The trade and forced labor

 1 Kings 9:10-28

At the end of twenty years, during which Solomon built these two buildings—the temple of the Lord and the royal palace— King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had supplied him with all the cedar and juniper and gold he wanted.

Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the Lord’s temple, his own palace, the terraces,[f] the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer.

There were still people left from the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (these peoples were not Israelites).  Solomon conscripted the descendants of all these peoples remaining in the land—whom the Israelites could not exterminate]—to serve as slave labor, as it is to this day.

Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built for the Lord, burning incense before the Lord along with them, and so fulfilled the temple obligations.

For all his wealth, Solomon has his balance of trade problems. On this occasion, he makes 20 cities over to Hiram of Tyre as security against a loan.

The vase labor force needed for new building and defense works is raised from two sources. Native Canaanites provide permanent slave-labor. And the Israelites are pressed into short-term forced labor.

Solomon is the first of Israel's kings to create a merchant navy. His ships traded with Arabia and beyond.

Why?

There is no commend and no criticism, The writer described the real situation of Solomon's actions in his country.

The force labor strategy makes this country divided into two, Israel and Judea.

Solomon's political marriage with Egypt makes his country turn away from the Lord and closer to idol worship.

For Solomon has wealth and strong force makes him proud and forgot the Lord, to be a leader is the sample to all his people.

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所羅門記載他的經濟、建設等工作，在信仰上沒有任何工作在進行與教導，一直到亡國以後才開始教導律法。發展經濟固然重要，但是愈來愈世俗化，經濟繁榮是神的祝福，但是不注意卻容易成為世俗化的原因。教人得生命最重要，否則容易迷失在繁華中，失去祝福！

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How?

To be a father, a minister in a church,, a general manager in a company should be a sample model of the Lord to honor his Holy Name! Do my best to honor God's name.