1 Kings 7

Most people remember King Solomon as the man who built the temple of God in Jerusalem, but during his reign, he was occupied with many different activities. These chapters record a series of vignettes depicting some of the things Solomon did to advance his kingdom and enhance his life. But these activities also reveal Solomon’s character and expose some of the areas of weakness that later produced a bitter harvest. Gradually, Solomon became more interested in prices than in values, and in reputation rather than character, and in the splendor of the kingdom rather than the good of the people and the glory of the Lord.

The work on the temple structure was completed in seven years, but it took several more years for Hiram and his crew to decorate the interior and construct the furnishings. While they were busy at the temple, Solomon designed and built a palace for himself that was a combination of personal residence, city hall, armory, and official reception center. “I enlarged my works,” he wrote, “I built houses for myself” (Eccl. 2: nasb).

When you read this description of the project, you get the impression that it involved several isolated structures, but 1 Kings 9: refers to “the two houses [buildings],” the temple and the “palace.” The palace was twice as large as the temple and probably had two if not three stories. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. (The temple was 90 x 30 x 45.) The total structure included two porches or colonnades, Solomon’s own residence, a residence for his Egyptian wife (and perhaps part of his harem), a throne room (“hall of justice”), and a spacious reception hall, all tied together by a large courtyard set off by walls like those at the temple.

We don’t have a detailed description to guide us, but it appears that when you approached the building, you came to a smaller porch that served as the main entrance (v. 7). This led to a larger porch or colonnade with cedar pillars, which probably served as a waiting room. From here you moved into “the hall of pillars,” a large assembly hall with sixty cedar pillars (vv. 2–3), forty-five of which held up the cedar-beamed ceiling that formed the floor of the second story. Fifteen pillars were placed opposite each other against the side walls, to the right and left of the entrance, and fifteen down the center of the room, all bearing the cedar beams. The other fifteen pillars were placed strategically where needed, especially at the entrance (see v. 6 niv).

Because of the abundance of these cedar pillars from Lebanon, the structure was known as “the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.” The assembly hall was no doubt used for official government occasions. In this hall, Solomon displayed three hundred large shields and two hundred smaller shields, all made of wood covered with gold (10:16–17). The larger ones used seven and a half pounds of gold each, a total of 1,500 pounds, and the smaller shields three and a half pounds apiece, making 1,025 pounds, a total of 2,525 pounds of gold for all five hundred shields. Since gold is too soft to provide protection, these shields were not used in battle but were there to impress visitors. They were taken from the building only when displayed on special ceremonial occasions.

From the hall you moved into the throne room, the “Hall of Justice,” where Solomon met with his officers, settled disputes referred to him, and gave judgment concerning governmental affairs. It was there he had his magnificent throne described in 10:18–20. Solomon’s living quarters, and, we assume, the queen’s quarters, were behind this throne room (7:7–8 niv). Of course there were other entrances to various parts of the building, all of them protected by the king’s special bodyguard, and Solomon had a private concourse that led from his residence to the temple. Next to the temple of the Lord, Solomon’s “palace” must have been an imposing structure.

Solomon disappoints a friend (9:10–14; 2 Chron 8:1–2) Hiram, king of Tyre, had been David’s good friend, and David had told him about his plans to build a temple for the Lord (5:1–3), plans the Lord didn’t permit David to carry out. After David’s death, Solomon became Hiram’s friend (Prov. 27:10) and contracted with Hiram to help build the temple (5:1–12). Hiram would send timber and workers if Solomon would pay the workers and provide Hiram with food in return for the timber. Solomon also conscripted Jewish men to cut stone (5:13–18) and the aliens in the land to help bear burdens (9:15, 20–23; 2 Chron. 8:7–10).

But 1 Kings 9: and 14 inform us that Hiram also supplied Solomon with 120 talents of gold (about four and a half tons)! King Solomon had at least 3,750 tons of gold available before he began to build the temple (1 Chron. 22:14–16), and the fact that he had to get gold from Hiram surprises us. The gold, silver, and other materials for the temple that are inventoried in 1 Chronicles 22, 28–29 were all dedicated to the Lord, so they couldn’t be used for any other building. This means Solomon needed the gold for the “palace” complex, perhaps for the gold shields, so he borrowed it from Hiram, giving him the twenty cities as collateral. These cities were conveniently located on the border of Phoenicia and Galilee.

