In
this chapter we have, I. The answer which God, in a vision, gave to
Solomon's prayer, and the terms he settled with him, ver. 1-9. II. The
interchanging of grateful kindnesses between Solomon and Hiram, ver. 10-14.
III. His workmen and buildings, ver. 15-24. IV. His devotion, ver. 25. V.
His trading navy, ver. 26-28.
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God's
Answer to Solomon.
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B.
C. 1001.
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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, 2 That the LORD
appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.
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. 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: 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. 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: 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: 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? 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.
God had given a real answer to Solomon's prayer, and tokens of his
acceptance of it, immediately, by the fire from heaven which consumed
the sacrifices (as we find 2 Chron. vii. 1); but here we have a more express
and distinct answer to it. Observe,
I. In what way God gave him this answer. He appeared to him, as he had done
at Gibeon, in the beginning of his reign, in a dream or vision, v. 2.
The comparing of it with that intimates that it was the very night after he
had finished the solemnities of his festival, for so that was, 2 Chron. i.
6, 7. And then v. 1, speaking of Solomon's finishing all his
buildings, which was not till many years after the dedication of the temple,
must be read thus, Solomon finished (as it is 2 Chron. vii. 11), and v.
2 must be read, and the Lord had appeared.
II. The purport of this answer. 1. He assures him of his special presence in
the temple he had built, in answer to the prayer he had made (v. 3): I
have hallowed this house. Solomon had dedicated it, but it was God's
prerogative to hallow it--to sanctify or consecrate it. Men cannot make a
place holy, yet what we, in sincerity, devote to God, we may hope he will
graciously accept as his; and his eyes and his heart shall be upon it.
Apply it to persons, the living temples. Those whom God hallows or
sanctifies, whom he sets apart for himself, have his eye, his heart, his
love and care, and this perpetually. 2. He shows him that he and his people
were for the future upon their good behaviour. Let them not be secure
now, as if they might live as they please now that they have the temple
of the Lord among them, Jer. vii. 4. No, this house was designed to
protect them in their allegiance to God, but not in their rebellion or
disobedience. God deals plainly with us, sets before us good and evil, the
blessing and the curse, and lets us know what we must trust to. God here
tells Solomon, (1.) That the establishment of his kingdom depended upon the
constancy of his obedience (v. 4, 5): "If thou wilt walk
before me as David did, who left thee a good example and encouragement
enough to follow it (and advantage thou wilt be accountable for if thou do
not improve it), if thou wilt walk as he did, in integrity of heart and
uprightness" (for that is the main matter--no religion without
sincerity), "then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom,
and not otherwise," for on that condition the promise was made, Ps.
cxxxii. 12. If we perform our part of the covenant, God will not fail to
perform his; if we improve the grace God has given us, he will confirm us to
the end. Let not the children of godly parents expect the entail of the
blessing, unless they tread in the steps of those that have gone before them
to heaven, and keep up the virtue and piety of their ancestors. (2.) That
the ruin of his kingdom would be the certain consequence of his or his
children's apostasy from God (v. 6): "But know thou, and let thy
family and kingdom know it, and be admonished by it, that if you shall
altogether turn from following me" (so it is thought it should be
read), "if you forsake my service, desert my altar, and go and serve
other gods" (for that was the covenant-breaking sin), "if you or
your children break off from me, this house will not save you. But, [1.]
Israel, though a holy nation, will be cut off (v. 7), by one judgment
after another, till they become a proverb and a by-word, and the most
despicable people under the sun, though now the most honourable." This
supposes the destruction of the royal family, though it is not particularly
threatened; the king is, of course, undone, if the kingdom be. [2.]
"The temple, though a holy house, which God himself has hallowed for
his name, shall be abandoned and laid desolate (v. 8, 9): This
house which is high." They prided themselves in the stateliness and
magnificence of the structure, but let them know that it is not so high as
to be out of the reach of God's judgments, if they vilify it so as to
exchange it for groves and idol-temples, and yet, at the same time, magnify
it so as to think it will secure the favour of God to them though they ever
so much corrupt themselves. This house which is high. Those that now
pass by it are astonished at the bulk and beauty of it; the richness,
contrivance, and workmanship, are admired by all spectators, and it is
called a stupendous fabric; but, if you forsake God, its height will make
its fall the more amazing, and those that pass by will be as much astonished
at its ruins, while the guilty, self-convicted, self-condemned, Israelites,
will be forced to acknowledge, with shame, that they themselves were the
ruin of it; for when it shall be asked, Why hath the Lord done thus to
his house? they cannot but answer, It was because they forsook the
Lord their God. See Deut. xxix. 24, 25. Their sin will be read in their
punishment. They deserted the temple, and therefore God deserted it; they
profaned it with their sins and laid it common, and therefore God profaned
it with his judgments and laid it waste. God gave Solomon fair warning of
this, now that he had newly built and dedicated it, that he and his people
might not be high-minded, but fear.
