King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his men—sailors who knew the sea—to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon. 1 Kings 9:26-28
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.1 Kings 10:23
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 1 Kings 11:1

Without a doubt, King Solomon was an extremely wealthy man, perhaps the Bill Gates or Warren Buffett of his day. Verse 23 seems to indicate that he was the wealthiest. He was a builder. It took him 20 years to build his palace and the LORD’s temple, his surrounding terraces, and numerous cities. To say that he was an important man is an understatement. And he was wise.

In the end, though, he loved his women, and lots of them. On top of that they were foreign women at that. What’s the significance of foreign women? They worshipped other gods, and Solomon followed after them.

We see some of his yearnings and boredom in the Book of Ecclesiastes. He had everything but he wanted more. Think about that. He had everything the known world had to offer him, but he wasn’t satisfied with it, to the point that he turned away from God. I don’t think I can underscore this point enough, even in my own life.

Billy Graham once said, “if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul, was it worth it?””

We are bombarded with ads that tell us should be dissatisfied with our looks, our teeth, our weight, our hair color, our hair loss, our popularity, our old cars and old furniture, and even our boring monogamous family. Lies, all lies. None of those things draw us closer to God. None.

Today when you’re tempted to go after the “temporary,” remember Solomon’s demise: he was ultimately a dissatisfied man when he turned from God.