9 Blessed be Yahweh thy Elohim, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because Yahweh loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

EXTRACTS FROM UNINSPIRED CHRONICLES,

Which might have been written at the time,

with reference to the events narrated in 1 Kings 10., Jer. 36., and Luke 3.

1.—The Queen of Sheba's Visit

Jerusalem, B.C. 992.

The visit of the Queen of Sheba has caused quite a sensation in our midst. We have had visits from Royal personages before, but none of them have been under such interesting and auspicious circumstances. Instead of coming to contend for the triumphs of war, she came to witness the victories of peace. She had heard reports in her own dominion of the magnificence of our reigning Sovereign, and his marvellous wisdom.

Unlike the generality of contemporary sovereigns, she manifested both humility and frankness. Her questions were most numerous and difficult, but they were all readily answered by our wise king. And he freely exhibited to her all the wonders of his palace, with its numerous retinue of servants.

With all that she saw and heard she was highly delighted. Indeed, she was quite overpowered with astonishment; for she confessed that the report brought to her, and of which she had been incredulous, so far from being exaggerated, as is frequently the case, was far below the mark. And, although outside our nation, and, therefore, ignorant of the God of our fathers, she could not refrain from blessing Yahweh, our strength, for loving Israel and raising up Solomon to be our king.

To show that these were not empty words, she supplemented them with valuable presents, comprising one hundred and twenty talents of gold, and an abundance of costly spices and precious stones. These royal benefactions were reciprocated by our anointed king, who gave to his queenly visitor out of his revenues, in addition to whatever she asked for.

Now that the visit is over, and before the excitement pertaining to it has passed away, it is well that our people should indulge in a few reflections concerning it. Until the ascension of our present king, our nation has been in almost a constant state of commotion, either by internal broils or by external belligerents.

Amid such a ruffled state of things as this, peace and prosperity were impossible, and complimentary visits from foreign sovereigns impracticable. And even if they had come, we had nothing to exhibit which would have been any attraction to them. But Yahweh having given us peace from all our enemies, has raised us up a king whom He has endowed with riches and wisdom.

Considering the ingratitude which our fathers manifested in rejecting that Godfearing judge, Samuel, and calling for a king, this is far better treatment than we deserve. And now, to show the exalted position to which He can raise us as a nation, He has caused a Gentile Queen to come and render obeisance to our king.

These events should be a warning and an encouragement. We have, through our transgressions, been frequently punished; and now, as a manifestation of divine favour for the way in which the name of the Lord has been recently honoured by Kings David and Solomon, he has blessed us socially and politically. It is only by continuing to honour Yahweh that we can hope to retain these material blessings. Let us, therefore, both individually and collectively manifest that righteousness which exalteth a nation.

We may be quite sure that such a course will enable us to realise the promise made by Yahweh, through our prophet Moses, that He would, if we were obedient to Him, make us a peculiar treasure unto Him above all people, and transform us into a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. On our king, there devolves a very heavy responsibility. His influence for good or for ill is illimitable. A great deal depends upon the course of conduct he may pursue.

If he set a good example, the moral tone of the whole nation may be considerably elevated. But if he neglect the statutes and ordinances of Yahweh, laxity will be certain to prevail more or less among all circles of society. And this will be a prelude to our national downfall.

Through the favour of the God of Abraham, our king has been blessed with both riches and wisdom. Let him not be puffed up with these superior advantages; he should remember that they place him in a more responsible position, and are intended to be used for the glory of God, not for the gratification of the flesh. If he duly recognise this and act upon it, then he will be loved by all those who love Yahweh; for

"when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice."

The Christadelphian, Jan 1875

18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.

"Throne is used for that magnificent seat whereon sovereign princes usually sit to receive the homage of their subjects, or to give audience to ambassadors; where they appear with pomp and ceremony, and from whence they dispense justice."

The Scripture describes the throne of Solomon as the finest and richest throne in the world. Thus it is written in 1 Kings 10:18;

"Solomon made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold. The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind, and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom."

This description shows that "throne" is a word representative of something occupying less space than "from Dan to Beersheba." It is true that "throne" is also put for sovereign power and dignity, it being the symbol of royalty and regal authority—"Only on the throne," said Pharaoh to Joseph, "will I be greater than thou."

It is not pretended that Jesus is to sit upon the identical piece of palace furniture made by David's cabinet maker, or Solomon's goldsmith.

Dr. Shepard is accustomed to amuse himself and his audience in this city with ill-timed levity about "David's wooden throne" as if we were such fools as to suppose that a wooden throne, once sat on by David, was the precise article to be restored for Jesus to sit upon!

No; θρόοζ, thrones. from θραω, thrao, to sit, signifies an elevated seat with a footstool; and the city that contains such a seat occupied by a king, is also styled in Scripture a throne—the container being put for the contained. Hence, as Zion and Jerusalem were the dwelling-place and seat of David and his dominion when he ruled the Twelve Tribes as king for Yahweh, they are styled "the throne of Yahweh," and "the throne of David"—Jer. 3:16.

To restore the throne of David, therefore, is to set up a royalty in the Holy Land with the regal authority located in Jerusalem. But this is not all. To constitute the throne of the monarchy, David's throne, the twelve tribes of Israel must be planted in the land, and the person occupying the throne must be a Son of David.

A royalty in the Holy Land with British or French for the subjects, and a Gentile reigning over them on Mount Zion would not be David's throne, though the regal authority were seated in Jerusalem. It is the regal authority in David's house, executing judgment and justice in the Holy Land from Jerusalem, as its palatial residence, that is David's throne—the regal authority enthroned, or seated there, and exercised by himself or a descendant.

We look for the reëstablishment of such a throne as this in Jerusalem, when we speak of the restoration of David's throne; without regard to the cabinet or upholstery work of the material seat, be it of wood, ivory, or gold. The Messiah, as his father Solomon, will exercise his own wisdom and taste in the matter; it is enough for us to believe the testimony, which Dr. Shepard seeks to render null and void by a pulpit joke about old wooden thrones! But, there is no place like the pulpit for dry wit and foolish jesting.

Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, Jan 1856

21 And all king Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; none were of silver: it was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon.

Gold was abundant in the days of Solomon.

We are also informed of the source of the supply of the precious metal (1 Chron. 18:11; 1 Kings 9:28; 10:14).

Concerning the days of Christ, the antitypical Solomon, it is written,

"For brass I will bring gold, and for iron silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron" (Isa. 60:17).

The day for this age of splendour in all things, as well as righteousness, is at the door: and there are many providential preparations visible in the field of human action. For fifty years there has been an enormous increase in the output of gold. New auriferous regions have been found—in California, in Australia, in Africa, in Russia, and now in Canada: and these have been worked with great industry.

The quantities of the precious metal got out of the mines have been, and are, year by year enormous. Where does it all go? Not much into circulation or into industry. It is bought up as fast as it comes into the market, by the various European governments, who imitate the example of the first Frederick William of Prussia and pile barrels of the precious metal in vaults under banks and palaces, as a war-fund against contingencies.

The gold of the world is all piled away in rat holes, as it were, because of the mutual fears and jealousies of mankind. This is one source of the abundant supply that is to characterise the coming age. When the Lord has overthrown all the governments, he will lay his hand on those useless hoards and bring them out to the light of day, and transform them from the mere solace of kings' fear into a sparkling joy for the whole earth.

TC 04/1898