2 Chronicles 9 Commentary
Solomon ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. Not before nor after did Israel get this far in trying to occupy the land that the LORD had given to Abraham.
We want to read this chapter in terms of the promise that the LORD had given to Abraham. Yes, Solomon has ruled over a vast portion of land, but it still remains a fraction of what the LORD had given to Abraham. No man can exhaust the blessings of the LORD!
All 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. Won’t the saint think of a place where all the streets are made of gold?
How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. Mathew 12 verse 42. Won’t the saints consider themselves more blessed to have the privilege of reading the scriptures and hearing the LORD Jesus speak?
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12 verses 2 and 3.
Israel is now a great nation. The LORD has blessed Israel. Israel’s name is so great that those who hear about it want to come and see it for themselves. The Queen of Sheba has come to see it for herself. Because the Queen of Sheba has blessed Israel, she is doubly blessed in return.
Who reads this chapter without being provoked into thanksgiving and praise! The LORD is so faithful! The LORD is gracious. The LORD is generous.
But Solomon isn’t perfect. Neither is David. It’s because of God’s promise to Abraham; the LORD God has a long memory! It’s scary!
At the same time, we know that the LORD has given us a picture of what Genesis 1:28 looks like in human language. Dominion, prosperity, and increase. Rule, be fruitful, and multiply.
To think of everything here as simply a model of the realities of the New Testament would be an important lesson for the reader. There is someone wiser than Solomon in the LORD Jesus. There is someone more blessed than Solomon in the LORD Jesus! He owns everything!
Yet the saint must be humble enough to accept that all of this is as the LORD defines them, not as the world defines them. The difference will save you from endless headaches.
The scripture doesn’t hide anything! Look at man’s vanity. See what we can do with blessings – make decorative shields out of gold!
Solomon’s reign comes to an end quietly, probably because of his low-level spirituality, but it’s still yet another 40 years of rule. We haven’t departed from the famous rule. We saw many 40s in the Book of Judges. We have seen 40 for Israel’s first 3 kings, Saul, David, and Solomon. Whatever the LORD God means by 40!
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