Reflections on 1 Kings 10

1 Kings 10 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The Queen of Sheba heard how famous Solomon was, so she went to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions.
   
2. She took along several of her officials, and she loaded her camels with gifts of spices, jewels, and gold. When she arrived, she and Solomon talked about everything she could think of.
   
3. He answered every question, no matter how difficult it was.
   
4. The Queen was amazed at Solomon's wisdom. She was breathless when she saw his palace, the food on his table, his officials, his servants in their uniforms, the people who served his food, and the sacrifices he offered at the LORD's temple.
   
5. (SEE 10:4)
   
6. She said: Solomon, in my own country I had heard about your wisdom and all you've done.
   
7. But I didn't believe it until I saw it with my own eyes! And there's so much I didn't hear about. You are wiser and richer than I was told.
   
8. Your wives and officials are lucky to be here where they can listen to the wise things you say.
   
9. I praise the LORD your God. He is pleased with you and has made you king of Israel. The LORD loves Israel, so he has given them a king who will rule fairly and honestly.
   
10. The Queen of Sheba gave Solomon almost five tons of gold, many jewels, and more spices than anyone had ever brought into Israel.
    
11. In return, Solomon gave her the gifts he would have given any other ruler, but he also gave her everything else she wanted. Then she and her officials went back to their own country. King Hiram's ships brought gold, juniper wood, and jewels from the country of Ophir. Solomon used the wood to make steps for the temple and palace, and harps and other stringed instruments for the musicians. It was the best juniper wood anyone in Israel had ever seen.
    
12. (SEE 10:11)
    
13. (SEE 10:11)
    
14. Solomon received about twenty-five tons of gold a year.
    
15. The merchants and traders, as well as the kings of Arabia and rulers from Israel, also gave him gold.
    
16. Solomon made two hundred gold shields and used about seven and a half pounds of gold for each one.
    
17. He also made three hundred smaller gold shields, using almost four pounds for each one, and he put the shields in his palace in Forest Hall.
    
18. His throne was made of ivory and covered with pure gold.
    
19. The back of the throne was rounded at the top, and it had armrests on each side. There was a statue of a lion on both sides of the throne, and there was a statue of a lion at both ends of each of the six steps leading up to the throne. No other throne in the world was like Solomon's.
    
20. (SEE 10:19)
    
21. Since silver was almost worthless in those days, everything was made of gold, even the cups and dishes used in Forest Hall.
    
22. Solomon had a lot of seagoing ships. Every three years he sent them out with Hiram's ships to bring back gold, silver, and ivory, as well as monkeys and peacocks.
    
23. He was the richest and wisest king in the world.
    
24. People from every nation wanted to hear the wisdom God had given him.
    
25. Year after year people came and brought gifts of silver and gold, as well as clothes, weapons, spices, horses, or mules.
    
26. Solomon had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses that he kept in Jerusalem and other towns.
    
27. While he was king, there was silver everywhere in Jerusalem, and cedar was as common as ordinary sycamore trees in the foothills.
    
28. Solomon's merchants bought his horses and chariots in the regions of Musri and Kue. They paid about fifteen pounds of silver for a chariot and almost four pounds of silver for a horse. They also sold horses and chariots to the Hittite and Syrian kings.
    
29. (SEE 10:28)
    

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Early in Solomon's reign, God promised him wisdom and understanding along with riches and honor. He promised that "no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life." (3:13) So chapter 10 is as much a commentary on God's faithfulness and power as it is on Solomon's wealth and wisdom. God fulfilled each of these promises. Not only was He faithful, but He was capable.

Along with God's promises to Solomon there were stipulations, though, that Solomon "walk in My (God's) ways and keep My statutes and commandments just as your father David did," (3:14) This Solomon did for the most part, but we see hints of his yielding to temptation in violation of the Lord's commands found in Deuteronomy 17: "he (the king) must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire many horses, for the LORD has told you, 'You are never to go back that way again.' He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won't go astray. He must not acquire very large amounts of silver and gold for himself." (Deut 17:16-17) Solomon was yielding to all of these temptations: many horses from Egypt, many wives, and large amounts of silver and gold. It seemed innocent enough, for there is nothing innately wrong with these things except, as is pointed out in Deuteronomy, they are prone to cause one's heart to go astray.

The queen of Sheba paid a visit to Solomon to test whether he lived up to his reputation for wisdom and knowledge. "Nothing was too difficult for the king to explain to her." (10:3) Her observance of his food and servants and burnt offerings to the Lord "took her breath away." (10:5) Her conclusion was that "Your wisdom and prosperity far exceed the report I heard." (10:7)  She praised the God of Israel and spoke of "the Lord's eternal love for Israel" for making Solomon king "to carry out justice and righteousness." (10:9) Then she gave him further wealth as gifts: "four and a half tons of gold, a great quantity of spices, and precious stones." This was no doubt offset by the gifts he gave her, for he gave "the queen of Sheba her every desire--whatever she asked--besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty." (10:13)

Verses 14-29 further describe Solomon's wealth: his gold and silver, the exotic wood, his elaborate ivory throne, and his chariots and horses.  Verse 27 says that "The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills."  And verse 24 tells us "The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart." Can any person gain such wealth and honor and remain humble?