“And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name [was] Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up [his] hand against the king. And this [was] the cause that he lifted up [his] hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, [and] repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam [was] a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.” (1Ki 11:26-28 AV)
Solomon made two major errors. At the inception of his kingdom, he allied himself in business and marriage with the pagan nations around him. This came back to bite him hard. To please his wives, he worshipped their gods and built temples for their gods. He also built high places of worship which drew Israel out of the temple. We see his other major blunder above. His pragmatism nullified his discernment. He saw an industrious young man who made good on everything he touched. He governed the ten northern tribes for Solomon and increased the kingdom many times over. Yet Solomon could not see the pride of his heart. He could not see that this young, ambitious man would use his drive and success to eventually topple the kingdom. Solomon’s pragmatism was his strength. But it was also his weakness. If it worked, then it must be right. He married strange wives because it avoided warfare and enriched both Israel and their neighbors. He employed Jeroboam because he knew what he was doing and his ambition would benefit the crown. Both calculations were off. Integrity and character matter more the results.
Ambition can blind the mind’s eye to bigger issues. How often is this tale told? So many through the annuls of history have proven over and again that pride in accomplishment often tarnishes the end result. There was Napolean who invaded Russia but lacked the wisdom to understand how difficult Russian winters were. Hilter followed suit. Not content to continue westward, he turned eastward and failed in the same way as his French predecessor did. This tendency is not limited to military pursuits. How many famous people have sullied their accomplishments because they could not control other impulses? Time and again, successful people lose all accolades because of a lapse of judgment. But what happened to Solomon was more than a mere lapse of judgment. It was deliberate. He deliberately chose a more pragmatic rather than principled way. He chose what worked rather than what was right. Would he have arrived at the same end? We will never know. But what we do know is that Jeroboam split the kingdom and made Baal the god of the north.
I’ll have to admit, sometimes it is easier to plug a hole than to wait in the right situation. In the ministry, we are tempted to do so all the time. It is not advisable. It is better to suffer a need than to fill a need with the wrong person. Solomon was a very wise person. Reading the book of Proverbs proves this to be true. But the thing about that book that people do not consider is that the truths are generally true. They are not true all the time. They are patterns that tend to repeat themselves and not absolute laws that are always followed. They are observations. They are not absolute. Proverbs are pragmatic advice that works out far more than it doesn’t work out. But it is no guarantee. That being said, one can see how a pragmatic king can make unwise choices. He compares the odds and makes the wisest choice based on the predicted outcome. This is superficial reasoning. What it does not consider are the intangibles. The things that cannot be seen, like the hidden pride of a subordinate. Does that mean that pragmatism has no place? Not so. It has a major place. Just not the only place.
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