And king Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold, -- he applied six hundred [shekels] of gold to one target;
Solomon's wealth had grown so great that he could beat gold into ceremonial armour. Two questions follow. What were these large shields for? And why does Scripture weigh them so exactly?
The shields belong to a long list of golden things in these chapters — the temple, the vessels, the throne. One writer reads the metal itself as a mark of the reign.
Verses 14 through 22 describe the riches and the splendour of the kingdom. Gold, the emblem of divine righteousness, stands out everywhere under Solomon's reign, from the temple to the throne. The throne was marvellous: "Nothing like it was ever made in any kingdom." It was the throne of righteousness and of power, and it carried the emblems of both.
The gold went into two sets of shields, and they were stored in a building that was not Solomon's home.
Some of the gold was used for making 200 large shields and 300 shields of half the weight. These were put in the House of the Forest of Lebanon. This house was not a home. It held the offices that ran the kingdom. So the shields speak of defence at the place that upheld the kingdom's interests.
The throne stood in that same hall, so the shields surrounded the place where the king gave his rulings.
David himself gave the order (1 Kings 1:35), and Solomon, once raised to royal dignity, sat on his father's throne. Now we see him on his own throne in this marvellous "house of the forest" adorned with six hundred shields of gold, where he judges in righteousness.
One writer reads Solomon's riches as a picture of another reign, drawn in advance.
"Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom." He is a type of the coming King who will be head of all. All this glory and the wealth of Solomon and Jerusalem foreshadows the fulfilment of many prophecies concerning the glorious reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. Greater splendour and glory will rest upon Him and come to Jerusalem than in Solomon's reign.
A shield of soft gold is useless in battle. One writer treats these shields as ornaments, and as a sign of where Solomon's heart was drifting.
At one period of Solomon's life he saw the danger of riches. But as we follow the history of his reign, we find the love of riches growing on him. God was too kind to His frail servant, and it cost him his soul. Surely these shields were not for use in war; they were just ornaments. Later Rehoboam lost these costly ornaments in war. In his vanity he made shields of brass to replace them, and had them carried out on show when he went into the house of Jehovah (1 Kings 14:25-28). Oh, the pitiful vanity of poor flesh! Appearances must be kept up even after the reality has gone.
Commentators differ here. Some see the shields as a figure of the kingdom's defence and glory. Fereday sees them as a sign of a growing love of riches.
Solomon made the shields in this chapter. They did not outlast his son's reign.
Shishak, the king of Egypt, comes up against Jerusalem. All Solomon's prosperity is gone, and so quickly — the treasures of the temple, the riches of the king's house, the golden shields of his guard! In less than seventeen years the kingdom of David's son collapses. All its glory is thrown down and trampled! The gold has gone, and only brass takes its place.
That loss is applied directly to the people of God in a later day.
Living faith has declined in these modern days, and profession without reality has risen. So the devil has seen and seized his opportunity. He has laid his envious and ruthless hands on these treasures, and has robbed an indifferent and faithless church of its shields of gold. He could not have done it if there had been no traitors inside, men who were pledged to hold and fight for these treasures — "the faith once for all delivered to the saints."
Fereday does not leave the story at the loss. He points to a day when the brass gives way to gold again.
Blessed contrast when God restores His people in grace: "Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver" (Isaiah 60:17). All sham will be swept away, and repentant Israel will enjoy God's exceeding grace.
- Gold given. Gold runs through Solomon's whole kingdom, from temple to throne, as the emblem of divine righteousness.
- Gold guarded. The shields hung in the offices that ran the kingdom — defence at the very place that upheld its interests.
- Gold glorified. Solomon excelled every king in riches and wisdom. He is a picture of the coming King, whose splendour will be greater still.
- Gold displayed. Soft metal cannot stop a sword. These shields were ornaments, and appearances outlived the reality.
- Gold lost, gold promised. In under seventeen years Egypt carried the gold off and brass took its place. The same theft comes wherever no one fights for the faith. Yet God promises gold for bronze when He restores His people.
and three hundred shields of beaten gold, -- he applied three minas of gold to one shield; and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.
