1 Kings 10

1 When the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name/person of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great company, with camels that carried spices, very much gold, and precious stones: when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was in her heart. 3 Solomon answered all her questions: nothing was hid from the king that he did not tell her.

• The queen of Sheba came to see Solomon and asked him hard questions about God.
• Solomon’s wisdom came from God who alone knows all things.
• God knew the heart of the queen of Sheba.

• 1John 3:20…God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

• Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD ponders the hearts.

Being in God’s presence is wonderful

4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon’s wisdom, the house that he had built, 5 the food on his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom. 7 However, I did not believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen it: and behold, I wasn’t told half of it: you have added wisdom and goodness to the fame that I heard. 8 Happy are your men, happy are these servants of yours, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom.

• Far greater and more wonderful than being in Solomon’s presence is being in the presence of the Maker of all things.

• Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

9 Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore he made you king, to do judgment and justice. 10 And she gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold, and very great store of spices and precious stones: Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon. 11 Also the navy of Hiram brought gold from Ophir, and brought in from Ophir a great abundance of almug trees and precious stones. 12 The king made pillars for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house from the almug trees, harps also and psalteries for singers: Never before or since has there been such a supply of beautiful almug wood. 13 And king Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, beside what Solomon gave her from his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

• Almug is probably sandalwood (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance).

• Psalm 16:3 to the saints that are in the earth, to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

• Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you (to myself).

14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold/25 tons. 15 Beside what he received from the traders, from the trade of the spice merchants, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country. 16 And king Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold: fifteen pounds of gold went to one shield. 17 And he made 300 smaller shields of beaten gold; four pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

• The number of the beast in Revelation is 666.
• The beasts of Daniel signify world rulers.
• They are called beasts because they devour mankind, the opposite of leading them like a shepherd.
• (After Solomon’s death the leaders of Israel asked Solomon’s son Rehoboam to lighten the load that Solomon had placed on them, 1 Kings 12:4).
• Think about the symbolism of a golden shield. Gold in scripture represents the deity of God. He is our shield.

• Psalm 84:11… the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were arms on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the arms. 20 Twelve other lion figures stood, one on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

• Solomon’s throne was spectacular.
• God’s throne is awesome.

• Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone…

21 All king Solomon’s drinking utensils were of gold, and all the utnesils of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was counted as nothing in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once every three years the navy of Tharshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks. 23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

• God fulfilled His promise of 1 Kings 3:11-13.

24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 And they brought every man his gift, articles of silver, and articles of gold, and garments, and weapons, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 27 And the king made silver in Jerusalem to be valued as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowlands, for abundance. 28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king’s merchants received the linen yarn at a price. 29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred pieces of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty pieces: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, brought them out by their means.

• It was God’s intent that all the world come to Solomon.
• Israel was to be a light to lead the whole world to God.
• God used Joseph in Egypt in a similar way during the seven years of famine when all the world had to come to Joseph for food.
• It was God’s blessing that made Solomon’s reign amazingly wealthy and prosperous.
• Solomon’s reign was limited to the nation of Israel.
• When God’s Son comes to earth to sit on the throne of Israel he will bring unprecedented worldwide peace and prosperity that will last for a thousand years.

• Isaiah 2:4…he will judge among the nations and rebuke many people: they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks: nation will not lift up sword against nation again or learn war any more.

• Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place will be glad for them; and the desert will rejoice, and blossom like the rose. 2 It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they will see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame man will leap as a male deer, and the tongue of those unable to speak will sing: waters will break the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7 The parched ground will become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water: in the dwelling of dragons, where each lay, will be grass with reeds and rushes. 8 And a highway will be there, and a road, and it will be called The way of holiness; the unclean will not pass over it; but it will be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, will not err. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast will go up on it; they will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there: 10 And the ransomed of the LORD will return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy on their heads: they will obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

                                            1 Kings 11

God was angry with Solomon for his idolatry

1 Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2 Of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, You are not to go in to them, neither they come in to you: for they will definitely turn your heart away after their gods: Solomon clung to these in love.

• Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and cling to his wife: and they will be one flesh.

• Acts 11:23, and exhorted …that with purpose of heart they would cling to the Lord.
  

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, like the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom/Molech the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not wholly follow the LORD, as his father David did. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 And he did the same for all his foreign wives who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.

• God had forbid marriage to foreign women to prevent idolatry.
• God also forbid multiplying wives.
• Solomon shows us that even many wives do not bring happiness.
• Even though he had everything, he wasn’t happy (whole book of Ecclesiastes).

• Deuteronomy 17:17 Neither is he to multiply wives to himself, so that his heart not turn away: neither is he to greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

• Psalm 16:11 You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

The Lord stirred up enemies against him

9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he not go after other gods: but he did not keep what the LORD commanded. 11 Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, Because you have done this, you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, that I commanded you, I will definitely tear the kingdom from you, and give it to your servant. 12 However I will not do it in your days for David your father’s sake: but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 I will not tear away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to your son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen. 14 And the LORD stirred up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king’s seed in Edom. 15 For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone to bury the dead, after he had struck every male in Edom; 16 (For six months Joab remained there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:) 17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt; Hadad being a little child. 18 And they arose out of Midian, and came to Paran: and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt; who gave him a house, apportioned him food, and gave him land. 19 Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as a wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes, the queen. 20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore him his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house: Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me leave to go to my own country. 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country? And he answered, Nothing: however let me go in anyway.

• Judges 5:8 They chose new gods; then was war in the gates.

• Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

• 1Corinthians 8:4…we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

The Lord gave the kingdom to Solomon’s servant

23 And God stirred up another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who fled from his lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah, 24 He gathered men to himself, and became captain over a band, when David killed those of Zobah: they went to Damascus, lived there, and reigned in Damascus. 25 He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the evil that Hadad did: he abhorred Israel and reigned over Syria. 26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. 27 And this was the reason that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaks of the city of David his father. 28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he made him ruler over all the duty of the house of Joseph. 29 At that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment; and the two were alone in the field: 30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces: 31 And he said to Jeroboam, You take ten pieces: for the LORD, the God of Israel says, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you: 32 (But he will have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 33 Because they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as his father David did. 34 However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for my servant David’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes. 36 But to his son I will give one tribe, so that my servant David may always have a light before me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 37 And I will take you, and you will reign according to all that your soul desires, and will be king over Israel. 38 And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; then I will be with you, and build you a lasting dynasty, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.

• Solomon’s worship of false gods led the people into idolatry.
• Idolatry leads to eternal death.
• God promised to stay with Solomon’s servant Jeroboam and make a secure dynasty for him if he remained obedient to God.

39 And I will afflict the seed of David for this, but not forever. 40 Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42 Solomon reigned over all Israel in Jerusalem forty years. 43 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

• God has always been looking for men who will reign according to His rules.God afflicted out of love, to correct. His Son will reign rightly forever.

• Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives. 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chastens not?

• Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

• Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom, which will never be destroyed: and the kingdom will not be left to other people, but it will break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it will stand for ever.

• Psalm 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD has said to me, You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will give you the heathen for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

SUMMARY:  I Kings 10-11

• God's presence is wonderful
• Idolatry angers Him
• He stirred up enemies against Solomon
• God gave the kingdom to Solomon's servant because of Solomon's idolatry