The Six Six Six Seduction Text: 1 Kings 10:14-29
Introduction: The Glory and the Rot
We come now to the high water mark of Israel's glory. On the surface, this passage is a description of an earthly paradise, a kingdom that has reached the zenith of power, wealth, and influence. Solomon's reign is the fulfillment, in miniature, of the promises God made to Abraham. The nations are coming to Israel, bringing their treasures, seeking the wisdom of Israel's king. Silver is as common as stones. The entire world is looking at Jerusalem with awe. This is the kind of success story that men have always craved. It is big, it is shiny, and it is impressive.
But the Holy Spirit is a master storyteller, and He has placed clues, warnings, and flashing red lights throughout this glorious account. This is not just a story about success; it is a story about the seduction of success. This is a picture of a man standing on the pinnacle of the temple, with the devil whispering in his ear, showing him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. This chapter describes the glory, and the very next chapter will describe the fall. And the fall does not come from nowhere. The seeds of the apostasy are planted right here, in the fertile soil of unprecedented blessing.
We must read this with discerning eyes. We are meant to be impressed, yes, but we are also meant to be deeply concerned. This is a typological kingdom, pointing forward to the infinitely greater kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is also a cautionary tale, demonstrating how the very gifts of God can become the idols that replace God. Solomon's glory was real, but it was a gilded glory, and underneath the gold, a spiritual rot was setting in. This passage is a master class in the temptations that accompany worldly success, and it begins with a number that ought to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.
The Text
Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that from the traders and the wares of the merchants and all the kings of the Arabs and the governors of the country. And King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, using 600 shekels of gold on each large shield. And he made 300 shields of beaten gold, using three minas of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold. There were six steps to the throne and a round top to the throne at its rear, and arms on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms. Twelve lions were also standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for all the other kingdoms. Now all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon. For the king had at sea the ships of Tarshish with the ships of Hiram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came carrying gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks. So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, a set amount year by year. And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. And he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. The king also made silver as plentiful as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the Shephelah. Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt and Kue; the king’s merchants procured them from Kue for a price. And a chariot was imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram.
(1 Kings 10:14-29 LSB)
The Number of Man's Glory (vv. 14-15)
The account of Solomon's wealth begins with a startling detail.
"Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold..." (1 Kings 10:14)
We must not read this as a coincidence. The Holy Spirit is not clumsy. He does not drop numbers like this by accident. This number, 666, appears here and then again in the book of Revelation as the number of the beast, the number of a man. What is the connection? The number six in Scripture is consistently the number of man, falling short of the divine perfection of seven. Man was created on the sixth day. Goliath was six cubits and a span. Nebuchadnezzar's statue was sixty cubits high and six cubits wide. A triple six, therefore, represents the apex of man's glory, the height of human achievement, the zenith of worldly power and wealth, all accomplished apart from humble dependence on God.
The beast of Revelation represents the ultimate man-centered state, the political and economic system that deifies humanity and demands worship. And here, at the peak of Israel's worldly glory, we are given that same number. This is God's commentary, written into the ledger. This is the glory of man. It is impressive, it is vast, but it carries within it the seed of rebellion. It is the kind of glory that tempts a man to forget where it came from. Solomon's annual income is stamped with a spiritual warning label, and it is a label he tragically ignored.
Impressive, But Not for Battle (vv. 16-22)
The description of Solomon's wealth continues, detailing how this gold was used.
"And King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold... and 300 shields of beaten gold... and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon... Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with refined gold... Now all King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold... None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon." (1 Kings 10:16-21)
Notice what is being made. Shields of beaten gold. These are not weapons of war. Gold is soft; a real soldier would laugh at such a thing. These are for parades. They are for display. They are symbols of wealth, intended to awe and intimidate foreign dignitaries. They are instruments of political theater, not warfare. This is a kingdom that is beginning to trust in the appearance of strength rather than in the Lord of Hosts. True strength is a gift from God; the pomp of strength is a human invention.
The throne is magnificent, unparalleled in any other kingdom. It is a picture of royal authority, with lions symbolizing the tribe of Judah. This is a type, a foreshadowing of the throne of the true Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ. But it is also a temptation. When your throne is this grand, you can begin to think the glory is inherent in the office, or in yourself, rather than in the God who established the throne.