Solomon's gold has moved from the temple to his shields. Three hundred of them, each hammered out of gold, were stored in the hall he built from the timber of Lebanon. Why fill a hall of judgment with shields no soldier would ever carry?
Solomon kept the shields in his largest building. It was bigger than the temple, and it was where he ruled and judged.
Next to the temple, Solomon's most important building was the house of the forest of Lebanon. It stood in Jerusalem, but its materials came down from Lebanon. This house was much larger than the temple. The temple was 60 cubits long by 20 cubits broad; the house of the forest of Lebanon was 100 cubits long by 50 cubits broad. Both were 30 cubits high. This great building held Solomon's 300 shields of beaten gold. They later became spoil for the Egyptians in the days of Rehoboam. All the vessels in it were of pure gold, and none of silver, for silver counted for nothing in the days of Solomon (1 Kings 10:17-21). There he also made a hall for the throne where he would judge, the hall of judgment (1 Kings 7:7). This suggests the righteous administration of our Lord Jesus in the great age of His kingdom.
The same hall pictures how Christ will govern the earth.
"The house of the forest of Lebanon" is described for us in detail. It was much larger than the temple, though not as elaborate and costly. This house was the place of judgment and administration of Solomon's kingdom. So it speaks of the administration of the earthly kingdom of the Lord Jesus in the millennium. That is the 1000 years of His reign of righteousness and peace.
Gold runs through the whole chapter: throne, vessels, shields. The metal itself carries meaning.
Verses 14 through 22 describe the riches and the splendour of the kingdom. Gold, the emblem of divine righteousness, stands out everywhere under Solomon's reign, from the temple to the throne. The throne was marvellous. No kingdom had ever made anything like it. It was the throne of righteousness and of power, and it carried the emblems of both.
Shields defend. The verse's "beaten gold" is gold hammered into shape, and Solomon put these in the hall where he ruled.
Solomon made … shields of hammered gold, each weighing 3 minas of gold (6 pounds), and put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. This was symbolical of the protection of his kingdom in its administration.
Translations differ on the weight. The ESV has "three minas of gold" for each shield. Older versions say "three pounds."
The measure here is the maneh. Comparing this verse with its parallel in Chronicles fixes its value.
Compare 1 Kings 10:17 with 2 Chronicles 9:16 and you see that a maneh equals 100 shekels. This is only probable, since the translators added the word "shekels". In Ezekiel 45:12 the maneh equals 60 shekels, because those would be shekels of the sanctuary… Translators render maneh as "pound" in 1 Kings 10:17, Ezra 2:69 and Nehemiah 7:71-72.
These shields were never meant for battle. One writer reads them as a sign of Solomon's growing love of riches.
As we follow the history of his reign we find the love of riches growing upon Solomon. God was too kind to His frail servant, and it cost him his soul… Gold was so common that "he made 300 shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into each shield" (1 Kings 10:17). These were surely not for use in war; they were just ornaments. But Rehoboam lost these costly ornaments in war. In his vanity he made shields of brass to replace them… Oh, the pitiful vanity of weak human nature! Appearances must be kept up even after the reality has gone.
One writer turns that loss into a question for the reader.
Shields are for protection. Is there any real protection in our boasted claims of holiness as compared to a living faith in the Son of God?
- Gold — the emblem of divine righteousness runs through throne, vessels and shields, marking the whole reign.
- Gold housed — the shields sat in the house of the forest of Lebanon, Solomon's hall of judgment. It pictures how Christ will rule in righteousness.
- Gold guarding — shields in the seat of government speak of a kingdom under protection.
- Gold weighed — each shield took three minas. Translators render the maneh as "pound," and 2 Chronicles 9:16 suggests it held 100 shekels.
- Gold lost — these were ornaments, not war gear. Rehoboam swapped them for brass and kept up appearances long after the reality had gone.