Flaunting His Success

Thanks to his trading ventures with Hiram of Tyre and the Phoenicians, and leasing out certain cities, Solomon had a vast fixed income, as I Kings 10:14-15 tells us.  “Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffic of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country.”  Besides the money from his business ventures, he charged fees for being in business, tafiffs for crossing the land, and inport and export tariffs. He also colledted tribute from the various groups David had conquered in present day Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. 

With such a vast income, Solomon adopted an extravagant an life style, showing off his extreme wealth, as demonstrated by his furnishings and the uniforms of his guards.  I Kings 10:16-21.  “And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target.  And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.  The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.  And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom.  And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.” 

The gold shields were purely for show, as they would be too thin and soft to provide protection.  The throne built of ivory large enough to support twelve lions, and overlaid with the purest gold would be extremely expensive, representing vast numbers of elephants being killed for their tusks.  Twelve lions acting like house pets on the throne would be quite intimidating to othe people. and that all his dishes and utensils were of gold would only add to the impression of unlimited wealth.  

Solomon had a trading venture with Hiram of Tyre, based out on Eziongeber on the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba that traded along the coasts of Africa and India.  He also had trading ventures with Hiram and what would become the Phoenician Empire in the Mediterranean Sea, extending all the way to Spain and for a time even including France and England.  He charced huge fees as a consultant for various governments and major businesses, as we see in I Kings 10:22-25.  “For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.   So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.  And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.  And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. “

With so much money available, Solomon began to llo for things to spend it on.  One of the most obvious places was updating and strengthening their defenses.  Solomon built up the army mightily as we see in I Kings 10:26-29.  “And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.  And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.  And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price.  And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.”To defray the cost, Solomon had the chariots and horses loaded with linen yarn which he then wholesaled to the businessmen in Israel for a profit.  Just as many people today won’t bother to pick up a penny, in Solomon’s day gold and silver were so common place most people wouldn’t even bother to pick up a silver coin. 

While strengthening their defenses seems like a logical and wise choice, it reveals a change in Solomon’s relationship with God.  In Deuteronomy 17:14-16, God had commanded, “When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.”  Solomon was going directly against God’s command.    Instead of trusting God for protection he is beginning to trust in his army, putting human logic ahead of God’s command.