with Solomon

God became very angry with Solomon and told him that He would take the kingdom away from him and give it to a subordinate. But, the Lord said, because of David, He will not do this during Solomon’s lifetime. The Lord also told him that his son would only receive one tribe from the kingdom.

Solomon’s Adversaries

God raised up several adversaries against Solomon, including Hadad the Edomite, and Rezon, Eliada’s son. Rezon was an adversary of Israel for Solomon’s entire life. Jeroboam, Nebat’s son, also rebelled against King Solomon. He had been an official for Solomon and he was from Zeredah.

Background of Jeroboam

Jeroboam was put in control of all of the labour forces for the tribes of Joseph. One day Jeroboam met Ahijah, the prophet, who was dressed in a new cloak. Ahijah then tore his cloak into twelve pieces and told Jeroboam to take ten pieces because God was going to give him ten of Israel’s tribes.

He went on to tell Jeroboam that the Lord was taking all but one of the tribes away from King Solomon because he did not follow all of God’s decrees and laws. The Lord would leave one tribe for Solomon’s ancestors because of his faithful servant David.

The End of Solomon’s Reign

The king attempted to have Jeroboam killed, but he fled to Egypt and stayed with King Shishak until Solomon passed away. King Solomon’s reign in Jerusalem lasted for about 40 years. After he died, he was buried with his ancestors in David, the city named after his father. His son, Rehoboam, then became the next king.