Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication
First Kings 8:22-30 and Second Chronicles 6:12-21

Solomon’s prayer of dedication DIG: Which of God’s purposes had Solomon seen fulfilled already? What promises does he hope to see fulfilled in the future? Why does Solomon pray as he does in First Kings 8:27-30? Why is that so crucial? What false impression might some get about the Temple? About God’s locale? Why then would people pray toward the Temple?

REFLECT: On a scale of one (Yeshua is my buddy) to ten (Ha’Shem is so holy I could never approach Him), how would you rate your reverence toward ADONAI? What would be your rule of thumb for rating yourself? In which direction do you want to grow – more casual or more formal? Why? More spontaneous or more planned out? Does posture matter in prayer?

Every request that Solomon prayed for is answered in Yeshua Messiah.

Solomon’s prayer is critical for understanding First and Second Kings, in terms of both theology and literary structure. The prayer stands as the climax of Solomon’s grand ambition to build a house for God. It identifies the central practical and theological question raised by that building project: Will the God of heaven really dwell with His people on earth? The prayer anticipates many important events that happen later in the Bible. The situations Solomon describes in his prayers for the future forgiveness are situations that Isra’el will actually face later on in her history: military defeat, famine, and exile (to see link click Bn – Solomon’s Prayer of Intercession). Thus, this prayer serves as a preview of coming events.

This prayer is also important for a more practical reason, however: it helps us understand the prayers that Yeshua has made for us and that we are called to offer for the Church. As we listen to Solomon pray, we should remember that we too have a King who prays for us. Messiah is the greater Solomon who makes royal intercession for our salvation. Then Yeshua calls us to pray – not for any man-made Temple, but for the Church He calls a holy temple being built together into a spiritual dwelling-place for God (Eph 2:21-22).

The king at prayer: King Solomon’s Temple was built to be a house of prayer, so it was only appropriate for it to be dedicated with such. The prayer he offered was one of the longest and most important prayers in the whole Bible. With typical wisdom, Solomon gives us a good biblical model of prayer – not just when we are dedicating a place of worship, but anytime we go to ADONAI in prayer. The dedication ceremony began with the king blessing both the people and their God (see Bl – Solomon’s Blessing). This was followed by public prayer, “Then Solomon got down on his knees on a platform that he had made for this special occasion in the middle of the courtyard before the bronze altar of ADONAI, and in the presence of the whole community of Isra’el he spread out his hands toward heaven (First Kings 8:22; Second Chronicles 6:12-13).¹⁶⁶

Who God is: And said, “ADONAI, God of Isra’el, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth below.” Solomon is genuinely moved on this occasion. It was a day of fulfilled desires and prayers, a day in which YHVH had graciously revealed Himself in His Sh’khinah glory, a day of bright hope for Isra’el and the house of David in their covenantal relationship with YHVH. When Solomon praised the greatness and uniqueness of the LORD, it was with a full and overflowing heart. What particularly moved Solomon on this occasion was the faithfulness of ADONAI in carrying out His promise.¹⁶⁷ You keep covenant with Your servants and show them grace, provided they live in Your presence with all their heart. You have kept Your promise to Your servant David, my father; You spoke with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand; establishing a royal dynasty that endures through Yeshua Messiah to this day (First Kings 8:23-24; Second Chron 6:14-15). God is not just talk. He not only says things, He also does things, and when He does those things, He does what He said He was going to do. The one true God is totally loyal, absolutely trustworthy, and incomparably faithful.

Solomon’s praise would also be our praise, because Isra’el’s experience is our experience. God is still the LORD of heaven and earth – the Ruler of all that is. Nevertheless, He is also our God – the one that Yeshua called My Father and your Father, My God and your God (John 20:17). Through faith in Yeshua Messiah, we have a personal relationship with the God of the universe. He is our God and we are His people.¹⁶⁸

What God will do: Praise to the LORD as the one and only faithful God is the context for everything we ask in prayer. We start by acknowledging God for who He is. Then we ask God to do what He has said He was going to do, knowing that He is the Promise Keeper. Now therefore, ADONAI, God of Isra’el, keep what You promised to Your servant David, my father, when You said: “You will never lack a man in my presence to sit on the throne of Isra’el, if only Your children are careful about what they do, so that they live by My Torah, just as You have lived in My Presence.” Now therefore, ADONAI, God of Isra’el, please let Your word, which You spoke to Your servant David, my father, be confirmed (First Kings 8:25-26; Second Chronicles 6:16-17).

People sometimes think of prayer as a way of asking God for things they want. Certainly it is appropriate to tell the LORD what we need. But prayer is also a way of asking God for the things that God wants, and the way we know what He wants is by believing His promises, as Solomon did. When the king prayed for the throne of Isra’el, he was not pursuing his own ambitions, but standing on the promises of God. YHVH had vowed that one day David would have a son to sit on his royal throne, on the condition of continued obedience. Now King Solomon was praying that God would honor that vow. As the royal son of David, he was counting on God to keep His promise. Looking to the future, he asked God to confirm His word by securing his throne. Ultimately, Solomon’s prayers for the house of David were answered in the Person and work of Yeshua Messiah, who is David’s royal descendant and the King of the kingdom of God.

If we can trust God to keep the big promises of the coming Kingdom, then surely we can trust Him to keep all the smaller promises He has made to us in Messiah, and then pray on that basis. Yet sometimes this is precisely the difficulty: although we believe that God’s Kingdom will come, we have trouble believing that He will help us resolve the $500 dispute with the insurance company, or give us the grace to deal with the irritating person we have to work with every day. Instead, what we ought to do is take a firm stand on the promises of God. He has promised to forgive our sins, provide for our basic needs, and give us something useful to do in the world. So, we should pray for wisdom, to be filled with the Spirit, and put us in the right place to use our gifts for His glory. When we pray this way, He will surely answer, for we are asking God to do the very things He has promised to do.¹⁶⁹

The big question: Right in the middle of his prayer, Solomon asked a profound theological question. After praising God and praying for Him to keep His promises, Solomon posed the most important question he could ask about the Temple he had just completed for ADONAI. Will the God of heaven really live with His people on earth (First Kings 8:27; Second Chronicles 6:18b)? After all, what would the Temple be without its God? We sometimes ask the same question about our own personal ministry: Is God really with us or not? Is He involved in what we are doing, or are we operating on our own? Sooner or later, everyone asks the same question at the personal level, especially in times of crisis: Are You really there, Lord, and are You really here, in my situation, or not?¹⁷⁰

As far as the Temple was concerned, the king knew he couldn’t put God in a box, even a box as big and beautiful as the Temple. The whole idea was absurd. Why, Solomon said: heaven itself, even the heaven of heavens, cannot contain You; so how much less this house I have built? After raising the big question of God’s presence on earth, he proceeded to offer a prayer inviting the presence of the very God that he knew he could not contain. Even so, ADONAI my God, pay attention to Your servant’s (Solomon’s) prayer and plea, listen to the cry and prayer that Your servant is praying before You today, that Your eyes will be open toward this house night and day – toward the place where You said You would put Your name – to listen to the prayer Your servant will pray toward this place. The basic principle is that now when the Jews pray, they will be praying towards the Temple no matter where they happen to be in the world. Yes, listen to the pleas of Your servant, and also those of Your people Isra’el when they pray toward this place. Hear from where You live in heaven; and when You hear, forgive (First Kings 8:28-30: Second Chronicles 6:18b-21).

This is the very thing that God desires to do. He loves to listen to His children pray, and for the sake of His Name, He loves to answer our prayers. He is not blind and deaf, like the other gods to whom people pray. This is one of the reasons He is so incomparable; He is a looking and listening God, a God who sees and hears. Yes, the LORD is transcendent, the high ruler of heaven, but He is also near us and He hears us when we pray. Heaven is My throne, ADONAI says: and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for Me, and what is the place of My rest? . . . But this is the One to whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit (Isaiah 66:1-2).¹⁷¹

God’s answer in Messiah: Every request that Solomon prayed for is answered in Yeshua Messiah. He is the ultimate answer to Solomon’s question: Will the God of heaven really live with His people on earth? Yes, Yeshua is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). God the Son became flesh in the person of Yeshua Messiah. He came as a man to live among our fallen race, to die for our sins on the cross, and then to rise again so that we could live with Him forever. Yes, in Messiah, God has really lived with us on earth.

Yeshua is also the ultimate fulfillment of Solomon’s example. Just as King Solomon prayed for His people, so King Yeshua prays for us as our eternal intercessor (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). In the days of Solomon, the LORD put His Name on His Temple. Today He puts His Name on us as the living temple of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Ephesians 2:21-22). As the people of God, we bear the Name of Messiah in the world. So Yeshua prays for us, making royal intercession, asking that God the Father would turn His heart toward us, opening His eyes and ears to the needs of the Church.

These are prayers that God loves to answer. His eyes are always open to our needs. His ears are always open to our cries. Call to Me, He says, and I will answer you (Jeremiah 33:3; also see Psalm 91:15 and Jeremiah 29:12). This is true for the people of God as individual believers. God knows our situation exactly; He is always watching to see what happens to His children. He is also listening to hear our prayers, night and day. He hears the requests we make from our beds, when we have quiet time to think, and easily get overwhelmed by the troubles of this life. He hears the prayers we make throughout the day, in the push and pull of daily life. Night and day, God always hears us when we pray.¹⁷²

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for listening to the prayers of Your children.  But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). You are sovereign and over the whole world – yet You are such a wonderful Heavenly Father to listen to the prayers of each of Your children. Though You live outside of time, still it is so amazing that You really care for each of Your children, listen to their prayers and then act on what they ask for, when it is according to Your will! Now this is the confidence we have before Him – that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have the requests we have asked from Him (First John 5:14-15).

I desire to glorify Your name in my life. May You guide each detail of my life and give me wisdom on how to handle everything that comes my way, so that I may bring You honor and glory. Please go ahead of me, guiding what I say, what I do and think so that I may abundantly bless You. You know my needs. Please give me what I need and I will offer a sacrifice of praise to You for being such a wonderful, faithful and loving father! It is a joy to trust You for my needs and to always have the joy of your continually walking alongside me. For God Himself has said: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5c.) Praise You always! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Solomon’s Blessing
First Kings 8:12-21 and Second Chronicles 6:1-11

Solomon’s blessing DIG: Where was the ”thick darkness” that ADONAI would dwell in? In what ways had God blessed Solomon? In what ways was Ha’Shem being faithful to the promises of His covenant with David? How did Yeshua explain to people that He was the Temple?

REFLECT: How is the word “blessing” over-used today? How are other expressions over-used by believers in your circle of friends? What does it mean for us to bless God? How can we do that? Is it even possible? Do you take Messiah’s blessings for granted? How so? How not?

Solomon rejoiced over what ADONAI enabled him to do;
For us to bless God, then, is to thank Him for all His blessings to us.

