I. THE HERITAGE HE HAD FROM HIS FATHER. It was much to him that he was "Solomon, the son of David. He was known to be the favourite son and chosen heir of his illustrious father. All the strong attachment which the people felt for the late (or the dying) sovereign went to establish his son upon the throne. Solomon acceded to the gathering and deepening affection which his father David had been winning to himself through a long and prosperous reign. All the influence which an honoured and beloved leader can convey to his successor was communicated to him: thus was he strengthened in the kingdom."

II. CONSIDERABLE PERSONAL ADVANTAGES. "The Lord magnified him exceedingly." Taking this with the same expression (and the words that accompany it) in 1 Chronicles 29:25, we may safely infer that God had given him:

1. A noble and commanding presence, such as attracts and affects those who behold it (see Psalm 45:2).

2. A winning address, a bearing and demeanour which drew men to him and called forth their good will.

3. A mind of unusual capacity, an intellectual superiority that enabled him to acquit himself honourably in private and in public affairs. Thus was he "magnified exceedingly;" he was held in high honour, was "made great" in the estimation of all the people.

III. THE FAVOURING PRESENCE OF GOD. "The Lord his God was with him." How much is held and hidden in that simple phrase," God was with him" (see Genesis 21:22; Genesis 39:2; 1 Samuel 18:14)! It meant that God was with him to shield him from harm, to direct him in difficulty, to inspire him with wisdom, to sustain him in trial, to enrich him with every needful good. God was attending his steps and "laying his hand upon him." We may say that this was not only a bright, but even a brilliant, beginning of the king's career. We cannot hope for a commencement like that; that is only granted to the few, to the very few indeed. This is true, but it is also true that to most if not to all men, certainly to those of us who have a knowledge of God in Christ Jesus, there is possible a bright beginning of active life. In all or nearly all cases there is:

1. A heritage from those who have gone before us. From our parents, from our forefathers, from the toil and struggle and suffering of our race, there comes to us a heritage of good. This may be material wealth; or, if not that, knowledge, truth, wisdom, precious thought in striking and powerful language, inspiring examples of heroic deeds and noble lives. If not sons of such fathers as David, we are the children of privilege, we are "the heirs of all the ages."

2. Some personal advantages; either in bodily skill, or in address, or in mental equipment, or in strength of will, or in force of character.

3. God's gracious and favouring presence. For if we are "reconciled to him by the death of his Son," we may most surely count on the promise that he will be "with us;" with us not only to observe our course and mark our life, but to direct our ways, to "strengthen" us in our sphere, however humble our kingdom may be - to make our life fruitful of good and blessing, to enrich us with much pure and elevating joy, to guide us to the goal and to the prize. Let us but yield ourselves to him whose we are, and to that service where our freedom and our duty alike are found, and ours will be a bright beginning that shall have promise of a still fairer and brighter ending. - C.

I. THE KING'S PERSON MAGNIFIED.

1. The owner of an auspicious name - Solomon, "Peace," equivalent to Friederich or Frederick Perhaps

(1) alluding to the fact that when he was born his father was at peace with God (2 Samuel 12:24). God's mercies, especially to the soul, are worthy of commemoration (Psalm 103:2).

(2) Reflecting the peace which at that time prevailed in the land, his birth most likely not having taken place till after the capture of Rabbah, and the termination of the Ammonitish war (Keil). When David's greater son, the Prince of Peace, was born, "the (Roman) empire was peace."

(3) Prognosticating the peaceful character of his rule (Psalm 72:7), and the undisturbed rest of his reign (1 Kings 4:24; 1 Chronicles 22:9).

2. The son of a distinguished father - David. Originally a Bethlehem shepherd-lad (1 Samuel 16:1), Jesse's youngest son climbed the giddy heights of fame with marvellous celerity and success, becoming in swift succession a brilliant warrior, a skilful harper, an agreeable courtier, a popular leader, a trusted sovereign, a sweet singer, a devout psalmist, a far-seeing prophet. Possessed of almost every qualification requisite to render him the idol of his fellows, he found the pathway of greatness easier to tread than do men of smaller stature and less-gifted soul. To have been the son of such a sire was no mean honour to Solomon, though it entailed upon him correspondingly large responsibility; while, if it multiplied his chances of achieving in the future a similar distinction for himself, it no less certainly created for him difficulties from which otherwise he might have been exempt.

