2 Chr 9:13-31

The balance of the chapter speaks of the great wealth that Solomon and his kingdom amassed on an annual basis. Every year he would receive 666 (why that number???) talents of gold - with each talent the equivalent of 75 pounds especially with today's price of gold hovering around $1,600 per oz. Needless to say, he did alright by himself. On top of that, he would receive wealth from neighboring countries like Arabia. So what is a king to do with all this gold? Make shields with them, of course to adorn his palace. He also made a throne of pure ivory and gold. Every thing was made from gold especially the cups and chalices since the people placed much less value on silver. Still Solomon continued to impress the visiting kings with his wisdom as they came to seek his advice. With the advice came the additional wealth as they paid for the advice similar to the Warren Buffett charity lunch which draws thousands for charity just to listen to him. The rest of the passage speaks of Iddo who probably wrote the book of Kings. Per the commentary: the prophet Iddo seems to have been the author of three books. He wrote about Jeroboam and Solomon. Then he wrote about Rehoboam and his family history (12:15). Later he wrote about Abijah (13:22). People were careful to record the major events in the lives of the kings such as Solomon. Solomon had ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. He died and the people buried him in the city of David.

All in all, thankful for a quiet week so far and the break in the weather. While I am savoring the quietness, I am still looking forward to the weekend and church picnic. Heard that GG made a cameo appearance at home and will head back to Denver later but still praying for him when he tackles his upgrade exam.

Praise for today: Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength; we will sing and praise your might. Psalm 21: 13

I found that being complacent is not what I should be so I decided to read the passages in 1 Kings 11 which elaborates further on Solomon and his adversaries. What I did find interesting was how "mixed marriages" brought down his kingdom and ultimately split the nation in two. v 30-39 foretells of the "then" when God is not pleased and is angered. For the sake of David, he allowed Solomon to finish his reign but the worse is yet to come. Similarly to Saul and David, Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam who rebelled against the king since Solomon turned away from the Lord.

What a great day it was weather wise. I found it a blessing to be able to read Scripture outside and well as read more of the Jobs bio. Good deal!