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If you or anyone would like a good focus/viewpoint on what Biblical Prosperity should look like, one of the best resources around (IMHO) would be seen here in the ministry known as "Generous Giving."King Solomon by anyone's estimation was the richest man ever to live. .
On the wealth of Solomon..
1 Kings 10
Solomon's Splendor
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, [d] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas [e] of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas [f] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships [g] at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a giftarticles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
According to the NIV Bible in 1 Kings 10:13-15 and 2 Chronicles 9:12-14, King Solomon received 666 talents (t) of gold per year as salary. He also received other money from various merchants, traders and surrounding governments. Solomon's Splendor
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, [d] 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land.
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; six hundred bekas [e] of gold went into each shield. 17 He also made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three minas [f] of gold in each shield. The king put them in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.
18 Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. 20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom. 21 All King Solomon's goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon's days. 22 The king had a fleet of trading ships [g] at sea along with the ships of Hiram. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.
23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. 24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. 25 Year after year, everyone who came brought a giftarticles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
If we just look at his annual salary, one talent of gold is approximately equal to 34.5 kg. One kilogram converts to 1109 troy ounces (ozt). At market prices from 2yrs ago (August 2009), one troy ounce of gold traded for about $960 U.S. Dollars (USD). Multiplying $960 x 1109ozt x 666t = 709,050,024 or roughly 709 million dollars per year.
One must keep in mind that this was only his annual salary, not including any 'bonuses' or investments. As King Solomon ruled for 40 years, that'd be lile 40 billion during his lifetime...and if you take into account all the extra income he surely would have received, I'd guess his net worth to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 billion.
Putting it into perspective, Bill Gates is currently the richest man in the world with a net worth of maybe 40 billion. Of course its the case that Solomon stewarded the nation in having others under Him to handle certain affairs, as well as others set up to provide for him (as seen in 1 Kings 4:22 )---but it was all done regardless in the name of the Lord...AND in the name of the King. He was indeed loaded.
I still crack up at some of the things the man seemed to have money for. As I recently read 1 Kings 10:22 and was amazed.
For the kings ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. (2 Chronicles 9:21 KJV)
Though I was confused on why a king like Solomon needed apes/baboons for display--unless he was a "Jane Goodall" type of person---I could definately dig how he loved to collect peacocks. Institute of Creation had some interesting things to say on the issue...as said here, in brief excerpt:
"For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks" (II Chronicles 9:21).
This is a fascinating verse intended to help the reader sense something of the almost incredible wealth of King Solomon
Among other indications of his riches, he had been able to develop an Israelite navy that could sail to distant lands, returning with exotic and valuable cargoes. One wonders whether some of the items of gold and silver and ivory, and perhaps even the peacocks, would be diverted to please his 700 wives and 300 concubines.
But what about the apes? This is the only reference in the Bible to apes (except for a parallel passage in I Kings 10:22), and scholars are uncertain whether the "apes" were true apes, or perhaps monkeys or baboons. But why would Solomon go to such expense to import apes instead of more useful animals (he had a great number of fine horses, for example)? Did he maintain a zoo? He imported ivory, so why not elephants?
Could it possibly be that the king, or some of his own scholars, were interested in studying possible ape-human relationships? We don't have any evidence of such investigations or speculations, of course, but the Bible does indicate the wide-ranging extent of Solomon's scientific and religious interests. He studied, perhaps wrote, and "spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes" (I Kings 4:33). And with so many wives, and concubines practicing numerous pantheistic religions, he must have heard of such evolutionary beliefs in other lands.
In any case, among his last words were the following: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. . . " (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Hoping I'd be able to own one someday and be able to have a family who could handle it. It may sound wild/odd to some....but I do have a bit of a thing for them. They are very beautiful animals and its wild to see them in action. As it turns out, they're now becoming something of a surprise to others wondering where they are at... especially in light of what has happened with others now buying/raising them as much as chickens. Some cute examples:
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