1 Kings 10:26

David had subdued all the enemies of Israel around them, and left Solomon a peaceful throne... But Solomon was no believer in disarmament. It is twice repeated, "Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen." Every picture falls short! When He who is "greater than Solomon" reigns in Jerusalem, men "shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks." Then "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Because He is there, the name of the city from that day will be "The LORD Is There."

The chariots and horsemen were for the protection of his kingdom. They remind us that the kingdom of the Lord Jesus will have fuller protection than this, though with no trust in chariots and horses. Israel's trust then will be in the name of the Lord alone.

God foresaw that Israel might have a king. If they did, that king was forbidden to multiply his wives or his riches, or to go down into Egypt to multiply horses. Now, whatever blessings surround us, we can never abandon the law of God without paying for it. The same holds for the walk the Word lays down for His children. God had given great riches and honour to Solomon, who had only asked for wisdom. But the law required the king to study it, and that study should have kept him from the means he used to gain his riches. These chapters teach us that he did exactly what the law forbade. Solomon was rich and glorious above all the kings of his day. But the means he used to enrich himself showed a heart far from God, and led to his ruin.

Egypt was famous for its horses and chariots. The Lord's prohibition to the king notes this: "He shall not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, 'You shall never return that way again.'" Their redemption from Egypt and all its power should have been final; nothing should have tempted them back. But in Solomon's reign we find horses were a chief article of trade with Egypt.

Solomon himself tells us in Proverbs that "the horse is made ready for the day of battle." He then adds what he later forgot: "but the victory belongs to the LORD"... David wrote before Solomon began to reign, "The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue." He wrote again that the LORD's "delight is not in the strength of the horse." In days of danger the LORD is worth more to His people than regiments of cavalry.

Solomon accumulated much silver and gold at Jerusalem, and his merchants brought him horses from Egypt. Some have thought this proves Solomon was unfaithful to the requirements of the law in Deuteronomy 17:16-17. The study of Chronicles causes us to reject that reading. Here, Egypt pays tribute to Solomon, who deals with it justly. He lets foreign nations share the same advantages, and so it shall be under Christ's future reign.

The tenth chapter of the First Book of Kings, verses 26 to 29, together with chapter eleven, will bring before us the root of this great division in Israel. It all traces back to a loss of devotion to God, and to departure from the Word of God.