THE WEALTH OF SOLOMON
1 Kings 9 and 10
The LORD appears to Solomon for the second time - 9:1-9
In answer to the prayer that Solomon had made to Him at the dedication of the temple, the LORD appeared to him for a second time, after he had finished doing all that he had desired and had been instructed to do.
The LORD said to Solomon that:
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He had sanctified the house which Solomon had built for Him (the temple). In other words:
- He Himself had separated the temple for His service and given it His name,
- It was intended to remain that way forever, and
- Every day the LORD was watching and caring about what was done there. -
Solomon's throne over Israel would be confirmed forever through his dynasty, never failing to have a successor as promised to David, provided he behaved before God like his father David had done, with integrity of heart and uprightness, in complete obedience to everything that he had been told and keeping God's law.
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But if there was infidelity on the part of Solomon, of his children or of the people, turning away from the way of the LORD and of His law, and going and serving other gods, and worshipping them, Israel would be removed from the land, and the temple would be cast out from the presence of God. The peoples would then despise Israel, and astonished as to how the LORD had punished His people because of their idolatry.
All these conditions ceased to be obeyed and the people received this punishment, accurate and literally as the LORD had said. Solomon's temple ceased to exist throusands of years ago, and now only a part of the people of Israel are returning to own their land, after millennia in exile.
A new temple will be built in Jerusalem for the abode of God when the Lord Jesus returns for his millennial kingdom here on earth.
Meanwhile, God dwells in the "temple" of the body of the believer and in the church.
The dissatisfaction of Hiram, king of Tyre - 9:10-14
This short passage speaks of the dissatisfaction of Hiram at the twenty cities which Solomon had given him, but we see later that Hiram continued to work with Solomon in their joint enterprises. It seems that some details are missing.
Solomon should not have given these cities to a Gentile king, for they were part of the heritage of Israel. It is understood, therefore, that Solomon gave Hiram these cities only as security for a loan of one hundred and twenty talents (4,100 kg) of gold (v.14) used to fund the works. The cedar and cypress had been paid for in provisions.
Hiram went to see these cities and did not like them, so the place where they were was called Land of Kabul (nasty, dirty, trash), in other words Useless Land. So he did not want to keep them permanently, which would be disastrous for Israel.
Solomon must have paid his debt and recovered the cities, because he built and settled the Israelites in them (2 Chronicles 8:2).
The works of Solomon - 9:14-28
The descendants of the Canaanites that had not been completely eliminated by the Israelites were forced to work in the construction of the temple, the palaces, cities and fortifications.
Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer were three cities that Solomon built strategically for the purpose of defending their territory points: Hazor was in the north, Megiddo remained an important city in north-central, commanding the plain of Esdralom and vital to the defense the Jordan Valley, while the West was Gezer and Jerusalem had been destroyed, with the Canaanites that dwell therein, the Pharaoh of Egypt and gifted to his daughter who married Solomon. Milo was some kind of fortification for the city of Jerusalem, built after the palace of Pharaoh's daughter.
Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord three times a year, probably on the occasion of the three national holidays: Unleavened Bread, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
He not only built properties, but also a fleet of merchant ships based at Ezion-Geber, near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. (Israel today have their port of Elath there, adjacent to Aqaba in Jordan, ancient Edom). King Hiram collaborated in the training of Solomon's sailors, when they were seeking for gold in Ophir (14,340 kg).
The visit of the Queen of Sheba - 10:1-13
According to archaeologists and historians, the Sabeans inhabited the southern part of the Arabian peninsula. Although the name of this queen in Solomon's time is not given in the Bible, historians have sought to find out who she was and have given some suggestions.
The merchant fleet of King Solomon not only brought him wealth, but no doubt made him famous throughout all the region where it went, along the shores of the Red Sea, even possibly as far as India.
His fame could not help but reach the ears of the Queen of Sheba. Some people even suggest that the ships of Solomon would be competing with the camel caravans crossing the Arabian desert to get to Sheba and take their products, threatening their prosperity. And everyone knew that Solomon owed his wisdom and prosperity to the LORD his God.
The Queen wanted to ascertain the truth herself. Being very rich and powerful, she was not afraid to go all the way to Jerusalem to prove Solomon with hard questions, taking with her a large retinue and very rich gifts.