How quickly a good biblical word or a true theological phrase can become a cliché for believers. Take the phrase “born again,” for example. These words express the deep gospel truth Yeshua explained to Nicodemus, that unless we are born from above by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, we cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 1:3-5). Since this is true, then a “born-again believer” is the only kind there is. Yet the phrase has become a cliché. In America it often refers to someone who has made a decision for Messiah by going forward at an evangelistic crusade, whether or not the person is committed to a life of Messiah-centered discipleship. Good words seem to have lost their full meaning.

There are many other expressions like this, including some that come straight from the Bible. Believers talk about “sharing the Good News,” or getting “washed in the blood of Yeshua,” or being “filled with the Spirit,” or becoming “brothers and sisters in Messiah.” The language of these phrases is biblical and their theology is profound. Yet, sometimes the phrases themselves are tossed around too casually. The same is true of the word “blessing” in its many popular forms: “God bless you!” “That was such a blessing!” “Count your blessings!” Believers say they are blessed with this and blessed with that. Sometimes they even say that they are “blessed to be a blessing!”¹⁶³

King Solomon was wise not to make this mistake when he dedicated his famous Temple in Jerusalem. YHVH had blessed Solomon about as much as any man in history. When that great king numbered his blessings, he could count fabulous riches, a world-class intellect, the promise of everlasting fame . . . and that was just the beginning. Solomon also had the blessing of doing something important with his life by building a holy dwelling place for the living God. Solomon was well aware that everything he owned and did was the gift from God, from whom all blessings flow. So, he dedicated God’s Temple with words of blessing.

Remember the context. After seven years of costly labor, Solomon had finished the Temple – a magnificent building of white stone decorated inside with glittering gold (see a video of Solomon’s Temple click here). But the question still remained: Would God indeed dwell with His people? Would His Sh’khinah glory come down so His people could meet with Him for prayer and sacrifice.

The king recognized the Sh’khinah glory as the very Presence of ADONAI, and when it filled the Temple, it confirmed that God would indeed bless the house that Solomon built in His name. Therefore, in response, Solomon said: ADONAI said He would live in thick darkness, which was a valid description of the Most Holy Place because it had no windows or menorahs. The Sh’khinah glory provided the light necessary on Yom Kippur, the one time a year that the high priest would enter in. But I have built you a magnificent house, a place where you can live forever (First Kings 8:12-13; Second Chronicles 6:1-2).

Solomon’s heart was very full that day. All his hopes had been realized. God had descended to dwell in the house that Solomon had built. Now, for the rest of his speech the king wanted to thank God for what He had done, so he pronounced the double blessing. Presumably the king raised his hands in the air, which was an ancient and almost universal gesture of blessing. Then the king turned around and blessed the whole community of Isra’el. Then the whole community of Isra’el stood as the king directed His blessing to God Himself, saying: Blessed be ADONAI, the God of Isra’el (First Kings 8:14; Second Chronicles 6:3-4a). When YHVH blesses us, He bestows some gracious gift on us, whether physical or spiritual. But what does it mean for us to bless God? We are not able to give Him anything He doesn’t already possess for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things (Romans 11:36). The only thing we can really offer to God is our worship and praise. For us to bless God, then, is to thank Him for all His blessings to us.¹⁶⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, What a joy and pleasure it is to worship You! There is nothing more uplifting than to meditate on Your greatness and offer praise back to You! When life throws us a hard time, when we are misunderstood and not able to change the situation – then the best response is to praise You. David praised You in many of his Psalms, even when he was in very hard, lonely and painful situations. In Psalm 63, David fled to the wilderness to escape being killed by King Saul. He had to flee away from family, friends and even from faithful Samuel (First Samuel 19-21). Who gathered around him? Anyone who was in distress, anyone in debt, and anyone embittered rallied around him, and he became their leader. There were about 400 men with him (First Samuel 22:2).

Thank you, Father, that when I am away from everyone who cares about me and surrounded by the ungrateful, Your steadfast love is still with me! What a wonderful example that David clung tight to Your steadfast love even when away from family, friends and faithful Samuel. David’s heart cry to you was not for the “good life”; rather he thirsted for relationship with You as number one priority. O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You. My soul thirsts for You. My flesh longs for You in a dry and weary land, where there is no water (Psalms 63:1). David had his focus right when he said: since Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You (Psalms 63:3). Praising God was what David ran to when in trouble. He did not go complaining, though he for sure asked for Your mercy and help. Please help us to do as David did and run to You in praise when problems come.

Praise enabled David to focus his attention away from his hard and painful situation and be satisfied as he looked up and saw God’s steadfast love! I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods (Psalms 63:4-5a). David made praise a part of his daily waking experience by setting his mind before he slept on God’s wondrous acts and steadfast love. As David slept, his mind played back the greatness of God. He was renewed and refreshed. And so my mouth praises You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You through the night watches (Psalms 63:5b-6). Please help me when trials come, to be like David and to renew my mind which will refresh and transform me (Romans 12:2). I love You always! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The king’s blessing focused on God’s faithfulness, specifically to the Davidic Covenant: The God of Isra’el spoke to my father David with His mouth and fulfilled His promise with His hand. Just as God had chosen a people for Himself (Isra’el) and a place for them to worship (Jerusalem), He also chose a king to rule over them (David). He said: Since the day I brought My people Isra’el out of Egypt, I chose no city from any of the tribes of Isra’el in which to build a house, so that My name might be there, nor did I choose anyone to be the leader of my people Isra’el. But now I have chosen Tziyon so that my name can be there; and I have chosen David to be over my people Isra’el (1 Kgs 8:15-16; 2 Chron 6:4b-6). As YHVH said through the psalmist: I have made a covenant with My chosen one; I have sworn David as My servant (Psalm 89:3, 132:11-12).

Here is how Solomon recounted the history of that promise. Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of ADONAI the God of Isra’el. In other words, it was totally David’s idea, but God did sanction it. But ADONAI said to David my father, “Although it was in your heart to build a house for My Name, and you did well that it was in your heart, nevertheless you will not build the house. Rather, you will father a son, and it will be he who will build the house for my name” (First Kings 8:17-19; Second Chronicles 6:7-9). Solomon recognized that now the promise had come true. By the grace of God, working through the dramatic events described in First and Second Kings, Solomon had ascended to David’s throne. Then the new king built a Temple, which was also by His grace, as described in First Kings 5 to 7. The promises God made to David were coming true, as they always do, because God is the Promise Keeper.

And the evidence was: Now ADONAI has fulfilled this spoken word of His; for I have succeeded my father and sit on the throne of Isra’el, as ADONAI promised; and I have built the house for the name of ADONAI, the God of Isra’el. And there I have made a place for the ark containing the covenant of ADONAI, which he made with our ancestors when He brought them out of the land of Egypt (First Kings 8:20-21; Second Chronicles 6:10-11). All that God had told David, had been fulfilled at that time.

For us these promises take on an added dimension in Yeshua Messiah. ADONAI is still building His Temple today – a spiritual Temple that is dedicated to YHVH by the ministry of Yeshua Messiah as Solomon’s greater Son. This, too, is a sign of the faithfulness of the LORD, as He builds His people into a spiritual house for the praise of His Name. That’s what a Temple is supposed to be: a place that God inhabits.

Solomon could only hope that ADONAI would dwell in His Temple forever, but in Messiah that hope has become a reality. Yeshua told people: Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:19). When Messiah said that, He was speaking about the Temple of His body (John 2:21). What He said was really a prophecy, because three days after His body was killed on the cross, Yeshua came back to everlasting life. Then His apostles remembered what He said about tearing down and raising up the Temple and they recognized that it referred to the crucifixion and resurrection. Believing in the crucified and risen Messiah, they received the blessing of eternal life.

Yeshua is the King. Yeshua is the Temple. Yeshua is the One who gives us all the blessings of our faithful heavenly Father. This is not something to pass off as a mere cliché, but a truth to celebrate. With a heart full of praise, the apostle Paul said: Blessed be ADONAI, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven (Ephesians 1:3). Yes, every blessing of God belongs to us through faith in Messiah. Yeshua blesses us with full forgiveness for all our sins, with the righteousness we need to stand before YHVH, with the privileged status of becoming sons and daughters of the Most High God with the faithful promise of His provision for all of our needs, with the living presence of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, with the total guarantee of eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), and with a million other blessings that are His to give.

When we receive these blessings, we should say what Solomon said: Blessed be ADONAI, the God of Isra’el (First Kings 8:14), and also what Paul said: Blessed be ADONAI, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who in the Messiah has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven (Ephesians 1:3). It is good to say: “God bless you!” as long as we really mean it and are not merely throwing around a religious cliché. But is also good for us to change the order of the words, to turn our blessing in God’s direction, and to say: Bless You, God, for all the blessings that You have given to us.”¹⁶⁵

Solomon’s Prayer
First Kings 8:12-66 and Second Chronicles 6:1 to 7:10

Now that ADONAI had taken up residence in His house (to see link click Bj – The Ark Brought to the Temple), Solomon responds in praise and prayer. His words fall into three categories: (1) Solomon’s Blessing (see Bl); Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication (see Bm) and Solomon’s Intercession (see Bn). The theme of the Temple as a house of thanksgiving and intercession clearly occupies a central place. These verses form a vital link between Chronicles two major words from ADONAI. Its foundation is God’s covenant promise to build a house for David (First Chronicles 17:10-14), and its development occurs in God’s promise about the Temple (Second Chronicles 7:12-22). It therefore shows how prayer plays a key role in the unfolding of God’s will for us.¹⁶¹

The theme of Solomon’s prayer is that as God has seen fit to honor His word up to that time, He will continue to do so, first of all in continuing the line of David, and second, in accepting the prayers of His people and in granting forgiveness. These prayers are seen as being directed to God through the Temple. Solomon prays, in effect, that Ha’Shem will always recognize the Temple as the way for humanity to approach a holy God.

At the conclusion of Solomon’s prayer, when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of ADONAI filled the house (Second Chronicles 7:-13). This response on God’s part was an awe-inspiring and unmistakable confirmation of YHVH’s commitment to the Temple as His residence among His people. When Solomon had finished his prayer of dedication, he rejoiced together with all Isra’el as they celebrated Sukkot. It was in itself a grand occasion for rejoicing and for a grand spirit of community among all Israelites. The dedication of the Temple made the occasion all the more joyful and memorable, and the time of celebration was suitably extended. When the people left, they went home rejoicing and fully satisfied in their realization that God’s blessing was on the king and on the nation as a whole.¹⁶²

The Ark Brought to the Temple
First Kings 8:1-11 and Second Chronicles 5:2-14

The ark brought to the Temple DIG: From where did Solomon remove the ark? What was the purpose of Solomon’s sacrifices? Why was the ark placed in the Most Holy Place? Why is the length of the poles noted? Why mention the tablets? Why does it appear as the Sh’khinah glory?

REFLECT: What’s the most exciting worship service you have ever experienced? How did it affect you? What in your life makes you feel close to God? Are you close now? If not, what changes do you need to make? When and where do you feel spiritually “at home?”

The Temple without the ark was like a body without a soul.

