Gifts and Enabling of Great Deeds

1 Kings 9:10-28
    10 Now it happened at the end of twenty years, when Solomon had built the two houses, the house of the LORD and the king's house 11 (Hiram the king of Tyre had supplied Solomon with cedar and cypress and gold, as much as he desired), that King Solomon then gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 Then Hiram went from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him, but they did not please him. 13 So he said, "What kind of cities are these which you have given me, my brother?" And he called them the land of Cabul, as they are to this day. 14 Then Hiram sent the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold.
    15 And this is the reason for the labor force which King Solomon raised: to build the house of the LORD, his own house, the Millo, the wall of Jerusalem, Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 (Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up and taken Gezer and burned it with fire, had killed the Canaanites who dwelt in the city, and had given it as a dowry to his daughter, Solomon's wife.) 17 And Solomon built Gezer, Lower Beth Horon, 18 Baalath, and Tadmor in the wilderness, in the land of Judah, 19 all the storage cities that Solomon had, cities for his chariots and cities for his cavalry, and whatever Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion.
    20 All the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the children of Israel— 21 that is, their descendants who were left in the land after them, whom the children of Israel had not been able to destroy completely—from these Solomon raised forced labor, as it is to this day. 22 But of the children of Israel Solomon made no forced laborers, because they were men of war and his servants: his officers, his captains, commanders of his chariots, and his cavalry.
    23 Others were chiefs of the officials who were over Solomon's work: five hundred and fifty, who ruled over the people who did the work.
    24 But Pharaoh's daughter came up from the City of David to her house which Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.
    25 Now three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built for the LORD, and he burned incense with them on the altar that was before the LORD. So he finished the temple.
    26 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 27 Then Hiram sent his servants with the fleet, seamen who knew the sea, to work with the servants of Solomon. 28 And they went to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from there, and brought it to King Solomon.

Solomon gave gifts and did great deeds as king.  He built the temple, then the king’s house, his own.  He gave twenty cities to the king of Tyre for the materials and assistance, even though he was not completely pleased with them.  Hiram still gave a gift of gold to Solomon as well.  Solomon had raised forever labor for the work from the remnants of those Israel was supposed to drive out or eliminate (not make treaties with or fail to follow through to destroy because of Israel’s sin and disobedience).  There were leaders set in place over the work and a fleet of ships built to trade in gold and other items.  Solomon also worshipped with sacrifices on the altar of the LORD with incense as well as prescribed as he finished the work of the temple for His glory and the people’s intercession.  We learn then that the work done for the Lord will never lack His supply; not in resources, not in wisdom, not in help, nor in any other thing as a willing heart of obedience is applied to do the work by God’s enabling.