3. The heir of a prosperous empire - Israel. The kingdom inherited by Solomon had been carved by the sword of David. The Philistines had been driven back to their plains, retaining, however, the strongholds of Gath and Gezer at the edge of the hill country. The capital of the Ammonites, Rabbah, had been taken, and the census embraced all the Holy Land from Beersheba to Sidon, ruled by the king at Jerusalem" (Courier, 'Handbook to the Bible,' p. 281).

4. The representative of a Divine Superior - Jehovah. Solomon ascended David's throne by Divine right, because by Divine grace and for Divine ends (Psalm 2:6). Solomon was Jehovah's vassal, and held his regal power only on condition of ruling in Jehovah's name and for Jehovah's glory (2 Samuel 22:3). If Solomon was Israel's king, Jehovah was Solomon's.

II. THE KING'S THRONE ESTABLISHED.

1. By removal of his enemies. In particular by the execution of three dangerous characters.

(1) Joab, his cousin (1 Chronicles 2:16), a general of commanding abilities and restless ambition, who with the army at his back might soon have embroiled the land in war and prevented the hope of a peaceful reign from being realized.

(2) Shimei, a Benjamite, a personal enemy of David (2 Samuel 16:5-13), who, besides having broken his parole (1 Kings 2:36-46), could not be trusted not to contrive mischief against David's son.

(3) Adonijah, a half-brother of Solomon (2 Samuel 3:4; 1 Chronicles 3:1), a formidable rival, who, in virtue of his right of primogeniture, pretended to the crown, and might have been the means of stirring up civil faction in the land, Difficult to justify on grounds of Christian morality, these assassinations nevertheless contributed to the establishment of Solomon's throne.

2. By the union of his subjects. As yet the empire was undivided. The ten tribes still adhered to the house of David. "All Israel obeyed him, and all the princes and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of King David, submitted themselves unto Solomon the king" (1 Chronicles 29:23, 24).

3. By the help of his God. "The Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly." As Divine grace set, so Divine power kept him on the throne. Without Heaven's favour and assistance kings just as little as common men can prosper. As Jehovah giveth the kingdom to whomsoever he will (Daniel 4:25), so through him alone can kings reign (Proverbs 8:15). He also removeth and setteth up kings (Daniel 2:21); yea, the hearts of kings are in his hand (Proverbs 21:1). Jehovah was with Solomon in virtue of the promise made to David (2 Samuel 7:12), and because of the piety which still distinguished himself (ver. 6; cf. 2 Chronicles 15:2). This was the true secret of Solomon's prosperity upon the throne no less than of Joseph's in the prison (Genesis 39:2).

III. THE KING'S ALLEGIANCE TENDERED.

1. Before the tabernacle of the Lord. This then at Gibeon, five miles north-west of Jerusalem. Originally a Canaanitish royal city (Joshua 9:17; Joshua 10:2), and afterwards the scene of a clever fraud perpetrated upon Joshua by its inhabitants, as well as of a bloody battle in their defence (Joshua 10:1-14), it latterly became in David's time, because of the presence of the tabernacle, a Levitical city with a high place presided over by Zadok and his brethren (1 Chronicles 16:39). Thither accordingly Solomon repaired to inaugurate his reign by professing fealty and submission to the King of kings.

2. With the offering of sacrifice. Within the tabernacle court stood the brazen altar of Bezaleel (Exodus 38:1), upon which were offered a thousand burnt offerings - a magnificent service, even for a king, and symbolic of

(1) the homage he presented to Jehovah,

(2) the consecration he then made of himself to the work to which Jehovah had called him, and

(3) the desire he cherished that his reign might be begun and ended in Jehovah's favour and under Jehovah's protection.

