Still Solomon looks great, and every thing in this
chapter adds to his magnificence. We read nothing indeed of his
charity, of no hospitals he built, or alms-houses; he made his
kingdom so rich that it did not need them; yet, no question, many
poor were relieved from the abundance of his table. A church he had
built, never to be equalled; schools or colleges he need not build
any, his own palace is an academy, and his court a rendezvous of
wise and learned men, as well as the centre of all the circulating
riches of that part of the world. I. What abundance of wisdom there
was there appears from the application the queen of Sheba made to
him, and the great satisfaction she had in her entertainment there
(
1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions. 2 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 3 And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. 4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, 5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her. 6 And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. 7 Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. 8 Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. 9 Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. 10 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. 11 And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. 12 And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the Lord, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. 13 And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
We have here an account of the visit which
the queen of Sheba made to Solomon, no doubt when he was in the
height of his piety and prosperity. Our Saviour calls her the
queen of the south, for Sheba lay south of Canaan. The common
opinion is that it was in Africa; and the Christians in Ethiopia,
to this day, are confident that she came from their country, and
that Candace was her successor, who is mentioned
I. On what errand the queen of Sheba
came—not to treat of trade or commerce, to adjust the limits of
their dominions, to court his alliance for their mutual strength or
his assistance against some common enemy, which are the common
occasions of the congress of crowned heads and their interviews,
but she came, 1. To satisfy her curiosity; for she had heard of his
fame, especially for wisdom, and she came to prove him, whether he
was so great a man as he was reported to be,
II. With what equipage she came, with a
very great retinue, agreeable to her rank, intending to try
Solomon's wealth and generosity, as well as his wisdom, what
entertainment he could and would give to a royal visitant,
III. What entertainment Solomon gave her.
He despised not the weakness of her sex, blamed her not for leaving
her own business at home to come so long a journey, and put herself
and him to so much trouble and expense merely to satisfy her
curiosity; but he made her welcome and all her train, gave her
liberty to put all her questions, though some perhaps were
frivolous, some captious, and some over-curious; he allowed her to
commune with him of all that was in her heart (
IV. How she was affected with what she saw
and heard in Solomon's court. Divers things are here mentioned
which she admired, the buildings and furniture of his palace, the
provision that was made very day for his table (when she saw that
perhaps she wondered where there were mouths for all that meat, but
when she saw the multitude of his attendants and guests she was as
ready to wonder where was the meat for all those mouths), the
orderly sitting of his servants, every one in his place, and the
ready attendance of his ministers, without any confusion, their
rich liveries, and the propriety with which his cup-bearers waited
at his table. These things she admired, as adding much to his
magnificence. But, above all these, the first thing mentioned
(which contained all) is his wisdom (
V. How she expressed herself upon this
occasion. 1. She owned her expectation far out-done, though it was
highly raised by the report she heard,
VI. How they parted. 1. She made a noble
present to Solomon of gold and spices,
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold, 15 Beside that he had of the merchantmen, and of the traffick of the spice merchants, and of all the kings of Arabia, and of the governors of the country. 16 And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold: six hundred shekels of gold went to one target. 17 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three pound of gold went to one shield: and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. 20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. 21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. 22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom. 24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year. 26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 27 And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. 28 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. 29 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.
We have here a further account of Solomon's prosperity.
I. How he increased his wealth. Though he
had much, he still coveted to have more, being willing to try the
utmost the things of this world could do to make men happy. 1.
Besides the gold that came from Ophir (
II. What use he made of his wealth. He did
not hoard it up in his coffers, that he might have it to look upon
and leave behind him. He has, in his Ecclesiastes, so much exposed
the folly of hoarding that we cannot suppose he would himself be
guilty of it. No, God that had given him riches, and wealth, and
honour, gave him also power to eat thereof, and to take his
portion,
1. He laid out his gold in fine things for
himself, which he might the better be allowed to do when he had
before laid out so much in fine things for the house of God. (1.)
He made 200 targets, and 300 shields, of beaten gold (
2. He made it circulate among his subjects,
so that the kingdom was as rich as the king; for he had no separate
interests of his own to consult, but sought the welfare of his
people. Those princes are not governed by Solomon's maxims who
think it policy to keep their subjects poor. Solomon was herein a
type of Christ, who is not only rich himself, but enriches all that
are his. Solomon was instrumental to bring so much gold into the
country, and disperse it, that silver was nothing accounted
of,
Lastly, Well, thus rich, thus great,
was Solomon, and thus did he exceed all the kings of the
earth,