May 25th~Building a Kingdom

2 Chronicles 8:1-18

1 Kings 9:15-10:13

2 Chronicles 9:1-12

1 Kings 10:14-29

2 Chronicles 9:13-28

2 Chronicles 1:14-17

Solomon’s wealth and wisdom were put on display as the Queen of Sheba and other notable dignitaries came to visit. “When the Queen saw the palace that Solomon had built, she was breathless” (1 Kings 10:5). Solomon “made a huge ivory throne and overlaid it with gold... No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!” (v.18, 20). Solomon also “made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones” (v.27). He was “richer and wiser than any other king in all the earth” (v.23).

Though the Queen of Sheba was impressed with the splendor of Solomon’s kingdom, she traced it all to the right source. She said, “The Lord your God is great indeed! He delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because the Lord loves Israel with an eternal love, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness” (v.8, 9).

The Lord blessed Solomon so that He could glorify Himself. At first, Solomon had this same perspective. He knew that “his reputation brought honor to the name of the Lord” (v.1). People were flocking to Jerusalem to see the King and the splendor of his kingdom, which gave him opportunities to put God on display.

However, before long, his thirst for money and magnificence became insatiable, so much so that “all of his drinking cups and eating utensils were solid gold. They were not made of silver because silver was considered of little value” (v.21). In the end, Solomon became so ensnared by his love of money that he began to disobey God’s commands. For example, “he built up a huge force of horses and chariots” (v.26), something the Lord had commanded not to do (Deut. 17:16, 17). Solomon became more interested in the building of his own kingdom and, thus, neglected the kingdom of God.

Daily Reflection

Having money is not sinful. However, God has plenty of negative things to say about it. At what point can having money hurt you?

How can you avoid the dangers of greed?

Solomon was guilty of building his own kingdom on earth rather than focusing on the kingdom of God. What does that mean exactly? Have you ever been guilty of this sin?

Solomon had a tremendous platform from which to glorify the Lord but he used it, instead, to glorify himself. What are you doing with the platforms and opportunities that God has provided for you? Are you using them to draw attention to Him or to yourself?

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