From the Office of the Right Worshipful Grand Lecturer
March 13, 2010
King Solomon the Wise King?
What do we know about King Solomon and why is he considered to be the wise king? We know that he was the son of David and that he was delivered to the throne of glory at the young age of 20 in 1015 B.C. However does ascending to such a lofty and distinguished title at such a young age make him wise? We know that it was his destiny to erect a tabernacle to God as he was charged by his father the great Kind David on his death bed. Solomon was given a task that could not be completed by his father before him and at the age of 24 set this grate plan in motion.
Solomon knowing that his people were not great architects but better warriors realized that he would need help and had the wisdom to call on the allies of his father. Thus Hiram, King of Tyre was persuaded to send his men the Tyrians and Sidonians to help in the construction of the temple because of their great architectural skill as they were the premiere builders of the time. We know that 70 thousand men were present to be the bearers of burdens, 80 thousand to quarry the stones in the mountains and 33 thousand to be the overseers of the work along with one great man to be the overall superintend of the building.
King Solomon began the erection of his vision of a house for God on Monday the second day of the Hebrew month Zif or the 21 st of April 1012 B.C. He advised in all the specifications of its construction, made every arrangement in the disposition and government of the workmen including their pay and the overall results. At the time of its completion the Temple was one the greatest achievements in history and a focal point for worship. King Solomon was able to use his knowledge of how things in the world worked and organize the people around him to create one of the great wonders of the world. King Solomon used his communication skills, his knowledge of how an organization should be ran, his ability to create structure amongst the different classes of men, and his ability to empower his subjects to make his vision of a great temple become a reality for the world to behold and be in amazement of all its glory.
This is why Kings from all over the world looked to Solomon for his knowledge on matters of science, religion and all things secular. It was for his actions during this seven year period of building the temple and the prosperous times of his people during his 40 year reign as king that history considers King Solomon to be the wise King .
P.M. Edward J.A. Moore
RW Grand Lecturer