Apart from the fact that Solomon shouldn’t have been so extravagant in building his “palace,” he didn’t have the right to give twenty cities away just to pay his debts. All the land belonged to the Lord and could not be deeded away permanently (Lev. 25:23). One purpose for the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8ff.) was to make sure the land that had been sold was returned to the original owners and so that no clan or tribe could be deprived of their inheritance. But Solomon was starting to behave like his Egyptian father-in-law who had wiped out the population of an entire Canaanite city and given the city to his daughter as a wedding gift (v. 16).

But Hiram didn’t like the cities that Solomon gave him! After looking them over, he called them “Cabul” which sounds like a Hebrew word that means “good for nothing.” He didn’t think the collateral was worth the investment he had made. However, the story seems to have had a happy ending. Solomon must have paid back the loan because Hiram returned the cities to him and Solomon rebuilt them for the Israelites (2 Chron. 8:1–2). Did Solomon pay off the loan with the 120 talents of gold that the Queen of Sheba gave him (10:10)?

Solomon exhibits in this incident some character traits that disturb us, including the extravagant cost of the “palace” that necessitated a loan, and then giving a friend poor collateral that wasn’t even his to give away. Humanly speaking, were it not for Hiram, the temple would not have been built, and this was no way for Solomon to treat a generous friend.

Solomon strengthens his kingdom (9:15–24; 2 Chron. 8:1–11) When the Lord appeared to Solomon in Gibeon, He promised to give him riches and honor to such an extent that there would be no king like him all the days of his life (3:13). He kept that promise and made Solomon’s name famous and his accomplishments admired by people in other nations. Solomon’s father, David, had conquered enemy territory and added it to the kingdom, but he hadn’t attempted to build an international network that would make Israel powerful among the nations. David was a mighty general who feared no enemy, but Solomon was a shrewd diplomat and politician who missed no opportunity to increase his wealth and power. This section lists for us the achievements of Solomon both at home and abroad.

We don’t usually think of Solomon as being a military man, but this one exploit is recorded in Scripture (2 Chron. 8:3). Hamath was a city north of Damascus at the farthest northern border of the kingdom of Israel (Num. 34:8; Josh. 13:5). People from this area attended the dedication of the temple (8:65; 2 Chron. 7:8). The city was situated on a very important trade route from which Solomon could collect custom and duty and also guard against invaders. Along with Hamath, Solomon fortified Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer and made them “store cities,” that is, places where chariots, horses, arms, and food were stored for the use of the Jewish troops. Solomon knew that if he didn’t protect the outlying areas of the kingdom, he might find himself at war with his neighbors, his treaties notwithstanding.

Solomon also strengthened and extended “the Millo,” the terraced area next to the walls of Jerusalem that buttressed the wall and gave more protection to the city. The word millo means “to fill.” This was an “earthfill fortification” that was begun by David (2 Sam. 5:9) and continued by Solomon (9:24; 11:27). The king and his family, the people of the city, and the wealth in the temple and the palace all had to be protected.

To accomplish all this work, the king conscripted the aliens in Israel, the descendants of the Canaanites who had once ruled the land (v. 20; Gen. 15:18–21; Josh. 3:10). In building the temple, he had also enlisted the temporary help of the Jewish men (5:13–14; 9:15, 22–23), but no Jewish worker was treated like a slave. The Jews were made officers and leaders in these building projects.

Solomon worships the Lord (9:25; 2 Chron 8:12–16) Annually, the adult Jewish males in Israel were required to appear at Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, (Ex. 23:14–19; Deut. 16:1–17). To Christian believers today, these three feasts signify the death of Christ, the Lamb of God, for our sins (John 1:29; 1 Cor. 5:7); the resurrection of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 15:23; Acts 2); and the future regathering of God’s people in the kingdom (Rev. 20:1–6). To the Jewish people, Passover looked back to their deliverance from Egyptian bondage while Tabernacles commemorated God’s care during their years in the wilderness. Firstfruits (Pentecost) celebrated the goodness of God in sending the harvest.

