1 KINGS LESSON 13
We will begin this lesson in I Kings 9:1 "And it came to pass,
when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and
the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to
do," I Kings 9:2 "That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time,
as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon."
I Kings 3:4 "And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for
that [was] the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did
Solomon offer upon that altar." I Kings 3:5 "In Gibeon the LORD
appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I
shall give thee." We are familiar with the message God gave Solomon
at Gibeon. God offered Solomon one gift, and Solomon had asked for
wisdom to rule his people fairly. God gave Solomon the wisdom, and the
wealth to build the temple at this time. Now, everything was
completed, and Solomon had dedicated the temple. Solomon's prayer had
been in great detail at the dedication of the temple. God showed His
approval by His appearance in the smoke that filled the temple. This
appearance was, possibly, partially in answer to Solomon's prayer. We
need not speculate how long it was, before the LORD answered the
prayer. Prayers are, sometimes, answered years later.
I Kings 9:3 "And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer
and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed
this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and
mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually."
This was a direct answer to the things Solomon had asked for. God
heard the prayer, and said yes. God had accepted the house dedicated
to His name. The heart of God was full for the house they built to
Him.
I Kings 9:4 "And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father
walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to
all that I have commanded thee, [and] wilt keep my statutes and my
judgments:" I Kings 9:5 "Then I will establish the throne of thy
kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father,
saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel."
David was not a perfect man, but his heart was stayed upon God.
He loved the LORD with all his heart. Notice, the condition attached
to this. The LORD would see that the throne of Solomon would be
established from generation to generation, if Solomon remains faithful
to the LORD. These are the things David had told Solomon, before he
died. Solomon is a great man, but he must keep the laws and the
commandments of God, to continue in his greatness.
I Kings 9:6 "[But] if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye
or your children, and will not keep my commandments [and] my statutes
which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship
them:" I Kings 9:7 "Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I
have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name,
will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a
byword among all people:"
Just as there were blessings, if he kept the commandments of God,
there were curses, if he did not keep them. God will leave this house
and let it be destroyed, if they become unfaithful to Him. He will
help Israel, as long as they are faithful to Him. If they do not
remain faithful, He will help their enemies against them.
I Kings 9:8 "And at this house, [which] is high, every one that
passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say,
Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?"
As long as they stay faithful to the LORD, people will look at
the temple with amazement. When they become unfaithful, God will allow
the temple to be destroyed, and people will hiss at that fall.
I Kings 9:9 "And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD
their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt,
and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and
served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil."
When Israel was faithful to the LORD, the people were afraid of
them, because of their God. When they turn from God to false gods, the
LORD leaves the temple and refuses to help the people. Those looking
on wonder why their greatness is gone. God loved them enough to bring
them out of Egypt and set them up as His people. How could this
happen? The LORD brought the evil on them for their unfaithfulness to
Him.
I Kings 9:10 "And it came to pass at the end of twenty years,
when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the
king's house," I Kings 9:11 "( [Now] Hiram the king of Tyre had
furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold,
according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty
cities in the land of Galilee."
It appears, from this, that Solomon took 20 years to build the
temple and the palace {which consisted of several buildings}. Hiram
had furnished men, cedar trees, and now we read, gold. Solomon had
given food to Hiram to feed his household, but Solomon appreciated the
work and the raw materials Hiram furnished, more than what the food
amounted to. Solomon gave him 20 cities to show his further
appreciation for what he had done to help him in his building.
I Kings 9:12 "And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities
which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not."
These cities lay on a mountain ridge, and were not very good for
raising the food that he needed.
I Kings 9:13 "And he said, What cities [are] these which thou
hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto
this day."
"Cabul" means displeasing. Hiram wanted some cities, that would
help with his problems at home. He thought that Solomon had been
unfair with him.
I Kings 9:14 "And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of
gold."
The cities had been in payment for the gold that Hiram had sent.
This gold was worth a great deal of money. 120 talents of gold would
have been ample payment for 20 prosperous cities. The cities Solomon
gave him were not worth that much. A talent of gold is speaking of 125
pounds of gold. This would mean 15,000 pounds of gold. This is 180,000
ounces of gold, and with gold at $400.00 per ounce, that is
$72,000,000.00
I Kings 9:15 "And this [is] the reason of the levy which king
Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house,
and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and
Gezer."
The levy was to raise the money to do all of this. It would be
like taxes for us. Solomon spared nothing to build all of this. There
were literally thousands of people working for 20 years on this
project. The gold and other products used for this construction were
tremendous, as well. We see, that Solomon had built much more than the
temple and the palace. He built the wall around Jerusalem, and he
built Millo, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. These cities were built for
their strategic positions.
