2nd Chronicles 8 WORK, WORSHIP, WEALTH In the normal course of life each of us has a role to fill, a work to do, and responsibilities to God and His people. Not each person's life and calling is the same and therefore it is wrong to be critical if others do things differently from that which we expect. Leadership has a whole different emphasis than that which is practiced by most people. But in every person's life there is the need to use our minds in ways that are best suited to our needs. Wisdom in conducting personal, marriage and family life maintains a normality that is best for all concerned. Meaningful labor, whether we like the job we have or not is fundamental to human existence. "If any would not work, neither should he eat." There is also the need of a certain amount of wealth to keep a family fed. A wise person sets aside some of what he has "for a rainy day." Worship of God is an inborn need of human beings because we are conscious of all that is around us that is way beyond our capacity to make and control.
Solomon did not allow his wisdom, his work and his wealth to take away his responsibility to worship the Lord in these twenty plus years of his reign. He was conscious of the significance of the house of the Lord and how the spiritual part of his life affected every other aspect of his life. Apparently, the cities he had given as collateral to Hiram were not satisfactory to him (Huram) and were given back to Solomon, although no lasting negative situation hindered their further association.
By making fortified cities on major highways, Solomon could store and trade goods in those places for the mutual benefit of those involved in trade deals. Work is honorable if we maintain an honest association with those whom we labor for or with. The increase of territory to the north was apparently the only military venture Solomon had during his reign. There are certain simple principles of living we should maintain in order to live successfully before God and men. When we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness," success in other areas of life follow. When we "honor the Lord with [our] substance, and with the first-fruits of our increase," we gain that which is important.
In the kingdom of God, the way to get is to give. The way up is down. The way to win is to lose. The way to live is to die. When God comes first, His blessings flow out to us from His hand of grace. "He that begun an good work in you will perform it..." God makes things beneficial for His people when they worship and serve Him. Solomon's work was building, and his reign was peaceful between nations for the most part.
In spite of how skilled, educated and motivated a person may be, in order for the efforts and labor of life to be meaningful to us, we have to acknowledge that it is God who makes it possible for us to succeed. It was a concern to the writer of the Chronicles to keep the link between the ancient past of Moses' day and the reigns of David and Solomon, relevant and tied to the situation of those who had returned from captivity to Israel. That was a way to tie the work before them to the glory of Israel's past history.
Solomon kept those of the children of Israel in positions of responsibility in military and political responsibility and those descendants of the conquered tribes as laborers. Likely it was slave labor that had food, shelter and security for their families as the remuneration for their labor. Those the king felt could be trusted were used in strategic areas of national life. Just because people seem like they are believers does not mean we should give them responsibility in spiritual work.
Any area of life which has not been surrendered to the Lord, begins a downward trend that leads to spiritual downfall. This is especially true when it comes to establishing personal relationships. To compromise that which we know is right for any reason, will sometime lead to spiritual compromise, and that in turn is usually followed by deliberately turning away from that which we know is right - and that is apostasy.
Even though Solomon would not mix paganism with that which was holy, he made it possible for pagan worship to get a foothold. It began with marrying Pharaoh's daughter who was not a believer; she was not one of God's people. He then accommodated her by building a palace for her, separate from where God's people and the king himself would live. Apparently, he felt some guilt about marrying her and allowed himself to compromise what he knew was right in God's eyes with that which was right in his own eyes.
In order to keep peace between a believer and an unbeliever in a relationship, almost always the child of God is the one who makes the compromise for the sake of peaceful coexistence. That in turn leads to a divided household, and the children often follow the way that is most pleasing to their sinful nature. There is a very clear distinction between that which is holy and that which is not. Solomon blended this first in his personal life. He multiplied wives, and then in his business and political life he multiplied horses for his military and likely for trade. Both were forbidden by the law of Moses but he did it anyway.
Whether it was in sincerity or to assuage his growing sense of guilt, Solomon maintained the offerings commanded by Moses without any deviation. He understood the holiness of the ark and the temple, and did not allow any other religious forms or people to step out of line. He brought sacrifices to be offered and incense was burned demonstrating the fact he knew the value of temple worship. Apart from his attraction to women and horses, Solomon kept at his own work and was successful in it. He maintained his worship, and outwardly it seemed like he was doing it right. His wealth continued to accumulate and his joint ventures in business were very successful. In spite of his riches he knew he need God.
But there is a principle that affects all parts of our lives. "Man, looketh on the outward appearance, but God looketh on the heart." Solomon did not allow his wisdom, work, and wealth to interfere with his worship for the first twenty-some years of his reign. By making one step away from the path of God's leading, the way was opened for a gradual decline. We need to learn to guard every part of our lives. Any one area can start a downward course, but the one most serious and damaging is that of forming relationships. Never give sin a place to start. We must be conscious of God's will, and convicted of it so greatly that we resist any attraction to give sin an opening. By taking God at His word without seeking to spin it to our own advantage, we will avoid a long miserable life of compromise and its effects.