Solomon lived in Jerusalem, but he set an example by going to the temple and offering sacrifices. Of course, it was the priests who offered both the sacrifices and the incense. The burnt offering signified total dedication to the Lord; the fellowship or peace offerings spoke of peace with God and communion with Him and one another; and the burning incense was a picture of prayer offered to the Lord (Ex. 30:1–10; Ps. 141:2; Rev. 8:3). There are no instances in Scripture of the common people bringing incense to be offered on the golden altar, since this was a task the priests performed twice daily for the whole nation. However, Psalm 72, “A Psalm for Solomon,” mentions continual prayer to be made for the king (v. 15), and there is no reason why Solomon could not have provided some of the spices needed for the special incense (10:2, 10; Ex. 30:34–38).

The account in 2 Chronicles 8 indicates that Solomon also provided the sacrifices that were needed during these feasts as well as on the special Sabbaths and the new moon festivals. He obeyed the law of Moses in this regard, and he also followed the plan instituted by his father, David, for the ministry of the priests and Levites in the temple (1 Chron. 23—26). Asaph was chief over the musicians (1 Chron. 16:4–5), and there were 4,000 singers divided into twenty-four courses. Each singer ministered at the temple two weeks every year. There was also a special choir of 288 singers (1 Chron. 25:7). Solomon was careful to see to it that David’s songs and instruments were used and that his plan for organizing the priests and Levites was honored.

Solomon expands his influence (8:26—10:13; 2 Chron. 8:17—9:12) Solomon was a great entrepreneur. He made trade agreements with many nations, built a navy, and hired Hiram’s expert seamen to manage it for him. Being an inland people for the most part, the Jews were not given to maritime pursuits, so Solomon depended on the Phoenicians, a coastal people, to handle this aspect of his enterprises. Importing products from the east enriched Solomon’s coffers and helped to make the kingdom more international in its outlook. This outreach surely gave opportunities for the Jews to bear witness of their God to the pagan Gentiles, but there’s no record that there was such a ministry. Solomon had to maintain a huge budget and he needed as much money as he could get. On one trip they brought back 420 talents of gold, about sixteen tons of gold. The ships also brought luxury items like ivory, apes, and peacocks. It appears that Solomon also had a zoo (Eccl. 2:4–9). The words of the English poet Oliver Goldsmith come to mind: Ill fares the land, to hast’ning ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.

The visit of the Queen of Sheba (10:1–13) was undoubtedly motivated both by Solomon’s mercantile endeavors as well as her own desires to meet Solomon, see the glories of his kingdom, and test his highly esteemed wisdom. Sheba was a wealthy and highly civilized nation located in southwest Arabia, and the queen brought with her expensive gifts that also served as samples of what her country had to offer (Isa. 60:6; Jer. 6:20; Ezek. 38:13). She “told him all her heart” and he told her what she wanted to know. What she heard and what she saw left her breathless. She had heard the reports but she didn’t really believe them until she saw it all for herself. We’re reminded of the experience of Thomas (John 20:24–29).

The record of her visit gives us an opportunity to get a glimpse of life in the palace. The queen not only marveled at Solomon’s palace, but she was impressed by the meals (4:7, 22–23), the livery and conduct of the servants, the seating of the officers and guests, and the incredible wealth that was displayed on and around the tables. She walked with Solomon on his private concourse to the temple where she watched him worship. (See 10: and 2 Chron. 9: niv margin.) The wisdom of Solomon’s words and the wealth of Solomon’s kingdom were just too much for her, and she was no pauper herself! She brought Solomon expensive gifts, including an abundance of spices and 120 talents of gold (four and a half tons). Solomon reciprocated by giving her whatever she asked for out of his royal bounty.

The queen couldn’t contain herself. She announced publicly that Solomon and his servants had to be the happiest people on earth, yet it was Solomon who later wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and declared, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” We wonder if Solomon’s officers and servants didn’t gradually grow accustomed to all the pomp and circumstance of court life, especially the gaudy display of wealth. Even Solomon wrote, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs [vegetables] where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred” (Prov. 15:16–17 nkjv). Hearing Solomon’s words of wisdom may have excited the dinner guests, but the officers and servants had heard it before. One of the dangers of living in that kind of situation is that we begin to take things for granted, and before long, we don’t value them at all. This can apply to spiritual treasures as well as material wealth.