I Kings 9:16 "[For] Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken
Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in
the city, and given it [for] a present unto his daughter, Solomon's
wife."
Gezer had been taken and burned by Pharaoh of Egypt. He had given
this city as a wedding gift to his daughter and Solomon. Solomon,
probably, built it in honor of their marriage.
I Kings 9:17 "And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the
nether," I Kings 9:18 "And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in
the land," I Kings 9:19 "And all the cities of store that Solomon had,
and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that
which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in
all the land of his dominion."
Solomon had built many cities, and forts, and places to house his
chariots, and his horses. He built all of this for protection of his
land, and for simple pleasure, as well.
I Kings 9:20 "[And] all the people [that were] left of the
Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which [were]
not of the children of Israel," I Kings 9:21 "Their children that were
left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not
able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of
bondservice unto this day."
This is just saying, they worked for Solomon and the Israelites,
as bondsmen and women. Much of the hard labor was done by these
people.
I Kings 9:22 "But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no
bondmen: but they [were] men of war, and his servants, and his
princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his
horsemen."
The Israelites worked in the army. Some of them were servants,
but they did not do the heavy labor. Many of them were chosen for the
leaders. Bondage was for the foreigners living in their land, not the
Hebrews.
I Kings 9:23 "These [were] the chief of the officers that [were]
over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the
people that wrought in the work."
There were 550 men who were in authority over all the work. These
were even over the men, that Hiram had sent to do the wrought work.
I Kings 9:24 "But Pharaoh's daughter came up out of the city of
David unto her house which [Solomon] had built for her: then did he
build Millo."
We read earlier that Solomon built this wife, who was the
daughter of Pharaoh, a separate house. She did not stay with the other
wives and concubines of Solomon.
I Kings 9:25 "And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt
offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the
LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that [was] before the LORD.
So he finished the house."
There were three very special feasts each year, that the Hebrews
kept. This is speaking of those. Passover and Tabernacles were the two
that were considered the most important. The other could have been
Feast of Weeks. Passover and Unleavened Bread were at the same time
basically. The burning of the incense was done by the priest on orders
of Solomon.
I Kings 9:26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-
geber, which [is] beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the
land of Edom.
This just means that Solomon acquired ships and men, to guard
them on the seas. We know that some things were moved over the
waterways, as the cedars of Lebanon were. Probably, the gold from
Hiram was sent by ship, as well. Ezion-geber was the site of Solomon's
copper-refining port. The Phoenecian technicians of Hiram built this
port for Solomon. This Red sea, above, is speaking of the redness of
the water. This is, also, the Gulf of Akabah.
I Kings 9:27 "And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen
that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon."
This speaks of something else that Hiram had done for Solomon.
The skilled seamen were from Hiram. The servants of Solomon had to be
trained as seamen.
I Kings 9:28 "And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence
gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought [it] to king
Solomon."
Now, we see an absolutely astronomical amount of gold carried. A
talent of gold is 125 pounds. This is speaking of them shipping 52,500
pounds of gold. This is 630,000 ounces of gold. This is worth
$252,000,000.00 at $400.00 per ounce. These figures are almost
unbelievable.
1 Kings 13 Questions
1. When did the LORD appear to Solomon the second time?
2. Where was Solomon, when he heard from the LORD the first time?
3. What had Solomon asked for from the LORD?
4. How had the LORD shown His approval of the temple?
5. What did the LORD say to Solomon in verse 3?
6. What was the condition God set before Solomon, for the kingdom to
be established?
7. Why did the LORD love David so much?
8. How can Solomon remain in his greatness?
9. What will God do, if they begin to worship false gods?
10. What will the people, who pass by, do after the destruction?
11. What reason will they give for the destruction?
12. Hiram had furnished Solomon with what?
13. What did Solomon give Hiram in repayment?
14. How long had it taken for Solomon to build the palace and the
temple?
15. How did Hiram feel about the cities Solomon gave him?
16. Why did Hiram not like them?
17. What did they begin to call the cities?
18. What does "Cabul" mean?
19. How many talents of gold had Hiram sent Solomon?
20. At $400.00 per ounce, what was the value of the gold?
21. There were literally _____________ of people working for 20 years
to build all of this.
22. Who had burned Gezer with fire?
23. What had he done with the city, after he burned it?
24. What were some of the other things Solomon built, besides the
temple and the palace?
25. What did he do with the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites,
and Jebusites, who were not killed?
26. What did Solomon make the children of Israel?
27. How many chief officers did Solomon place over the work?
28. How many times a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace
offerings?
29. What were the names of the feasts he was keeping?
30. Why did Solomon acquire ships?
31. Who sent shipmen, who had knowledge of the sea?
32. How much gold did they ship by sea?
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