LESSON 17: A QUEEN COMES TO
JERUSALEM—REHOBOAM AND THE KINGDOM (2 CHR. 9-11)
CHAPTER
9:1-12 – THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA
This visit is also recounted in 1 Kings 10:1-13.
[A]
[T]he
fascinating queen of Sheba story, which has stimulated endless elaboration in
the literature of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and modern books and movies.
Writers have concocted her name, her hard questions, her conversion to monotheism,
her romantic seduction of the king, and her progeny by him. Here is an
anonymous Arabian queen who heard of Solomon's wisdom and traveled with a
retinue of camels bearing tribute fifteen hundred hazardous miles in order to
"prove" him with hard questions or riddles. She was not disappointed
(2 Chr. 9:2-6)! Like the Samaritans who believed, not just because of the words
of the woman at the well, but because they had come to see and hear the Christ
in John 4, the queen declared: "Behold, the half of the greatness of thy
wisdom was not told me: thou exceedest the fame that I heard" (2 Chr.
9:6).[1]
Sheba was
located in Arabia some fifteen hundred miles south of Jerusalem. It was at the
southern extremity of the Red Sea and north of the Indian Ocean. The kind of
gifts that she brought would indicate that she had an abundance of wealth at
her disposal. Her primary concern was to prove Solomon’s wisdom. This is a good
commentary on Jehovah’s promise to give Solomon a wise and an understanding
heart. The Arabians found pleasure in riddles, proverbs, in matters pertaining
to natural history. The Queen was disposed to doubt that anyone could be as
wise as Solomon was heralded to be. The caravan which accompanied the Queen was
one of great splendor. Camels were loaded with spices, gold (120 talents --
$642 million in 2010 dollars), and precious stones. Spices were often more
precious than gold itself. The gifts she brought were of inestimable value.[2]
In all of
the intellectual matters Solomon passed every test and the time came when the
royal guest “had seen the wisdom of Solomon.” While she was in Jerusalem,
Solomon showed her his house (the Temple and the whole range of palaces). “The
ascent” (verse 4) probably
refers to the architectual device of winding stairs which provided access to
the second and third stories of rooms built in the Temple wall. She paid
particular attention to the banquet food, the servants and their dress. The
Queen confessed that what she had heard about Solomon’s wisdom was so
unbelievable that she could not accept it unless she could personally confirm
it. She was most complimentary in her evaluation. “Thou exceedest the fame that
I heard.” “The half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me.” In the
name of Solomon’s God the Queen of Sheba blessed Solomon and his people.
Prophetically she spoke of a reign of justice and righteousness and of Israel’s
being established forever.[3]
She and
Solomon exchanged gifts. He gave her “all her desire.” When her delightful
visit was complete she returned to her own land bearing lavish treasures from
Israel. The chronicler records the fact that the Ophir navy also brought much
gold, precious stones and algum trees into the land of Israel. The algum trees
were native to India and were of excellent texture for exquisite woodwork,
especially for making musical instruments. These were days of wonderful
prosperity in Israel.[4]
Jesus
declared: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to
hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here"
(Mat. 12:42). Though perhaps involving commercial interests (Isa. 60:6; Jer.
6:20; Mat. 2:11), surely she did not come merely to exchange trivial secular
riddles, but for deeper spiritual truths! Unlike the Jews to whom Christ spoke,
this Gentile queen made her way, at great effort, sacrifice, and humility, to
the best source of truth available to her (cf. Mat. 5:6; 6:19-21; 7:7-8; Luke
9-14). I know unbelievers and even brethren who will cruise miles for a music
concert or to a theme park, but will not attend a Gospel meeting nearby![5]
Many today
both in and out of the church also take their religion for granted without ever
testing to see if it is true (1 The. 5:21; Mat. 15:1-13; 1 John 4:1), but not
this queen. Jesus' critics had seen His confirmatory miracles – but either
ascribed such signs to Beelzebub or had the nerve to ask for "one
more" – while the queen accepted the truths that Solomon told her (2 Chr.
