1 Kings 9:9 – 28 “Now at the end of the twenty years during which Solomon built these two houses, the house of the LORD and the royal palace, King Solomon gave twenty towns in the land of Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, who had supplied him with cedar and cypress logs and gold for his every desire. So, Hiram went out from Tyre to inspect the towns that Solomon had given him, but he was not pleased with them.
“What are these towns you have given me, my brother?” asked Hiram, and he called them the Land of Cabul, as they are called to this day. (Cabul sounds like the Hebrew for good-for-nothing. These were small villages, only one of which can now be located. The town marked Karmi’el is the modern location of one of the towns of Cabul.) And Hiram had sent the king 120 talents of gold. (120 talents is approximately 4.52 tons or 4.1 metric tons of gold.)
This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire, killed the Canaanites who lived in the city, and given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon’s wife. So, Solomon rebuilt Gezer, Lower Beth-horon, Baalath, and Tamar in the Wilderness of Judah, as well as all the store cities that Solomon had for his chariots and horses —whatever he desired to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and throughout the land of his dominion.
As for all the people who remained of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites (the people who were not Israelites)— their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction —Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day. But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. They were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work.
As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her, he built the supporting terraces.
Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar he had built for the LORD, burning incense with them before the LORD. So he completed the temple.
King Solomon also assembled a fleet of ships at Ezion-geber, which is near Eloth in Edom, on the shore of the Red Sea. And Hiram sent his servants, men who knew the sea, to serve in the fleet with Solomon’s servants. They sailed to Ophir and imported gold from there—420 talents—and delivered it to Solomon. (420 talents is approximately 15.8 tons or 14.4 metric tons of gold.)”
King Hiram of Tyre had been a good friend to King David, so when Solomon ascended the throne and wanted to build the temple, Hiram readily sent the treasured cedars of Lebanon, skilled workmen, and a huge quantity of gold. But evidently, Hiram was also anticipating a big return for these gestures. When Solomon gave Hiram control of twenty towns in the lower Galilee, Hiram probably anticipated that these towns were in a rich farming area that would yield a great deal of grain. Unfortunately, Solomon was trying to get away as cheaply as possible, and Hiram recognized that fact. Solomon might have wisdom, but character is a different matter!
Remember Samuel’s warnings about the behavior of kings? Those prophecies were certainly coming true under Solomon. Solomon conscripted the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites to forced labor. The Israelites became men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry. They were also the chief officers over Solomon’s projects: 550 supervisors over the people who did the work. Meanwhile, the Israelite women were undoubtedly conscripted to serve as bakers, perfumers, etc., just as Samuel had predicted. One telling phrase says, “But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery..” SLAVERY??? Wow Solomon! How noble of you! Solomon carried out ambitious building projects throughout the kingdom, including large numbers of stables. (The stables at Megiddo have been excavated, demonstrating accommodations for 450 horses. There is controversy about whether these stables were built by Solomon or by a later king, who might have expanded Solomon’s original stables.)
APPLICATION: While Solomon might have been wise, this wisdom did not necessarily translate into his being a man of character. King Hiram of Tyre must have been a very patient man to have endured the treatment Solomon gave him. But Hiram was a businessman and Tyre was an important commercial center. It’s likely that Hiram figured he could make up in trade what Solomon had failed to give him as payment for all his assistance.
The people of Israel might have been proud of Solomon; but at this point, they were realizing that there was a high price to pay for all this splendor, and they were the ones footing the bill. In accordance with the Law of Moses, Solomon paid these workers; however, they must have suffered. After Solomon’s death, the Israelites came to Rehoboam, his son, begging for some relief from the royal demands.
Wisdom and knowledge do not equal character. As I am writing this, an American billionaire is attempting to buy up huge parcels of farm land in the U.S. This is the same man who is attempting to collapse the livestock industry, forcing people to eat artificial foods instead. Power – drunk, this individual realizes that if he controls the food supply, he can control people needing that food.
King David inspired devotion in people because he cared about them. David’s son had no such compunctions; it was all about him, and the little people were only there to carry out his schemes. Solomon began by worshiping God, but eventually, he worshiped demons and he worshiped himself. May all of us be careful to remember that there is only one God and that we should worship Him and Him alone! Let us not set ourselves up as little gods!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to worship You and You alone. Thank You for loving us and for sending Your Son Jesus to die for our sins, conquering death and the grave in the process. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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