1 Kings 10:14-29 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Kings 10:14-29. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Kings 10:14-29 (NIV)
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,
15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield.
17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas 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 inlaid 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 at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
23 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, 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–the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.
29 They imported a chariot from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. They also exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans.
On verses 14-29: Previously Solomon had prayed for a wise and discerning heart. God was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He decided to grant Solomon not only a wise and discerning heart but riches and honour as well, such that in terms of wisdom there would never be anyone like Solomon and in terms of riches Solomon would have no equal in his lifetime (1 Kings 3:12-13).
Here in these verses we see the fulfillment of God’s promises. King Solomon becomes “greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.” (1 Kings 10:23) In terms of wisdom, the surrounding nations regularly sought an audience with Solomon to hear what he had to say (v24). In terms of wealth, Solomon had more of it than any other king on earth (v23) and was quite possibly the richest man on earth.
Unfortunately all this splendour and even Solomon’s wisdom would be short-lived. That is because Solomon’s heart would eventually turn away from the Lord.
In contrast, Jesus never lived in a palace, sat on a throne (let alone a gold-plated ivory one) or rode in a chariot (let alone 1,400 hundred of them) during his lifetime on earth. The only gold Jesus saw in his lifetime was probably the gold that was presented to him at his birth. While Solomon rode on horses imported from Egypt, Jesus rode a donkey locally bred in Israel. Silver, which was considered of little value during Solomon’s reign, was the price the religious leaders paid for Jesus’ handing over. In all material respects Jesus’ splendour was nothing compared to Solomon’s. Yet which son of David now sits on the throne, reigning supreme, and has all authority in heaven and earth given to him? Not Solomon, but Jesus.
It goes to show that you can live like Solomon — be hot for God for a short season, only to get distracted by the world’s pleasures. Or you can live like Jesus, seeking to be faithful to God’s call on your life till the very end.
Choose Solomon’s way and you may get some earthly recognition and esteem, but neither your wisdom nor your splendour will last. Choose Jesus’ way and you may be a “nobody” in most people’s eyes, but your wisdom and riches will last forever and in the end will far exceed the Solomons of this world.
Father, thank You that the kingdom, the riches and the wisdom You are calling me to chase are not temporary but eternal. No matter how much splendour or wisdom You give me in this lifetime, may my heart always be set on obeying You and trusting You. Let YOUR kingdom come and expand YOUR territory in my life. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
opyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
