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For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

² Chronicles ²Chronicles 9 ¹³The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 14 not including the revenues brought in by merchants and traders. Also all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the land brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas of hammered gold went into each shield. ¹⁶He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred bekas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. ¹⁷Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with pure gold. ¹⁸The throne had six steps, and a footstool of gold was attached to it. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. ¹⁹Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. ²⁰All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s day. ²¹The king had a fleet of trading ships manned by Hiram’s men. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. ²²King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. ²³All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. ²⁴Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift-articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules. ²⁵Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. ²⁶He ruled over all the kings from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. ²⁷The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. ²⁸Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from all other countries. ²⁹As for the other events of Solomon’s reign, from beginning to end, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat? ³⁰Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ³¹Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

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When the nation first asked Samuel for a king, he reluctantly granted their request, but it came with a warning.1 The monarchy would divide the nation into haves and have-nots. It would draw wealth to the center, rather than to support those less fortunate. It would demand more taxes from the people and require its young men to serve in the army. This warning came to pass supremely in the reign of Solomon, whose vast wealth was used for vanity projects to impress, dazzle others, and boost his own standing.

At that time, his vast wealth may have been seen as a sign of God’s blessing—and indeed God had promised to bless him with wealth. However, from our perspective, his use of his wealth was less than wise. Gold shields in a forest and a magnificent new throne do nothing to help the people put food on the table and clothes on their backs. We are called to be good stewards of the resources entrusted to us and to be aware of the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves. Sadly, Solomon seems to have lost touch with his people. This would become evident after his death.

Solomon’s forty-year reign (the same length as those of Saul and David) marks the end of Israel’s golden age. When he died, a large chariot force guarded his extensive borders, protected his trade routes, and kept the peace. For the writer of Chronicles, the significant achievement of Solomon’s reign was that the temple was built and worship was placed center stage. However, top-down actions tend to be shorter-lived than expected. A temple by itself means nothing unless God also rules in the heart. As the writer of Ecclesiastes recognized, trying to find meaning in material prosperity is an empty quest, leaving us unsatisfied.2

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