The Icons of The Bible Series will go through all the people of the Bible in chronological order. I will attempt to provide you focused article and videos that will help you become more familiar with those whom God chose to tell us about in His Holy Scripture. - Andy
Icons of the Bible
King Solomon: The Story of His Reign and Kingdom
King Solomon (“ShlomoHamelech” in Hebrew) was the third king of Israel. He was the son of King David and Bathsheba. He ruled Israel for forty years, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity for his people. He is famous for building the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem. His story is told primarily in 1 Kings (1-11).
Solomon's Childhood
Solomon was born in Jerusalem. He was the second child born to David and Bathsheba after their first child died as a baby. He was named Solomon (which means “peace”, since peace would reign in his day) by his mother, but Nathan the prophet named him Jedidiah (“Beloved of G‑d”) at G‑d’s behest.1
Solomon Overcomes Adonijah’s Rebellion
Solomon’s battle for the crown began even prior to his father David’s passing. David had promised Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, that Solomon would be the royal heir after he passed away. However, as David became old and frail, another son, Adonijah, conspired to claim the throne. He gathered Joab and Abiathar, two important figures on the political scene, and announced that he would be the king following his father’s death. He invited many guests and threw a lavish feast to celebrate, sure that David would not rebuke him, as David had spoiled him his entire life.
Nathan the Prophet heard that Adonijah was attempting to capture the throne. He relayed the news to Bathsheba and urged her to intercede with King David. Bathsheba went straight to King David, determined to have her son, Solomon, appointed as the next king. Along with the prophet Nathan, she reminded him of his promise to her that her son, Solomon, would be king. David was true to his word. He instructed the prophet Nathan to take the priest Zadok and formally anoint Solomon as king. Solomon rode on his father’s mule2 to Gichon. There, Nathan anointed Solomon with the special oil that Moses had made in the desert after the Exodus, which was traditionally used to anoint kings.3 Trumpets were blown, and all those gathered there proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon.” The formal anointment and vocal public support quashed Adonijah’s hopes and support.
Although Adonijah had openly rebelled against him, Solomon pardoned him for that. Familial peace was restored until Adonijah again tried to make a move for the crown by attempting to marry David’s widow, Avishag. For that, the newly crowned Solomon had him killed in a decisive early move of his kingship.." from the article: King Solomon: The Story of His Reign and Kingdom
King Solomon's Wealth
1 Kings 14-25
..14 Every year King Solomon received over twenty-five tons of gold, 15 in addition to the taxes[a] paid by merchants, the profits from trade, and tribute paid by the Arabian kings and the governors of the Israelite districts.
16 Solomon made two hundred large shields and had each one overlaid with almost fifteen pounds of gold. 17 He also made three hundred smaller shields, overlaying each one of them with nearly four pounds of gold. He had all these shields placed in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.[b]
18 He also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with the finest gold. 19-20 The throne had six steps leading up to it, with the figure of a lion at each end of every step, a total of twelve lions. At the back of the throne was the figure of a bull's head, and beside each of the two armrests was the figure of a lion. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.
21 All of Solomon's drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. No silver was used, since it was not considered valuable in Solomon's day. 22 He had a fleet of ocean-going ships sailing with Hiram's fleet. Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
23 King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king, 24 and the whole world wanted to come and listen to the wisdom that God had given him. 25 Everyone who came brought him a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year...
King Solomon Net Worth 2022: Age, Height, Weight, Biography, Wiki
"..King Solomon is believed to be the wealthiest person to ever live globally through his 40 years reign. He had an estimated net worth of $2.1 trillion as of 2022. During his reign, he got much wealth as well as splendour in which it is believed that he got 666 talents which are equivalent to 18,125 kilograms of gold which are of great value.
Though King Solomon is one of the noted legends who had great power, wisdom and wealth in the reign as the King of Israel, he turned away to God through marrying foreign women. This was one of the causes of the division of the monarchy which occurred during the reign of his son known as Rehoboam.." from the article: King Solomon Net Worth 2022: Age, Height, Weight, Biography, Wiki
ELEVEN LIFE LESSONS FROM SOLOMON
The fabled king of the east is in the Bible for a reason. His life – charmed as it was by wealth, power, wisdom, and love – teaches us many things. As I recently read through his story again, I noticed eleven practical life lessons.
1) Success begins with a stable foundation – Solomon’s first work after taking the throne was to establish the kingdom. Not until this step was completed did he begin to build his magnificent monuments. For Solomon, establishing the kingdom meant rooting out internal traitors and enemies. He would never have succeeded if he was always postponing his building projects to crush rebellions. The takeaway: Ensure that you have a stable foundation in your life, career, and relationships. Don’t move on until this is certain. Especially, don’t put anything (your life, your family, your church, your business, or anything else) in the spotlight as an example for others until you know that it is solid enough to endure that strain.
2) All the disciplines are intertwined – Solomon was not just a great king – he was also a botanist, architect, sage, administrator, judge, diplomat, and entrepreneur, among other things. Surely, part of his wisdom came from his refusal to pigeon-hole himself in one discipline (i.e., kingship). By developing many talents, Solomon was able to apply wisdom from one subject to another subject. The takeaway: Don’t pigeonhole yourself. Read books on subjects you aren’t familiar with. Value the liberal arts. Play an instrument. Learn something new. Don’t limit yourself to your area of expertise. Be curious.." from the article: Eleven Life Lessons from Solomon
The Jewish Temples: The First Temple - Solomon’s Temple
The crowning achievement of King Solomon's reign was the erection of the magnificent Temple (Hebrew- Beit haMikdash) in the capital city of ancient Israel - Jerusalem. His father, King David, had wanted to build the great Temple a generation earlier, as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Ten Commandments. A divine edict, however, had forbidden him from doing so: "You will not build a house for My name," God said to David, "for you are a man of battles and have shed blood" (I Chronicles 28:3).
The Bible's description of Solomon's Temple (also called The First Temple) suggests that the inside ceiling was was 180 feet long, 90 feet wide, and 50 feet high. The highest point on the Temple that King Solomon built was actually 120 cubits tall (about 20 stories or about 207 feet). According to the Tanach (II Chronicles): 3:3- "The length by cubits after the ancient measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits". 3:4- "And the porch that was before the house, the length of it, according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the height a hundred and twenty; and he overlaid it within with pure gold." Solomon spared no expense for the building's creation. He ordered vast quantities of cedar wood from King Hiram of Tyre (I Kings 5:2025), had huge blocks of the choicest stone quarried, and commanded that the building's foundation be laid with hewn stone. To complete the massive project, he imposed forced labor on all his subjects, drafting people for work shifts that sometimes lasted a month at a time. Some 3,300 officials were appointed to oversee the Temple's erection (5:2730). Solomon assumed such heavy debts in building the Temple that he is forced to pay off King Hiram by handing over twenty towns in the Galilee (I Kings 9:11).." from the article: The Jewish Temples: The First Temple - Solomon’s Temple
Comments