1 Kings - Chapter 9

1 Kings 9.0 That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else. 1 Kings 9.1 Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. 1 Kings 9.2 And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD. 1 Kings 9.3 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, two and twenty thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the children of Israel dedicated the house of the LORD. 1 Kings 9.4 The same day did the king hallow the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings: because the brasen altar that was before the LORD was too little to receive the burnt offerings, and meat offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings. 1 Kings 9.5 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days. 1 Kings 9.6 On the eighth day he sent the people away: and they blessed the king, and went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had done for David his servant, and for Israel his people. 1 Kings 9.1 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all Solomon’s desire which he was pleased to do, 1 Kings 9.2 That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon. 1 Kings 9.3 And the LORD said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 1 Kings 9.4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 1 Kings 9.5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 1 Kings 9.6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 1 Kings 9.7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 1 Kings 9.8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? 1 Kings 9.9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil. 1 Kings 9.10 And it came to pass at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, 1 Kings 9.11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 1 Kings 9.12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. 1 Kings 9.13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day. 1 Kings 9.14 And Hiram sent to the king sixscore talents of gold. 1 Kings 9.15 And this is the reason of the levy which king Solomon raised; for to build the house of the LORD, and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. 1 Kings 9.16 For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a present unto his daughter, Solomon’s wife. 1 Kings 9.17 And Solomon built Gezer, and Bethhoron the nether, 1 Kings 9.18 And Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land, 1 Kings 9.19 And all the cities of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 1 Kings 9.20 And all the people that were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which were not of the children of Israel, 1 Kings 9.21 Their children that were left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel also were not able utterly to destroy, upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bondservice unto this day. 1 Kings 9.22 But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen: but they were men of war, and his servants, and his princes, and his captains, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen. 1 Kings 9.23 These were the chief of the officers that were over Solomon’s work, five hundred and fifty, which bare rule over the people that wrought in the work. 1 Kings 9.24 But Pharaoh’s daughter came up out of the city of David unto her house which Solomon had built for her: then did he build Millo. 1 Kings 9.25 And three times in a year did Solomon offer burnt offerings and peace offerings upon the altar which he built unto the LORD, and he burnt incense upon the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the house. 1 Kings 9.26 And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom. 1 Kings 9.27 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 1 Kings 9.28 And they came to Ophir, and fetched from thence gold, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to king Solomon.

1 Kings : Chapter 9

God's Revelation in 1 Kings Chapter 9

1 Kings chapter 9 presents God's response to the dedication of the Temple, a significant moment in Israel's history. What promises and warnings does God offer? This text illustrates God's second appearance to Solomon, reaffirming the established covenant and warning against the people's unfaithfulness. In addition, the chapter describes Solomon's other building projects and business dealings, highlighting the balance between blessing and responsibility.

Five Enlightening Bible Passages

To better understand the principles of obedience and the consequences discussed in this revelatory chapter, consider five complementary biblical passages:

1. 2 Chronicles 7:12-14

"The Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said, 'I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. If I shut up the heavens so that it will not rain, or send locusts to devour the earth, or send plagues on my people, if my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.'"

This passage complements and expands God's response to Solomon, revealing the importance of humility and prayer.

2. Jeremiah 7:4-7

"Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, 'This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord!' If you truly repent of your ways and your deeds, and treat one another fairly, and do not oppress the foreigner, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and do not follow other gods to your own destruction, then I will make them dwell in this place, in the land I gave to their ancestors from of old and forever."

Jeremiah warns against false reliance on the temple, echoing God's warnings to Solomon.

3. Matthew 21:12-13

"Jesus entered the temple and expelled all those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the chairs of those who sold doves, and said to them, 'It is written: "My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."

Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:7, emphasizing the sacred purpose of the temple, in harmony with the teachings of 1 Kings 9.

4. Acts 7:46-50

"He found favor with God and asked to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him a house. But the Most High does not dwell in houses built by men. As the prophet says: 'Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me?' says the Lord, 'or where is my resting place? Have not my own hands made all these things?'"

This passage reminds us that God transcends physical places, a central theme in 1 Kings 9.

5. Hebrews 3:3-6

"Jesus was considered worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all the house of God, testifying of what would be said in the future. Christ, however, is faithful as the Son over the house of God; and we are that house if we hold fast to the confidence and hope in which we boast."

The author of Hebrews draws a comparison between Jesus, Moses, and Solomon, emphasizing their role as builders of the "house of God," both physical and spiritual.

In As we meditate on these passages, we are called to reflect on our own commitment to God and how we honor His presence in our lives.