Upon his elevation as King, Solomon performed, as his first act, a pilgrimage to Gibeon (a place the Israelites had been tricked into preserving with its indigenes in the time of Joshua) in order to sacrifice to God at the tabernacle of the congregation. This tabernacle was supposed to be the outer area covering the inner sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. However, in Samuel's time, the Ark had been foolishly taken into battle and lost to the Philistines.
The Israelites had grown accustomed to life without the Ark, and the periodical rituals they normally undertook at Shiloh (it's resting place), to commune with God, had been abandoned. Instead, they took the outer covering of the Ark (the tabernacle of the congregation, or tent of meeting) to Gibeon and began to make their sacrifices in a foreign shrine covered with the sacred tent.
God appeared to Solomon in response to his sacrifice. Indeed God appeared to Solomon more than twice in his life. He was rich, he was wise, his kingdom was famous and had peace. Yet the Bible says Solomon's heart was not as perfect as that of his father.
David on the other hand couldn't rest until he brought the actual Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem from where the Philistines had abandoned it. He wanted to build a brick and mortar temple for God but was restrained by God in favour of Solomon.
God is not recorded to have personally appeared to David, instead He preferred to speak to him through prophets Nathan and Gad. But Davids' is still regarded as the highest standard of devotion to God among the Kings of Israel and Judah.
The high place (or shrine) in Gibeon went on to become a place of idolatry for the Israelites because they believed a vestige of the supernatural was domiciled there. It caused great spiritual havoc for them.
Solomon communed with God at Gibeon and God answered. But that didn't mean Gibeon was the right place to commune with God.
Do we concern ourselves with the outside while disregarding the inside which matters most?
Brethren, not everything done by Men of God is right or proper, even if God answers. Some have a level of favour that others don't have. This has nothing to do with their standing with God. God looks at the heart, and therefore God found David's heart more pleasing than Solomon.
Everything done by us which leads others astray will eventually be brought to us to account before our maker.
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