**The Lord’s Covenant Renewed with Solomon**

The golden sun hung high over Jerusalem, casting its warm glow upon the newly completed Temple of the Lord, its white limestone walls gleaming like polished ivory. The scent of burnt offerings still lingered in the air, a sweet aroma that had filled the city for days after the great dedication. King Solomon, adorned in royal robes of deep purple and gold, stood in the inner court, his heart swelling with gratitude. The Lord had fulfilled His promise—the House of the Lord stood in splendor, a dwelling place for the Name of the Almighty.

Then, in the stillness of the night, as Solomon lay upon his bed, the Lord appeared to him a second time, just as He had at Gibeon. The presence of the Divine filled the chamber, not with terror, but with a profound holiness that made the king rise from his couch and fall to his knees.

*”I have heard your prayer and your plea,”* the voice of the Lord thundered softly, resonating like distant waves upon the shore. *”I have consecrated this Temple which you have built, and I have put My Name there forever. My eyes and My heart will always be there.”*

Solomon trembled, his face pressed to the cool marble floor. The weight of the Lord’s words settled upon him—this was no mere building of stone and cedar. It was the dwelling of the Eternal One, the place where heaven touched earth.

Yet the Lord’s voice carried both promise and warning. *”As for you, Solomon, if you walk before Me as your father David did, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing all that I have commanded you, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father.”*

The memory of his father, David—the man after God’s own heart—flashed before Solomon’s eyes. He recalled the stories of David’s faithfulness, his repentance, his unwavering trust in the Lord. Could he, Solomon, walk in those same footsteps?

But the Lord’s tone deepened, solemn as the roll of distant thunder. *”But if you or your sons turn away from Me and do not keep My commands, if you serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them. And this Temple, so exalted, will become a heap of ruins. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff, saying, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this Temple?’ And the answer will be: ‘Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’”*

A chill ran down Solomon’s spine. The vision of desolation—the Temple in ruins, the people scattered—filled him with dread. He clenched his fists, pressing them against his forehead. *”Never, Lord,”* he whispered. *”Never let it be so.”*

—

**The King’s Works and the Price of Disobedience**

Twenty years had passed since Solomon first began his great building projects—the Temple, his own palace, the fortifications of Jerusalem. His wisdom and wealth had become legendary, drawing kings and queens from distant lands to marvel at his splendor. Yet beneath the gold and grandeur, the Lord’s warning echoed in his heart.

To secure his kingdom, Solomon had made alliances with neighboring nations, marrying daughters of foreign kings to seal treaties. He had built cities, fortified Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, and established a mighty fleet of ships at Ezion-Geber, manned by skilled sailors sent from Tyre. The kingdom flourished, and tribute poured in from every corner.

But the seeds of compromise had been sown.

Among his many wives were women from nations the Lord had forbidden—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites. At first, Solomon justified it as political necessity. Yet slowly, subtly, their idols crept into the palace. The altars of Chemosh, Molech, and Ashtoreth rose in the hills around Jerusalem, and Solomon, in his old age, found his heart tugged away from the God of his father.

The Lord’s warning had not been idle.

Years later, when Solomon’s son Rehoboam ruled with a foolish hand, the kingdom would split in two. The northern tribes would rebel, and foreign armies would plunder the land. The Temple, once so glorious, would stand desecrated, its treasures carried off, its walls broken.

But in that moment, as Solomon knelt in the presence of the Lord, the future was still unwritten. The choice lay before him—to walk in faithfulness or to stray.

And the Lord, in His mercy, had spoken clearly: *”If you will walk before Me in truth… then I will establish your throne.”*

The night was silent once more. The presence of the Lord lifted, leaving Solomon alone with his thoughts. The weight of kingship, the burden of legacy, pressed upon him.

Would he heed the warning?

Only time would tell.