Chapter 9
When Solomon has finished building all that he intends to build, God appears to him a second time, presumably in a dream as the first time.
3 And the LORD said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. [1Ki 9:3 ESV]
As it said in Chronicles yesterday. For all time. We should still be able to pray toward this Temple, and at the wailing wall. I believe this says God is especially attentive to prayers offered there. Jonah 2:4!
But then there is this...
6 But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. [1Ki 9:6-7 ESV]
So could have changed. Given that all Israel ultimately went into captivity, it is a good argument that God cast the Temple from His sight...though Nehemiah rebuilds it. It is hard to know for sure...
So this first part of the chapter is a conditional promise from God saying what He will do if Solomon and Israel are faithful, and what the other side of that coin will be. Both sides are promises from God.
2021 - Perhaps this is why Ezekiel's temple is required at the end? Nehemiah "rebuilt" the Temple, but he didn't start from scratch. Did Herod start with nothing? Was the temple is such sad shape that it was basically razed to the ground and restarted, and was therefore no part or parcel of the 1st Temple? And then Herod's temple was also razed to the ground. So, as God says in these verses, he cast that house out of his sight. He won't occupy another house until Ezekiel's Temple? But who will build that one? And where will it be?
2022 - As this reads in ESV, the sins of the king also could cause the fall of the whole nation. See vs 7 above. There was no requirement that Israel be like the days of Noah. It didn't have to be that bad. We have verses that talk about how bad it did get, under wicked kings.
Solomon gives Hiram of Tyre 20 cities in Galilee. Hiram is not impressed. This area was called the land of Cabul as a result. Cabul means "binding", or maybe "sterile". So it could be that they were extremely difficult for Hiram to defend, or they are poor and must be supported from Hiram's treasury to remain viable. They are in Galilee, but I don't think we have any more precise information. The MSB note says that these were probably on the border between Tyre and Israel, just outside the territory of Asher, in exchange for the gold mentioned vs 14. This was 120 talents. This may be different from the 450 talents mentioned in 2Ch 8. Hmm...In NASB, 1Kgs 9 calls it 420 talents here, not just 120. MSB note says the 420/450 is likely a scribal error, but it does not address the translation in ESV. What does seem clear is that both speak to the same exchange. Hiram bought those cities, Solomon didn't donate them to him. They had arranged payment for the cedars and expertise of Hiram's kingdom earlier.
And just one last complication...120 talents are mentioned in vs 14, then in vs 28, 420 talents are brought from Ophir. So I change my mind. The 120 talents in vs 14 are completely separate from the 420 in vs 28.. The 20 cities were bought for 120 talents. In teaching his nation to participate in ocean going trade, Solomon's men were taught by Hiram's men to build ships, to sail, and their expedition brought home a LOT of gold from Ophir. What did they trade for the gold? How did they get so much gold?