1. =It was a period of peace.= For sixty years there were no wars This
gave opportunity for development, for wealth, and for culture.
2. =It was a period of strong government.= The age of individual and
tribal energy was ended, and now all the life of the nation was gathered
around the throne. All the tribes were held under one strong hand;
tribal lines were ignored in the government of the empire; every
department was organized.
3. =It was a period of wide empire.= It was Is'ra-el's opportunity for
power in the East; for the old Chal-de'an empire had broken up, the new
As-syr'i-an empire had not arisen, and E'gypt was passing through a
change of rulers and was weak. For one generation Is'ra-el held the
supremacy in the Oriental world.
4. =It was a period of abundant wealth= (1 Kings 3. 12, 13; 4. 20; 10.
23, 27). The sources of this wealth were: 1.) The _conquests_ of Da'vid,
who had plundered many nations and left his accumulated riches to
Sol'o-mon (1 Chron. 22. 14-16). 2.) The _tribute_ of the subject
kingdoms, doubtless heavy (1 Kings 10. 25). 3.) _Commerce_ with foreign
countries (E'gypt, A-ra'bi-a, Tar'shish, and O'phir) in ancient times
was not carried on by private enterprise, but by the government. The
_trade_ of the East from E'gypt and Tyre passed through Sol'o-mon's
dominions, enriching the land. 4.) There were also _taxes_ laid upon the
people (1 Kings 4. 7-19; 12. 4). 5.) The erection of _public buildings_
must have enriched many private citizens and made money plenty.
5. =It was a period of literary activity.= The books written during this
epoch were Sam'u-el, Psalms (in part), Prov'erbs (in part), and perhaps
Ec-cle-si-as'tes and Sol'o-mon's Song. Not all the writings of Sol'o-mon
have been preserved (1 Kings 4. 32, 33).
VI. =Dangers of the Period.= There was an A-ra'bi-an tradition that in
Sol'o-mon's staff, on which he leaned, there was a worm secretly gnawing
it asunder. So there were elements of destruction under all the splendor
of Sol'o-mon's throne.
1. =The absolute power of the king.= Da'vid had maintained the
theocratic constitution of the state; Sol'o-mon set it aside and ruled
with absolute power in all departments. He assumed priestly functions (1
Kings 8. 22, 54, 64); he abolished tribal boundaries in his
administration (1 Kings 4. 7-19); he ignored both priests and prophets,
and concentrated all rule in his own person.
2. =The formal character of the worship.= There was a magnificent temple
and a gorgeous ritual, but none of the warmth and personal devotion
which characterized the worship of Da'vid. The fervor of the Da-vid'ic
Psalms is wanting in the literature of Sol'o-mon's age.
3. =Luxury and corruption of morals.= These are the inevitable results
of abundant riches and worldly association. We do not need the warnings
of Prov. 2. 16-19; 5. 3-6, etc., to know what a flood of immorality
swept over Je-ru'sa-lem and Is'ra-el.
4. =The burden of taxation.= With a splendid court, an immense harem,
and a wealthy nobility came high prices and high taxes; the rich growing
richer rapidly, the poor becoming poorer. The events of the next reign
show how heavy and unendurable these burdens grew.
5. =Heathen customs.= With the foreign peoples came the toleration of
idolatry, its encouragement, and all the abominations connected with it.
Jer-o-bo'am could not have established his new religion (1 Kings 12. 28)
if Sol'o-mon had not already patronized idol worship.
6. Underlying all was the old =tribal jealousy= of E'phra-im and Ju'dah,
fostered by an able leader (1 Kings 12. 26), ready to break out in due
time and destroy the empire.