1 Kings 10:21

1 Kings 10:21 says, And 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: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.  Solomon's own drinking vessels were made of gold, which really had nothing to do with bringing glory to God in my opinion.  I believe that today too many Christians want only the best of everything for themselves instead of simply wanting what will serve the purpose effectively.  Verse twenty-two adds, For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.  Solomon partnered with Hiram and his navy to continue to bring gold, silver, ivory, apes and peacocks to himself.  Matthew Henry says in their prosperity that the people of Israel had begun to pursue opulence and childlike entertainment.  We today need to be more devoted to doing God's work than to simply looking to find pleasure for ourselves as Christians.  Verse twenty-three continues, So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.  Solomon exceeded all other kings in both riches and wisdom.  I believe this still holds true, with the exception of Jesus Christ, Who is wiser even if He wasn't richer in His earthly life, because Solomon asked God for wisdom above all else and God blessed him with both wisdom and riches.  Of course, some rulers today do attempt to have more opulence in their lives than Solomon did.  Verse twenty-four states, And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.  People from everywhere came to hear Solomon, because God had given him wisdom.  We as Christians have this same wisdom available to us today, but even if we use it, we likely never have many people coming to us for us to share it with them.  Verse twenty-five adds, And they brought every man his present, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and garments, and armour, and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.  The people who sought Solomon's wisdom also brought him presents, and when we seek the wisdom of God today, we need to bring Him the present of ourselves and everything that we own.  I believe that all that God blesses us with should be used for His purpose.  Verse twenty-six continues, And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.  Solomon also built up his army with fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen.  Too often today people look to military might to bring security to a country instead of looking to God for security.  Verse twenty-seven says, And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycamore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.  Silver was as abundant in Jerusalem as stones were and cedars were as prevalent as sycamore trees.  Israel was truly wealthy during Solomon's reign, but they shouldn't have been serving God just for material wealth, and neither should we.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and linen yarn: the king's merchants received the linen yarn at a price. Verse twenty-nine continues, And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and an horse for an hundred and fifty: and so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, did they bring them out by their means.  Solomon was trading with Egypt at this time as well.  Though the people of Israel had once been slaves in Egypt, they were now in a position of superiority.  We were once enslaved to sin, but by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, we are set free.  Of course, once we are we don't need to continue to be friendly with sin, though we should with the sinner.