I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Kings 9-10.

Much of the history of the Middle East can be understood by God’s response to King Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the Temple. God told Solomon and the people of Israel that the Temple in Jerusalem would always be dear to His heart. God promised Solomon and the people of Israel that if they remained faithful to Him, He would establish Solomon’s dynasty over Israel forever. However, if they abandoned God and took to worshiping other gods, the Temple would become an illustration to the world of their unfaithfulness. In this response God restated His promise to David that one of his descendants would sit on David’s throne for ever. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus. But we also see the fulfillment of God’s promise of the Temple being an illustration of the consequences of turning away from God in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

The passage then goes on to mention King Solomon’s building projects and extensive trade network. The writer tells us that Solomon conscripted the non-Israelites living in the land as forced labor for these building projects, but that Israelites were only conscripted into his military or as supervisors over the forced labor of foreigners. I want to note that when the Old Testament refers to how we should treat foreigners it is generally referring to people like the non-Israelites in this passage, not to people living in another land.

The passage goes into extended detail about King Solomon’s trade empire and the way it spread his fame. Solomon worked with Hiram of Tyre to send ships far and wide for trade. Some of Solomon’s ships sailed the Mediterranean with Hiram’s trading fleet. But Solomon also built a trade port on the Red Sea to trade across the Indian Ocean. Hiram provided Solomon with expert sailors to crew the ships. This passage shows how Solomon worked with other rulers for mutual advantage. Hiram dominated the Mediterranean trade, but, by working with him, Solomon also benefited. On the other side, Solomon dominated the Indian Ocean trade, but Hiram benefited from this trade because of their partnership. Under Solomon, Israel was able to function as a transshipment point for trade between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. The visit from the Queen of Sheba represents an illustration of the fame which such trade brought to Solomon. It seems to me that King Solomon’s reputation for wisdom resulted from the way in which he established mutually beneficial relationships with his trading partners. The Queen of Sheba brought many gifts to King Solomon such that it increased his wealth. Yet, he appears to have sent her home with gifts that appear to have increased her wealth.