What does it say?
The queen of Sheba came to visit Solomon because she heard the fame of his words and wisdom. Once she came and heard Solomon she was amazed and said that his wisdom surpassed what she had heard. She gave Solomon as a tribute gold, spices, and precious stones. Solomon’s wealth and power was eminence. Solomon received 666 talents of gold in one year. Everything in his kingdom was ornate. Even the shields were made of gold. Solomon’s reign was forty years, then he died and his son Rehoboam became king. The kingdom was split between Rehoboam in the south and Jeroboam in the north. The priests and Levites forsook their cities in the north and came to Judah. Jeroboam appointed priests of his own for the high places in the north; however, there were people in the northern tribes who continued to come to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices at the temple. Rehoboam had many wives and concubines and fathered many children. Rehoboam forsook the law of the Lord and God punished him with Shishak the king of Egypt. Rehoboam was repentant; therefore, the kingdom was not destroyed. Rehoboam’s reign was 17 years and Abijah his son took his place.
What does it mean?
Solomon’s reign portrays the hight to which man can attain but this is nothing when you consider that the Lord God made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them, who rested on the seventh day. Solomon received 666 talents of gold in one year. The number 666 is used in another place in scripture. Revelation 13:18 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.
Like he did with David, the chronicler does not mention the sin of Solomon that the writer of Kings did. The kingdom was split as a result of Solomon’s sin. For some reason, the chronicler is putting the kingdom as it was under Solomon as the ideal for Israel but does not mention the idolatry that Solomon fell into because of his many wives and sinful heart. He does, however show this in Rehoboam the son of Solomon. John 5:19 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))
Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
Sons act just like their fathers and the sins that the fathers commit will likely be the sins that the sons commit. The son is truly like the father. The son is a representation of the father. Rehoboam and all of Israel with him forsook the law of the LORD. For this reason God punished them but because they were humbled he did not destroy them.
What shall I do?
I shall realize that whatever I accomplish is nothing when compared with God. Man was created on the sixth day but God rested on the seventh day. Man is the highest creature in God’s creation but we are not god, the Lord is God. Like our father Adam, we his sons have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus Christ is the exact representation of the Father, he is God in human flesh. (Heb. 1:3) There is only one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 8:6)