Without question, it was the most extraordinary worship service Isra’el had ever witnessed, and perhaps more awesome than any worship service has ever been offered to the living God on earth. Try to imagine the scene. For an entire week the whole nation of Isra’el had gathered around the Temple of ADONAI. As the celebration came to its climax, King Solomon appeared, and with him the leaders of Isra’el. As the people watched, myriads of priests came streaming out of the Temple. These men had dedicated themselves for the service of YHVH by washing in the great Bronze Sea that stood near the Holy Place by wearing white linen. Singers in the Levitical choir with their various instruments stood outside the Temple with their harps and lyres and cymbals, not to mention one-hundred-and-twenty trumpets. It was the orchestra of the living God.

On cue, all these musicians burst into praise. With one voice they offered a melody of thanksgiving to the LORD. Their musical text was a famous refrain from King David, “His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136). As the people worshiped, the Sh’khinah glory came down to fill Solomon’s Temple. Wow. It was the visible manifestation of the living God. With the addition of the ark of the Covenant, the Temple would become what Solomon had built it to become; not just a beautiful building, but the center of His people’s worship, the earthly dwelling place for the true and living God.¹⁵⁵

The ark was brought in: To bring the ark into the Temple, Solomon first had to go get it from the tent that David had pitched for it at the base of Mount Moriah (Second Samuel 6:17). Now it was time to bring the ark all the way up the mountain. The divine homecoming demanded the presence of everyone in Isra’el starting with the king himself. Then Solomon assembled all the leaders of Isra’el, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the paternal clans of the people of Isra’el, to King Solomon in Yerushalayim, to bring the ark for the covenant of ADONAI out of the City of David, also known as Tziyon. 

The divine homecoming demanded the presence of everyone in Isra’el starting with the king himself. All the men of Isra’el assembled before King Solomon at the festival in the month of Ethanium (today known as the month of Tishrei), the seventh month. The timing of the festival seems to be significant. Solomon finished building the Temple in the eighth month (First Kings 6:38). The ark was brought up in the seventh month, which presumably means that the Temple was dedicated eleven months after it was finished, which would give enough time for the priests to make all the necessary preparations. During the seventh month, all of Isra’el would be celebrating the festival of Sukkot. It was then that Moses renewed the covenant with the second generation of freed Israelites. He also commanded them to read the Torah at that observance every seven years (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Ft – The Reading of Deuteronomy). Solomon’s choice of the Sukkot for the dedication, then, was strategic in that it was a traditional time of national gathering, a reminder of Isra’el’s conquest of Canaan, and a time of religious renewal.¹⁵⁶

The priests and Levites took the ark of ADONAI and brought it up from the tent of meeting along with all the holy utensils, in keeping with the Torah (see the commentary on Numbers, to see link click At – Duties of the Three Divisions). The God who deserves everyone’s praise also demands every sacrifice. We see this in the countless offerings people made as the ark ascended the Temple Mount. King Solomon and the whole community of Isra’el assembled in his presence and were with him in front of the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen in numbers beyond counting or recording (First Kings 8:1-5; Second Chronicles 5:2-6).

Appropriately enough, the ark of the Covenant was put in the Most Holy Place in the Temple. The priests brought the ark for the covenant of ADONAI in to its place inside the Sanctuary to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. This sacred place was made in the shape of a perfect cube covered with pure gold. It was the throne room of YHVH – an earthly copy of the place where God rules in heaven (Hebrews 9:24). To be more specific, the ark of the Covenant was the place where ADONAI sits enthroned above the cherubim (First Chronicles 13:6; Psalm 80:1). Cherubim are holy angels who are constantly worshiping and serving Ha’Shem. The cherubim spread out their wings over the place for the ark, covering the ark and its poles from above.¹⁵⁷ This emphatic comment probably is intended to clear up the possible misconceptions that Aaron’s staff (Numbers 17:10) and a jar of manna (Exodus 16:33) were there as well. Those items were placed alongside the ark but never in it, but by Solomon’s time they were no longer available for placement in the Most Holy Place.¹⁵⁸

The poles, placed horizontally between the giant cherubim on either side of the ark, were so long that their ends could be seen from the Holy Place in front of the sanctuary, but they could not be seen from outside. The priests who served in the Temple never saw the ark, but they could see the poles that were used to carry it, and thus they knew that the ark was still in its rightful place. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moshe put there at Horeb, when ADONAI made the covenant with the people of Isra’el at the time of their leaving the land of Egypt (First Kings 8:6-9; Second Chronicles 5:7-10).

Whenever we come into the presence of YHVH for worship, we should honor Him for His holiness. We should set Him apart as the one and only God. We should recognize His supremely perfect being. We should bow before Him as the holy, holy, holy, God. If we understand that God is everywhere and that Yeshua is with us wherever we go, then everything in life will be bathed with a sense of divine holiness. The same God who is adored by angels and dwells in awesome majesty is also living in us by the Ruach making our hearts a sacred space. Therefore, anywhere a believer stands is holy ground – even in places of darkness and sin. We carry God’s glory with us wherever we go. Furthermore, every conversation we have is a holy opportunity that the Spirit can use to help us bear witness to the Gospel of the crucified and risen Messiah.¹⁵⁹

The glory came down: This brings us to the most dramatic moment in the story of Solomon and the ark of the Covenant, the moment when God descended in unapproachable glory. The whole worship service had been spectacular. When the priests came out of the Holy Place (for all the cohanim who were present had consecrated themselves; they didn’t keep to their divisions; also the Levites who were the singers, all of them – Asaf, Heman, Y’dutun and their sons and relatives – dressed in fine linen, with cymbals, lutes and lyres, stood on the east side of the altar; and with them 120 priests sounding trumpets), then, when the trumpeters and singers were playing in harmony, to be heard praising and thanking ADONAI, and they lifted their voices together with the trumpets, cymbals and other musical instruments to praise ADONAI. But shortly after the priests carried the ark into the Temple, they came running back out because the house of ADONAI was filled with the Sh’khinah glory; and as a result, the priests could not stand up to perform their service, for the Sh’khinah glory filled the Temple (First Kings 8:10-11; Second Chronicles 5:11-14). So, just as ADONAI authenticated the Tabernacle (see the commentary on Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle), God now authenticated the Temple in the same way.

For all its magnificence, the Temple, with all its golden splendor, was made infinitely more magnificent with the Presence of the Sh’khinah glory. Here is how the Puritan Matthew Henry described what Solomon’s Temple would be without God, “The Temple, though richly beautiful, yet while it was without the ark was like a body without a soul, or a candlestick without a candle, or a house without an inhabitant. All the cost and pains to build the splendid structure would be lost if God did not accept them; and, unless He desires to own it as the place where He will dwell, it is, after all, but a ruinous heap.”

We could say the same thing about the Church of Yeshua Messiah, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers (Ephesians 2:14). We are nothing without our God. This is true of buildings where we worship. Is anything more tragic than to see a magnificent house of worship where YHVH is no longer worshiped, where the Gospel is no longer preached, and where the Spirit of God is no longer present? The same principle holds true for the ministries of the Church. Unless the Lord is with us, none of our work that we do – none of the teaching and preaching, none of the caring and sharing, none of the mercy or missionary evangelism – will make any difference for the Kingdom of God. What would a prayer meeting be without the Presence of God to guide people in their prayers? What would a children’s class be without the help of the Ruach in teaching and applying the Scriptures? What would mercy ministry be without the living Presence of Messiah in feeding the hungry or visiting the prisoner?

But when ADONAI is in the house, His Word goes out with power and His Spirit changes people’s lives from the inside out. What a blessing it was for Isra’el to see the Sh’khinah glory filling the Temple of the LORD. It was a blessing for the king, because the Sh’khinah confirmed that God would indeed bless the house that Solomon built in His name. It was a blessing for the priests, too, because it showed them the glorious holiness of the One they were called to serve.

It is also a blessing for us, because we too are in the Presence of the God of Solomon. He has revealed Himself to us, especially in His Word, so that we can perceive His glory. But we will never be able to manage or control YHVH. We will never be able to keep Him in one place and say that we know everything there is to know about Him. There will always be glorious mysteries about the character of ADONAI that go beyond our finite comprehension. The more we get to know Him, the more awesome His glory will seem to us.¹⁶⁰

Dear Heavenly Father, How Holy and Wonderful You are! You are Awesome in so many ways. Your Holiness is like a beautiful frame of exquisite gold around the Awesome picture of all Your other fantastic characteristics! Your steadfast love is so great! For Your steadfast love is great to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds. (Psalms 57:10). It is even more wonderful because You are holy which means your love is always a perfect love! Your grace and mercy are so undeserved and so wonderful, yet Your holiness deepens the beauty of Your mercy and grace. In perfect holiness You know all about each person, nothing is hidden from Your omniscience; yet You in holy righteousness give those who love You, Jesus’ righteousness so we may enter Your holy heaven and live there with You forever.  He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (Second Corinthians 5:21). I bow in humble worship and adoration of my Wonderful and Awesome Holy Heavenly Father! May my life be a pleasure to You as I love to follow You in all I say, do and think. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Materials and Labor for the Temple
First Kings 5:1-18 and
Second Chronicles 2:1-18

Materials and labor for the Temple DIG: Why did Solomon build the Temple? What kind of help did Solomon request from King Hiram of Tyre? Who became the chief craftsman for the Temple’s construction? How did Solomon procure the necessary labor to build the Temple? Do you think this was wise or fair? How does conscription differ from slavery?

REFLECT: What would you like to construct for ADONAI? How must you prepare for this endeavor? Whose assistance do you need to enlist? If you had unlimited resources, what would you like to build for the Lord this year? For yourself? Is it ever permissible to use people to accomplish worthwhile goals as Solomon did? Has that ever happened to you?

What am I doing for the glory of God?

On the seventh day of the seventh month in the seventh year of the new millennium (July 7, 2007), officials in Lisbon, Portugal, announced the “New Seven Wonders of the World.” More than one hundred million voters selected these man-made structures to replace the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The winners included the Taj Mahal, the Roman Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, Petra, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza, and Christ Redeemer, the statue that towers over Rio de Janeiro.

However, the contest was not without controversy. The Great Pyramids at Giza were among the original nominees, but the Egyptian officials were understandably offended that they were up for a vote at all. In the end, everyone agreed that the Great Pyramids should be honored separately as the only original Wonder still standing. Many other famous monuments failed to make the top seven, but some people still think that Stonehenge, or the Hagia Sophia, or the Statue of Liberty deserve a higher ranking.

All of these famous structures show what human beings can do. Each one stands out as an enduring tribute to human creativity and ingenuity. Yet, as famous as these monuments are, none of them is the most important building ever made. That honor belongs to a building that was not as big as the Colosseum, as high in the mountains as Machu Picchu, or visible from outer space like the Great Wall of China. It belongs instead to the only building in the world that the living God came down to use for His personal dwelling place: the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. The Temple was the major public construction project of Solomon’s reign, one of the great accomplishments that secured his lasting fame. Here, we learn how Solomon prepared to build the Temple, and more importantly, why he decided to build it.