The opulence is almost comical. Silver was so plentiful it was considered worthless. All the drinking cups were gold. This is the kind of prosperity that the world understands and applauds. It is tangible, measurable, and overwhelming. The ships of Tarshish bring back not just precious metals, but exotic novelties, apes and peacocks. This is a kingdom that has everything a materialist could ever want. But as we will see, a full treasury does not equal a faithful heart.
Wisdom and Its Dangerous Fruit (vv. 23-25)
The source of all this prosperity is identified, and here we find the central tension of the passage.
"So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart." (1 Kings 10:23-24)
Let us be clear. The wisdom was a gift from God. The riches were the fruit of that God-given wisdom. In the beginning, Solomon asked for wisdom, not wealth, and God gave him both. This is a demonstration of the principle that if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things will be added to you. The nations came to hear the wisdom God had put in Solomon's heart. This was a tremendous missionary opportunity. The world was coming to Jerusalem to see the blessing of Yahweh on His people and His king.
But look at the transaction. They came to hear wisdom, but they did not come empty-handed. "They brought every man his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules..." (v. 25). The spiritual reality, wisdom from God, was producing a massive material result. And the danger is that the material fruit begins to obscure the spiritual root. People are drawn by the reputation for wisdom, but what they see and what they leave behind is overwhelming wealth. It is a short step from "Come see what the Lord has done" to "Come see what I have built."
The Deuteronomy 17 Alarms (vv. 26-29)
If the 666 was a subtle warning, the end of this chapter is a blaring siren, an impossible-to-miss alarm bell of covenantal infidelity.
"And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen... Solomon’s import of horses was from Egypt... And a chariot was imported from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver, and a horse for 150..." (1 Kings 10:26, 28-29)
We must turn back to the law of the king in Deuteronomy 17. God gave three specific prohibitions for Israel's future kings. First, "he shall not acquire many horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire more horses." Second, "he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away." Third, "nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold."
In this one chapter, Solomon is gleefully and flagrantly violating two of these three commands, and the third is coming right around the corner. He has acquired "excessive silver and gold." That is the entire point of the preceding verses. And now, he multiplies horses and chariots, 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. And where does he get them? From Egypt. The very place God commanded them not to return to. Egypt is the symbol of slavery, of worldly power, of reliance on the flesh. To go back to Egypt for horses is to say, "The deliverance God gave us was nice, but for real security, we need the military technology of the world."
The Psalmist says, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7). Solomon is beginning to trust in the chariots. He has become an international arms dealer, brokering Egyptian military hardware to the Hittites and the Arameans. He is building his security on the foundation of worldly power, not on the rock of God's covenant faithfulness. The prosperity God gave him is now funding his disobedience.
Conclusion: A Greater Than Solomon
Solomon's kingdom, in all its 666 glory, is a beautiful and tragic picture. It is a type of the kingdom of Christ. Jesus is the true Son of David, the one "greater than Solomon" (Matthew 12:42). His wisdom is perfect, His riches are eternal, and His kingdom will have no end. The nations will come and bring their glory into His city, the New Jerusalem. All the glory of Solomon's reign was a dim shadow of the substance that is found in Christ.
But it is also a profound warning. The blessings of God are good, but they are not ultimate. Riches, power, and influence are tools to be used for God's glory, but they make terrible gods. Solomon's heart was led astray not by poverty and weakness, but by abundance and strength. He began to trust the gifts more than the Giver. He violated God's explicit commands about wealth and military power, and in the next chapter, we will see him violate the command about foreign wives, which leads to outright idolatry.
The temptation for the church today is the same. We are tempted to measure our success in worldly terms, by the size of our budgets, the splendor of our buildings, and our influence in the halls of power. We are tempted to go down to Egypt for our "horses and chariots," trusting in political strategies, marketing techniques, and cultural accommodation for our security and growth. But we must remember that our kingdom is not of this world. Our King wore a crown of thorns, and His throne was a cross. The glory of Solomon is the glory of man, and it fades. But the glory of Christ is the glory of God, and it is eternal. Let us not be seduced by the gilded treasures of this age, but rather seek the unsearchable riches of Christ, the true wisdom of God.