By Scott Johnson
The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories. King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into each shield. He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons. King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. (1Ki 10:14-23 NIV)
King Solomon is believed to be the wealthiest person to ever live on earth through his 40 years reign. He had an estimated net worth of $2.1 trillion as of 2021. This means the value of what he got each year was between $1,092,906,000 and $1,165,766,400 U.S. dollars! We cannot fathom this wealth yet it does not prevent the fact from being true! If we accept the myth about the famous Solomon's gold mines as true and try to calculate the gold he was said to extract from them in accordance to the Bible, we'll come up with 25 tons of gold annually stacked in King Solomon's palace and treasury. This is incredible wealth, actually. Calculated by today's prices in US dollars, we will see that each ounce of gold that costs about $2,000 made him around $70,000,000 per a ton of gold. Within his reign, some researchers claim, he has earned about $2 trillion, which is a threshold nobody has ever crossed. What's more, it's said to be only a part of his riches because he had other sources of income as well.
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Mat 6:25-34 KJV-BRG)
The riches of Heaven are awaiting all who are waiting and longing for Him! Solomon was arrayed or surrounded by the greatest display of wealth ....ever! And yet Solomon's splendor will pale against the riches and splendor that we will be surrounded with!! The cost, the price-- has been paid! Two thousand years back on lonely Golgotha--Jesus paid the price, he met the cost, with his perfect atoning blood!! I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev 22:16-17 KJV-BRG)
Scott and Jane Johnson minister with East Faulkner Church of Christ and BRG Bible. Bible questions can be sent to [email protected]