Awake, o sleeper!

King Solomon sets both a good example and a bad one. Wisdom or folly? It’s our choice.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You” (Psalm 89:15).

By the end of antiquity, King Solomon had become the model not just of messianic rule but of temporal, earthly rule as well. Both Christian and Islamic rulers seeking to cast themselves as king, imitate the king to whom the whole world should submit. The most famous example from the Islamic world is the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the “Magnifcent,” who emulated the king not just in name (Suleiman is Arabic for Solomon) but also in deed, rebuilding Jerusalem and promoting justice throughout his realm.