3. "In the presence of his people. "All the congregation," in its representatives, "went with him to the high place at Gibeon." Not ashamed of his religion, Solomon acknowledged his dependence on and submission to Jehovah in the most public manner. So are kings, princes, subjects, all men, expected to confess God and Christ before men (Matthew 10:32). Learn:

1. The value of a good beginning, in business as in religion.

2. The need of Divine assistance in all undertakings.

3. The propriety of consecrating all to God in youth.

4. The possibility of declining from early faith.

5. The duty of never being ashamed of religion.

6. The melancholy fact that good men may do doubtful actions.

7. The beauty and propriety of social worship. - W.

I. OUR TWOFOLD OBLIGATION AS SYMBOLIZED BY THE ARK AND THE ALTAR.

1. Of these one is worship or sacrifice. Men approached the altar of Jehovah with their gifts or sacrifices, and they then came consciously into his presence; they brought their oblations to him; they made a direct appeal to him for his mercy and his blessing. This forms one part., and a large part, of the obligation under which we rest toward God. Jew or Gentile, under any dispensation whether old or new, we are sacredly bound to draw near to God in reverent worship, to bring to him our pure and our costly offerings, to entreat of him his Divine favour, to pay unto him our vows.

2. The other is obedience. The ark contained the sacred tables of the Law on which were written by the hand of Moses the ten commandments. This was the great treasure of the ark, and it was always associated with these two tables; it was, therefore, the symbol of obedience. Both Jew and Gentile are under the very strongest bonds to "obey the voice of the Lord," "to keep his commandments," to do that which is right in his sight, and to shun all those things which he has condemned.

II. OUR TEMPTATION. We are often tempted to do in life and in fact what was pictured here - to put a distance between the altar and the ark, between worship and obedience. Too often there is a very wide gap, even a deep gulf, between the two. One man makes everything of forms of devotion, and nothing of purity and excellence of conduct. Another makes everything of behaviour, and nothing of worship. We are led, either by the current of the time or by the inclination of our own individual tem- perament, to go off in one direction and to leave the highway of Divine wisdom; to exaggerate one aspect of truth and to depreciate another; to put asunder what God has joined together and meant to go together. And this exaggeration, this separation, ends in error, in faultiness, in serious departure from the mind and the will of God.

III. OUR WISDOM. As, later on, the ark and the altar were reunited, as they both stood within the precincts of the temple, and spoke of the vital connection between sacrifice and obedience, so should we see to it that, if there has been any separation of these two elements of piety in our experience, there should be a reunion and, in future, the closest association.

1. The habit of obedience should include the act of worship; for worship is one of those things which God has enjoined.

2. Each act of obedience should spring from the impulse which worship fosters - a desire to please and honour the present and observant Lord.

3. Worship should lead up to and end in obedience; for "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" The devotion that ends in service, in purity, in truthfulness, in fidelity, in self-forgetting kindness, is after the mind of Jesus Christ. Let the ark never be far from the altar, but worship and obedience be always in close companionship. - C.

I. THAT WE MAY CONFIDENTLY RECKON ON THE DIVINE RESPONSIVENESS. Solomon went to Gibeon with "all the congregation," in very great state, to seek the Lord there, and there he offered abundant sacrifices (ver. 6). And God responded to his act of piety by seeking him, by coming to him and making him a gracious and generous offer. Without any state, in lowliest obscurity, we may repair to the quiet and solitary place, and there seek God; and there, too, he will seek us and manifest himself to us, and he will bless and enrich us also. There is an unfailing and a large responsiveness in "him with whom we have to do."

II. THAT GOD HAS MANY WAYS OF ACCESS TO HIS CHILDREN. (Ver. 7.) In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon "in a dream by night" (1 Kings 3:5). At other times he appeared to his servants in a vision in their wakeful hours (Exodus 3:2; Isaiah 6:1). Our Lord was seen by the Apostle Paul under circumstances that were unique (Acts 9.), and subsequently he manifested himself in other ways to his servant. God has access to us - his children - in many ways. At any time he may "lay his hand upon us;" he may make known his will to us. It is our wisdom to expect it; it is our duty to pray and to look for it. Ill. THAT SOLOMON SHOWED A DEEPER WISDOM THAN ANY HE ASKED GOD TO GIVE HIM. He asked for "wisdom and knowledge" (ver. 10); and the wisdom he asked for was cleverness, penetration, political sagacity, subtlety of mind to read the thoughts of men, readiness to see at once what was the expedient policy to adopt, range of human learning. All this was valuable, and much to be desired; but all of this together was not wisdom of so deep and precious a kind as that shown by Solomon in making the choice he made. To ask for that gift which would enable him to fill well the sphere in which Divine providence had placed him, - this was better than all possible intellectual equipments. No learning, no talent, no genius, is of such value and importance as the spirit of fidelity. Everything else without that will leave life a failure and make man a guilty being. But to be possessed with the spirit of faithfulness, to be supremely desirous of taking the part and doing the work to which God has called us, - this is the true success, and this will end in well-being of a pure and lasting kind.

