The life of King Solomon is exceptional in many ways. From his virtue to his success to his covenant with God, the life of King Solomon serves as a great example and inspiration for Christian leaders. Nevertheless, not everything about the life of this great king is admirable. Like all of us he had faults and failings. And because he did not deal with them effectively these became the source of his downfall. And in his failure as much as his victory we can also learn how to lead.

It is said by many that success can be harder to cope with than failure. Certainly this was true for King Solomon. The incredible success we read about in first Kings 9 and 10 is only the prelude to his incredible downfall. But what a prelude it is. What does God want us to learn from it? In this our fifth segment on King Solomon, I examine the weight of success and the call for Christian leaders not only to achieve it but to live it like saints.

In the first book of Kings, the Word of God details the fact that King Solomon built the temple in which God lived. What is said here in a very matter of fact and simple fashion has profound implications for the way that we view the work of our hands. In this fourth part of our series on King Solomon we allow the life and example of the good king to challenge our own perspectives about our work and the ability we have to bring faith into our business.