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Wealth, Wisdom And Weakness Of King Solomon

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The Wealth, Power, Wisdom and Weakness of Solomon
Throughout history there have been many different types of leaders. There have been kings, emperors, pharaohs, presidents, dictators, and tyrants who have led many countries and nations. Rulers can be beneficial, malevolent, kind, brutal, or completely ineffective. King Solomon was a very rich, wise, and famous king of ancient Israel. He was the son of King David and Bathsheba. Bathsheba wanted her son to rule, so David had Solomon anointed king before he died. David’s older son, Adonijah, wanted his father’s kingdom and threatened Solomon’s throne. So Solomon sent a messenger to kill Adonijah and his allies, thus securing his throne. Solomon overcame the last potential threats to his kingdom by killing his brother and his brother’s allies. King Solomon then secured his throne by appointing his friends to high positions of power. The author of the book of Kings, in the Bible, is unknown, or anonymous. It is likely that during Solomon’s reign Israeli history started being written down. It is also likely that a Hebrew wrote the book of Kings due to a bias in favor of Solomon. Hebrews had a very positive view of Solomon because he built “The First Temple” which housed the Arc of the Covenant, a vital relic to the Hebrew people said to contain the Ten Commandments. It took him seven and a half years to build this Temple to honor their one, true God. King Solomon’s reign is thought to be circa 965 B.C. to about 927 B.C. As the son of David and chosen heir to the throne, Solomon was made King towards the end of his father’s reign, while David was still alive. Solomon inherited a very large kingdom from his father.
Solomon accumulated enormous wealth. He controlled the entire region west of the Euphrates and had peace on his borders…He had a large share in the trade between northern and southern countries. He established Israelite colonies around his province to look after military, administrative and commercial matters (Jewish).
Solomon was extraordinarily wise in how he set up his kingdom. He made sure to establish peace with the surrounding countries so that he could trade with them and gain more profit. He divided his kingdom wisely so that he could rule

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