Practical details about the materials and labor for an ancient building project may not seem very interesting to some Bible readers. Yet we believe the words of the apostle Paul, who said that whatever was written in former day was written for our instruction (Romans 15:4). Therefore, like everything else in Scripture, the construction of Solomon’s Temple is for our edification. When we study this passage carefully, we can connect the construction of Solomon’s Temple to the building project that God is doing in us today by the saving work of Yeshua Messiah and the sanctifying work of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh.¹¹²

Solomon’s alliance with Hiram: When Hiram, king of Tyre, heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his official envoys to Solomon to honor the coronation of the new king. That was standard protocol for diplomatic relations. When a new leader comes to power, the other world leaders send formal greetings to renew the friendly relationship between the two countries. But in addition, Hiram had always been on friendly terms with David (First Kings 5:1; Second Samuel 5:11). Both Solomon and Hiram were young, aggressive, and wished to make their countries wealthy without military conquest. Both expanded their capitals and both built central worship shrines. This was a healthy alliance since Tyre controlled the shipping lanes of the Mediterranean Sea, and with David’s defeat of the Philistines, this removed the main competition for Tyre. David, then Solomon, controlled the three major trade routes as well as a number of minor ones. Together, Isra’el and Tyre formed a near monopoly since Isra’el controlled the land routes and Tyre controlled the sea routes. Thus began a very profitable alliance between the two men.¹¹³

Solomon sent back this message to the king of Tyre, “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a Temple for the Name of ADONAI his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet” (First Kings 5:2-3; Second Chronicles 2:3). Even though David had fought his many battles in the Name of the LORD, he was still a man of war, not a man of peace. Thus, it was not suitable for him to build God’s holy Temple.

This helps to put some of our own disappointments into perspective. We all have things that we hope to accomplish in this lifetime. Some of our dreams have not yet become realities, and sometimes we doubt they ever will. Where our ambitions coincide with the will of God, we should continue to pursue them. But sometimes God says “no” to us as he said “no” to David – even for things that are good in themselves and that we want to do for his glory. When this happens, we should follow David’s example by accepting God’s “no” for an answer. We should also take a long-term view of the Kingdom and help other people do the work that God has called them to do, even if it happens to be the work that we were hoping to do. David is a good example, because when he recognized what God was calling Solomon to do, he gave him His royal blessing: Now, my son, may ADONAI be with you and give you success as you build the house of ADONAI your God (First Chronicles 22:11a).¹¹⁴

But now ADONAI my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. I intend, therefore, to build a Temple for the Name of ADONAI my God as He told my father David, “Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the Temple for my Name.” This, of course, was based on God’s Covenant with David. And to dedicate it to Him for burning fragrant incense before him, for setting out the consecrated bread regularly, and for making burnt offerings every morning and evening and on the Sabbaths, at the New Moons and at the appointed festivals of the Lord our God. This is a lasting ordinance for Isra’el (First Kings 5:4-5; Second Chronicles 2:1 and 4-6).

Notice Solomon’s motivation. He didn’t build the Temple for political reasons, hoping to unify the twelve tribes of his kingdom. He didn’t build it for financial reasons, thinking that the project of that magnitude would strengthen Isra’el’s economy. He didn’t build it for personal reasons, desiring to build something that people would remember, bringing glory to his own name. No. Solomon built the Temple for the best of all reasons: he did it for the Name of ADONAI, his God.

What is the desire of your heart? What is the motivation for the decisions you make about what to do with your time and your money, your body and your soul, your present is not your future? The apostle Paul said: Whatever you do, do all for the glory of God (First Corinthians 10:31). This becomes the spiritual test for everything in life. Am I doing what I am doing for the glory of God?¹¹⁵

Then Solomon made a specific request: So, give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. Send me cedar logs as you did for my father David when you sent him cedar to build a palace to live in (First Kings 5:6a). Send me also cedar, cypress and sandalwood logs from Lebanon, for I know that your servants are skilled in cutting timber there. My servants will work with yours to provide me with plenty of lumber, because the temple I build must be large and magnificent. I will give your servants, the woodsmen who cut the timber, 100,000 bushels of ground wheat, 100,000 bushels of barley, 100,000 gallons of wine and 100,000 gallons of olive oil (2 Chronicles 2:3 and 8-10). Isra’el’s king was proposing a cooperative venture based on a balance of trade. Skilled craftsmen from the kingdom of Tyre would provide some of their world-famous lumber, and in return, Solomon would pay fair wages.

My men (Hebrew: mas, meaning temporary laborers) will work with yours for three months, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians, Phoenicians, named after their principle city Sidon (First Kings 5:6b). Send me, therefore, a man skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson and blue yarn, and experienced in the art of engraving, to work in Judah and Jerusalem with my skilled workers, whom my father David provided (2 Chron 2:7). When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased over Solomon’s friendship, the compliment paid to his countrymen, and the prospect of a new source of revenue. He said: Praise be to the Lord today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation (1 Kings 5:7).

The king of Tyre readily agreed to those terms, saying: I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. But Hiram proposed two adjustments to Solomon’s proposal. The first adjustment: the men of Isra’el and Tyre would not work together. Tyre would bring the logs to the Israeli port, then Isra’el would take over from there. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. The second adjustment was that Hiram wanted food for the royal household instead of wages for the workers. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household.” Because the Lord loves his people, he has made you their king. And Hiram added: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth! He has given King David a wise son, endowed with intelligence and discernment, who will build a temple for the Lord and a palace for himself (First Kings 5:8-9; Second Chronicles 2:11-12).

So King Hiram did as Solomon requested, saying: I am sending you Hiram-Abi (the Abi suffix meaning master), my master craftsman, whose mother was from Dan and whose father was from Tyre. He is trained to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, stone and wood, and with purple and blue and crimson yarn and fine linen (see similar comments in the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ew – The Appointment of Bezalel and Ohaliab). He is experienced in all kinds of engraving and can execute any design given to him. He will work with your skilled workers and with those of my lord, David your father (Second Chronicles 2:13-14). In return, King Hiram requested: Now let my lord send his servants the wheat and barley and the olive oil and wine he promised, and we will cut all the logs from Lebanon that you need and will float them as rafts by sea down to Joppa, modern Jaffa, was the port of Jerusalem until superseded by Tel-Aviv. You can then take them up to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 2:15-16).

In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors (about 3,600 tons) of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths (about 120,000 gallons) of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year (First Kings 5:10-11; Second Chronicles 2:10). The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty (First Kings 5:10-12; 2 Chronicles 2:10). This became a very profitable relationship for both men.

Solomon’s forced labor: King Solomon temporarily conscripted thirty thousand foreign laborers. He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. The king also conscripted 153,600 Israelites from the census his father David had taken. He assigned 70,000 of them to be carriers and 80,000 to be stonecutters in the hills, with 3,600 foremen over them to keep the people working. At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the Temple. The craftsmen of Solomon, Huram, and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the Temple. The men of Gebal were from a Phoenician city not far from the coast, about twenty miles north of Beirut. They must have been famous stonecutters. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor (First Kings 5:13-18: 2 Chronicles 2:2 and 17-18).

The true Temple: As Philip Ryken relates in his commentary on First Kings, Solomon helps us see how to glorify God. But he also does something more important than simply to set a good example: he points us to Yeshua Messiah as the greater Solomon of the Kingdom of God. Every time we think about Solomon and the greatness of his kingdom, we should remember what Yeshua said, namely, that He is greater than Solomon (Luke 11:31).

One of the ways to see the superior greatness of Yeshua Messiah here is to consider what He said about the Temple of God. Yeshua always loved to go to the Temple – not the one Solomon built, but the Second Temple, commonly known as Herod’s Temple, which was built after Isra’el’s exile in Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule). Yeshua went there as a young boy and called it: My Father’s house (Luke 4:49). He often visited the Temple when He went up to Jerusalem, right up until the last week of His earthly life, when He was teaching daily in the Temple (Luke 19:47).

“The Temple,” is an appropriate word to use for the physical body of Yeshua Messiah. A Temple is a dwelling place for YHVH; it is a place where God lives. Thus, Solomon often referred to his Temple as the house of God. But since Messiah is God incarnate – since He is not merely human, but also divine – His physical body is a Temple. The body of Messiah is the true Temple, since it is the dwelling place of God. Paul tells us that in Messiah all the fullness of the Godhead lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).

Then Yeshua took the Temple of His physical body and offered it as a sacrifice for our sin, giving Himself up for our salvation. And He did this for the best of reasons. He did it to honor the Name of ADONAI. In doing His Kingdom work, He was motivated by His Father’s glory. So as He prepared to offer His body for crucifixion, He said to the Father: Look! I have come to do Your will (Hebrews 10:7), which is another way of saying: I am doing this in the Name of ADONAI. Yeshua used the Temple of His body for the glory of God. In the supremely selfless sacrifice of His death on the cross, He glorified God by saving His people.¹¹⁶

The wonder of the world: Again, Ryken’s comments are helpful. Now God is busy working on a new construction project. It is another temple, constructed with even more surprising building material. This temple is not physical, but spiritual, because now the dwelling place of ADONAI is the Church, made up of Jewish and Gentile believers (Ephesians 2:14) – not just a physical building, but as a living community. Consequently, the B’rit Chadashah often uses temple language to describe the church of Yeshua Messiah. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians: we are the temple of the living God (Second Corinthians 6:16).

Surely this is the least likely material that anyone has ever used for a major construction project. What could be more difficult to work with than people in the Church? We are not beautiful like cedar, but ugly in our sin. We are not solid like stone, but weak and unstable. Nevertheless, ADONAI is using us to build a holy temple – a spiritual house in which He lives by His Ruach. You are God’s temple, the Scripture says of the Church, God’s Spirit lives in you (First Corinthians 3:16). This is true of us individually: as believers in Messiah we are indwelt by the Spirit, and thus we are holy to the Lord (First Corinthians 6:19-20). It is also true of us corporately: the Church of Yeshua Messiah is the temple of the living God.

Truly, the church of Yeshua Messiah is the wonder of the world, the most extraordinary edifice that anyone has ever constructed. The stones in this massive building come from all over the world as people from all the nations come to worship Messiah. We are living stones – not stone-cold like ordinary construction materials, but alive with the power of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (First Peter 2:5). Furthermore, despite the weakness of its materials, this new and living temple is built to last. It is constructed on the precious cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16; First Peter 2:6), Yeshua Messiah, who is the solid foundation of the Church (First Corinthians 3:11). The Bible says that in Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Ephesians 2:21-22 NIV). As living stones, we are the construction materials that God is using to build His spiritual temple.

