As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all that he desired, the Lord appeared to him a second time. The Lord spoke to him and said that He had heard his prayer and plea that Solomon had made.
The Lord had consecrated the house Solomon had built and had put His name there forever, “My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.”
If Solomon followed the Lord and walked before Him with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that the Lord had commanded and kept the statutes and rules; then the Lord would establish his royal throne over Israel forever, as he had promised to David.
However, if he turned aside from the Lord and served and worshiped other gods, then the Lord would cut off Israel from the land that He had given them. The house would become a heap of ruins. Everyone would know that the disaster brought onto them would be because they turned away from the Lord.
So ultimately, the people still can NOT follow other gods. No shit, that’s been a main rule from the beginning! It seems simple enough, right? Hasn’t there been enough history there to show the results of turning away from God and the bad things that go with it? So again, they have one job!
At the end of twenty years in which Solomon had built the house of the Lord and the king’s house, and Hiram king of Tyre had supplied the timber and gold, Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. But when Hiram went to see the cities he was displeased with them.
Then it went on to discuss the forced labor that King Solomon had drafted to build the house of the Lord. He built many other cities and whatever else he desired. All the people who were left of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, who were not people of Israel, were made into slaves.
Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar that he built for the Lord. King Solomon also built a fleet of ships.
Now when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon she went to see him and ask him hard questions. When she got there she told Solomon all that was on her mind, and he answered all of her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her.
When the Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
She told the king that the report was true, but she didn’t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. In fact, his wisdom and prosperity surpassed the report that she had heard. Everyone was happy and continually stood before Solomon to hear his wisdom.
Then she gave the king gold, and a quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. Solomon gave to the queen all that she desired and she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.
The wealth that came to King Solomon was abundant. With it he built a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. The throne had six steps, and at each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside them; while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. There was none other like it made in any kingdom.
All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were made of gold. Nothing was made of silver, as silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon. The fleet of ships would come every three years bringing even more gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. The whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. Every one of them brought presents: silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules.
Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed around Jerusalem. And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and made timber plentiful. He imported and traded horses from Egypt.
King Solomon was doing very well by following the Lord. He had riches and wisdom and it seemed as though everyone loved him and were very happy. What could go wrong?