Are Riches a Blessing? (1 Kings 10.6)

“Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD loved Israel forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness.”

Background

After the Temple dedication, the writer of First Kings describes a promise God made to Solomon: if he follows God in all his ways, God will bless him in return. To illustrate the promise, the writer describes some events from Solomon’s reign and how he prospered.

One scene is about a visit from the Queen of Sheba, and it is in this story that we find our next prayer. Sheba was an important trade center, perhaps in North Africa or southern Arabia. The Queen had heard of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth. Almost the entire scene focuses on Solomon’s prosperity (the word “gold” often appears throughout the chapter). The Queen comes with a large entourage and tests Solomon. She checks his reputed wisdom and comes away impressed. She is also complimentary of his palace, food, and people. After telling Solomon that she did not believe it until she had seen it with her own eyes, she offers a blessing upon God.

Meaning

It is not surprising that a non-Israelite would offer a blessing upon the God of Israel. In pagan belief, each town or nation had its own patron god or goddess. To bless someone’s deity was simply being polite.¹

In her prayer-blessing, the main theme is that Solomon’s wealth, prosperity, and wisdom is from God because He loves Solomon and Israel. Solomon is a model king; therefore God has blessed him with riches, power, and wisdom. Note that this is the way God chose to bless Solomon. Contrary to the “prosperity gospel” movement, this does not mean that if someone is faithful, God will make them rich. It is one way God may bless someone— others may be blessed differently (think of Paul of Tarsus). Still others might receive no blessing at all except God’s presence (see Jeremiah, who suffered terribly and lost everything).