Knowing what kind of temple God is building puts our own ministry into perspective. It gives us an important question to ask about any service we offer the Lord, or any ministry we consider as a church: Will this help to build up the spiritual temple that is the people of God, and by doing so, to bring honor to the name of the Lord? When we can answer “yes,” we are ready to make wise decisions about the way we live and what we are prepared to do with our future.¹¹⁷

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You that You never grow old. Your wisdom is as fresh today as it was the day You created the world. Sometimes days seem long but the truth is our lives are short and will be over in a blink. It is so important that we have lived our lives for You. Eternity’s joy is based on how I love You now. The Great Wall of China has had to be rebuilt because it was crumbling, but You, God, are always great, strong, and eternal! When all the armies of the world come against You, there will be no battle at all, for you will easily destroy them by the sword of Your mouth. From His mouth comes a sharp sword – so that with it He may strike down the nations (Rev 19:15).

You not only are physically stronger than anyone, Your wisdom far surpasses any person or any computer. What a joy to listen and follow You for Your love and wisdom are totally trustworthy! As I commit my life to You and trust in Your love and wisdom, I can rest in knowing that You are in total control. Trust in ADONAI and do good. Dwell in the land, feed on faithfulness. Delight yourself in ADONAI, and He will give you the requests of your heart (Psalms 37:3-4). We do delight in you! We praise You. You are Holy, Almighty, All-Powerful, All Wise, Forgiving Savior and Loving Father! What a pleasure to meditate on Your many wonderful characteristics. You are Fantastically Wonderful! Praise and love You always! In holy Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Historical Details Related to
First Kings 5:1 to 9:9

Virtually all of the historical details noted in First Kings Chapters 3 and 4 apply here also; but in addition, the reader will observe the importance of Tyre in these accounts. Chapter 5 says that Hiram king of Tyre had enjoyed good relations with David and thus sent envoys to Solomon, obviously hoping to continue the alliance (First Kings 5:1). Solomon sent back a reply that stated his plans to build a Temple for ADONAI, and asked for cedar, some laborers, and suggested payment for those favors (First Kings 5:3-6). Who was Hiram, and why should he help Solomon?

Hiram ruled Tyre, the capital of Phoenicia, for over thirty years, from David’s old age until he and Solomon were veteran kings.¹¹⁰ Tyre had a mainland base but also occupied an offshore island, which kept it invulnerable to siege warfare up to the time of Alexander the Great in 332 BC (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Eq – The Timeline for Tyre). From its Mediterranean port, Tyre was able to establish an impressive shipping fleet. Isra’el had aided Tyre’s sailing efforts by defeating the Philistines, the other regional power traditionally involved in sea trade. Therefore, an Isra’el-Tyre alliance was a natural, mutually beneficial result of Isra’el’s newly won prominence. Together, the two countries could create a monopoly by exploiting Isra’el’s control of the land and Tyre’s expertise in shipping.

Besides those natural common interests, Solomon and Hiram were both aggressive young kings. Both used the historical situation to their advantage. They both expanded their capitals and built central worship centers. Both desired to make their nation wealthy without military conquest, and both suffered when Egypt reasserted its power late in their reigns.

One other historical fact deserves mention. Isra’el’s Temple was similar to what many other nations were attempting before and during this time period. As already stated, Hiram himself built worship centers. He set up a golden pillar in the sanctuary of Ba’al Shamen, and built new temples to Melqart and Astarte. Sumeria, Assyria, Babylon, and the Canaanites also constructed temples. So this was common practice during that historical period.

Besides attesting to the accuracy of the biblical accounts, this observation reminds us of the literary nature of First and Second Kings. Isra’el is not portrayed as doing odd, astounding things. Rather, their activities, which appear like those of other nations, are significant because of how they displayed (or fail to display) Isra’el’s faith in ADONAI. They also reflect God acting in history through a chosen people. Therefore, the uniqueness of the events lies in the inherent meaning that emerges from a people responding faithfully to the one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who alone deserves worship.¹¹¹

Solomon’s Temple
First Kings 5:1 to 7:51 and
Second Chronicles 2:1-18

Surely, I will not enter the house where I live or get into my bed, I will not allow myself to sleep or even close my eyes, until I find a place for ADONAI, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob (Psalm 132:3-5). So wrote King David, for it was his passionate desire to build a Temple for the glory of the LORD. Just one thing have I asked of ADONAI; only this will I seek: to live in the house of ADONAI all the days of my life, to see the beauty of ADONAI and visit in His Temple (Psalm 27:4). God knew David’s heart, but He made it clear that He had other plans for His beloved servant (Second Samuel 7). David was so busy fighting wars and expanding and defending the borders of the kingdom of Isra’el that he didn’t have time to supervise such a complex and demanding undertaking. Solomon, the man of peace, was God’s choice to build the Temple, and his father prepared him for the task (see the commentary on the Life of David, to see link click Fd – David Provided Resources for Building the Temple), and encouraged him to do so (see the Life of David Fc – David’s Charge to Solomon Regarding the Temple).

Since the days of Moshe, the people of Isra’el had brought their sacrifices and offerings to the Tabernacle, but now they were no longer pilgrim people, but a nation settled in their own land. The Tabernacle was a fragile, portable building for use in the wilderness. But the time had come for Isra’el to build a Temple to their great God. The nations around them had temples dedicated to their false gods, so it was only right that the people of Isra’el dedicate a magnificent Temple to honor the true and living God. In the second month (our April/May) of the year 966 BC, the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began the work, and these chapters record the several stages of that project (to see a video of Solomon’s Temple click here). ¹⁰⁹

Practical Applications from
First Kings 3:1 to 4:34

Solomon’s promise from ADONAI illustrates how important each individual’s relationship is to God. Certainly, the TaNaKh teaches that YHVH has made covenants with Isra’el in which Gentiles may participate when they make the Jewish Messiah Lord of their lives (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el). But it specifically teaches that the LORD also desires communion with individuals. Those who seek God’s presence and help can indeed receive the wisdom they need to do God’s will and serve God’s people.

The fact that several promises are fulfilled in First Kings 3:1 to 4:34 demonstrates the importance of hope in human life. Abraham, Moshe, and David could die in peace because they trusted in the hope of God’s promises (see the commentary on Hebrews Cl – The Hall of Faith). They learned to live as if promise and possession were the same. Solomon, on the other hand, enjoyed daily hope as he lived out the wisdom ADONAI gave him. He could also know that God’s ongoing blessings would benefit his kingdom. Likewise, Scripture offers past, present, and future promises to believers that fit their individual circumstances.

Obviously, leadership is a major issue in the former prophets. The beginning of Solomon’s career (see Bk – Solomon’s Prayer) stands as a basically positive model for leaders who desire to honor God as their source of their ability to lead and who want to help others through their gift of leadership. Prayer and worship appear here as essential components of political, economic, and administrative ability, not as barriers to success in these areas. Still, the Bible’s previous warnings about leadership’s potential excesses warn against thinking that prayer is some magic charm that wards off rebellious or sinful behavior. Faithfulness and righteousness alone please YHVH, and only He decides whether these traits will necessarily bring material wealth or personal recognition.¹⁰⁸

Solomon’s Wisdom
First Kings 4: 29-34

Solomon’s wisdom DIG: What were Solomon’s areas of expertise? How do you suppose he came by his special wisdom? How many ways does the biblical author describe wisdom?

REFLECT: What is wisdom? How is it different from intelligence? How can we gain wisdom? In what areas would you like more wisdom? Is it available today? How can you get it?

For ADONAI gives wisdom, from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

As Philip Ryken relates in his commentary on First Kings, Solomon’s wide and peaceful kingdom, with its bountiful table, helps us to see the Kingdom of God (to see link click Au – Solomon’s Kingdom). But the best of any kingdom is the king himself – not just his wealth and power, or the peace and prosperity he brings, but his own royal person. Therefore, First Kings 4 ends by reminding us of Solomon’s outstanding characteristic, the one supreme and God-given gift that distinguished him from all the other kings in the world. ADONIA had invited Solomon to ask for anything he pleased. What pleased Solomon to ask for was something that pleased God to give: the gift of wisdom (see As – Solomon’s Wish). The king had demonstrated that gift in the famous incident regarding the two prostitutes and the two babies (see At – A Wise Ruling). At the end of First Kings 4 the author celebrates the wisdom of his king by using the vocabulary for wisdom in almost every verse.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise you, for Your wisdom knows no boundaries! You know the future before it happens – Amazing! You know every detail of our lives! No one can pull something over on You because You understand all details of our lives and the depths of our hearts – Wow! How incredible that Your infinite wisdom is wrapped up in Your fantastic love! You are always seeking ways to guide us to Your great love! It is such a comfort to know that You never give any rule or command that could hurt us, rather they are more like lifeboats in the ocean of sin and ignorance. Your wisdom gives us life! Others who follow their own ways may look like they have it all. But when I tried to make sense of this, it was troubling in my eyes – until I entered the Sanctuary of God, and perceived their end. Surely You put them in slippery places. You hurled them down to destruction. How suddenly they became a ruin – (Psalms 73:16-119a). Wisdom is joy in following You and pleasure that lasts for eternity.

The only way to have eternal wisdom is to have an intimate daily walk with You as the Lord of our lives. Your wisdom is always perfect, always pure, always exactly what is the best! Thank You that as we follow You, we will always be walking in the best path. You do allow trials in our lives. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). As we conquer trials and temptations in your strength with a heart of love to please You, the trials bring blessings by giving us opportunities for eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). We love you and delight in following Your wisdom in all we do, say and think. Please bless us with Your wisdom in how to live our lives in ways that best glorify You. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The Bible declares this wisdom in many ways. It begins by simply asserting that God gave Solomon wisdom. Then Solomon’s wisdom is demonstrated by means of an analogy from nature: God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore (First Kings 4:29). The king’s wisdom was not infinite, of course, because only God is infinitely wise, by Solomon was wise beyond anything that any human being could measure. His wisdom was like the sand on the seashore. This analogy reminds us why the king asked for wisdom in the first place; the people he had to govern were too numerous to count (First Kings 3:8). Yet ADONAI gave Solomon wisdom sufficient for his calling – wisdom like the sand on the seashore.

Next, Solomon’s wisdom is demonstrated by comparison with other wise men: Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East (Arabs, Chaldeans and Babylonians, famed for their wisdom, astrological and scientific learning), and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite – wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations (4:30-31). Most of these men are long forgotten, but they were nearly as famous in their day as famous poets or songwriters are today. Ethan and Herman, for example, were poets; they wrote Psalms 88 and 89. Yet by comparison, Solomon was wiser than them all. His world-famous wisdom was superior to all the intellectual giants of Egypt, Persia, and Babylon – the great centers of learning in the ancient world.

Solomon’s wisdom was also demonstrated by the things he wrote and spoke. The Bible tells us that he spoke three thousand proverbs (some are included in the book of Proverbs but most of them are lost) and his songs numbered a thousand and five (4:32). Many of these wise sayings and lyrical ballads are preserved in the Scriptures. We find the king’s praise songs in Psalms 72 and 127. We read his love songs in the Song of Songs (Song of Songs 1:1). We learn his proverbs for daily life from the book of Proverbs, most of which were written by the king himself (Proverbs 1:1). As a result, Solomon’s literary output is impressive both in quantity and quality.