9:2, 5) without miraculous evidence. Upon seeing Solomon's light shining before
men and his good works she blessed God's people and glorified the Father Who is
in Heaven (Matt. 5:16). The Chronicler gently used her words to remind his readers
of what Solomon forgot (1 Chr. 9:7-8): God's love for Israel gave him his
power, wisdom, and wealth, delighting in him and setting him on His throne to
be king, not for his own selfish desires, but "for Jehovah thy God ... to
do justice and righteousness." She then gave enough gold, precious stones,
and spices (in addition to things received from Ophir) to put most Israelites
(and Christians) to shame, before departing to her own pagan land (2 Chr.
9:9-12).[6]
CHAPTER 9:13-28 – SOLOMON’S WEALTH AND WISDOM
The annual
tribute was six hundred and sixty six talents of gold. This cannot be
accurately figured in terms of our currency, but may have amounted to as much
as $3.5 billion in 2010 dollars. In addition to this there were several other
important sources of revenue in connection with commerce. The national income
far exceeded expenditures. Solomon had the excess gold fashioned into shields
which could be properly displayed in the great military museum in the house of
the Forest of Lebanon. The “buckler” was a large oblong shield designed to
protect the entire body of a warrior. Two hundred of these shields were
fashioned. Each shield contained six hundred shekels of gold. Three hundred
shields were fashioned each of which contained three hundred shekels of gold.
There were thirty six hundred shekels of gold in each talent of gold. These
shields represented values from $12,300 to $25,300 in 2010 dollars. They
remained in the great military house until they were carried away by Shishak,
King of Egypt (I Kings 14:26), in the fifth year of king Rehoboam. Solomon’s
throne was a worthy seat for the great king.[7] Ivory
was imported from Africa and India. This material was used in the basic
construction. It was beautiful in its own right; however this beauty was
enhanced by a gold overlay. The throne was elevated. It was fashioned with arms
and was provided with a foot-rest of gold. The lion was the symbol of kingly
power, This animal was the peculiar symbol that pertained to the tribe of
Judah. The arm rests on the throne may have been fashioned like a lion. Whether
there were twelve or twenty-four lions fashioned to guard the steps is difficult
to determine, The number “twelve” or its double would represent all of the
tribes of Israel. The uniqueness of the throne is emphasized by the chronicler.
In these days of unrivaled prosperity all of the appointments for Solomon’s personal
quarters and for state ceremonies were made of gold, It is possible that this
luxurious living had much to do in turning Solomon away from Jehovah.[8]
“The kings
of the earth” (verses 22, 23) were those who reigned in territories from Egypt
to the Euphrates River. Jehovah had kept His promise. Solomon was the wisest of
all and he had great wealth at his disposal. The kinds of goods considered
valuable are listed in verse 24-silver, gold, raiment, armor, spices, horses
and mules. Solomon was renowned for his chariotry installations. These were
necessary from a military standpoint to protect various sections of Israel’s
territory. Four thousand stalls for horses and twelve thousand horsemen
composed this select service.[9] This was in sharp contrast with Israel’s lack of such resources when Joshua
first brought them into Canaan. Solomon procured the horses and chariots from
Egypt. The prosperity of Israel is described proverbially in verse 27 when the
writer indicates that silver was like stones and cedar trees were as plentiful
as sycamores in Jerusalem.[10], [11]
In 2 Chr.
9:13-31, with the post-exilic reader in mind and before the sad end of the king
(1 Kings 11:1-25) and kingdom (2 Chr. 10-12), the author contrasted later
austerity with this period in which Solomon "exceeded all the kingdoms of
the earth in riches and wisdom" and "all the kings of the earth
sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his
heart" (2 Chr. 9:22-23). Foreign stallions from Egypt (2 Chr. 9:28) plus
imported exotica from Tarshish such as ivory, apes, and peacocks (2 Chr. 9:21)
flowed into the nation as it reached it's physical zenith (2 Chr. 9:26). All of
this merely foreshadowed the nation's true apogee when all kings and all
nations would fall down and serve the restored Davidic King (Psa. 72:10-11,15;
Mat. 28:18). With gifts in hand of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the Magi from
the east fell down before the baby Jesus (Mat. 2:1-12; cf. Isa. 60:5-6), Who
came to rule over His spiritual kingdom, the church (Dan. 2:44; Acts 2:30; Col.
