1 Kings 9:15 - Meaning and Application

We have here another account of Solomon’s greatness.

First, we see his building projects. He raised a large labor force and collected a great deal of money, because he planned many buildings. These works would keep many people employed and cost a great sum (1 Kings 9:15). He acted like a wise builder who sits down first, counts the cost, and does not start until he knows he can finish. If people complained about the heavy taxes, the writer explains them by pointing to the size of Solomon’s projects.

He did not raise these funds for war, as many rulers do. War spends the blood of subjects, but building mainly asks for their labor and money. David, Solomon’s father, may have known that Solomon was naturally suited for building. That may be why he wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). He was teaching Solomon to acknowledge God in all his plans and to bring prayer and faith into every such work.

Solomon began in the right place, because he built God’s house first and finished it before he built his own. Then God blessed him, and he prospered in all his other buildings. If we begin with God, he will go on with us. If we give him the first part, the rest will come to us more safely and more peacefully (Matthew 6:33).

Solomon built a church first, then houses and cities, and then walls. People do not think wisely if they put off what they mean for God until the end. The order of his projects is worth noticing: first God’s house for worship, then his own house for his comfort, then a house for his wife, who moved into it as soon as it was ready (1 Kings 9:24), then Millo, the town house or public hall, then the wall of Jerusalem, then several important towns in the country that had fallen into ruin, such as Hazor and Megiddo. By rebuilding them at his own cost, he made their people his subjects and also his tenants, which would increase the crown’s income for later kings.

Among these projects, he also built Gezer. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had taken it from the Canaanites and given it as a present to his daughter, who was Solomon’s wife (1 Kings 9:16). This shows how God can make one nation help another. Solomon himself was not a warlike king, but Pharaoh, who was, secured cities that Solomon could rebuild. Solomon also built cities for storage, for his chariots, and for his horsemen (1 Kings 9:19). Finally, he built in Lebanon, perhaps for hunting or some other pleasure. Let godliness begin the work, usefulness continue it, and pleasure come last.

Second, we see his workmen and servants. Such large projects required many workers. The honor of great men often comes from the people under them, who do the work while they receive the praise. Solomon used the survivors of the conquered nations for the harder, lower work (1 Kings 9:20-21). We may suppose that these people gave up idolatry and accepted Solomon’s rule. Then he could not destroy them for honor’s sake, and they were too poor to pay heavy taxes, so he used their labor instead. In this, he followed God’s law about foreign servants (Leviticus 25:44) and fulfilled Noah’s curse on Canaan, “A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers” (Genesis 9:25).

He gave the Israelites the more honorable roles (1 Kings 9:22-23). He did not make them slaves, because they were God’s free people. Instead, he made them soldiers, court officers, and commanders where they were fit to serve, including places among his chariots and horsemen. He also appointed some to support the workers below them. In this way, he protected the dignity and freedom of Israel and honored their calling as God’s kingdom of priests.

Third, we see his devotion and worship (1 Kings 9:25). Three times each year he offered special burnt offerings, at the three yearly feasts, the Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Booths. He did this in honor of God’s command, and he also offered sacrifices at other times, both regularly and on special occasions. He burned incense too, though not by his own hand, since that was King Uzziah’s sin. The priest did it for him, at his expense and for his use.

The text says he offered these sacrifices on the altar that he had built. He took care to build it, and then he used it himself. Many people will help others worship while neglecting their own worship. Solomon did not think that building an altar excused him from offering sacrifices. If anything, it should have stirred him to worship more. Whatever effort we spend to support religion, honor God, and help others, we ourselves are likely to benefit from it.

Fourth, we see his trade and business. He built a fleet of trading ships at Ezion-geber (1 Kings 9:26), a port on the Red Sea, near the farthest point the Israelites reached in the wilderness (Numbers 33:35). By then, the Edomites may have begun settling there, though they had not done so before. The port had once belonged to them, but after David conquered Edom, it belonged to the kingdom of Judah. The fleet traded with Ophir in the East Indies, thought to be what is now called Ceylon. Gold was the main cargo, real wealth.

It seems Solomon had earlier joined with Hiram, king of Tyre, or invested in Hiram’s ships. That venture brought him 120 talents of gold (1 Kings 9:14), which likely encouraged him to build a fleet of his own. The success of others in any honest work should make us more active, because there is profit in all labor. Solomon sent his own servants as agents and managers, but he hired Tyrian sailors, since they knew the sea (1 Kings 9:27). In this way, one nation needed another, and God arranged it so there could be exchange and help between them. As Christians, and even as human beings, we depend on one another.

The fleet brought Solomon 420 talents of gold (1 Kings 9:28). Canaan, the holy land and the glory of all lands, produced no gold. That teaches us that the wealth this world offers for storing up and trading is not the best part of it. Better are the things that support and refresh life right now, for ourselves and for others, and those were the kinds of products Canaan gave. Solomon gained much through trade, yet David seems to have gained even more through conquest. What were Solomon’s 420 talents compared with David’s 100,000 talents of gold? (1 Chronicles 22:14; 1 Chronicles 29:4). Still, Solomon’s experience points us to a better trade, one that even the poorest person can enter. From what he learned, he tells us that wisdom’s profit is better than silver, and its gain better than fine gold (Proverbs 3:14).