The idea that Solomon is exceedingly blessed is obvious in the Bible's narrative. One could argue that no one had more advantages and "privilege" in his life than Solomon. Born to the most successful king at the time, raised in the royal court and set apart by God, and then equipped with God's special wisdom would make anyone blessed beyond imagination.
So the question is... why was he so blessed? The answer comes from an outsider.
Sometimes we need an outsider to give us a point of view as to what we are here for and what the point of our life really is. Solomon gets that in 2 Chronicles 9. The queen of Sheba comes to visit him after hearing of his wisdom and riches. She is overwhelmed by his ability to answer all her questions.
2 Chronicles 9:8 (ESV) Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.”
Notice the words, "because your God loved Israel... he has made you king..." What was the reason for Solomon's blessing? God loved his people. We should also remember that Solomon was first named Jedidiah, which means “beloved of the Lord.” He was loved and established because God loved and sought to establish His people. The point of Solomon's blessing, therefore, was to be a channel through which God's blessing came to God's people.
Now if you think of what we've looked at in the pages of 2 Chronicles - Solomon is a picture of the Lord who builds His true Temple - the Church. God loves the Son and gives Him the purpose of establishing a people He loves and establishes.
Matthew 16:18 (ESV) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This is important for us to understand when it comes to our purpose in God. We are not just called to be loved and blessed by God. We are not supposed to just "get to heaven". No, He wants to bless the world through us. He wants to bring many more people into the house of faith. He wants us to evangelize and reach the nations (Matthew 28:19). The purpose of your life is to spread the love of God around the world to people who need it.
Now at the beginning of his peak, Solomon was well aware of the purpose of God's blessing. He used the increase of his kingdom to reinforce the Temple. Notice in the passage:
2 Chronicles 9:10–11 (ESV) Moreover, the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir, brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 And the king made from the algum wood supports for the house of the LORD and for the king’s house, lyres also and harps for the singers. There never was seen the like of them before in the land of Judah.
Then the next passage shows Solomon using his resources to bless the Queen from another nation.
2 Chronicles 9:12 (ESV) And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all that she desired, whatever she asked besides what she had brought to the king. So she turned and went back to her own land with her servants.
King Solomon is fulfilling the purposes for which Israel was first established - to bless the nations.
Isaiah 49:6 (ESV) “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
See this for what we need to see in Christ: God's chosen King uses His resources to reinforce the Temple wherein God dwells. That's a picture of Jesus for you. He lives to reinforce you as the New Covenant Temple in which He dwells by His Spirit. And His true Church will follow suit, using their gifts and blessings to bring many people into the family of God.
My prayer for the modern Church is that we will use our talents treasure and time to partner with what Christ is doing - building and strengthening the house where people can come to meet with God.
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