1 Kings 9

1 Kings 9:1

G. Solomon’s Fame (Chaps. 9, 10)1. His Covenant from God (9:1-9)9:1-5 God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer was that He would accept the temple as His house and would put His name there forever. Although Solomon’s temple has long since ceased to exist, God will yet dwell in a temple in Jerusalem when the Lord Jesus returns to set up His worldwide kingdom. In the meantime, God dwells in the temple of the believer’s body and of the church. 9:6-9 As for Solomon’s family, God promised that Solomon and his sons would always have descendants to sit on the throne if they would be obedient. But if they departed from the living God and turned to idolatry, then He would send the people into exile, destroy the temple, and make Israel . . . a proverb and a byword among the Gentiles. The temple would become a heap of ruins, and visitors would be astonished at its desolation.

1 Kings 9:10

2. His Gifts to Hiram (9:10-14)With regard to this paragraph, some commentators suggest that Solomon had borrowed one hundred and twenty talents of gold from Hiram (v. 14) in order to finance his elaborate building program, and had given twenty cities . . . of Galilee to Hiram as security. It was because of Hiram’s previous help (v. 11a) that Solomon felt free to request the loan. When Hiram saw the cities, he was dissatisfied and called them the land of Cabul (meaning displeasing, dirty, or rubbish; lit. Good for Nothing, NKJV marg.). It appears from 2Ch_8:2 that Solomon may have redeemed the cities by paying off the loan.

1 Kings 9:15

3. His Subjects and Sacrifices (9:15-25)9:15-23 Verses 15-22 give the account (rather than “reason,” as in KJV and NKJV) of the forced labor which Solomon used in his construction program. Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer were three cities which Solomon fortified for defense purposes. Hazor was in the north and protected the northern door to Palestine. Megiddo was: . . . an important city of north-central Palestine, overlooking the Plain of Esdraelon. It dominated the intersection of important trade routes and served as the key to the defense of the Jordan Valley (from the south) and the Central Plain (from the north). Gezer was situated west of Jerusalem on a main trade route from the interior to the coastal land of Philistia. All the Gentile captives listed in verse 20 were forced laborers. The children of Israel were not reduced to bondage. There were five hundred and fifty supervisors established over Solomon’s work.9:24 The “Millo” which Solomon built was some type of fortification for Jerusalem. It was undertaken after the palace for Pharaoh’s daughter was completed. 9:25 Solomon sacrificed to the LORD . . . three times a year at the three major feasts: Unleavened Bread, Weeks (Pentecost), and Tabernacles (2Ch_8:13).

1 Kings 9:26

4. His Navy (9:26-28)King Solomon had a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, . . . on the Gulf of Aqaba, near Elath. Hiram sent some of his servants with the fleet . . . to Ophir (exact location unknownsome say southern Arabia, some India, and others Africa). They . . . brought . . . four hundred and twenty talents of gold . . . to King Solomon.