IV. THAT WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED TO MAINTAIN AND EVEN TO ENLARGE THE HERITAGE WE HAVE RECEIVED. (Ver. 8.) Solomon evidently felt deeply impressed, if not oppressed, with the thought that his father, David, had left a very great and serious charge in his hands, and he was rightly anxious that it should be well maintained. It becomes us, as members of. a family, as citizens of the nation, to consider what we have inherited from those who have gone before us - from their labours and sufferings and prayers, and to ask ourselves what we are about to do to guard and to strengthen, and, if it may be so, to enlarge and enrich that precious legacy.

V. THAT IF WE SEEK THE BEST WE SHALL FIND MORE THAN WE SEEK. (Vers. 11, 12.) Solomon's happy experience of God's graciousness is very far indeed from being singular. We may all participate here. If we seek rightness of soul with him we shall find it, end not only that, but a profound and most blessed peace of mind as well. If we seek purity of heart, we shall find what we seek, and happiness beside. If we seek the good of others we shall secure that end, and we shall at the same time be building up our own Christian character. Pursue the very best. and with the best of all will come that which is good, that which is not the highest, but which we shall be very glad to have and to enjoy. - C.

I. THERE IS A NOBLE FUTURE IN FRONT OF US. Only a very small fraction of mankind may look for royalty or high rank, for large wealth or extensive power. But it is highly probable that if this were our lot, we should envy those who, in hummer spheres, were saved the many penalties of prominence and power. And, apart from this, there is a very true heritage which is open to us all. More or less at our command. are - beginning at the bottom of the scale, and moving upwards:

1. Bodily comforts; and these lowest gratifications are the more worthy and lasting as they are more pure and moderate.

2. Human friendship - domestic love, the sweet and sacred ties of the heart and the home.

3. Mental activity - the intellectual enjoyment which comes from the observation of the works of God and the mastery of the works of men; all the keen, strong, elevating delights of the active mind.

4. The service of God, the friendship of Jesus Christ; thus realizing the end and attaining the true satisfaction of our being.

5. Working with God; out-working with him the great redemptive scheme he has designed and is effecting.

6. A high and happy place in the heavenly kingdom. Such large and noble heritage God offers to give the children of men, whether born in a palace or in a cottage.

II. GOD MAKES THIS OFFER ON CONDITIONS. His offer to Solomon was not absolutely unconditional; he would not have been the wise or learned man he became if he had not studied; nor the rich man he became if he had been a mere spendthrift, etc. God is too kind to any of his children to grant them his gifts without attaching Conditions which must be fulfilled. He says, "Here is my gift, but you must ask me for it; and the way to ask for it is to fulfil the conditions on which I bestow it. Shall I give you temporal prosperity? ask for it by being diligent, temperate, civil, faithful. Shall I give you human love, the esteem of those around you? ask for it by being virtuous, honourable, generous, amiable. Shall I give you knowledge, wisdom? ask for it by being studious. Shall I give you eternal life? ask for it by fulfilling the conditions on which it is promised - repentance toward God, and faith in Jesus Christ. Ask what I shall give you; take the course which you know is the one constant antecedent of my bestowal."

III. EVERYTHING HANGS ON THE WISDOM OF OUR CHOICE.

1. It is sad to think that many go through life without caring to accept God's challenge at all; they pass through a life charged with precious opportunities, freighted with golden chances, never caring to inquire how much they may make of the life that is slipping through their hands.

2. Others deliberately choose the lower good; they ask for comfort, for pleasure, for gratification, for abundance of earthly good, or for nothing higher than human love.

3. Our wisdom is to ask God for the highest good; for the diamond, and not the granite; for the cup that heals, and not for that which soothes; for the key that opens to the rich treasury, and not that which unlocks only a cabinet of curiosities; for that which will make the heart pure and holy, and the life noble and useful, and which will make death to be lighted up with a glorious hope; - to ask for heavenly wisdom and eternal life. We should ask for the best because it is the best and highest; and also because, as with Solomon, it commands the lower good as well (vers. 11, 12). Let us seek first the kingdom of God, because that is the one good, the supreme thing to seek, and also because other and lower things are added to it (Matthew 6:33). - C.

