The second son of David and Bathsheba. His childhood was marked by the shadows of his parents' past and the violence of his brothers (Absalom, Amnon, Adonijah). He was the "Replacement Son" who received the name Jedidiah ("Beloved of the Lord").

He was crowned during a palace coup. He came to the throne feeling like a "little child who does not know how to carry out his duties." He began with a profound sense of humility.

He was formed by Academic Excellence and Artistic Appreciation. He studied nature, music, and law. He was David's intellectual heir, tasked with making permanent what David had started.

He was shaped by Excess. 666 talents of gold arrived annually. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was shaped by the gradual drift that happens when a person has no resistance and no "hunger" left.

1. The Coronation (Ride on the mule).
2. The Dream (The Request).
3. The Baby (First Judgment).
4. The Dedication (The Temple Cloud).
5. The Drift (High Places).

The Builder of the House. Solomon carried the responsibility of moving God's presence from a tent (temporary) to a Temple (permanent). He was the "Prince of Peace."

He provided Systematic Wisdom. He wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. He classified plants and animals. He gave Israel an intellectual and cultural foundation that survived the monarchy.

The entire known world sought his counsel. The people of Israel depended on him for the "Pax Salomonica"—40 years without a major war.

He built the Temple where the sacrifices for sin would be offered until the coming of Christ. He prefigures the "Greater than Solomon" who builds a Temple of living stones.

He broke under Compromise. He violated all three of God's rules for kings (Deut 17): don't multiply horses, don't multiply gold, and don't multiply wives. He tried to have God and the world. He allowed the "High Places" of false gods to exist alongside the Temple of Yahweh.

He held fast to Reason and Observation. Even in his drift, he continued to search for the "meaning of it all." He remained the world's teacher, leaving behind the Proverbs which continue to form the character of billions.