Rich (I Mean Stinking Rich)


1 Kings 10:14-29
14 Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,
15 besides that which came from the explorers and from the business of the merchants, and from all the kings of the west and from the governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold; 600 shekels of gold went into each shield.
17 And he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold.
19 The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests,
20 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom.
21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon.
22 For the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with the fleet of Hiram. Once every three years the fleet of ships of Tarshish used to come bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23 Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
24 And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind.
25 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.
26 And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, whom he stationed in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
27 And the king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.
28 And Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, and the king’s traders received them from Kue at a price.
29 A chariot could be imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver and a horse for 150, and so through the king’s traders they were exported to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria.

Currently, at a net worth of $69 billion, Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico City is the richest man in the world. Behind him, with a psaltery $61 billion is Bill Gates, followed by Warren Buffet at $44 billion. These are the top 3 richest people in the world right now. If this were 3,000 years ago, Solomon would top the list. You will recall, at the beginning of his reign, Solomon was gifted by God to ask for anything he wanted. He (wisely) asks for wisdom. Because God was pleased with that request, He also grants a few other perks and benefits to Solomon along the way. God promises Solomon riches, and that promise is kept with opulence. No other king had known this kind of wealth. When God makes a promise He keeps it. That’s it – the take home point for today. God’s promises are always kept – in his own timing. The promise we all hold onto is the promise of a Savior. God has kept that one too, so we can count on His additional promise for an eternity lived with Him forever, for He promised that as well. While all those riches would be fun (maybe) they cannot compare to an eternity lived in the presence of the Lord Jesus. That is the truly best promise of all.

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