1 Kings 10:14-22 describe the riches and the splendor of the kingdom. Gold, the emblem of divine righteousness, stands out everywhere under Solomon’s reign, from the temple to the throne. The throne was marvelous: “There was not the like made in any kingdom.” It was the throne of righteousness and of power, and it bore the emblems of these.
When he had been raised to the royal dignity, Solomon, according to the order of David himself (1 Kings 1:35), had sat upon his father’s throne. Now we see him on his own throne in this marvelous “house of the forest” adorned with six hundred shields of gold, where he judges in righteousness.
So it shall be with Christ. At present He is seated on His Father’s throne, at His right hand, according to this word: “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psa. 110:1). By these words, “Sit thou at my right hand,” God the Father expressed His complete satisfaction with the work accomplished by the Son of Man. It is as though He were saying to Him: Take this supreme and glorious place, my Son, until I shall have prepared a throne for Thee. It must surpass every other throne. Never shall the like be made in any kingdom. None that rise up against Thee shall be spared; they shall be crushed. Thy victory over them shall be the first step by which Thou wilt ascend the throne. The throne of the victorious Son of Man shall be like none other, after that voluntary humiliation that brought Him down to descend lower than the vilest of sinners. Then every knee shall bow, every mouth boldly proclaim the Lord on His throne of glory. Meanwhile this man who has drunk of the brook by the way is seated upon the throne of the sovereign God, at the right hand of the Majesty; but it is the throne of His Father; He takes His place there as Son, a testimony to the perfect satisfaction of His Father’s heart in Him!
The queen of Sheba was not the only one to come to him: “All the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom” (1 Kings 10:23-29). What a blessed time it will be when all will be able to come and draw from this divine spring, sure of finding God’s thoughts in their completeness there! These verses also contain the enumeration of the king’s riches. Here unbelievers shake their heads. For them all that man says seems believable, and all that God says, nothing but lies. In fact, such is their way of reasoning. In one year Solomon received six hundred sixty-six talents of gold — one hundred million francs (at the time of the writing of this book); the queen of Sheba had given him one hundred twenty talents of gold — about eighteen million francs — this was also the sum the king of Tyre had rendered to him. Is there then something unbelievable about this in comparison to the present revenues of the kingdoms of the world? Need we remind ourselves that under this reign all the kings of the earth paid tribute to him?
In 1 Kings 10:26-29 we find the king’s power, marked by his chariots and his horsemen. All thus was joined together for the glory of Solomon’s reign.