For those who know something of the life of Solomon, if asked, “When did things start to ‘go south’ for this wisest and most impressive of all Israel’s king”, the answer is likely to be, “When he started marrying ‘foreign women’ — like 700 princesses and 300 concubines” (1Kings 11:1-3). A thousand wives! Talk about a complex “honey do” list!

But before 1,000 wives, there were 40,000 horses.

Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. . . . And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

(1Kings 4:20-21, 25-26 ESV)

40,000 horses . . . that’s what catches my attention. It’s what always catches my attention when I read these chapters in 1 Kings. Not that it’s simply an impressive stat (though it is), but that it is a foreboding signal of something going askew. Even for the wisest guy in the world.

“You may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself . . .”

(Deuteronomy 17:15-16a ESV)

Hold your horses. That was God’s command to the future king the people would want ruling over them. But Solomon didn’t.

Amidst what is, for the most part, a glowing report of the governing structure Solomon created and the good life lived by his people, and plopped right in the middle of the repeated reminders that “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure” (1Kings 4:29, 30, 31, 34; 5:7, 5:12), there is this little fact of full, full stalls. While — at least during the beginning of his reign — we might want to see Solomon as a hero, we need to come to grips with all these horses.

Chosen by God. Visited by God. Blessed by God with wisdom beyond wisdom. And yet, we have this indicator that, at least in some areas, Solomon was not fully obeying God.

And as I noodle on this, I’m reminded that the Bible isn’t meant to be read as a bunch of stories of great heroes but is instead one story of a great redemption. Who needs this story? We all need this story. Even the wisest ruler to have ever lived. Even the guy who had an encounter of the divine kind, the guy given wisdom from heaven itself. The guy who eventually bought 1,000 wedding rings. The guy who started down the slippery slope by first collecting 40,000 horses.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 ESV)

Sure, God will accomplish His purposes even through sinners. He will endow with great talents even transgressors. Lavishing wisdom even upon lawbreakers. But thank God that eternity is not left up to how well we perform. Instead, it is found in believing that I need the finished work of a substitutionary sacrifice and in the reality of a risen Savior and an empty tomb.

Thank God we can all have a part in this grand story of a great redemption. Amen?

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.