How does Solomon's prosperity compare to God's promises in Deuteronomy 17:16? Context of Deuteronomy 17:16 - “But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to obtain more horses, for the LORD has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again.’” (Deuteronomy 17:16) Snapshot of Solomon’s Prosperity - “Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.” (1 Kings 4:26) - “Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he stationed in the chariot cities and with him in Jerusalem.” (1 Kings 10:26) - “Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue; the royal merchants purchased them from Kue.” (1 Kings 10:28) - Price tag noted in 1 Kings 10:29: a chariot for six hundred shekels of silver, a horse for one hundred fifty. - Parallel summary: 2 Chronicles 1:14-17; 9:25-28 confirm identical figures and Egyptian source. Point-by-Point Comparison - Command: do not multiply horses. Solomon: multiplied horses on a massive scale. - Command: do not return to Egypt to get horses. Solomon: imported horses directly from Egypt, defying the explicit restriction. - Command implied reliance on the LORD rather than military strength (cf. Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31). Solomon’s actions shifted visible trust toward amassed resources. Theological Takeaways - Scripture’s warning stood clear centuries before Solomon; his prosperity shows outward blessing yet inward drift when the command is ignored. - Accumulating horses and Egyptian alliances foreshadowed later compromises—wives, idolatry, and ultimately the divided kingdom (1 Kings 11:1-11). - God’s word in Deuteronomy proved accurate and literal; deviation carried inevitable consequences, underscoring the enduring call to obey even amid abundance. |
    |