A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

elationship to the Lord. As Solomon began wandering from God, God gave Solomon something
he had never experienced before as king-adversaries (v. 9).
Three men in particular became sources of irritation to Solomon in his latter years. The
first was Hadad, an Edomite living in Egypt who decided to return to Edom and reestablish his
kingdom. There was and would continue to be a long history of conflict between Israel and
Edom. The second source of irritation was Rezon, who ruled over Syria. He had a small army in
Damascus and “abhorred Israel” throughout the reign of Solomon. The third person God raised
up against Solomon was one of his own men, Jeroboam, who would eventually be the first king
of the Northern Kingdom after the split in the nation. The Prophet Ahijah told Jeroboam the
kingdom would be divided and he would reign over ten tribes. When Solomon learned this, he
tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam escaped and took refuge in Egypt until Solomon was dead.
THE WRITINGS OF SOLOMON
Traditionally, three wisdom books of Scripture have been attributed to Solomon. These
books are so designated because they attempt to deal with problems of life both in the philosophical
and more practical realms. When properly understood and applied to life, these books
and other wisdom books and psalms contain a wealth of principles on which the life of faith can
rest. Recognizing this, many Christian leaders have adopted the practice of reading some portion
from the wisdom literature of Solomon each day (usually a chapter of Proverbs). Even today, the
information contained in these wisdom books demonstrates that Solomon was indeed the wisest
man to have ever lived.
The Book of Proverbs
There is a sense in which the Book of Ecclesiastes, which follows the book of Proverbs,
is really an introduction to the other. The frustrating experiences of the preacher led him to “set
in order many proverbs” (Ecc. 12:9). As H. A. Ironside noted in his commentary on the
Proverbs, “The last seven verses of Ecclesiastes form a fitting introduction to the book which in
our Bibles immediately precedes it.... In these words we have the divine reason for the Book of
Proverbs. God would save all who heed what is there recorded from the heart-breaking
experiences and aimless wanderings of the man who was chosen to write them.”
The Book of Proverbs represents the finest wisdom literature of Solomon. A proverb is a
principle of life reduced to one statement. This book represents the principles by which Solomon
ruled his kingdom and gained his influence. After a brief introduction including a statement of
purpose, the proverbs of Solomon are arranged in five distinct groupings within. the book.
Probably the Book of Proverbs should be viewed as a collection of five books written separately
and then brought together at a later date, i.e., during the reign of Hezekiah. With the exception of
“the words of Agur the son of Jakeh” (Prov. 30:1-33), all of the proverbs were written by or for
Solomon who is credited in Scripture as having uttered 3,000 proverbs during his life (1 Kings
4:32). Some proverbs were not added to the book until long after Solomon died (Prov. 25:1).
Also, at least some proverbs were learned by Solomon from others (cf. 31:1).