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Solomon
and Hiram.
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B.
C. 1001.
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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, 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. 12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the
cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. 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. 14
And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold.
What agreement was made between Solomon and Hiram, when the building-work
was to be begun, we read before, ch. v. Here we have an account of
their fair and friendly parting when the work was done. 1. Hiram made good
his bargain to the utmost. He had furnished Solomon with materials for his
buildings, according to all his desire (v. 11), and with gold, v.
15. So far was he from envying Solomon's growing greatness and reputation,
and being jealous of him, that he helped to magnify him. Solomon's power,
with Solomon's wisdom, needs not be dreaded by any of his neighbours. God
honours him; therefore Hiram will. 2. Solomon, no doubt, made good his
bargain, and gave Hiram food for his household, as was agreed, ch.
v. 9. But here we are told that, over and above that, he gave him twenty
cities (small ones we may suppose, like those mentioned here, v. 19) in
the land of Galilee, v. 11. It should seem, these were not
allotted to any of the tribes of Israel (for the border of Asher came up to
them, Josh. xix. 27, which intimates that it did not include them), but
continued in the hands of the natives till Solomon made himself master of
them, and then made a present of them to Hiram. It becomes those that are
great and good to be generous. Hiram came to see these cities, and did not
like them (v. 12): They pleased him not. He called the country
the land of Cabul, a Phoenician word (says Josephus) which signifies displeasing,
v. 13. He therefore returned them to Solomon (as we find, 2 Chron.
viii. 2), who repaired them, and then caused the children of Israel to
inhabit them, which intimates that before they did not; but, when
Solomon received back what he had given, no doubt he honourably gave Hiram
an equivalent in something else. But what shall we think of this? Did
Solomon act meanly in giving Hiram what was not worth his acceptance? Or was
Hiram humoursome and hard to please? I am willing to believe it was neither
the one nor the other. The country was truly valuable, and so were the
cities in it, but not agreeable to Hiram's genius. The Tyrians were
merchants, trading men, that lived in fine houses, and became rich by
navigation, but knew not how to value a country that was fit for corn and
pasture (that was business that lay out of their way); and therefore Hiram
desired Solomon to take them again, he knew not what to do with them, and,
if he would please to gratify him, let it be in his own element, by becoming
his partner in trade, as we find he did, v. 27. Hiram, who was used
to the clean streets of Tyre, could by no means agree with the miry lanes in
the land of Cabul, whereas the best lands have commonly the worst roads
through them. See how the providence of God suits both the accommodation of
this earth to the various dispositions of men and the dispositions of men to
the various accommodations of the earth, and all for the good of mankind in
general. Some take delight in husbandry, and wonder what pleasure sailors
can take on a rough sea; others take as much delight in navigation, and
wonder what pleasure husbandmen can take in a dirty country, like the land
of Cabul. It is so in many other instances, in which we may observe the
wisdom of him whose all souls are and all lands.
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Solomon's
Buildings; Solomon's Greatness.
B. C. 991.
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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. 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. 17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Beth-horon the
nether, 18 And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the
land, 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. 20 And all the people that were left of
the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were
not of the children of Israel, 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 27 And Hiram sent in the navy his
servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of
Solomon. 28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence
gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king
Solomon.
We have here a further account of Solomon's greatness.
I. His buildings. He raised a great levy both of men and money, because he
projected a great deal of building, which would both employ many hands and
put him to a vast expense, v. 15. And he was a wise builder, who sat
down first, and counted the cost, and would not begin to build till he found
himself able to finish. Perhaps there was some complaint of the heaviness of
the taxes, which the historian excuses from the greatness of his
undertakings. He raised it, not for war (as other princes), which would
spend the blood of his subjects, but for building, which would require only
their labour and purses. Perhaps David observed Solomon's genius to lie
towards building, and foresaw he would have his head and hands full of it,
when he penned that song of degrees for Solomon, which begins, Except the
Lord build the house, those labour in vain that build it (Ps. cxxvii.
