Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Chronicles 8-10.

Every time I have read this passage, and a few others about King Solomon’s building projects I have missed the significance of what he did.  In the past I always saw these building projects as being “vanity” projects (buildings designed solely for the purpose of illustrating how wealthy its builder was) and defensive fortifications.  While some of his building were just that, most of them were improvements the economic vitality of Israel.  Solomon dedicated his reign to improving the economic strength of Israel.  Here is perhaps the greatest thing which he did, he partnered with the Phoenicians in trade.  He did not compete with them, nor did he just trade with them.  Instead, he set up partnerships and sent out trade expeditions in partnership with the Phoenicians.  The evidence we have indicates that the Philistines had been sea traders who competed with the Phoenicians.  The Persians acquired resources and traded them with the Phoenicians (and with the nations of India to the East), but Solomon partnered with the Phoenicians to set up new trade networks based on the land his father David had conquered.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.