1:13).[12]
[B]
CHAPTER 9:29-31 – SOLOMON’S DEATH AND
SUCCESSOR
Like his
father before him, Solomon’s reign reached through forty years. While no
adverse word is recorded here, the first twenty four years of Solomon’s reign
were productive of much good; but the last sixteen years found Solomon
rebelling against Jehovah in every conceivable way. “And Solomon slept with his
fathers,” the Bible says. Certainly he was one of God’s choice men; but he
died. This experience awaits the wise man and the fool alike. It is of the
utmost importance that every person be faithful to God until he dies. At the
time of David’s death a royal cemetery was established at Jerusalem. Solomon
was buried with all of the honors that were due him as king of Israel. By
Jehovah’s grace, Solomon’s successor to the throne was Rehoboam, the king’s
only son.[13]
How could
this mighty king dedicate the temple to the One God yet fall to the point of
building altars whereby little children were slain and their tiny bodies placed
(often by their own parents) on the heated arms of Molech (1 Kings 11:5-8; Lev.
18:21; cf. Ahaz in 2 Chr. 28:3 and Manasseh in 2 Kings 21:6)? How can an
American President (1) swear (with hand-on-the-Bible) his oath of office, claim
to be a Christian, regularly attend worship services, and use Scriptures in
speeches while promoting abortion-on-demand (whereby tiny babies are gruesomely
murdered and parts used for experiments), (2) push "Russian roulette"
sex education and free contraceptives in the schools, and (3) (in addition to
encouraging them in the military) appoint known homosexuals and lesbians to
office? The terminology of FOCA (Freedom Of Choice Act) regarding abortion, the
pitching of sodomy in terms of "equality and civil rights," and the
fact that people (even some Christians) were swayed, by constant brainwashing
on the economy, to vote their "pocketbooks" should not be missed by
the perceptive reader who knows hedonism when he sees it![14]
CHAPTER 10 – REHOBOAM’S HARSH RULE AND
JEROBOAM’S REVOLUTION
[C]
In any
case this man shows the short-sightedness many “young” people have. He meets
the people properly at first, listening to their complaint presented by the
rebel leader Jeroboam (1 Kin. 11:26ff)—see verses 3-4. He continues to show
promise as a leader when he asks them for a three day “research period.” In
that time he shows what a true leader should do—he seeks counsel. First, he
hears the counsel of the “old men” who tell him to “give in to their demands
and they will support you.” He then turns to the counsel of his peers, the
“young men,” who tell him to “put the hammer down.” Rehoboam’s
short-sightedness comes out in seeing him rely on the counsel of the “young
men” rather than the counsel of the “old men.” Does this mean we should listen
only to the counsel given by old men? No by far! It means that we should always
weigh any counsel given to us by the principles and guidance of the “Ancient of
Days.” What had he warned the kings long before there was a king? “(20) That
his heart be not lifted up above his brethrem…” (Deu. 17:20).
Like
America's present civil administration and many congregations of God's people,
he rejected the wiser, sensible counsel of older, more experienced men from an
earlier generation (2 Chr. 10:2-6), who urged him to be a servant-type leader
more in line with New Testament teaching (1 Pet. 2-3; Mat. 20:20-28). Just
because his rejection of their advice is said to have been brought about by God
(2 Chr. 10:15), this does not mean the king had no choice in the matter, any
more than Jesus' foreknowledge of the Jews' rejection of Him meant they had no
choice in that matter (Matt. 23:37-38; Acts 2:23). God al-ways knows what men
will freely choose to do, but uses indirect influences in relationship to that
free will to accomplish His sovereign will.[16]
[D]
"Power"
to Rehoboam was force to be exercised "roughly" with no regard for
feelings or an understanding of the situation (2 Chr. 10:13). He was so
ignorant that he sent the man in charge of labor up north to his death (2 Chr.
