King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex, and Power is written by Philip Graham Ryken, the President of Wheaton College. In this book, Dr. Ryken explores the three themes of the life of Solomon: the love of money, the pleasures of sex, and the powers of an earthly kingdom. This is a well-written, biblical, Christ-centered, Gospel-saturated book that gets right to the point by addressing the heart of the matter man’s sin and the hope of the Gospel.
One of the things I appreciated most about Dr. Ryken’s approach whether he is preaching, teaching or writing is that he gets right to the point and helps the reader understand what he is saying. The life of Solomon has much to teach us but nothing greater than how his life points to Christ. Jesus makes this point in Luke 11:31, “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here.” Solomon teaches us both what a life that fears God and a life that doesn’t fear God looks like. Solomon’s life also shows us what a life lived for pleasure for the sake of itself looks like.
Even with all that one can learn from the life of Solomon ultimately there is one greater than Solomon who has a greater kingdom than did Solomon. The kingdom greater than Solomon’s kingdom is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is greater than Solomon as Jesus is the risen King, the true and righteous Solomon of the believer’s salvation. By the power of His resurrection, the believer can serve God to the end of one’s days. After death, the believer will rise with Solomon and all the children to offer the Savior an eternity of praise.
I recommend you pick up King Solomon: The Temptations of Money, Sex and Power by Dr. Ryken and learn from the wisdom, sin and folly of Solomon. Reading this book will help you to learn how your own pursuit for money, sex, and power needs to be viewed through the lens of the Bible for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ultimately this book will help you address heart attitudes you have towards money, sex and power issues that affect touch on every sphere of the believers’ life. Addressing issues of the heart is never easy, but Dr. Ryken as a skilled Pastor, and scholar does so masterfully in this book, which is why I recommend you pick it up so that you can grow even more in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