I. THE PERMISSION GRANTED TO SOLOMON. "Ask what I shall give thee." Granted:

1. By whom? God (Elohim), the Giver par excellence, of whom David had said, "All things come of thee" (1 Chronicles 29:14); "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 33:5); and whom a New Testament writer describes as "the Father of lights," etc. (James 1:5, 17). The invitation here accorded to Solomon, after the manner of Oriental monarchs (Esther 5:6; Esther 9:12; Matthew 14:7), was and is pre-eminently after the manner of the King of kings (Matthew 7:7; James 1:5). Christ extends the same to his followers: "If ye shall ask anything in my Name, I will do it" (John 14:14; cf. 16:23, 24).

2. When? "In that night;" i.e. after the day in which Solomon had been offering sacrifice - not without significance. God is not likely to appear at night, at least in grace, to them who have been unmindful of him throughout the day.

3. How? In a dream-vision (1 Kings 3:5), which, however, warrants not the deduction that the incident had no solid basis of reality, and that here is only the record of a dream. Even were this correct, it would not be without value as showing the current and tenor of Solomon's thoughts and feelings during the preceding day. Men seldom have pleasant dreams of God upon their midnight couches who have not had him in their thoughts all their waking hours. Yet that in Solomon's dream were a veritable manifestation of God to his soul, and a bona fide transaction of asking and answering, of giving and receiving, is proved by the fact that Solomon obtained what he asked.

4. Why? To prove what was in Solomon's heart, to test whether the ceremonies of the preceding day had been the outcome and expression of a genuinely devout soul, to ascertain whether he had ascended the throne with a clear grasp of the situation, whether he knew what he most required for the successful execution of his kingly office. So God still tests his people and men in general by extending to them a similar permission to that he gave Solomon (Matthew 7:7), and by occasionally in his providence bringing them into situations where they must choose, as Solomon was invited to do, what they shall have as their chief good.

II. THE REQUEST PREFERRED BY SOLOMON. "Give me now wisdom and knowledge."

1. The purport of this request. If "wisdom "and" knowledge" are to be distinguished, which is doubtful, the former will be the general and the latter the particular, the former the principle the latter the application, the former the root the latter the fruit (cf. Proverbs 8:12; Ephesians 1:17); "wisdom," the soul's capacity for seeing truth and discerning its adaptations to the particular exigencies of life; "knowledge," that truth as apprehended and possessed by the soul. Solomon craved the spirit of wisdom, that with clear and single vision he might "see" God's will concerning himself in every situation in his future career, and the faculty of apprehension that he might always know what that will required him to do. No prayer could have been more appropriate in his lips at the important juncture in life at which he stood. No prayer could better befit any one at any juncture. The prime necessities of the soul are - an eye to see and light to see with, a capacity to find out and comprehend God's will concerning itself (Psalm 143:8). The Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds, through the ignorance that is in them (Ephesians 4:18). God's people go astray mostly through defect of knowledge (Isaiah 5:13; 1 Corinthians 15:34).

2. The reason of this request. Solomon, conscious of inexperience and inability to discharge the duties of the kingly office, felt he could not rightly "go out and come in before" or "adequately judge" so great a people as Israel. A hopeful sign for Solomon it was that he knew and was willing to confess his want of wisdom and knowledge. As the first step towards holiness is to acknowledge sin, so the first genuine movement in the direction of self-improvement of any kind is the admission of defect. Solomon confessed himself a little child, who knew not how to go out or come in (1 Kings 1:7), and Tennyson in similar language depicts the natural condition of the race -

"Behold, we know not anything;
So runs my dream; but what am I?
An infant crying in the night,
An infant crying for the light,
And with no language but a cry."

(In Memoriam,' 54.) It is doubtful, however, if that expresses the mood of any but the loftier spirits. When souls begin to cry for light they are no longer absolutely blind, but have become conscious of and are pained by the darkness.

3. The plea of this request. Not that he was a great man's son, and indeed a great man himself, at least in social position, or that his youth had been virtuously spent, and that he was even then piously inclined; but that God had graciously covenanted with David his father, promising to be a father to David's son, and to establish David's throne for ever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). So with no plea but that of grace, and no argument but that of God's covenant with men on the ground of Christ's sacrifice, need suppliants on any errand approach the throne of God.