10:18), and it took the Word of the Lord to stop him from trying to force his
brethren to serve him (2 Chr. 11:1-4). He could not possibly have given a worse
reply to the northern tribes had he intentionally wished to split the kingdom,
thereby opening the door for four hundred years of strife and leading
eventually to the destruction of the entire nation.[17]
Jeroboam
is setup as king over the ten northern tribes, Israel, and Rehoboam maintains
leadership of Benjamin and Judah. Rehoboam accepted this split on God’s command
in 2 Chronicles 11:3-4.
CHAPTER 11—REHOBOAM BUILDS STRONGHOLDS
Rehoboam
begins to establish the kingdom, at first intending to stop the splitting of
the kingdom with a civil war, but as already mentioned he submits to God’s
desires and accepts the splitting of the nation in verses 3-4.
For a
period of three years (v. 17) Rehoboam is the kind of king he should be, he
strengthens the cities, accepts the priests and Levites (those that want to be
true to God) from Israel—for Jeroboam “ordained him priests for the high
places, and for the devils, and for the calves he had made” (v. 15). Jeroboam
set up Baal worship in Bethel (southern border of his kingdom) and Dan
(northern frontier of the kingdom). He determined to make religion convenient
for his people, He did not want them to return to the Temple in Jerusalem. He
made priests out of any who wanted to serve without regard to Levitical
connection (1 Kings 12:28-33). He changed the date for the observance of the
Feast of Tabernacles from the seventh month and the fifteenth day to the eighth
month and the fifteenth day. He set up idolatry throughout his kingdom.
Reacting to these developments, priests and Levites and a remnant of
representatives from the northern tribes moved into Judah and the southern kingdom.[18] What
an example this should be for us today. How many souls have been lost when to
congregations turning from truth and people not wanting to leave where they
have “always lived” even though the leaders have been as Jeroboam. Or the
example it should be to us to ensure that our young people understand the
preciousness of God’s church and ways before they are lead away in
denominationalism by those around them—just as the northern kingdom was!
[A] Thomas C. Brisco. Holman Bible Atlas. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
[B] Logos Bible Software. Logos Bible Software Infographics. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009.
[C] Thomas C. Brisco. Holman Bible Atlas. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
[D] Ibid.
[1] Terry M. Hightower. “The Grandeur of Solomon’s Reign; the Kingdom was Divided” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish, Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[2] Robert E. Black. The Books of Chronicles in Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Terry M. Hightower. “The Grandeur of Solomon’s Reign; the Kingdom was Divided” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish, Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Adam Clarke. A Commentary and Critical Notes, Vol. II, p. 648.
[8] Robert E. Black. The Books of Chronicles in Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
[9] Gleason G. Archer, Jr. A Survey of Old testament Introduction, p. 394.
[10] W. A. L. Elmslie. The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. III, p. 469.
[11] Robert E. Black. The Books of Chronicles in Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
[12] Terry M. Hightower. “The Grandeur of Solomon’s Reign; the Kingdom was Divided” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish, Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[13] Robert E. Black. The Books of Chronicles in Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
[14] Terry M. Hightower. “The Grandeur of Solomon’s Reign; the Kingdom was Divided” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish, Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[15] Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and David Brown. A Commentary on the Old Testament. From e-Sword.
[16] Terry M. Hightower. “The Grandeur of Solomon’s Reign; the Kingdom was Divided” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish, Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[17] Terry M. Hightower. “The Grandeur of Solomon’s Reign; the Kingdom was Divided” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish, Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[18] Robert E. Black. The Books of Chronicles in Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
No comments:
Post a Comment