Did Solomon repent

Answer 1

Are there any scriptures that state by necessary inference or in any way imply that Solomon was lost? My understanding is yes, he did disobey God in a most blatant manner, but the book of Ecclesiastes was his repentance. I had a sister tell me last nite after our ladies' class she agrees, the book may have been, but repentance means nothing if you don't DO something. She went on to say that all the idols erected during Solomon's reign were not torn down until King Josiah, and if Solomon had repented in the biblical sense, he would have had them torn down. ~ Marilyn The sins of Solomon are acknowledged in Scripture. Various sources conclude from the biblical text that Solomon was ultimately lost. "He died disillusioned and spiritually insensible" (Unger's). "Near the end of his life, the king lost the ideals of his youth, becoming restless and unsatisfied. ...Eventually he approved of, and even participated in, these idolatrous acts" (Nelson's). Other commentators presume that Solomon repented at the last. "Solomon probably repented in the end; for Chronicles make no mention of his fall" (Fausset's). Matthew Henry assumes that Solomon' soul was recovered for God: The account we have of Solomon's apostasy from God, in the latter end of his reign 1 Kings 11:1, is the tragical part of his story; we may suppose that he spoke his Proverbs in the prime of his time, while he kept his integrity, but delivered his Ecclesiastes when he had grown old (for of the burdens and decays of age he speaks feelingly ch. 12), and was, by the grace of God, recovered from his backslidings. Yet, when all is said and done, we must concur with the following remarks: We may not enter into the things within the veil, or answer either way the doubting question, Is there any hope? Others have not shrunk from debating that question, deciding, according to their formulae, that he did or did not fulfil the conditions of salvation so as to satisfy them, were they to be placed upon the judgment seat. ...The teaching of the New Test. adds nothing to the materials for a life of Solomon. (McClintock and Strong) The salvation of some Old Testament Bible characters who appear in New Testament passages can be confidently affirmed (Hebrews 11). Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus Christ at the Transfiguration, whereby even Moses who was forbidden entrance to Canaan because of sin seems to have enjoyed ultimate salvation (Matthew 17:3). However, it is not the prerogative of mere mortals to pronounce eternal judgment (damnation or salvation) upon any soul (James 4:11-12). As fruit inspectors, though, we can offer righteous judgment that souls with whom we are contemporary need to bring themselves into compliance with God's Word or face the prospect of eternal loss (Matthew 7:1-5, 16-20). Still, we cannot guarantee (though the truth may seem obvious to us and we may be correct) that any soul is saved or lost--that's not our job as Christians. Works Cited Fausset's Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 1998. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible. New modern ed. CD-ROM. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1991. McClintock and Strong Encyclopedia. CD-ROM. Seattle: Biblesoft, 2000. Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Nashville: Nelson, 1986. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. CD-ROM. Chicago: Moody, 1988.