III. THE ANSWER RETURNED TO SOLOMON. "Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee," etc.

1. What Solomon had asked was obtained. So God still gives to them that ask him for the higher blessings of his grace - gives unconditionally, freely, and exactly as men ask. So Christ says to his disciples," All things whatsoever ye desire in prayer, believing, ye shall receive ' (Matthew 21:22). And even when they ask temporal or material blessings not inconsistent with their higher good, these are not withheld (Psalm 84:11). See the case of the blind men of Jericho who were cured (Matthew 20:34).

2. What Solomon had not asked was superadded. He had not asked wealth, fame, power, or long life; and just because he had asked none of these things, lo! all these things were added. So Christ says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things [food, raiment, etc.] will be added" - thrown into the bargain (Matthew 6:33); and Paul adds that "God is able to do for us exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20, 21). Learn:

1. The liberty God's people have in prayer.

2. The superiority of wisdom, i.e. of heavenly wisdom (James 3:17), over all earthly things (Proverbs 4:7).

3. The reality of answers to prayer.

4. The profit of sometimes limiting our requests at God's throne. - W.

I. THAT HE DID WELL TO STEP TO THE THRONE FROM THE ALTAR. He came "from before the tabernacle... and reigned" (ver. 13). There could have been no place so suitable as that where Jehovah was worshipped from which to ascend to kingly power. There is no resort so good as the throne of grace, from which we can ascend any throne of authority or power to-day. It is well, indeed, to pass from intercourse with God to association with men and to the conduct of human affairs. The visit to the house of the Lord, fellowship with Christ at his table or in our own chamber, will give a calmness of spirit, an unselfishness of aim, and a steadfastness of principle which will go far to qualify us for the difficult duties and heavy burdens and (it may be) the serious battles of daily life.

II. THAT ONE MAN MAY HOLD IN HIS HAND THE WELL-BEING OF MANY. Solomon "reigned over Israel." In those days reigning meant governing. And though the Hebrew monarchy was not actually absolute, it was invested with great power. A good sovereign wrought great blessings, and a bad one caused terrible evils to his country. Great power, in the shape of royal authority, has passed or is passing away. But still men "reign'" over others - lead, direct, rule, influence, mightily affect them for good or evil. Very great power has the statesman, the preacher, the poet, the principal, the teacher. The possession of power is usually esteemed a thing to be greatly coveted. But it is as full of solemn responsibility as it is of noble opportunity; it calls for a deep sense of obligation and accountability; also for peculiar prayerfulness of spirit and of habit. Humble and not proud, conscious of dependence on God and not self-sufficient, should be the man of high position and commanding influence.

III. THAT AFFLUENCE MAY BE A GOOD SIGN, BUT IT IS A PERILOUS CONDITION. All those instances of national prosperity related in the text - the abundance of horses and chariots, and of gold and silver, the cultivation of choice trees, etc. - were signs that Jehovah was favouring the land, and that Solomon was fulfilling his early promise. But affluence, whether individual or national, is a dangerous condition. It tends to luxury; and luxury leads only too often to sloth and self-indulgence; and these lead straight to wrong-doing and impiety. It is "a slippery place," where a few can walk without stumbling, but where the many slip. and fall.

1. Envy not the greatly prosperous; plenteousness of gold and silver may impoverish the soul while it enriches the treasury.

2. Care much, care most, for the abundance of Christian truth, of sterling principle, of generous helpfulness. - C.

I. HIS SPLENDID EQUIPAGE. "Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen."

1. A sign of great prosperity. Mentioned on this account rather than as a proof of the expensiveness and burdensomeness of Solomon's reign (Ewald).

(1) A discrepancy. Solomon had 40,000 stalls (1 Kings 4:26; Josephus, 'Ant. Jud.,' 8:2. 4); 12,000 horsemen and 1400 chariots (ver. 14; 2 Chronicles 10:26); 4000 stalls and 12,000 horsemen (2 Chronicles 9:25).