Solomon answered all the questions asked by the queen, and there was nothing he could not explain. He even showed her the house that he had built (the temple, perhaps), and she saw what he ate, the place of his officers, the uniforms and service of servants and butlers, and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple.
She was as if beside herself, dazzled by what she saw and watched, and declared that the reality of the wisdom and wealth of Solomon far exceeded what she had heard in disbelief. She blessed the LORD God of Solomon, acknowledging that He loved Israel forever and so had appointed Solomon as their king.
The Queen presented Solomon with great wealth in gold (4100 kilograms), spices and precious stones that she had brought. Solomon in turn reciprocated by giving her all she desired and asked for, and even more according to his generosity. And she returned to her own land with her entourage.
The prosperity of Solomon - 10:14-29
Besides gold, sandalwood and precious stones that the fleet of Hiram brought to Solomon, his own fleet brought him gold and silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. He also received taxes from traders and tributes of all the kings of Arabia and governors of the land, as well as gifts of those who came to visit to hear his wisdom. Only in gold he received almost 22,800 kg per year. He exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
At this point Solomon reached the zenith of his glory and prosperity, as the LORD had promised.
R David Jones
1 Kings chapter 9
1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he wanted to do,
1Ki 9:2 that the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon.
1Ki 9:3 And the LORD said to him: "I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.
1Ki 9:4 Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments,
1Ki 9:5 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'
1Ki 9:6 But if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,
1Ki 9:7 then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
1Ki 9:8 And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and will hiss, and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?'
1Ki 9:9 Then they will answer, 'Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore the LORD has brought all this calamity on them.' "
1Ki 9:10 Now it happened at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king's house
1Ki 9:11 (Hiram the king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.
1Ki 9:12 Then Hiram went from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, but they did not please him.
1Ki 9:13 So he said, "What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother?" And he called them the land of Cabul, as they are to this day.
1Ki 9:14 Then Hiram sent the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
1Ki 9:15 And this is the reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
1Ki 9:16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, had killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife.)
1Ki 9:17 And Solomon built Gezer, Lower Beth Horon,
1Ki 9:18 Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land of Judah,
1Ki 9:19 all the storage cities that Solomon had, cities for his chariots and cities for his cavalry, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
1Ki 9:20 All the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel—
1Ki 9:21 that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day.
1Ki 9:22 But of the children of Israel Solomon made no forced laborers, because they were men of war and his servants: his officers, his captains, commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry.
1Ki 9:23 Others were chiefs of the officials who were over Solomon's work: five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people who did the work.
1Ki 9:24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
1Ki 9:25 Now three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the LORD, and he burned incense with them on the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the temple.
1Ki 9:26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.
1Ki 9:27 Then Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, seamen who knew the sea, to work with the servants of Solomon.
1Ki 9:28 And they went to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.
1Ki 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions.
1Ki 10:2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
1Ki 10:3 So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her.
1Ki 10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
1Ki 10:5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the service of his waiters and their apparel, his cupbearers, and his entryway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her.
1Ki 10:6 Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom.
1Ki 10:7 However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.
1Ki 10:8 Happy are your men and happy are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
1Ki 10:9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness."
1Ki 10:10 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold, spices in great quantity, and precious stones. There never again came such abundance of spices as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
1Ki 10:11 Also, the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought great quantities of almug wood and precious stones from Ophir.
1Ki 10:12 And the king made steps of the almug wood for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also harps and stringed instruments for singers. There never again came such almug wood, nor has the like been seen to this day.
1Ki 10:13 Now King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon had given her according to the royal generosity. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
1Ki 10:14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
1Ki 10:15 besides that from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country.
1Ki 10:16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield.
1Ki 10:17 He also made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
1Ki 10:18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
1Ki 10:19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round at the back; there were armrests on either side of the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the armrests.
1Ki 10:20 Twelve lions stood there, one on each side of the six steps; nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.
1Ki 10:21 All King Solomon's drinking vessels were gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Not one was silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon.
1Ki 10:22 For the king had merchant ships at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the merchant ships came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
1Ki 10:23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.
1Ki 10:24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
1Ki 10:25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year.
1Ki 10:26 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
1Ki 10:27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which are in the lowland.
1Ki 10:28 Also Solomon had horses imported from Egypt and Keveh; the king's merchants bought them in Keveh at the current price.
1Ki 10:29 Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.
1 Kings chapters 1 and 10