Daily Devotional for Sunday, March 16

SOLOMON’S REIGN AND REST

“And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones,” 2 Chronicles 9:27.

The over-arching theme of Solomon’s reign was peace and rest. The nation had never known this type of existence. Their history had consisted of wanderings, struggles and persecutions. When Solomon ascended the throne, God gave the nation rest from all their enemies. Of course, this was God’s plan. 

During this forty-year period, Israel became the greatest nation on earth, and God provided everything Solomon needed to accomplish the work He had given him to do (1 Chronicles 29:1-9). “And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel” (verse 25). All of Israel submitted to Solomon’s rule and literally constructed a great empire. 

The greatest accomplishment was, of course, the Temple; however, under Solomon’s supervision and guidance, the people built a system of roads, multiple palaces, fortified military cities, strategic trade route cities, massive storehouses for the collection of all his wealth, great stables to house his chariot and calvary horses, cisterns (water tanks) capable of holding millions of gallons of water, and an aqueduct system to distribute the water. In addition, Solomon established Israel’s first navy and best port city which brought in vast amounts of gold, further funding all of Solomon’s building projects (1 Kings 9:26-28).

When we consider all the things that Solomon accomplished and the wealth he accumulated, we can better understand when the Scripture says that silver was as plenteous and worthless as stones in Jerusalem. After all of Solomon’s accomplishments, he concluded that God is the one who makes everything beautiful, and everything is a gift from God. Everything that God allows a person to accomplish in life is His doing, to lead us to love and reverence the one true and living God (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14).

REFLECTION

The only thing that really counts in life is what we allow God to accomplish through a surrendered life.

Karen Meigs