“There has never been nor ever be another like you” (1 Kings 3:12)
June 29, 2022
No King has ever risen as wise as King Solomon in the History of earthly Kingdom. His Legacy was grand for His dynasty spread all over Egypt and Palestine. His wealth measured with Diamonds, Gold and Silvers. “Every year King Solomon received over twenty-five tons of gold, in addition to the taxes paid by the traders and merchants. The kings of Arabia and the governors of the Israelite districts also brought him silver and gold. Solomon made two hundred large shields, each of which was covered with about fifteen pounds of beaten gold, and three hundred smaller shields, each covered with about eight pounds of beaten gold. He had them all placed in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.
The King also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with pure gold. Six steps led up to the throne, and there was a footstool attached to it, covered with gold. There were arms on each side of the throne, and the figure of a lion stood at each side. Twelve figures of lions were on the steps, one at either end of each step. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.
All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not considered valuable in Solomon’s day. He had a fleet of ocean-going ships sailing with King Hiram’s fleet. Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.
King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world. They all consulted him, to hear the wisdom that God had given him. Each of them brought Solomon gifts articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year.
King Solomon also had four thousand stalls for his chariots and horses, and had twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem and the rest he stationed in various other cities. He was supreme ruler of all the kings in the territory from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. During his reign silver was as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah. Solomon imported horses from Musri and from every other country.” (2 Chronicles 9:13-29)
His provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of crushed grain, and ten fat oxen and twenty unstalled oxen, and one hundred sheep, harts, roebucks, fallow deer and fatted fowl. He had forty thousand horses which drew chariots, and ten (twelve) thousand horsemen. (The Ethiopian Synaxarium 587-588)
As young as he was, inheriting His Father’s King Prophet David’s Kingdom, He first asked for wisdom for he could rule the people Israeli “and God appeared to Solomon in a dream saying, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?” And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for both wealth and honor so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.” (1 Kings 3:5-13)
The Wisdom of King Solomon was very much greater than that of the Kings of Israel before him and that of the wise men of Egypt. The story of the two harlots is exemplary. The two women stood in front of the King seeking for true judgment. Then one of them said, “Hear me, O lord! Me and this woman live in the same house, and we have each brought forth a child. On the third day whilst we were sleeping, she lay upon her son and killed him. Soon after, she took my child from my breast and said to me, ‘He is my child’ The other woman then interrupted and said, “It is my son who is alive.” The kings hear both of them and spoke and said, “Bring a butcher’s knife and cut the child in twain. Give one half of him to this woman, and one half of him to that.” Suddenly, the woman whose son was alive spoke aloud; “Give him to her alive, and do not kill him.” Solomon said, “Give the living child to her who said, Do not kill him; she is his mother.” When the people Israel heard this they fear the King knowing wisdom of God and He judged all kingdoms. Many were amazed by his judgment and grace. Kings, Princess and other elites would come and visit his palace to witness his kingdom.
Amongst this was the Princess of Ethiopia Queen Sheba; She who has heard about his wisdom from her servile Tamrin a chief of merchant. The Queen was aspired and curious about the King’s wisdom. Even couldn’t resist staying in her kingdom until she witness his presence. She wishes to travel and see him with his own eyes and hear him to her own ears. Finally deciding to visit The wise king as it never told she announced to the her people, “My fellow citizens! Listen to what I say; I crave for wisdom; my heart urges knowledge; I am in love and have become a prisoner. (Kibre Negest, 24). Soon after, Queen of Sheba, travelled to Jerusalem and reached after six month. As it is in scripted in Holy Bible, “When she heard about Solomon’s name; God’s name; she came to test him with riddle.” (I Kings 10:1-13).
Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones, she came to Solomon and talked with him about all that she had on her mind. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba saw all the Wisdom of Solomon and the palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed.” (1 Kings 10:1-5) In her presence in front of the King, she was welcomed with honour.
Then, she said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your people must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness. She gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir; and from there they brought great cargoes of almugwood and precious stones. The king used the almugwood to make supports[d] for the temple of the LORD and for the royal palace, and to make harps and lyres for the musicians. So much almugwood has never been imported or seen since that day.) King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal plenty.” (1 Kings 10:6-13)
Astonishment to Israeli and to the people of her country Ethiopia, the wise and powerful King Solomon and Queen Sheba were in Love. The King also seek to have heir from her as he had no son to inherit his kingdom. So, the Queen had to stay for six years in Jerusalem till she conceived a son. Unfortunate to the King, she decided to return back to Ethiopia and told him, “Permit me to leave”. Sad as he was, he had to let the Queen go and gave her his ring as a souvenir. (Kibre Nigeset, 30-31) After nine months and five days, the Queen reached Bala, a town in Dizeria and gave birth to a boy. When she arrived in her country, she was well welcomed by Ethiopian people and onwards taught them Pentateuch law by which she rule her kingdom.
Queen of Sheba’s son Menilik has also visited his father the wise Solomon. At the age of 22, he went to Jerusalem together with the merchant Tamrin. His father welcomed and accepted his only son without even seeking any proof for he looked as similar. Still, Menilik showed the King’s ring which was presented to his mother the Queen. The King tenderly explaining t their resemblance is good enough, hugged and kissed his son.
Living under his father’s dynasty, Menelik dearly missed his mother and decided to go tell the King. When the King hear this, his was very sad and even attempted to persuade his son in living in Jerusalem so that he could become a King. But, Menelik’s was aching for his mother and refused to accept the King idea. So, the King spoke amongst his noble men and send his son with sorrow.
However, as the story is narrated in Kebra Negest, the King didn’t only loose his son that day, but also The Arc of Covenant. Without Menelik’s ware about, Azariyas as thier leader and his noble men planned and took it. The King had no power this time for it was the will of God.
King Solomon had other Hebrew, Egyptians and Canaanities wives but had no heir and was the only child of David’s old age, the last born of all his sons from Bersabeh. The wise king’s years of reign are forty years. During those years, he spoke three thousand proverbs and wrote five hundred songs. In the fourth year of his reign he founded the house of God, in the month of Sane, in the second month and it was finished in the eleventh year; and it was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It was in here that he kept the Arc of the Covenant which is now found in Ethiopia, Axum city, in the Church “Axum Tsion.” The wise and powerful King Solomon offered all the sacrifices that God commanded and lived by his law. Finally he died in peace at the age of 52.