WHEN GOD'S WORD COMES TRUE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings - the temple of the Lord and the royal palace - King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and pine and gold he wanted. But when Hiram went from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" he asked. And he called them the Land of Cabul, a name they have to this day. Now Hiram had sent to the king 120 talents of gold.

Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord's temple, his own palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer. (Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife. And Solomon rebuilt Gezer.) He built up Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert, within his land, as well as all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses - whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory he ruled.

All the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites), that is, their descendants remaining in the land, whom the Israelites could not exterminate - these Solomon conscripted for his slave labor force, as it is to this day. But Solomon did not make slaves of any of the Israelites; they were his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers. They were also the chief officials in charge of Solomon's projects - 550 officials supervising the men who did the work.

After Pharaoh's daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the supporting terraces.

Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his men - sailors who knew the sea - to serve in the fleet with Solomon's men. They sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon.

When the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon and his relation to the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 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. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, 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 the temple of the Lord, she was overwhelmed.

She said to the king, "The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 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. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 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."

And she gave the king 120 talents 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.

(Hiram's ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. The king used the almugwood to make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.)
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.

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.

King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of gold went into each shield. 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.

Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 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. 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. 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. 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.

King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.

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. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue - the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. 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.

1 Kings 9:10-28, 10:1-29

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So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

1 Kings 3:11-13

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

“I will give you what you have not asked for…both riches and honor…so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.”

These were God’s words to Solomon as he appeared to him for the first time in 1st Kings, Chapter 3. And as we study the scriptures that pick up after the dedication of the temple, we see first-hand how God’s words came true in Solomon’s life.

For Solomon’s kingdom grew from his rebuilding of Gezer to his building up of “Lower Beth Horon, Baalath, and Tadmor in the desert” as well as “all his store cities and the towns for his chariots and for his horses”. Our passage tells us that whatever Solomon “desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon and throughout all the territory, he ruled”.

And everywhere that Solomon went and conquered, he enlisted “all the people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites”…those who weren’t Israelites…and used them as his “conscripted for his slave labor force” to build places like the supporting terraces, built for Solomon’s daughter after she had come to him from “the city of David”.

As for the Israelites, scripture tells us that “Solomon did not make slaves” of them but instead appointed them as “his fighting men, his government officials, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and charioteers” as well as “the chief officials in charge of Solomon's projects”…the “550 officials supervising the men who did the work”.

But Solomon’s expanding power was not limited to land. For we read that he “also built ships at Ezion Geber…on the shore of the Red Sea”, staffing his ships with Hiram’s men who were “sailors who knew the sea” and served “in the fleet with Solomon's men”. Using the sea routes, Solomon’s fleet “sailed to Ophir and brought back 420 talents of gold” which was delivered to Solomon and added to his riches.

All of this expansion and Solomon’s reputation as a wise ruler spread and reached “the queen of Sheba” who visited him after hearing about his fame and “his relation to the name of the Lord”. Scripture tells us that she came to “test him with hard questions” as she arrived in “Jerusalem with a very great caravan - with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones”.

Once in Jerusalem, Sheba “came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind” and he “answered all her questions” with “nothing…too hard for (him) to explain to her”. His wisdom as well as his possessions which included the “palace he had built, 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 the temple of the Lord” overwhelmed Sheba and led her to exclaim:

"The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. 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. How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 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."

And with that, she gave Solomon “120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices…more than would ever be given again…, and precious stones. In return, Solomon gave her “all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty” after which Sheba “left and returned with her retinue to her own country”.

And Solomon’s wealth only grew larger.

For we read where Hiram's ships continued to bring “gold from Ophir” as well as great cargoes of precious stones and almugwood which was used to “make supports for the temple of the Lord and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians”. And the “weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents” which didn’t include “the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land”. And scripture tells us that “once every three years when the fleet returned, it came “carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons”.

Further, the “whole world sought audience with Solomon” to hear his wisdom that “God had put in his heart and “year after year, everyone who came brought a gift - articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. We read where “Solomon accumulated chariots and horses…fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem”. Solomon's horses were “imported from Egypt and from Kue” and he also exported the same to “all the kings of the Hittites and of the Arameans”.

Solomon also made silver “as common in Jerusalem as stones” and cedar “as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills”.

And so what did this add up to?

Our passage tells us that “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth”. God’s word had come true because God is true to His word.

So what do we have to gain from this expository breakdown of God’s blessings upon Solomon?

A reminder that God richly blesses us as well as we experience how His word comes true in our own lives.

Take a few moments to reflect on this.

For God’s word assures us that He is with us.

“…the Lord God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

For God’s word assures us of His protection.

“…the Lord is faithful and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” 1 Thessalonians 3:3

For God’s word assures us of His provision.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” James 1:17

For God’s word assures us of His guidance.

“I guide you in the ways of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.” Proverbs 4:11

And God’s word assures of His love and offer of salvation through His Son, our Savior, Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

I could write forever about this subject but the point has been made. God’s word is truth because He is truth. And as we walk through our lives in His service, we should do so with the confidence and assurance that His word provides…and experience the richness of His goodness and blessings…just as Solomon did.

Amen.

PS: Take a moment to post and share testimony about how God’s word became truth in your life. I’ll look forward to reading your stories.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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