1 Kings 5:1 – 18 “1 Now when Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, he sent envoys to Solomon; for Hiram had always been a friend of David.
And Solomon relayed this message to Hiram:
“As you are well aware, due to the wars waged on all sides against my father David, he could not build a house for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD had put his enemies under his feet. But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis.
So, behold, I plan to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God, according to what the LORD said to my father David: ‘I will put your son on your throne in your place, and he will build the house for My Name.’
Now therefore, order that cedars of Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants whatever wages you set, for you know that there are none among us as skilled in logging as the Sidonians.”
When Hiram received Solomon’s message, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the LORD this day! He has given David a wise son over this great people!” Then Hiram sent a reply to Solomon, saying:
“I have received your message; I will do all you desire regarding the cedar and cypress timber. My servants will haul the logs from Lebanon to the Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate the logs, and you can take them away. And in exchange, you can meet my needs by providing my household with food.” So, Hiram provided Solomon with all the cedar and cypress timber he wanted, and year after year Solomon would provide Hiram with 20,000 cors of wheat as food for his household, as well as 20,000 baths of pure olive oil. (20,000 cors is approximately 124,800 bushels or 4.4 million liters (probably about 3,800 tons or 3,400 metric tons of wheat. 20,000 baths is approximately 116,000 gallons or 440,000 liters of olive oil).
And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom, as He had promised him. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.
Then King Solomon conscripted a labor force of 30,000 men from all Israel. He sent them to Lebanon in monthly shifts of 10,000 men, so that they would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. And Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.
Solomon had 70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains, not including his 3,300 foremen who supervised the workers. And the king commanded them to quarry large, costly stones to lay the foundation of the temple with dressed stones. So, Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with the Gebalites, quarried the stone and prepared the timber and stone for the construction of the temple.
When the Israelites rejected having God as their supreme ruler and demanded a king, Samuel warned them what would happen, and now those warnings are coming to pass. These warnings are delineated in 1 Samuel 8:10 – 18. “So, Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots.
He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.
And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use.
He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”
Up until now, the Israelites have been enjoying the prosperity of Solomon’s regime; however, Solomon is embarking on ambitious construction projects that require lots of laborers. There is a labor force of 30,000 men going to Lebanon in one month shifts of 10,000 at a time. There are 70,000 porters and 80,000 stone cutters, plus 3,300 overseers. The total of these workers alone is 183,300. And Solomon is just getting started. Before Solomon is through, every bit of Samuel’s prophecies will come true. How do we know this? After Solomon dies and Rehoboam becomes king, the people come to him and beg for relief. 1 Kings 12:4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you should lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.” True, Solomon accomplishes wonderful things during his reign and builds a magnificent temple, but all of these buildings come with a heavy cost for the average Israelite.
APPLICATION: In the Robert Heinlein novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein makes use of the phrase “TANSTAAFL.” This acronym stands for the saying “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.” The characters in the novel who succeed in overcoming the enormous challenges they face have to learn this truth repeatedly. Nothing useful or outstanding has ever been achieved by wishing or talking; most achievements demand hard work and sacrifice. Now that Solomon is firmly entrenched as king, the Israelites are about to learn the truth of the phrase TANSTAAFL. There’s a lot of money flowing through the kingdom, and much of it is going directly to Solomon and those immediately under him.
It is always a mistake to trust in people rather than in God. So far, Israel has had Saul, David, and now Solomon as king. Each of these men accomplishes different things; however, life is not easy for the common people who must make these kingdoms function.
Where are you putting your trust? Recent events internationally have proven the truth that rulers such as presidents and prime ministers are not to be trusted. Currently, Russia has embarked on a war of conquest in Ukraine using the flimsiest of excuses, and the rest of the international community is letting this happen.
The writer of Psalm 121 got it right when he said, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Behold, the Protector of Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is the shade on your right hand. The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore.”
TANSTAAFL! When you trust earthly rulers, the price they demand will be exorbitant. Trust the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Protector of Israel.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust in You rather than any earthly rulers. Thank You for being our Shield and our Protector. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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