2 Chronicles 1:1 – 17 Solomon Worships at Gibeon (1 Kings 3:1-4; Psalm 45:1-17; Psalm 72:1-20)
“Now Solomon son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and highly exalted him. Then Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, to the judges, and to every leader in all Israel—the heads of the families. And Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon because it was the location of God’s Tent of Meeting, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.
Now David had brought the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, was in Gibeon before the tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the assembly inquired of Him there. Solomon offered sacrifices there before the LORD on the bronze altar at the Tent of Meeting; on it he offered a thousand burnt offerings.
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom (1 Kings 3:4-15)
That night God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask, and I will give it to you!”
Solomon replied to God: “You have shown much loving devotion to my father David, and You have made me king in his place. Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to my father David be fulfilled. For You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. Now grant me wisdom and knowledge, so that I may lead this people. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
God said to Solomon, “Since this was in your heart instead of requesting riches or wealth or glory for yourself or death for your enemies—and since you have not even requested long life but have asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern My people over whom I have made you king— therefore wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will also give you riches and wealth and honor unlike anything given to the kings before you or after you.” So Solomon went to Jerusalem from the high place in Gibeon before the Tent of Meeting, and he reigned over Israel.
Solomon’s Riches (1 Kings 10:26-29)
Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as abundant as sycamore in the foothills.
Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue. A chariot could be imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. Likewise, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram. (600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of silver. 150 shekels is approximately 3.8 pounds or 1.7 kilograms of silver.)
If only Solomon had gone on as he began! In the beginning, Solomon seems to have worshiped God whole – heartedly, offering innumerable offerings before the altar at Gibeon. This altar was the original altar for the tabernacle Moses created in the wilderness. The night after Solomon had worshiped so sincerely, God appeared to him, ordering Solomon to put forth a request so that God could answer it. Solomon’s requests were two – fold: first, that God would fulfill all His promises He had made to David and second, that God would grant Solomon wisdom to govern Israel wisely. God was so pleased with Solomon’s response that He promised to give Solomon more riches and wealth and honor than any king before or after him.
But Solomon failed to do something! Deuteronomy 17:16 – 20 tells us, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests.It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decreesand not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”
Solomon was the son of a great man of faith, but neither David nor Solomon ever copied out the Laws of Moses or studied them all the days of their lives. Had Solomon followed the instructions of Deuteronomy 17, he would have avoided untold heartbreak and he would have kept Israel on the right path. But Solomon assumed that slaughtering large numbers of animals and sacrificing them would make up for everything else.
Ignoring God’s commands, Solomon became one of the major horse traders for the Middle East. While David steadfastly refused to accumulate horses and chariots, Solomon reveled in doing so. Recent excavations have uncovered some of Solomon’s extensive stables, verifying this account. Shortly after beginning his reign, Solomon began accumulating wives and concubines, many of whom were foreigners who worshiped demons. These women succeeded in leading Solomon into idolatry and Solomon created shrines to all kinds of pagan deities throughout Jerusalem. Even though God gave Solomon enormous wisdom, Solomon refused to examine his own life or to remain accountable to God. Solomon’s descent into idolatry set a horrific example for the rest of Israel and paved the way for the moral degradation that followed.
APPLICATION: God gave Solomon wealth and honor and wisdom. There was peace throughout Solomon’s reign. But even though Solomon was one of the wisest men who ever lived, he failed miserably. Refusing to study God’s Word and apply it, Solomon found that merely seeking more knowledge brought him no joy. “I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:13 – 14) When Solomon tried to lose himself in pleasure – seeking, the results were the same. “I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1)
Compare Solomon with Robert LeTourneau. R. G. LeTourneau was a Christian businessman and inventor who invented much of the heavy earth – moving equipment used around the world today. LeTourneau began by tithing 10% of his income; however, by the end of his life, he was tithing 90%. Not only did LeTourneau support many beneficent groups, but he founded and funded LeTourneau University. God gave LeTourneau wisdom and riches and honor, and LeTourneau gave those gifts back to God. Throughout LeTourneau’s life, he studied the Bible seriously, and shared his faith with those around him. When LeTourneau died at the age of 80, he left a legacy that helped and inspired millions. When Solomon died, his kingdom degenerated into a mess.
Even if God never audibly speaks to you and asks you to make requests, what are you doing with the gifts God has already given you? Are you applying yourself? Are you continuing to learn, or are you allowing yourself to slide morally and spiritually? May God help each of us so that when we stand before Him, we will not have to hide our faces in shame for refusing to apply His great gifts to us!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to study Your Word and to apply it to our lives. Thank You that You can supply all our needs in ways that we cannot possibly imagine. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for our sins. Help us to believe in Jesus, Your Son, and to be faithful. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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