The breadth of the king’s knowledge was equally impressive. Not only was he skilled in the literary arts, but he also had a scientist’s love for the natural world. As Solomon wrote his songs and proverbs he spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish (4:33). Solomon’s knowledge was encyclopedic. He knew everything from the tallest tree in the forest (the cedar of Lebanon) to the smallest plant growing on the garden wall (the hyssop). The king had a love for botany and biology; he knew both the plants and animals of his native Isra’el. In the words of one commentator, his interests included what was in the barn and what was in the lake, what graced the skies and what slithered across the kitchen floor.¹⁰⁵

With a curiosity as wide as the universe, Solomon was interested in everything God made. Not surprisingly, his writings are filled with many analogies based upon careful observation of the created world. When he was not making comparisons with eagles in the sky or poisonous snakes (Proverbs 23:5 and 32), the king was inviting his readers to go to the ant (Proverbs 6:6) or listen to the voice of the cooing doves (Song of Songs 2:12). Solomon was the renaissance man of the ancient world – a naturalist as well as a songwriter, a philosopher as well as a king.

If we are wise, we will follow Solomon’s example by finding delight in the world that ADONAI has made and learning everything it has to teach us. Gaze at the high constellation in the evening sky. Watch the osprey dive in the mountain lake to claim its prey. Smell the flower that blooms along the path in summertime. Notice the trail of ants crawling from the picnic to the anthill. Do not miss the marvels all around us – the things God has made, which the Ruach Ha’Kodesh can use to teach us how to live.

Since ADONAI has left the fingerprints of His wisdom everywhere, since there is no place where God does not furnish us with raw materials for godly thinking, believers should be seized with a lively curiosity to ponder His works, both the majestic and the mundane. The task of wisdom is to joyfully describe and investigate all God’s many works. We may not have Solomon’s insight, but we can gratefully examine the same data.¹⁰⁶

The king’s wisdom is further demonstrated by the people who came to him for counsel: From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom (4:34). We can see a famous example of Solomon’s international renown when the queen of Sheva came to visit him (see Bu – Solomon and the Queen of Sheba). But apparently that sort of thing happened all the time. People came to visit him from all over the world. Solomon virtually became an international tourist attraction. By any measure – whether by comparison, by reputation, or simply by the plain assertion of the biblical text – he was the wisest man in the world.

But he was not as wise as King Yeshua. Solomon’s kingdom was always pointing us to the greater Kingdom of Messiah. He sits as a more bountiful table, at which He gives His own body and blood as life for His people (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kj – Breaking the Middle Matzah). He rules a wider Kingdom, spanning the globe. He also governs with superior wisdom, for He is greater than Solomon in every way (Luke 11:31).

The B’rit Chadashah celebrates the wisdom of Yeshua Messiah in the same ways that First Kings shows us the wisdom of Solomon. At times our Savior’s superior wisdom is simply stated, such as when the apostle Paul stated that Yeshua has become for us our wisdom (First Corinthians 1:30). On other occasions, His wisdom is demonstrated by way of analogy. So, the Bible says, for example, that in Messiah are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). If Solomon’s wisdom was like the sand on the seashore, then the wisdom of Yeshua is like sand that has been turned miraculously into diamonds.

We also see the supreme wisdom of Yeshua Messiah in all the wise things that He said. Like Solomon, Yeshua often used memorable metaphors drawn from the created world. He talked about farmers sowing their seed (see The Life of Christ Et – The Parable of the Soils), and the wind blowing wherever it pleases (see The Life of Christ Bv – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus), and when He did, He said many wise things about knowing ADONAI that will never be forgotten. The royal wisdom of Messiah Yeshua is shown further by comparison. His wisdom is so superior, the Scriptures say, that even His apparent foolishness turns out to be wiser than the so-called “wisdom” of men (see the commentary on First Corinthians An – The Foolishness of Worldly Wisdom). What some people think is only foolishness – namely, the cross where Yeshua died – actually turns out to be God’s wise plan for salvation.

Now people from all nations are seeking the wisdom of Yeshua. It is happening this very day, as people all over the world worship God in the royal name of Messiah the King. I pray this is happening in your life as well, that you are trusting in Yeshua, who is the best and wisest of all kings. Feast on His grace. Serve His wide Kingdom by using your spiritual gift(s). Trust His wisdom, believing that He knows what is best. Rest in His peace as you wait for His Kingdom to come. He is the Prince of Peace (see the commentary on Isaiah Ck – He Will Be Called the Prince of Peace) and His peaceable Kingdom is not a dream, but a reality.

If you believe, you will see.¹⁰⁷

Solomon’s Kingdom
First Kings 4: 1-28

Solomon’s kingdom DIG: What was Solomon’s Isra’el like economically? Militarily? Spiritually? What do these verses reveal about taxes? Who brought tribute? Why? What major project will Solomon use forced labor? How did the district governors supply the daily provisions for the royal court each month? What extra pressure might ben-Abinadab and Adoniram face under Solomon’s reign? What was the extent of Solomon’s kingdom?

REFLECT: Since the Israelites were once slaves themselves in Egypt, why would Solomon have forced labor? Wouldn’t you think he would have been extremely sensitive to that issue? Where is the forced labor where you live? Was Solomon indulgent? Since he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, is it any surprise that he was so privileged? What sacrifices can you make to help those who are less fortunate than you are? Who can you help this week?

The deep source of joy in Solomon’s kingdom was the faithful promises of God.

We find here an indication of the organizational development of the kingdom under Solomon. There had already been considerable changes made in Isra’el during the reigns of the previous two kings. Under Sha’ul the loose confederacy of twelve tribes began to be solidified into a kingdom, but his style of government seems to have been relatively modest and simple. There was no great central bureaucracy and no lavish court, and there is no record of any formal system of taxation. David developed a kingdom in a truer sense, and he had far greater and more lasting success in defeating Isra’el’s enemies. He captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it a strong and permanent capitol. David seems to have had some system of internal taxation, and he certainly received tribute from his various vassal states. Solomon, therefore, inherited a stable kingdom. He did not expand the empire but did establish a well-organized and strong central government. He developed a system of taxation and forced labor to support his great building projects, the foremost being the Temple and the royal palace.⁹³

Solomon’s royal cabinet (4:1-6): The chapter begins with an orderly account of the members of the royal cabinet. Solomon’s wisdom is now shown in his administrative abilities, including the choice of cabinet members. Today this information might be presented in the form of an organizational flow chart, but the Bible simply lists the names of Solomon’s staff, with their official duties. The names of some of these men are familiar; we have met them before. The support of Nathan, Zadok, and Benaiah was critically important in Solomon’s rise to power. It is not therefore surprising to see these men and their sons offer prophetic, priestly, and military leadership for the kingdom. Solomon put the right men in charge – men who were loyal to his kingship and willing to do kingdom work.⁹⁴

So King Solomon ruled over all Isra’el. And this was his royal cabinet: Azariah, grandson of Zadok, was the high priest. He was the son of Ahimaaz the grandson of Zadok, the priest who had served David so faithfully. It appears that Ahimaaz had died and therefore his son was given the office (Second Samuel 15:27 and 36; First Chronicles 6:8-9).

While David had only one scribe, Solomon had two, Elihoreph and Ahijah, who were the sons of David’s scribe Shisha. He was also known as Seriah (Second Samuel 8:17), Sheva (Second Samuel 20:25), and Shavsha (First Chronicles 18:16). Solomon’s kingdom was much larger and more complex than that over which his father ruled, so keeping records would have been more demanding.

Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud had been a recorder during David’s reign (Second Samuel 8:16), and Benaiah son of Jehoiada had been appointed commander in chief of the army by Solomon (First King 2:35). He was born into a priestly family but chose military life instead.

Since both Zadok and Abiathar had served with David, hence they are found in this official roster. Zadok the priest had died and was replaced by his grandson Azariah (see above). It is somewhat surprising to see that despite his earlier opposition to Solomon (to see link click Ap – Putting the Kingdom First: Solomon banishes Abiathar), Abiathar was still a priest and was apparently restored to the royal court.

Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the twelve district governors who supervised the twelve administrative districts that Solomon had created in Isra’el (see below). Wheather his father was Nathan the prophet (First Kings 1:11), Nathan the son of David (Second Samuel 5:14), or another man named Nathan is not explained. It was a popular name in Isra’el.

Zabud son of Nathan was a priest who served as a special adviser to the king, and Ahishar was Solomon’s palace administrator, handling the complex affairs of the king’s household once it was built.⁹⁵

Yet one thing in this list seems to strike a sour note, especially for a nation that had been enslaved in Egypt. Adoniram, son of Abda, was in charge of forced labor. This was something the prophet Samuel had warned about when the people of Isra’el first clamored for a king. Samuel told them to be careful what they wished for, because one day their king would take their children and force them to do his work (First Samuel 8:16-18). Putting someone in charge of forced labor was another warning sign that Solomon was not the ideal king, and that tragic flaws in his character would eventually lead to his spiritual downfall.⁹⁶

Solomon’s administrative districts (4:7-21): Solomon marked out twelve districts of various sizes and put a district governor over each one. The boundaries of the districts ignored the traditional boundaries of the tribes and even included territory that David had conquered in battle. Each district provided food for the king and the royal household each month. It is likely that the district governors also collected taxes, supervised the recruiting of soldiers, and laborers for the Temple and Solomon’s other building projects. By establishing new districts that crossed over old boundaries, Solomon may have hoped to minimize tribal loyalty and eliminate some tension between Judah and the other ten northern tribes. Instead, the plan only aggravated the tension, especially since Judah was not included in the redistricting program. Judah, being the royal tribe that contained the royal City, was administered separately and was unchanged and untaxed.

Any king with seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, plus numerous officers and frequent guests, would have a large household to feed. The Queen of Sheva came (see Bu – Solomon and the Queen of Sheba) with a very large entourage that must have included several hundred people. According to 4:22-23 below the provisions needed to feed the royal court were enormous. Solomon also needed grain for his many horses, which may have been how the barley was used. The conquered nations may have looked upon those monthly “donations” as part of their tribute to King Solomon, but the Jewish tribes considered the whole system to be a humiliating form of extortion.⁹⁷ After Solomon’s death, it was no wonder that the ten northern tribes rose up in revolt against his son Rehoboam when he said: My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke! My father controlled you with whips, but I will control you with scorpions (1 Kgs 12:14).

These were their names:

Ben (Hebrew: meaning son of)-Hur – in the hill country of Ephraim, a fertile district between the land of Benjamin in the south and the plain of Jezreel in the north.

Ben-Deker – in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh on the Jerusalem-Jaffa road and Elon Bethhanan, in the territory of Dan on the west side of the Judean hills.

Ben-Hesed – in Arubboth on the coastal plain between the southern part of the hills of Judah and the Mediterranean Sea (Sokoh and all the land of king Hepher were his).

Ben-Abinadab was Solomon’s first cousin and son-in-law because he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon (First Samuel 16:8 and 17:13) – the area of Dor on the sea-coast in the rich plain of Sharon between Mount Carmel and the Mediterranean.

