The Success of Solomon as a King Essay - 2131 Words

The Success of Solomon as a King John Drane came to the conclusion that Judged by the standards of world powers, Solomon was outstandingly successful, the greatest of all Israels rulers. But judged by the moral and spiritual standards of the covenant, he was a miserable failure. I agree with Drane in this statement because there were indeed many things Solomon did in his reign that were beneficial to the people and the country. However, for a man working for God, he does not seem to apply the covenant of Yahweh very much to the decisions he makes as king. Previously, during the reign of David, a new kingdom was beginning to be established. The small towns of the tribal confederacy were†¦show more content†¦He ruthlessly killed his brother Adonijah, even thought he was the rightful heir, and so it can be argued that he manipulated the circumstances to make himself king instead of being the intention of God. Solomons enemies at the time were very weak and because he was a poor military leader, he set up a series of preventative measures as a disincentive for people to even attempt to attack. He increased the size of his army and established chariot stations in major towns and other vulnerable places. Although the kingdom was kept stable throughout Solomons reign, his enemies were weak so this position was never actually challenged. His two main potential enemies were the Philistines and the Egyptians. Due to the discovery of iron by the Philistines, the structure of the chariots were very secure, and so the Philistines had been using them previous to Solomon introducing them. In 1Kings 4:26, we hear that Soloman had 4000 stalls for his chariot horses and 12000 horses. Recently when archaeologists were excavating in Meggido they found a large number of chariots, which provides evidence for these claims. Solomon also increased the size of the army by huge numbers; it was made up of two key elements, 12000 permanent men and 4000 chariots. Solomon also introduced conscription. 30000 men were required to serve oneShow MoreRelatedBibl 105 Essay 2783 Words   |  4 PagesAs Samuel grew in age he intended to appoint one of his sons as the king of Israel. His sons however did not follow the ways of their father or God. â€Å"They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice† (I Samuel 8:3). The people of Israel desired a king, â€Å"a king like all the other nations† (Hindson and Yates, 2012. P.164). The people had grown tired of oppression and felt that â€Å"the lack of a strong human leader as the cause and did not realize that the reason forRead MoreThe Bible Is The Core Of True Wisdom Essay1699 Words   |  7 Pagesopportunity to be king this will definitely determine the meaning in life and happiness, and he became the king; but t hat was not enough. 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