2 Chronicles Chapter 9

2 Chronicles 9 — Glory That Draws, Glory That Warns

Reading the last chapter of Solomon’s reign in Chronicles feels like standing on a bright ridge at sunset: golden light everywhere, yet the long shadows are already stretching. We have watched wisdom become order, order become wealth, and wealth attract the nations. Today the nations arrive at the door.

1. The Seeker from the South The chapter opens with a pilgrim: the Queen of Sheba. Most identify Sheba with the Sabaean kingdom in modern Yemen. Archaeology speaks of incense caravans, the great Marib Dam, and trade routes running north through Arabia toward Gaza. Frankincense and myrrh—luxuries that perfumed temples and palaces—were Sheba’s currency. She comes “to test Solomon with hard questions.” The Hebrew word is hidot—riddles, the sort that probe the heart and the order of the world (compare Judges 14:12; Proverbs 1:6). Note her costly devotion: a long desert journey with camels, gifts, and retinue. Wisdom is worth a pilgrimage.

Chronicles tells us Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from him. But what convinces the queen is not simply his mind; it is the total pattern of life: the house he built, the food at his table, the organization of his officials, the clothing of his servants, the ascent by which he went up to the house of the LORD. This is wisdom embodied—ordered worship shaping ordered work. As we observed earlier this week, when worship is central, wisdom takes on a visible form that blesses others.

2. A Gentile Doxology The queen’s response is striking for a Gentile ruler: “Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on his throne as king to rule for the LORD your God” (2 Chronicles 9:8, New International Version). Two treasures here:

• She calls Solomon’s throne “the LORD’s.” This is a Chronicler theme (see 1 Chronicles 29:23). The Davidic king is a vice-regent. This points forward to Christ, the Son of David, who is not merely on God’s throne by delegation but is enthroned with the Father.
• She praises the LORD for Solomon’s justice. Wisdom is never mere brilliance; it is covenant faithfulness expressed as righteousness and mercy for God’s people (Psalm 72).

Jesus will later recall her as “the Queen of the South” who traveled far to hear Solomon, and then say, “something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42, New International Version). The queen becomes an early sign of the nations streaming to the light (Isaiah 60), fulfilled in Christ and anticipated in the Magi, and ultimately in the kings who bring their glory into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24–26).

3. Wealth on Display—and on Trial Chronicles then lingers on glory: gold shields, the ivory-and-gold throne with twelve lions, drinking vessels of gold, rare wood (algum/almug, perhaps sandalwood), apes and peacocks (tukkiyyim, possibly a loanword from South Asian trade). “Tarshish ships” likely denotes great sea-going vessels; the network through Ezion-Geber on the Red Sea (near modern Eilat/Aqaba) connected Israel to the Indian Ocean world. The presence of peacocks and sandalwood hints at long-distance trade reaching as far as India.

A figure stands out: 666 talents of gold yearly. Don’t import Revelation’s number back into the text; here it is an economic tally. Yet the weight of gold presses a question from Deuteronomy 17: the king must not multiply horses, wives, or gold. Chronicles, unlike Kings, does not narrate Solomon’s apostasy, yet it leaves breadcrumbs: chariots and horses imported from Egypt (2 Chronicles 9:25–28), silver treated as common, gold piled high. The wise reader hears the caution under the cymbals: glory can become snare. As we said two days ago, abundance is both gift and test.

4. Literary Notes for the Attentive

• “Happy are your men” (2 Chronicles 9:7). The Hebrew is ’ashrei—beatitude language (compare Psalm 1:1). Those near wise, just rule flourish.
• “Hard questions” (hidot) marks Solomon as a sage-king in the wisdom tradition. He is not only clever; he can decode the world’s riddles because the fear of the LORD orders his sight (Proverbs 9:10).
• The throne “of the LORD” captures the theocratic ideal; the king reigns for God, under God, as a signpost to Messiah.

5. The End of a Golden Day The chapter ends with the formula of closure: Solomon sleeps with his fathers; Rehoboam reigns. We know what comes next: the kingdom divides, gold shields become bronze under Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:9–10). The effect is deliberate. The Chronicler lifts our eyes to a high noon of splendor, then lets the sun drop. We are meant to hunger for a better King, whose wisdom is pure, whose justice is never for sale, whose wealth is the riches of grace, and whose throne is forever.

6. For the Church Today

• Welcome the seeker. The queen traveled far with hard questions and costly gifts. Do our homes, tables, and worship invite the honest questions of the nations? Are we ready to answer with both truth and beauty—ordered lives that make wisdom visible?
• Practice doxology in the marketplace. The queen praised God when she saw just administration, well-clothed servants, and reverent worship. Let your work be liturgy: fair pay, thoughtful craft, kindness, and integrity.
• Hold glory with open hands. Count blessings—and test them. Ask: does this gift draw me deeper into the fear of the Lord and service of neighbor, or is it slowly mastering me? The Deuteronomic warnings still guard the people of God.
• Fix your eyes on the greater Solomon. Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), the true temple, the one before whom kings lay crowns. He is not the best of human kings; he is the King human kings could only foretell.

Suggested cross-references: - Psalm 72; Isaiah 60; 1 Kings 10; Deuteronomy 17:14–20; Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31; Revelation 21:24–26; 1 Chronicles 29:23; 2 Chronicles 12:9–10.

A word on history and archaeology: - Sheba/Saba: inscriptions attest a wealthy incense culture in South Arabia with far-reaching trade. - Ezion-Geber: a strategic Red Sea port for Solomon’s fleet, linking to the wider Indian Ocean economy. - Tukkiyyim (peacocks) and algum wood likely signal trade toward the Indian subcontinent.

Hymn suggestion: - “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” (Psalm 72 in song). Sing it as a prayer that the nations would yet stream to Christ’s wisdom and justice.

Prayer King Jesus, greater than Solomon, teach us to seek wisdom at Your feet. Make our worship beautiful and our work just, that those who come with hard questions may meet Your truth among us. Guard our hearts from the glitter that blinds, and give us joy in generosity, holiness, and praise. Draw the nations to Your light, and rule our lives from Your everlasting throne. Amen.

Narrated version of this devotional on 2 Chronicles Chapter 9