Baana son of Ahilud, brother of Jehoshaphat – in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel. His area also ran south from Beth Shan down the Jordan River west bank to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam.

Ben-Geber – was in the mountainous country of the Transjordan around Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan. It’s area was fertile and occupied by sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars). It was the most northerly of the three districts on that side of the Jordan River.

Ahinadab son of Iddo – included south Gilead and the Gad tribal lands between Mo’av and Ammon on the south and Bashan on the north. Mahanaim was the capital under Ishbaal (Second Samuel 2:8) and Absalom (Second Samuel 17:24).

Ahimaaz – in Naphtali and upper Galilee as far as Hazor on the west side of the Jordan. He was the son of Zadok (Second Samuel 15:27). Having followed and served David in adversity, he was sure of Solomon’s friendship which may have secured for him the hand of Basemath, the king’s daughter.

Baana son of Hushai – in Asher and in Aloth between Naphtali and the Mediterranean Sea, including west Galilee (thus fulfilling Genesis 49:13).

Jehoshaphat son of Paruah – in Issachar (Joshua 19:17-23) which ran around Mount Gilboa and the Valley of Jezreel between Zebulun on the north and Manasseh on the south.

Shimei son of Ela – in Benjamin, north of Jerusalem and west of Jordan, comprising the southern central Ephriam highlands.

Geber son of Uri – in Gilead (traditionally the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district. His area covered the Transjordan south and part of Gilead.⁹⁸

However famous they were in their own day, these men in charge of their districts are no longer household names. It is easy for us to overlook people like this in the Bible, with all their unfamiliar and unpronounceable names. But the lives of these men mattered to them and to God, which reminds us that we matter also. In the Kingdom of God, every person matters. Most of the people in the world have no idea who we are, and our names may sound as strange to them as names like Ben-Deker and Ahinadab sound to us. But every one of us has a name that is only known by God (see the commentary on Revelation Bb – The Church at Pergamum), as well as a spiritual gift or gifts to serve in His Kingdom. We should not be discouraged, therefore, if our service to Messiah seems insignificant or sometimes gets overlooked by others. God knows the people that belong to Him and remembers the work we do for His glory.⁹⁹

The same gift that these men had is available to us today, by the work of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. The B’rit Chadashah has a name for this gift: it is called administration (Romans 12:8; First Corinthians 12:8). Most people probably think administration as one of the less important spiritual gifts. Some people may even think that getting the congregations of God better organized will only set up a spiritual bureaucracy. But anyone who has ever been involved with something that was poorly planned and poorly executed knows how important this gift is.

The joy of Solomon’s kingdom had a deeper source than simply the king’s ability to get things organized. By itself, good organization is not able to bring true spiritual joy. It is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for a joyful kingdom. The deep source of joy in the kingdom of Solomon was the faithful promises of God. We see the promises kept in the happy summary that follows the list of Solomon’s district governors.  

The vocabulary here in First Kings 4:20-21, with all its talk of sand on the seashore and kingdoms from the Euphrates River to Egypt, refers directly to the covenant promises that YHVH made to Abraham. The people of Judah and Isra’el were as numerous as the sand on the seashore (Gen 22:17); they were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt (Gen 15:18; Ex 23:31; Josh 1:4). This did not fulfill the boundaries of the Land Covenant (see the commentary on Deuteronomy Fp – Restoration After Repentance) because all those kingdoms were put under tribute and were not considered part of Isra’el. Now those promises of the Abrahamic covenant were coming true, to the joy of God’s people. Those nations brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life (Gen 12:2-3; 15:1, 18:18 and 22:17).  Now the wealth of the nations was flowing to Solomon, just as God had promised. Kings were coming to bring tribute to his royal treasury, swearing loyalty to the house of David, and promising loyal service to Solomon as Isra’el’s mighty king. Through the reign of Solomon’s kingdom, the blessing of Abraham was coming to the nations.¹⁰⁰

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your faithfulness to keep every promise You make! How awesome are Your promises to those who love You, “For God Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5).” How special it is to have the God of the universe always near to me. Not only are you always near to me, You are also Almighty Sovereign God who controls all! ADONAI appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am El Shaddai (Genesis 17:1b-c). Nothing is too hard for You. Life and death are in Your power. You are more powerful than a huge army with many soldiers (Revelation 19:11-21). You are our powerful, immovable Rock! (Psalms 18:2, 31, 19:14, 31:3, 94:22). How wonderful Your promise to go ahead of me to guide all that happens to me for my good. Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (Romans 9:28). You are Wonderful! It is with unspeakable depth of great love that I bow before You in humble adoration. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Solomon’s daily provisions (4:22-28): Such an impressive government required vast resources to continue operations. Estimates of the number of persons Solomon sustained vary from fourteen thousand to thirty-two thousand. These figures are not unusual given what other contemporaries of Solomon employed. Coupled with the military expenditures related to the horses mentioned, the money earmarked for the central government appears to be great. Still, the money may have been well spent, since the Land was at peace.¹⁰¹

Solomon’s daily provisions (literally bread, however, it embraces all kinds of food) were thirty cors (That is, probably about 5.5 tons or about 5 metric tons) of the finest flour and sixty cors (That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons) of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. During Solomon’s lifetime the people of Judah and Isra’el, from Dan to Beersheba, from the northernmost to the southernmost part of the Land, lived in safety. So that was the extent of his reign, north, south, east, and west. The statement that everyone sat under their own vine and under their own fig tree (First Kings 4:22-25) speaks of undisturbed prosperity, and this became a favorite catch phrase used by the prophets to point to the ideal conditions prevailing during the Messianic Kingdom (Micah 4:4; Zechariah 3:10). The fact that a man could enjoy the fruit of the vine and the fig tree meant that the people were able to develop their land without the disruption of war. In addition, the crop yields were abundant because of the blessing of God.¹⁰²

But contrary to the teachings of the Torah, Solomon multiplied horses in the Land (Deuteronomy 17:16), and built special cities for housing them. Solomon had forty thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses for his charioteers (First Kings 4:26 and 10:26-29; Second Chronicles 1:14-17, 9:25 and 28). Because First Kings was written before Second Corinthians, the seeming contradiction in Second Chronicles 9:25, reading four thousand, was probably a copyist error.

The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses (First Kings 4:27-28). It is interesting to realize that at this point in the story the author expresses neither approval or disapproval of Solomon’s activities. Certainly, the author presents Solomon as a man made wise by ADONAI. Of course, the people seem happy now. Yet, the warnings of Moshe, especially the one about collecting great numbers of horses, and Samuel’s cautions about royal excess (First Samuel 8:10-18) linger in our minds. What long-term good can come from such disobedience to God’s Word?¹⁰³

Everything good in Solomon’s kingdom is greatly surpassed in the Kingdom of Yeshua Messiah, which is superior in every way. His Kingdom is better organized. This is the work of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, whom Yeshua has sent to bring order to your home, your place of worship, to order your life and relationships. This order is not imposed on us from the outside, but comes from the inside out, as the Spirit works within us to produce patience, forgiveness, gentleness, self-control, and the rest of the spiritual gifts (see the commentary on First Corinthians Ct – The Priority of Love Over Spiritual Gifts).

Messiah’s Kingdom is bigger than Solomon’s kingdom, with more people in it, coming from more nations. Yeshua said that when He was lifted up, He would draw all people to Himself (John 12:32). On the cross He took the guilt of our sins upon Himself, dying in our place, offering His blood to atone for our sin. But Messiah also announced His intention to save people from every nation. In being lifted up, He would draw the nations to Himself. And that is exactly what happened. Down through history, untold millions of people have joined the Kingdom of God: saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Messiah alone. And it is happening right now, as believers share the Gospel with their friends and families, as missionaries go into the whole world with the Good News. The promise made to Abraham, which was only partially fulfilled in the days of King Solomon, is coming true today.

How happy we are to belong to this great Kingdom! As the people of God, we find our true joy in the prosperity of the King. The more He is worshiped, the more we rejoice. This is why we love to see spiritual order come to broken lives and damaged relationships. It is why we take such an active interest in the Kingdom work that ADONAI is doing in our own community and around the world. The work of God’s Kingdom is the most important work in the world, and our joy is to see it grow.

As we minister in our giftedness, we do not depend on our own abilities, least of all in the area of administration. Rather, we depend on the Kingdom promise that Yeshua will be with us as we do His Gospel work in the power of the Ruach. Our desire is for Yeshua Messiah to receive as much honor as possible, from as many people as possible, in as many places as possible, for He alone deserves all the glory.¹⁰⁴

A Wise Ruling
First Kings 3: 16-28

A wise ruling DIG: Why should the new king worry about a dispute among prostitutes? What does Solomon know about mothers and babies? What kind of court system did Isra’el have (Second Samuel 12:1-6 and 14:4)? How would this case have been settled in a modern court? What do you believe about the power of the government? For what quality was Solomon testing the women? Why not test them for honesty? Why do you think Isra’el was so impressed?

REFLECT: Do you pursue wisdom (James 1:5)? How? In what ways did you pursue wisdom this week? What has been your toughest decision this year? What prevailed? Your feelings? Other’s advice? Circumstances? Are you considered compassionate? What brings that quality out of you? What closes your heart towards others? Have you ever had the attitude, “If I can’t have it (him or her), then nobody can!” What is your story behind that attitude?

Yeshua is the King, and He will see that justice will be done.

Divine inspiration is on the lips of the king, Proverbs 16:10 tells us, so his mouth must be faithful when he judges. Quite so. For the king is the hub around which the whole legal process revolved. He heard the toughest cases. He was the highest court of appeal and the foundation of all administration and justice. To invent a proverb: If the core is rotten, then there is no hope for the apple. We now see how the new divine wisdom Solomon had just received from ADONAI made all the difference in his ability to discern between good and evil (First Kings 3:9) and to administer justice (1 Kings 3:11). In this passage Solomon is much more of a wise king than he was before: winnowing out all evil with his eyes (Proverbs 20:8 and 26) and searching out things that were concealed (Proverbs 25:2). He was, in fact, the model king, whose wisdom is talked about so many times in the Bible.⁸⁹

A difficult dilemma (3:16-22): The context of this difficult dilemma and its simple solution is the extraordinary gift that ADONAI had given to Solomon – the gift of wisdom. Solomon knew that he was not up to the task of governing the treasured and numerous people of God. So, when he asked God for wisdom, He was pleased with Solomon’s request and promised to give him exactly what he asked for: A wise and discerning mind (First Kings 3:12).

Dear Heavenly Father, tough decisions. How to best solve the problem? What is the heart motivation? Praise You that You are Almighty, all-wise Eternal Father. Nothing is too hard for You to figure out because You know the heart of everyone and You know every detail of each situation. It is such a comfort to me that I can trust in Your strong arm to protect and to guide me. Be still before ADONAI and wait patiently for Him. Do not fret over one prospering in his way, over one carrying out wicked schemes (Psalms 37:7).

