1 Kings 10:2 y-27 aAnd Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen….And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that in the vale, for abundance.
David gave Solomon a peaceful kingdom, and God gave him the wisdom to make it prosperous. However, the Lord had prohibited the king from building up such power and wealth in Deuteronomy 17. Now it was coming true. God knew this would hurt the nation politically and spiritually. Earthly blessings are not always blessings. Luxury resulted in higher taxation, which led to unrest, which caused revolution, which split the kingdom after Solomon’s death. Likely the worst issue was his growing a large harem of foreign wives who brought their foreign gods.
A better response would have been humble gratitude instead of personal pride and ostentatious aggrandizement. Power can corrupt and riches can become a root of all evil. We must learn the lesson that constant thankfulness must be our response to the material blessings we enjoy from God’s grace. Paul said in Philippians 4:11-13: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Our response to God’s abundant blessings is not to selfishly accumulate more power and wealth, but to learn to be content with Jesus, “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ [Ephesians 5:20].”