Solomon’s Wealth and Power
13 Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, 14 besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. 15 King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, [f]using 600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. 16 He made 300 shields of beaten gold, [g]using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
17 Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. 18 There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and [h]arms [i]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the [j]arms. 19 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. 20 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; silver was not considered [k]valuable in the days of Solomon. 21 For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.
22 So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 24 They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year.
25 Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 26 He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. 27 The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the [l]lowland. 28 And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.
29 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the [m]records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of [n]Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel.
Death of Solomon
31 And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
One thing reigns supreme in this account, and that is the wisdom of Solomon which God gave him. All the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom, and they brought whatever they could. They brought Solomon vast earthly treasures to hear of the wisdom that God had imparted upon Solomon.
So it is no surprise that one of the things we should treasure most is wisdom, but not that of our own minds. We should seek after God’s wisdom, to know his heart, to know his ways, and to find his will for our own lives. Nothing else is so valuable as this. Our own ideas can fall flat, and our own understanding is finite, but God is the creator of all things and his understanding surpasses all worth and all things is this world.
So seek Him first, and don’t worry about the rest, because He will take care of you when you are doing what he has called you to–whatever that might be.