(2) An explanation. The stalls probably were 4000, the horsemen 12,000, and the chariots 1400. The Israelitish war-chariot, like the Egyptian and Assyrian, may have been two-horsed, in which case 1400 chariots would represent 2800 horses. A reserve force of 1200 would bring the total number of horses to 4000, which would require 4000 stalls: That the horsemen should be 12,000 may be explained by supposing that, as Solomon's equestrian equipage was more for show than action, each horse may have had a rider as well as each chariot a charioteer; or the term "horsemen" may have embraced all persons connected with the equestrian service.

2. An act of great wickedness. If the Divine prohibition (Deuteronomy 17:16) forbade not the actual possession of horses by Israelitish kings, it certainly condemned their indefinite multiplication. David respected this prohibition (2 Samuel 8:4; 1 Chronicles 18:4); Solomon overstepped its limits, consequently what Moses had predicted ensued - first Solomon sought a matrimonial alliance with (1 Kings 3:1), and then the people put their trust in, Egypt (2 Kings 18:24; Isaiah 31:1; Hosea 7:11). The glory of princes does not always harmonize with the commands of the King of kings. Solomon's horsemen and chariots were partly kept in Jerusalem to augment his magnificence, and partly distributed through chariot-cities, not so much to overawe the people as for convenience in providing fodder for the beasts, and meeting the state necessities of the king.

II. HIS ENORMOUS WEALTH. The revenues of Solomon were:

1. Varied. Gold and silver and cedar wood; the precious metals obtained from Ophir, in South Arabia (Ewald, Keil, Bahr, etc.), by means of Tarshish ships (cf. the modern expressions, "India-men," "Greenlanders"), which sailed from Ezion-geber, on the Red Sea (2 Chronicles 9:21; 1 Kings 9:26-28), and also from the numerous Eastern potentates - "all the kings of the earth" (2 Chronicles 9:23), who came to hear his wisdom, and brought every man his present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold (2 Chronicles 9:24); the timber purchased from Hiram of Tyre, and procured from Mount Lebanon (1 Kings 5:10).

2. Abundant. Making large allowance for rhetorical exaggeration, the crown wealth in Solomon's days was immense. Even if the gold and silver were barely as plentiful as stones (ver. 15), one may judge of its quantity by the statements that "the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents" (equivalent to £3,646,350, estimating the gold talent at £5475), besides that brought by chapmen, merchants, foreign kings, and provincial governors (2 Chronicles 9:13, 14; 1 Kings 10:14, 15). This accumulation of wealth in the hands of the crown, more accordant with ancient than with modern practice, was likewise then more excusable than now for obvious religious as well as political reasons.

III. HIS COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE.

1. How far it extended. To Egypt, The first mention of commercial intercourse between Israel and Egypt, this is also one of the earliest indications of contact between these two peoples since the Exodus; and the silence of Scripture as to Egypt during the long interval between the Exodus and the age of Solomon receives a striking confirmation from the monuments, which show "no really great or conquering monarch between Rameses III. and Sheshonk I." (Rawlinson, 'Egypt and Babylon,' p. 328).

2. In what it consisted. Horses and chariots. A native of Armenia and Media, whence it was fetched by the Jews to Palestine (Ezra 2:66), the horse had been used in Egypt from the earliest times (Genesis 41:43; Genesis 47:17), and in Solomon's time had been brought by the Egyptians to a high degree of cultivation in respect both of swiftness and courage - two qualities highly serviceable for war. Hence Solomon naturally turned to the Nile valley when he thought of setting up an equestrian establishment. The manufacturing of war-chariots had also engaged the attention of the Pharaohs and their people; and these likewise were imported by the Israelitish monarch. Taking the shekel at 3s. 4d., the price of a horse was £25, and of a war-chariot (perhaps with two horses and harness) £100 sterling.

3. By whom it was conducted. By the king's merchants, who were so called, not because, as foreign horse-dealers settled in the country, they were required to contribute to the king's treasury a portion of their gains in the shape of an income-tax (Bertheau), but because they traded for the king (Keil), acting as his agents, going down to Egypt, purchasing the animals in droves, and fetching them up for his use. So skilful did these merchants show themselves both in judging of the animals and in driving bargains with Egyptian dealers, and so far had their fame travelled, that their services were sought for by the Hittite and Syrian kings of the day.

LESSONS.

1. The criminality of disobedience.

2. The danger of wealth.

3. The advantages of trade and commerce. - W.