Solomon is just one of the few ones who played such a wonderful role . Accumulating of wealth and attracting people from afar is not a child's play ...God has to be with you ,in you and on you . It's mind bogging to know that men can walk in such supremacy with God when they stick with his direction and path for their lives . An evident account that your with God is so unique per the experiences and chapters of your shaping and making .

Deuteronomy 17:16 came in hot in today’s study as it related to Solomon’s disobedience, especially in relation to his importing horses from Egypt but on second analysis, I think 2 Chronicles 1:17 may have validated him. He wasn’t just importing horses from Egypt to accumulate wealth. He was exporting too. He was a business man 😌 I might be going out on a limb here but, I think the phrase “You shall never return that way again” (in Deut. 17:16) carries a lot of weight. It answers the why of that command. There was a reason God said that at that specific time. The Israelites had Stockholm’s syndrome and wanted to go back several times which was why this was specifically command. Solomon wasn’t going back there. In fact he lived more than 500 years after the fact. So perhaps this was not applicable to him. There have been times in the Bible where instruction didn’t cut across to everyone and at all times so maybe this is one of those. I don’t know for sure. He did however break the other parts of that text. That’s clear. Don’t think that was situation specific.

So Solomon was the one that started that “lion on either side of a throne” trend 😅🤭

2 Chronicles 8:9 talks about Solomon’s fighting men but if he never fought wars, what did he need fighting men for? 🤔

Solomon! Solomon! Solomon! My guy how many times did I mention your name?! 😅 I loved that in the beginning of his reign, his wisdom attracted people from far and near, hopefully bringing glory to God. Extreme wealth, power and significance has a way of drawing us away from wisdom. Will we say Solomon operated in his God-given wisdom till the end?

From 2chro 8:11, we see clearly how Solomon moved his wife(pharoah's daughter)away from the city of David to her own house because she wasn't holy and seeing the ark of the Lord was there. So you Solomon, you are knowledgeable enough to know this ,yet that didn't deter you from marrying her in the first place😏.. outrightly violating God's command. ..This says so much about his intimacy and relationship with God, he had a sort of reverence for God that's why he wouldn't want something that's not holy to be around the temple but didn't have relationship. That just tells me how if we are not careful, we can know God's word, be theologically right yet be far from God in terms of relationship

In Deuteronomy 17:16–17, God gave kings three clear instructions: Do not acquire many horses. Do not send people back to Egypt to get horses. Do not accumulate excessive silver and gold. Do not take many wives, lest their hearts turn away. What do we see with Solomon? He goes and does all what God had commanded people NOT to do. The wealth he had wasn’t even the problem. The problem was what this massive wealth represented. Having blessings from God is great but when you totally depend on these blessings, it slowly take you away from God. He really fumbled. Pride had also began to set in. I think because he ddnt work so hard for what he had, he was just doing anyhow🤣

Solomon was in direct violation of commandments the Lord spoke through Moses in Deut 17:16-17. Man was very extravagant, no wonder he burdened them with so much taxes.