King Solomon Poem by Patricia Kelley

King Solomon asked the Lord God for knowledge and wisdom.
Above riches or gold for his kingdom,
The Lord God blessed him exceedingly.
Because, he did not ask for long life or the death of his enemies,
God said.
I will bless you more than any other king before you, or after you.
But, you must follow my commandments as your father David, before you.
Or I will destroy your kingdom.
Thence King Solomon's riches and wisdom grew.
Solomon built the Lord God's temple.
Saying, it would be great because the Lord God was great.
He had resources shipped to Jerusalem in special freight.
The temple was built from the finest and purest wood, overlaid in bronze and gold.
With gold cherubs that spread their wings'.
He built a holy place to worship, the Lord God Almighty.
The Holy God of Israel!
It was a holy place for the Lord God of Israel to dwell.
Solomon shined in God's favor.
Having the finest horses and chariots sent from Egypt.
Spices of the greatest flavor,
He knew how to rule his people.
He was the richest king of all, the world.
But, like his father he had a weakness.
Solomon became bold.
He began to bless himself with a special uniqueness.
He had more beautiful foreign wives and concubines than any other king.
With each new bridal ring,
He would build a new worship temple.
Solomon had a weakness for beautiful women.
And a weakness of vanity,
He self-indulged in beautiful women.
Collecting them as precious jewels,
Forgetting God's rules,
Not to associate or marry such foreign women.
Or, they could bring his kingdom down.
He started building many foreign temples.
Solomon began to only care about his foreign wives.
Pushing his God aside,
For the religious freedom of his many wives,
Not realizing, he was risking many lives.
He built a temple for Ashtoreth the moon goddess.
Solomon began to act godless.
He broke his holy promise.
Putting his seven hundred wives, and three hundred concubines; first, above God.
He started making sacrifices to other gods' along with his wives'.
He was controlled by lust.
Not being just.
And for Chemosh the god of the Moabites that sacrificed children.
Solomon's sins could not be hidden.
And for Molek the god of the Ammonites that sacrificed children as a burnt offering.
And for Sun the god of the Hittites, and the Edomites god.
Solomon's actions toward God were faltering.
His many foreign wives led him astray.
In which his kingdom would see decay.
Crumbling like a potter's clay.
God became angry.
God Said.
I will tear the kingdom from Solomon's hand which I have given him, and allow him only one tribe.
But, I will not do it in his lifetime.
I will do it in the time.
That Solomon's son Rehoboam reigns as king.
God saw that Solomon was turning against him because of his many foreign gods.
Solomon's son Rehoboam born from an Ammonite wife would feel God's rod.
He threatened God's people with scorpion stings.
He ruled as an evil king.
It was the fifth year of his reign.
That Rehoboam felt the pain.
King Shishak of Egypt carried off the Holy Temple's treasures.
As foretold because of King Solomon's selfish pleasures.







Solomon ruled Jerusalem for forty years.