What Solomon’s Wealth Teaches Us About Faith and Money

Ask many people what the Bible teaches about money, and they will likely respond with a paraphrase of 1 Timothy 6:10. For example, people often misquote this verse saying, “money is the root of all evil.” Some, more accurately but still not fully capturing the meaning of this text, will say, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” What 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says in the NIV is, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

There are two things we can notice right away. First, it is the love of money that is the issue. Paul warns that some people’s desire for money leads them away from the faith. Second, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, not every single evil. Envy and lust are other roots of evil, as are other sins.

If we look at other Bible verses about money, we see that money itself doesn’t appear intrinsically evil. Proverbs 3:9, for example, says to “Honor the LORD with your wealth.” Proverbs 13 says a person who “gathers money little by little makes it grow” (verse 11) and “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children” (verse 22). As we can see, money itself is not the problem. It is a person’s relationship with money and how they use their wealth to honor God that matters.

Solomon’s Request for Wisdom and God’s Generous Response

King Solomon’s life shows us how we can use money for good, and how it can lead us astray. After Solomon took his father David’s throne, God offered Solomon anything his heart desired and Solomon asked for wisdom (see 1 Kings 3:9). God was pleased with Solomon’s request and granted the new king not only deep wisdom but also great wealth (see 1 Kings 3:12–13). Solomon built God’s temple and filled it with gold furnishings to honor God (see 1 Kings 7:48–50).

Solomon’s wealth and gold, however, far exceeded what he used for God’s glory. Solomon’s building projects included ornate palaces for himself and for his wives. He also built a fleet of ships for the purpose of importing more gold (see 1 Kings 9:26–28).

Solomon and the Queen of Sheba

The splendor in which Solomon lived was so extreme that when the Queen of Sheba—herself an opulently wealthy royal—saw Solomon’s wealth “she was overwhelmed” (1 Kings 10:5). Yet her astonishment led her to praise God: “Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:9). We don’t know what Solomon may have said, but clearly the Queen of Sheba had the right reaction. Rather than praising Solomon, she praised his God. This story should make Christians today ponder how to demonstrate a kind of faith that makes other people praise God.

The Scale of Solomon’s Wealth

Solomon received copious amounts of gold annually—666 talents of it (see 1 Kings 10:14). This amount is somewhere in the range of 45,000–50,000 pounds of gold! Solomon used the gold for everything: shields, his throne, goblets, household articles … all of it was made of pure gold. In fact, the Bible says “Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days” (1 Kings 10:21).

The account of Solomon’s wealth is stunning, and it seems that the wealth he had yielded some good, God-oriented results. First Kings 10:24 says, “The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.”

Solomon’s Wealth Became a Spiritual Snare

Unfortunately, Solomon’s wealth led to his becoming involved with many foreign women, and they pulled his heart away from God (see 1 Kings 11:1–6). In this, Solomon’s wealth becomes a cautionary example. His wealth gave him celebrity status, and his taste for the things of the flesh turned him away from following God’s will. He pursued momentary pleasure rather than lasting faithfulness.

Wealth should always remind us to honor God as the Giver. The way we use money is a fundamental aspect of how we live out our faith. God’s children need to look beyond their own interests and be generous with what God gives them, using it to bless others and to glorify God. We need to remember that every gift comes from God (see James 1:17). This means that all such gifts should be used in ways that honor and praise God. As Proverbs 3:9 reminds us, we must honor the Lord with our wealth.

True Treasure

We also need to remember not to set too much value on wealth. It might be tempting to fantasize about having great wealth like Solomon. We might even try to convince ourselves that we wouldn’t fall into the same sinful traps as Solomon did if we were blessed with wealth like his. (Let’s not be too sure! There are all too many examples, ancient and contemporary, in which desire for wealth has twisted hearts away from God.) We need to remember that placing too much importance on wealth and possessions is the opposite of what Christ taught.

Jesus reminded his listeners that life does not consist in the abundance of possessions (see Luke 12:15). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to store up our treasures in heaven rather than on earth, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). We want our hearts in the right place. Jesus went on to say, “See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28–29).

What We Can Learn from Solomon

The splendor of Solomon’s wealth was spectacular, but that’s not what life is about. Whatever God blesses us with, we must use it for his purposes. Even if God doesn’t bless us with wealth like Solomon’s, we have no less splendor, for our true identity and worth are not in what we own but in the One who owns us by his grace and mercy. Thanks be to God!

Adapted from the study material from the NIV Application Bible based on the NIV Application Commentary series.