HE HAS MADE YOU KING TO MAINTAIN JUSTICE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
1King 10:1-29
Key verse 9
“Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
Introduction
Today’s passage is about the splendid aspects of Solomon’s kingdom continually. God fulfilled His promises for him. When he asked for wisdom to rule God’s people with justice and righteousness, God richly blessed him more than he could possibly imagine or handle. But at the same time we must heed a warning at the peak of prosperity, which is to remember the cause(root) of all God’s blessings. We must never lose our focus on keeping God’s commands and uphold His cause(principle) so that all nations may know who God is in and through us as the kingdom of priests and a holy nation for God’s glory. May the Lord help us to be people of God who choose to suffer together for His eternal purpose. Amen.
Read verses 1-13. Why did the queen of Sheba come to Jerusalem? (1-2) What caused her to be overwhelmed? (3-5) What did she say? (6-9) What can we learn about God? (9) Describe the exchange of gifts between Solomon and the queen. (10-13)
1-1, Read verses 1-13.
When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. 3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed. 6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.” 10 And she gave the king 120 talents[b] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almug wood[c] and precious stones. 12 The king used the almug wood to make supports[d] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almug wood has never been imported or seen since that day.) 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
1-2, Why did the queen of Sheba come to Jerusalem? (1-2)
When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relationship to the Lord, she came to test Solomon with hard questions. 2 Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan—with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones—she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind.
Sheba was the place where today Yemen(south Arabian) or Ethiopia(upper Africa) is located. In Solomon’ time, this place was a wealthy kingdom with much gold, spices, and precious stones as the queen carried in her great caravan.
This was a long trip up to 1,500 miles, a similar distance from Downey to Houston. But no doubt she was highly motivated to see Solomon and his kingdom, for the wisdom of Solomon and his splendor was well known.
Her visit could have been a part of a trade mission between South Arabian and Mesopotamia involving spices.
Jesus once spoke highly of her in Luke 11:27-32 or Matthews 12:42.
As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.
1-3, What caused her to be overwhelmed? (3-5)
3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at[a] the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.
She must have been familiar with the world of royal splendor and luxury. Yet she was completely mesmerized by the outstanding wisdom of Solomon and the remarkable glory of his kingdom.
1-4, What did she say? (6-9)
She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 7 But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. 8 How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
1-5, What can we learn about God? (9)
9 Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.”
This is not only her praise but a fulfillment of God’s promise. Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 10-14 reads, If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: 3 You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country...The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you. 12 The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
It is a joyful thing to serve a great, wise, and rich king. If it was a happy thing to serve Solomon, it is a much happier thing to serve Jesus.
God wanted to reach the nations through an obedient and blessed Israel. “Praise to the Lord your God” is the right way of thanks, for it is fair to say that it came from the Lord their God who is the source of blessing and prosperity.
We could learn from what she had done. She came from the end of the earth those days. She came with gifts to offer. She came to question and to learn. She came and saw the riches of the king. She came from an extended period without hurry. She came telling all that was on her mind and satisfied. She praised God who is the source of blessings.
She must have continued to grow in her knowledge of who God is. How much more should we today seek Jesus and His everlasting glory of His coming eternal Kingdom? She will certainly rise up in judgment with this generation too.
Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness
This statement is especially meaningful because Solomon was not necessarily the most logical successor of his father David.
There were several sons of David born before Solomon. "It was God's special act to make him king rather than his elder brother."
But through God’s absolute and sovereign choice to make him a king, God’s just and righteousness maintained.
The queen could see how much God loved the Israelites that he established such a leader as Solomon. How nice it would be to live under a leader that is genuinely concerned for his people?
Also without justice and righteousness, the people under a king are not happy. It alludes to our King, Jesus Christ who rules us with justice and righteousness.
We are less than satisfactory with human leaders and always people are on edge to protest against leaders. But we are happy under the rule of Jesus and His Holy Spirit daily. Praise the Lord!
1-6, Describe the exchange of gifts between Solomon and the queen. (10-13)
10 And she gave the king 120 talents[b] of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 11 (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almug wood[c] and precious stones. 12 The king used the almug wood to make supports[d] for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almug wood has never been imported or seen since that day.) 13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she left and returned with her retinue to her own country.
Solomon gave her out of royal bounty and all she wanted and asked for. Maybe it included a son who will be a royal line of Ethiopia in history until a royal office whom Philip met in the book of Acts visited the crescent fertile area later.
Read verses 14-22. How much did Solomon receive as his base salary? (14-15) What did Solomen then do? (16-21) What does the trading of ships tell us about Solomon? (22)
2-1, Read verses 14-22.
The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[e] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[f]of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[g] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships[h] at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
2-2, How much did Solomon receive as his base salary? (14-15)
The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,[e] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.
The value of the 666 talents of gold is about $281,318,400. Revelation 13:18 reads that the number 666 is the number of a man.
The man could be Solomon like one. Why? It is because he may be like Solomon starting as a good man but utterly corrupted to the core.
Besides that from the traveling merchants, Solomon received more. So 666 talents just was "base salary."
The author of 1 Kings gives us a warning here based on Deuteronomy 17:17b, which says, “He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.”
God blessed Solomon with great riches, but Solomon allowed that blessing to turn into a danger because he disobediently multiplied silver and gold for himself.
2-3, What did Solomen then do? (16-21)
King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels[f]of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas[g] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. 18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.21 All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.
2-4, What does the trading of ships tell us about Solomon? (22)
The king had a fleet of trading ships[h] at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
Again it shows that he accumulated gold, silver, and ivory and so on. They were blessings from the Lord based on Deuteronomy 28. But at the height of his prosperity, he should have directed his heart to the Lord fully.
Read verses 23-29. Why did the kings of the earth come to Solomon with gifts? (23-25) What does his accumulation of chariots and horses reveal about him? (26-29) What can we learn from this passage when we are blessed like Solomon?
3-1, Read verses 23-29.
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[i] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[j]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.[k] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
3-2, Why did the kings of the earth come to Solomon with gifts? (23-25)
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought the audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
Deuteronomy 28:12-13 were fulfilled in and through Solomon’s time. Praise the Lord!
When we think of Solomon's great wealth, we also consider that he originally did not seek riches. He instead asked for wisdom to lead God’s people. God promised to also give Solomon riches and fame, and God fulfilled His.
We also consider that Solomon pointed out in the Book of Ecclesiastes that there was no ultimate satisfaction through materialism. We don't have to be as rich as Solomon to prove it because nothing is new under the sun!
3-3, What does his accumulation of chariots and horses reveal about him? (26-29)
3-4, What can we learn from this passage when we are blessed like Solomon?
26 Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses,[i] which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue[j]—the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price. 29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty.[k] They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
This end of this great description of Solomon's wealth and splendor, was in direct disobedience to Deuteronomy 17:16. “But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, "You shall not return that way again."
The importation of horses from Egypt was a part of trading business as an agent on behalf of other kings. From this, perhaps Solomon could say, "I'm importing horses from Egypt but I am not doing it for myself. I'm not breaking God's command."
Many examples of disobedience begin as such a clever excuse. What a warning it is for us to take in a society where we pursue our free choice without limit! May the Lord help us to be honest with God daily and completely humble before Him!
One word: Justice and Righteousness
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