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The Size of Solomon's Kingdom
20There were so many people living in Judah and Israel while Solomon was king that they seemed like grains of sand on a beach. Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.
21 Solomon ruled every kingdom between the Euphrates River and the land of the Philistines down to Egypt. These kingdoms paid him taxes as long as he lived.
22Every day, Solomon needed 5,000 liters of fine flour, 10,000 liters of coarsely-ground flour, 2310 grain-fed cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, 100 sheep, as well as deer, gazelles, and geese.
24Solomon ruled the whole region west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and he was at peace with all of the countries around him. 25Everyone living in Israel, from the town of Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, was safe as long as Solomon lived. Each family sat undisturbed beneath its own grape vines and fig trees.
26 Solomon had 40,000 stalls of chariot horses and 12,000 chariot soldiers.
27Each of the twelve regional officers brought food to Solomon and his household for one month of the year. They provided everything he needed, 28as well as barley and straw for the horses.
Solomon's Wisdom
29Solomon was brilliant. God had blessed him with insight and understanding. 30-31 He was wiser than anyone else in the world, including the wisest people of the east and of Egypt. He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Mahol's three sons, Heman, Calcol, and Darda. Solomon became famous in every country around Judah and Israel. 32 Solomon wrote 3,000 wise sayings and composed more than 1,000 songs. 33He could talk about all kinds of plants, from large trees to small bushes, and he taught about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. 34Kings all over the world heard about Solomon's wisdom and sent people to listen to him teach.
Reflect
On the face of it this looks like a description of Paradise. “Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.” They enjoyed fertility, plenty, prosperity and security.
But look a little closer, and a different picture begins to emerge. The story may well be told with some literary license, as is indicated by the opening statement that they were “as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (v 20 NIV; CEV’s “seemed like” is a paraphrase). I am reminded of the kind of record that kings in the Ancient Near East liked to keep for themselves, recording all their successes and passing over their failures. The prism of Sennacherib, found in Nineveh in 1830, gives a glittering account of all his successes. It doesn’t mention his humiliating defeat when he tried to conquer Judah. (See 2 Kings 19:32-27. The full story is in 18:13-19:37).
An indication that all is not well is the size of Solomon’s stables. (These horses were for use in warfare, not in equestrian events!) When the Israelites had first asked for a king (Deuteronomy 17:14-20), they were warned that the king should not have many horses. They were forbidden to get horses from Egypt, which is exactly what Solomon had done (1 Kings 10:28).
You may also ask how Solomon acquired all this wealth and vast territory. The Israelites prospered, but we are not told about the people who paid all the tribute and did all the work. There is no record of his military campaigns.
God’s view of Solomon may have been a little different from what we read here. We don’t hear much about his commitment to follow the Lord. His father David had showed his faith when he said “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37). He had grieved over his own sin when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:13). David wrote Psalms; Solomon wrote Proverbs.
Yes, God did bless him with wisdom. (I love the description in v 33 of his Leonardo-like knowledge which informed his wisdom.) At the same time, Jesus reminded his followers that Solomon in all his glory was not as beautiful as one wild flower (Matthew 6:28-29).
Respond
Lord Jesus, help me not to be dazzled by great wealth or fame. Don’t let me be envious of “celebrities.” Teach me the joy of contentment and faith.
Annabel Robinson
Annabel was born in Kew, near London, England. She committed her life to Jesus Christ at a Scripture Union camp when she was 16, and immediately found joy and peace. At Oxford she was active in the Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, where she met her husband, Reid. They emigrated to Canada in 1965, where she taught Classics at the University of Regina until 2007. She has two children, Heather in Oslo and Alasdair in Calgary.