While the wicked may seem to get what they want and it appears that they are happy and content – yet in the end they will have nothing! For the arms of the wicked will be broken, while ADONAI upholds the righteous. ADONAI knows the days of the blameless – their inheritance endures forever. . . For the wicked will perish, and the enemies of ADONAI will be like the beauty of the fields – they will vanish – vanish like smoke (Psalms 37:17-18,20). Praise Your awesome promise to always be there for me! No matter where I am, no matter the time of day or what else is happening, You dear Loving and all-wise Father are right by my side to help and to guide me. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you,” so that with confidence we say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What will man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5c-6). What a joy to remember You on my bed, I meditate on You through the night watches. For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy (Psalms 63:7-8). In Yeshua’s Holy name and Power of His resurrection. Amen

As Philip Ryken relates in his commentary, soon the wisdom of Solomon was put to the test, in the form of a legal dispute over the custody of a baby. Like most other matters that made it all the way to the king, this famous judicial case was as difficult as they come. No one else in the entire kingdom could decide what to do. There were no lawyers involved in this case, or other legal representatives – just one woman against another: two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him (First Kings 3:16a). The Bible lets the women tell their own story, in their own words. The first woman was the plaintiff, and here is the testimony she gave: My lord, I and this woman live in the same house; and when she was in the house, I gave birth to a baby. Three days after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were there together; there was no one else with us in the house except the two of us. During the night this woman’s child died, because she rolled over on top of it. So, she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from next to me, while your servant was sleeping, and put it in her arms; and she laid her dead child in my arms. When I awoke in the morning to feed my child from my breast, there it was, dead. But when I took a closer look later in the morning, why, it wasn’t my son at all – not the one I gave birth to (First Kings 3:17-21)!

Once heard, this story cannot be forgotten. The first woman describes a scene of sinful and pitiful squalor. In lurid detail, her testimony takes us inside a whorehouse somewhere in the red-light district around Jerusalem. There were no clients that night, she said, just two lonely hookers and their newborn sons. The following morning, she received the horrible shock: the baby at her breast was dead. But a mother always knows her own child, and on closer inspection in the morning light, she discovered that it was not her baby.

Then the woman realized the awful truth. Even though she was not awake at the time, it was obvious what had happened. Sometime during the night, the other woman had carelessly rolled over on top of her own baby – an awful case of accidental death. Then, with bitter and desperate envy, the grieving woman had switched the babies in the dark, taking the living baby to her own breast and handing the other woman a corpse.

At that point the second woman interrupted. She wanted to tell her side of the story. She didn’t dispute the first woman’s account of events, but stubbornly insisted that she had the right baby. “No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!” Then the trial degenerated into a shouting match. The first one said, “No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!” Thus, they spoke before the king (1 Kgs 3:22).

The whole situation was pitiful, in the sense that everyone in the story deserves our pity. Surely, we pity the woman whose son was stolen in the middle of the night and who was then desperate to get him back. In her desperation, we see every mother’s longing for a lost child. Yet, we can also commiserate with the woman accused of the heinous crime of child-snatching. What a horror it must have been to wake up in the middle of the night, only to realize that she had smothered her son.

Then there was King Solomon, and he too deserves our sympathy. Ordinarily, the testimony or an additional witness would have been required to reach a verdict. According to the Torah One witness alone will not be sufficient to convict a person of any offense or sin of any kind; the matter will be established only if there are two or three witnesses testifying against him (Deuteronomy 19:15). But in this particular case, there was no other witness. The two women had been alone that night, so it was one woman’s word against the other. It was a “she said, she said.”

Anyone who has ever tried to resolve a dispute without any witnesses knows how hard it can be to determine exactly what happened. Parents often face this difficulty when trying to figure out an argument between two siblings. Teachers have this trouble in school when two students get into a fight. Employers sometimes struggle to resolve a dispute in the workplace. Counselors find it hard to discern the truth about a family conflict or some other broken relationship. There are times when it seems like the only Person who really knows the truth is ADONAI Himself.⁹⁰

Solomon’s simple solution (3:23-28): In this case, Solomon didn’t know that truth yet either. But the king listened carefully to their testimony; therefore, he was able to give an accurate summary of the facts of the case: This woman says, “The living one is my son; your son is the dead one,” while the other says, “No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son” (3:23). Which woman was telling the truth? This was a serious test of the gift that God had promised. Did Solomon have enough wisdom to discern between good and evil in this case? Could he determine the truth and render a just verdict?

No sooner had the king summarized this royal dilemma than he began to put his simple solution into action. First, he said: Bring me a sword. We can only imagine how startled the two women must have been by his command. They brought a sword to the king. Then Solomon gave his deadly command: Cut the living child in two; give half to the one and half to the other (First Kings 3:24-25).

There was a kind of equality in that legal compromise, but also a horrible cruelty. It was a brutal decree. Those present must have looked at Solomon with absolute astonishment. They must have thought, “This isn’t wisdom. It was foolishness!” Yet, there was a method to the king’s apparent madness. For Solomon never intended his command to be carried out. Rather, he was staging a trial by ordeal that would reveal each woman’s heart.

Immediately, Solomon’s dreadful decree had its desired effect. The first woman responded with all the passion and compassion of a mother’s heart. At this, the woman to whom the living child belonged addressed the king, because she felt so strongly toward her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child. You mustn’t kill it” (First Kings 3:26a)! As soon as the true mother heard what Solomon intended to do with his sword, her maternal instincts took over. She had bonded with her newborn son, and she would do anything . . . anything . . . to save him. She would even give him up to her enemy, if that would save his life. Tear out her own heart, if you must, but she would save her son. So she cried out for the king to spare her child’s life.

The first mother made the kind of loving sacrifice that some women make when they put their child up for adoption. Unable to care for children very well themselves, they are willing to suffer the loss of a son or daughter to give the child a better chance in life. Good fathers and mothers make similar sacrifices every day: instead of doing what they want for themselves, they do what is best for their children.

But the other woman had a very different response to the threat of Solomon’s sword. Callously and heartlessly, she said: It will be neither yours nor mine. Divide it (First Kings 3:26b)! In the bitterness of her grief, she could only look at the other mother with hate and envy. If she couldn’t have her own son, well, then, no one else would have a son either. With the horrible cruelty of heedless rage, she told the king to go ahead and use his sword. She was willing to take her half of the child.

At that point, the hearts of both women had been revealed, and Solomon knew everything he needed to know to resolve the dilemma, with or without witnesses. He could tell which woman was the true mother by her maternal compassion. So he calmly answered both women’s pleas for life and death by saying: Give the living child to the first woman, don’t kill it, because she is its mother (3:27).  

It was a simple solution to a difficult dilemma. With gifted insight and wise discernment, Solomon had devised the test that would reveal each woman’s heart. As they witnessed the king’s wise resolution to this case, the people in the royal throne room must have been astonished. The looks on their faces must have turned from horror to wonder as they watched the rightful mother reunited with her beloved son. Justice had been done; the king had reached the right verdict. Of course he had! It seemed so simple now: the true mother was the one who would do absolutely anything to save her child. In that way, Solomon had spared the child’s life and put him back into the arms of his mother. Brilliant.

Word of what the king had done spread like wildfire. People were amazed by the wise and simple way he had solved that difficult dilemma. The story was repeated over and over again all over the City and throughout the surrounding countryside. And all Isra’el heard of the decision the king had made and held the king in awe, for they saw that God’s wisdom was in him, enabling him to render justice properly (First Kings 3:28). If Solomon could settle that case, then he had the wisdom for anything that might come up. This proved that his prayers had been answered. The king had been given an understanding mind to govern the people, just as he had prayed for (to see link click As – Solomon’s Wish). The people recognized his wisdom as nothing less than divine. So they honored their king for having the wisdom of God.⁹¹

Wise justice: Solomon’s verdict was a remarkable confirmation that he had received the gift of divine wisdom. It also proved that he was the right man to rule over Isra’el. However, there is a question we still need to ask. What does this story have to do with us and our need for the Gospel of Messiah? All Scripture is God-breathed and is valuable for teaching the truth . . . and training for righteousness (Second Timothy 3:16). Furthermore, everything in the Bible points to Yeshua Messiah (Luke 24:26-27). So how do we make those life and Gospel connections? How does life and the Bible meet here in these scriptures?

Whenever we consider King Solomon, we need to remember that Yeshua described Himself as someone greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42). Thus, the kingdom of Solomon always points us to the greater Kingdom of Messiah. What is greater about Yeshua in this case is His superior wisdom for doing justice. In First Kings 3:38 we read that God’s wisdom was in him, enabling him to render justice properly. We can apply this statement directly to the person and ministry of Yeshua because God’s wisdom was in him, enabling him to render justice properly.

Messiah has promised us justice, and we long for justice to be done. This is a fallen world, where we see so much injustice that sometimes we wonder when, or even if, everything will be made right. Wrongs go unpunished, including wrongs done to babies. People seemingly get away with dark deeds in the middle of the night. It is hard to know what the truth is. One person says one thing, another person says another. But who is telling the truth? When someone comes with the sword to do justice, he proposes a compromise; the baby gets cut in half and still justice is not done.

In a world of injustice, we may pray the way that Solomon prayed: God, give the king your fairness in judgment, endow this son of kings with Your righteousness (Ps 72:1). This prayer is for the wise justice of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev 5:5). We pray for Him to discover what evil has been done and to put things right. We want the sinner who has lied, stolen, and advocated murder to be found out and brought to justice. We want the innocent child to end up in the arms of the right mother. We want Yeshua to do what is just.

Sometimes we see justice done in this life but most of the time we don’t, but justice will be done in the end. The wisdom of God is in Yeshua to do justice, and one day He will make everything right. The Bible describes that day of judgment as a day when God will pass judgment on people’s most innermost secrets (Rom 2:16). At the final judgment, what happened to the second woman will happen to all the enemies of God (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment). But for believers we will never be judged for there is no longer any condemnation awaiting for those who are in union with Yeshua (Rom 8:1).

People sometimes wonder whether justice will be done. In our frustration and anger, sometimes people blame God for what is wrong with the world, especially all the terrible evils that seem to go unpunished – the genocides and murders of a fallen race. But Satan is ultimately the one to blame, not ADONAI, who is never on the side of injustice. He will make this abundantly clear at the Great White Throne, when every wrong will be righted, every evil deed will be punished, and every unrighteous sinner will be brought to justice. Yeshua is the King, and He will see that justice will be done.

This will all be to the praise of God and the glory of Yeshua Messiah. If people held Solomon in awe for reaching the right verdict in the one difficult dilemma, imagine how much honor and glory Yeshua will receive for righting every wrong in the history of the world! And at the Great White Throne, when we see the wise justice of God in Messiah, we will stand in awe of our King. The book of Revelation declares that when the LORD executes His final and terrible judgment against sin, His people will cry out: Halleluyah! For the victory, the glory, and the power of our God! For His judgments are true and just (Revelation 19:1-2a).⁹²