1), directing him to acknowledge God in all his ways, and, by prayer and
faith in his providence, to take him along with him in all his designs of
this kind. And Solomon verily began his work at the right end, for he built
God's house first, and finished that before he began his own; and then God
blessed him, and he prospered in all his other buildings. If we begin with
God, he will go on with us. Let the first-fruits be his, and the
after-fruits will the more comfortably be ours, Matt. vi. 33. Solomon built
a church first and then he was enabled to build houses, and cities, and
walls. Those consult not their own interest that defer to the last what they
design for pious uses. The further order in Solomon's buildings is
observable. God's house first for religion, then his own for his own
convenience, then a house for his wife, to which she removed as soon as it
was ready for her (v. 24), then Millo, the town-house or guild-hall,
then the wall of Jerusalem, the royal city, then some cities of note and
strength in the country, which were decayed and unfortified, Hazor, Megiddo,
&c. As he rebuilt these at his own charge, the inhabitants would be not
only his subjects, but his tenants, which would increase the revenues of the
crown for the benefit of his successors. Among the rest, he built Gezer,
which Pharaoh took out of the hands of the Canaanites, and made a present of
to his daughter, Solomon's wife, v. 16. See how God maketh the
earth to help the woman. Solomon was not himself a warlike prince, but
the king of Egypt, who was, took cities for him to build. Then he built
cities for convenience, for store, for his chariots, and for his horsemen, v.
19. And, lastly, he built for pleasure in Lebanon, for his hunting
perhaps, or other diversions there. Let piety begin, and profit proceed, and
leave pleasure to the last.
II. His workmen and servants. In doing such great works, he must needs
employ abundance of workmen. The honour of great men is borrowed from their
inferiors, who do that which they have the credit of. 1. Solomon employed
those who remained of the conquered and devoted nations in all the slavish
work, v. 20, 21. We may suppose that they renounced their idolatry
and submitted to Solomon's government, so that he could not, in honour,
utterly destroy them, and they were so poor that he could not levy money on
them; therefore he served himself of their labour. Herein he observed God's
law (Lev. xxv. 44, Thy bondmen shall be of the heathen), and
fulfilled Noah's curse upon Canaan, A servant of servants shall he be
unto his brethren, Gen. ix. 25. 2. He employed Israelites in the more
creditable services (v. 22, 23): Of them he made no bondmen,
for they were God's freemen, but he made them soldiers and courtiers, and
gave them offices, as he saw them qualified, among his chariots and
horsemen, appointing some to support the service of the inferior labourers.
Thus he preserved the dignity and liberty of Israel and honoured their
relation to God as a kingdom of priests.
III. His piety and devotion (v. 25): Three times in a year he
offered burnt-offerings extraordinary (namely, at the three yearly feasts,
the passover, pentecost, and feast of tabernacles) in honour of the divine
institution, besides what he offered at other times, both statedly and upon
special occasions. With his sacrifices he burnt incense, not himself (that
was king Uzziah's crime), but the priest for him, at his charge, and for his
particular use. It is said, He offered on the altar which he himself built.
He took care to build it, and then, 1. He himself made use of it. Many will
assist the devotions of others that neglect their own. Solomon did not think
his building an altar would excuse him from sacrificing, but rather engage
him the more to it. 2. He himself had the benefit and comfort of it.
Whatever pains we take, for the support of religion, to the glory of God and
the edification of others, we ourselves are likely to have the advantage of
it.
IV. His merchandise. He built a fleet of trading ships at Ezion-geber (v.
26), a port on the coast of the Red Sea, the furthest stage of the
Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness, Num. xxxiii. 35. Probably
that wilderness now began to be peopled by the Edomites, which it was not
then. To them this port had belonged, but, David having subdued the Edomites,
it now pertained to the crown of Judah. The fleet traded to Ophir in the
East Indies, supposed to be that which is now called Ceylon. Gold was
the commodity traded for, substantial wealth. It should seem, Solomon had
before been Hiram's partner, or put a venture into his ships, which made him
a rich return of 120 talents (v. 14), which encouraged him to build a
fleet of his own. The success of others in any employment should quicken our
industry; for in all labour there is profit. Solomon sent his own
servants as factors, and merchants, and super-cargoes, but hired Tyrians for
sailors, for they had knowledge of the sea, v. 27. Thus one
nation needs another, Providence so ordering it that there may be mutual
commerce and assistance; for not only as Christians, but as men, we are
members one of another. The fleet brought home to Solomon 420 talents of
gold, v. 28. Canaan, the holy land, the glory of all lands, had
no gold in it, which teaches us that that part of the wealth of this world
which is for hoarding and trading is not the best part of it, but that which
is more immediately for the present support and comfort of life, our own and
others'; such were the productions of Canaan. Solomon got much by his
merchandise, but, it should seem, David got much more by his conquests. What
were Solomon's 420 talents to David's 100,000 talents of gold?
1 Chron. xxii. 14; xxix. 4. Solomon got much by his merchandise, and yet has
directed us to a better trade, within reach of the poorest, having assured
us from his own experience of both that the merchandise of wisdom is
better than the merchandise of silver and the gain thereof than fine gold,
Prov. iii. 14.