When the queen said, “Blessed be the Lord, your God,” she wasn’t affirming her personal faith in Jehovah. People in those days believed in “territorial deities.” Each nation had its own god or gods (1 Kings 20:28) and when you left your land, you left your gods behind (1 Sam. 26:19). Once she returned home, the queen would worship the gods of her own land, even though she had seen the glories of the God of Israel and heard His wisdom. Jesus didn’t commend the Queen of Sheba for her faith but for the fact that she made every effort to travel about 1,500 miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon, when the Son of God, one “greater than Solomon,” was in the midst of the Jewish people (Matt. 12:39–42). The tragedy of lost opportunity!

It’s interesting to contrast this account of the meeting of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba with the account of Solomon’s first act of justice as king when he met two prostitutes (3:16ff.). They were commoners but she was a queen, and they had very little but she was very wealthy. Yet the king’s door was open to all three of these women and he sought to help them. Of course, the Queen of Sheba negotiated a trade pact with Solomon, but there’s no evidence that she trusted the true and living God.

The commercial network that Solomon established certainly helped the economy of the nation and brought many influential visitors to Jerusalem, but did it help the king and his people draw near to God? Israel wasn’t supposed to be isolated from the community of nations, because she was to be a light to the Gentiles, but she was supposed to be separated from the sins of those nations that didn’t know the true and living God. Along with the influx of foreign merchandise came the influx of foreign ideas, including ideas about religion and worship; and eventually Solomon himself, influenced by his foreign wives, succumbed to idolatry (11:1ff.).

Solomon lives in splendor (10:14–29; 2 Chron 9:13–28) When God promised to give Solomon wisdom, He also promised him riches and honor (3:13). It isn’t a sin to possess wealth or to inherit wealth. Abraham was a very wealthy man who gave all his wealth to his son Isaac (Gen. 24:34–36). Earning money honestly isn’t a sin, but loving money and living just to acquire riches is a sin (1 Tim. 6:7–10).

Solomon himself wrote, “Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless” (Eccl. 5: niv). Someone has wisely said, “It’s good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don’t lose the things money can’t buy.”

Solomon’s annual income was 666 talents of gold, or about twenty-five tons. It came from several sources: (1) taxes, (2) tolls, customs, and duty fees, (3) trade, (4) tribute from vassal rulers, and (5) gifts. His use of conscripted labor was also a form of income. It took a great deal of money to support his splendid manner of life, and after Solomon’s death, the people of Israel protested the yoke they were wearing and asked for the burden to be lightened (12:1–15).

Why did Solomon need five hundred shields that required 2,525 pounds of gold to make? Why did he need an ivory throne overlaid with gold? Why must he and his guests drink only from golden vessels? To what purpose were the thousands of horses and chariots he assembled? Why did he need seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines? In pursuing each of these goals, Solomon disobeyed the very Word of the Lord! The Lord warned in Deuteronomy 17:14–20 that Israel’s king was not to multiply horses and go to Egypt to get

The kingdom divided (1 Kings 11:1— them, nor was he to multiply wives or gold. Solomon 14:31) not only acquired thousands of horses, but he became a horse dealer himself! Deuteronomy 17: warns the king that he must remain humble before the Lord “and not consider himself better than his brothers.” It’s not difficult to believe that Solomon’s heart was lifted up with pride, and pride always leads to destruction and a fall (Prov. 16:18).

To the world of that day, and especially to the Jewish people, Solomon became a model of wealth and splendor, and no doubt many envied him. But Jesus said that one of the Father’s lilies was more beautifully arrayed than Solomon in all his glory (Matt. 6:28–30). True beauty comes from within, from “the hidden person of the heart” (1 Peter 3: nkjv). The more we must add to our possessions before people will admire us, the less true wealth and beauty we really have.

David had prophets and priests who advised him and even warned and rebuked him, but nobody seems to have admonished Solomon to pay more attention to making a life instead of amassing a fortune. A Roman proverb says, “Riches are like salt water—the more you drink, the more you thirst.” Henry David Thoreau said that a man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to do without, and Jesus asked, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matt. 16: nkjv).