Heart of the King: An Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Lords of Alekka Book 4)

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I've always wondered why King Solomon in all the wisdom God gave him at the beginning of his reign, was foolish in disobeying God's laws in the end. Jill Eileen Smith explores this question in The Heart of a King , taking literary license since scripture doesn't expound on many facets of his life or those of his wives. As I read this fictional account of a true story, I had to shake my head at Solomon whenever he justified his actions in disobeying what God so clearly told him not to do. As in the case of his third wife Siti; she worshiped the goddess Bastet and he built her a palace outside the walls of Jerusalem for her to honor her goddess and to display Bastet's images. In his thinking, as long as it wasn't seen or placed inside the walls, it was okay. He also justified that since his heart remained true to Adonai, he could take many foreign wives, horses and chariots as gifts from the kings & dignitaries to keep his kingdom peaceful. For anyone who knows scripture, would know that Solomon was unwise in these things. You will never be all that he needs, dear girl. Only God can give us all that we need. Only He can feed the hungriest places in our soul." The king's heart is like streams of water. Both are under the LORD's control. He turns them in any direction he chooses. Her characters, once again, are chiseled beautifully. Full of depth and emotion. Every emotion they felt became mine while I read this. I fell in love with Solomon and didn’t want his story to end. The love he had for our God, the love he had for his wives, was beautifully portrayed in the words of Smith’s writing.

Siti was the third wife and daughter of the pharaoh. I did not like her at all. I didn't care for her attitude and how she tried so hard to turn Solomon from God. She annoyed me with how sneaky she was -- like a serpent. She planned so much to get Solomon's attention. She had no real respect for him as her husband. She was a spoiled brat. I didn't care for her at all. She was the only wife who did not seek to learn and get to know about God. Portions of this book were previously published as e-books by this author (The Desert Princess, The Shepherdess, Daughter of the Nile, and The Queen of Sheba), so readers will thoroughly enjoy how all of these stories come together to tell a more complete narrative of King Solomon’s life. This novel focuses on four important loves in King Solomon’s life, while also exploring the relationships Solomon had with his parents, King David and Bathsheba, one of his half-brothers, Adonijah, and most importantly, his relationship with God. Readers will learn about his first wife (and mother of his heir) Naamah, Abishag the shepherdess, Siti the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh, and Nicaula the queen of Sheba. I love the way that Jill Smith makes me feel that I’m an observer in the palace watching all these events take place. We not only see this story from Solomon’s point of view, but a large part of the story is from the viewpoints of four women in his life: Naamath, his first wife; Abishag, who took care of King David in his last years, Siti, his Egyptian wife; and the Queen of Sheba. Following their storylines helped me to better understand how all of Solomon’s marriages influenced the political situation of the nation of Israel. As we read through this book, the author never lets us forget that Solomon, in spite of all his wisdom, chose to ignore God’s clear commands about how a king of Israel should live in regards to marriage and material gain. I was by turns very aggravated at Solomon or felt great pity for him. I have to admit that I’ve wondered how a man who had that many wives would find peace, and there’s a slight glimmer of humor as Solomon has to deal with all their requests. To those who have tasted what is forbidden only to find it meaningless. May Solomon's wisdom and the love he craved show you a better way. ~Jill Eileen SmithThe king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. The revelation that wisdom is not equal to morality or prudence. Solomon knew what he was supposed to do, but often foolishly chose to indulge his passions. I have done this in my own life, so I'm sure being the richest, wisest king of his era made temptations that much greater. I appreciated that Smith used the wives to challenge his foolishness. The heart of the King is like a stream of waters in the hands of God, and he turns it wherever he chooses. Abishag, the young wife-nurse of David selected by Bathsheba knowing Solomon would marry the young wives of his father. Solomon and Abishag fall in love through grief and love of music.

Each thing I did, you had to meet another lot of people who have all sorts of views of you beforehand, all sorts of prejudices,” he wittered at a broadly sympathetic Mayer in their original interview, which he declined to supplement with a second. Rivulets of waters is the heart of a king in the hand of Jehovah, Wherever He pleaseth He inclineth it. Reading through the book of Ecclesiastes has always made me wonder about King Solomon. How could this king, to whom God Himself spoke and grant the gift of wisdom, write a book that reads so very much like the futility in our society today? Jill Eileen Smith has written an intriguing book about the life of King Solomon. Following the Biblical account very closely, she brings his story to life as we follow him through the politically turbulent years of his reign; his many marriages; and his search for true peace of heart and mind. The heart of a king [is] streams of waters in the hand of YHWH, | He inclines it wherever He pleases. Solomon is a whiny crown prince and comes off as incredibly selfish throughout the book, although the selfishness does lessen toward the end.This novel is very imaginative, very emotional, and very thought-stirring. It displays King Solomon (and some of his many loves) in a way I’ve never considered before. As each love interest made her appearance, the character of King Solomon became more alive and more understandable. And I could not tear myself away from that inside look! What I loved most about this novel was that it gave Abishag – a personal caregiver to King David and someone I’ve always wondered about – a special and surprising place in the story. I’m still thinking about the connection Jill Eileen Smith made between the woman in The Songs of Solomon and the women highlighted in this novel. Naamah was the first wife. She has loved Solomon since she was 10. At 15 she became his betrothed and at 16 they married. Naamah was in love with Solomon and their love was the most realistic for me since they had known each other for some time. I enjoyed Naamah up until there was talk about other wives. She had this false hope of being his only wife and she didn't handle it well. She did bare him two children in the story -- a son and a daughter. Her role as the first wife was done really well. She was the most whiny of the four wives. Solomon's character as shown in the book was quite multifaceted. He sought to follow God and showed a deep love and concern for following His ways - at first. Though in some ways he appeared strong - in his rulings - he also seemed quite insecure and unsure of the right actions to take, especially after the death of his mother. His portrayal was a bit swarmy in the way he related to the women. Then again, this is probably the way it really was. Seeing his alleged reason for taking on all his wives was quite thought-provoking. Based on multiple interviews with his friends and courtiers, palace insiders and critics, and rare access to Charles himself, before his kingship, this biography explores his philanthropy and his compulsive interventionism, his faith, his significant impact on politics and the philosophy that means when he seeks harmony he sometimes creates controversy. Nicaula, the virgin Queen of Sheba who seeks Solomon's wisdom and a trade agreement. In her search, she finds wisdom for herself in a relationship with the God of Israel.