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How Solomon Missed His Chance
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commercial advantages of an outlet at the head of the Red Sea by
constructing “a fleet of ships ... on the shore of the Red Sea, in the
land of Edom.” “The servants of Solomon” manned these vessels
on voyages “to Ophir, and acquired ... gold from there” and “great
quantities of almug wood and precious stones.”
1 Kings 9:26-28
;
10:11
.
This greatly increased the kingdom’s wealth, but at what a cost!
Through the greed of those whom God had entrusted with His Word,
the countless multitudes who crowded the highways of travel were
allowed to remain ignorant of Jehovah.
Christ and Solomon Contrasted
In striking contrast to Solomon, the Savior possessed “all power”
but never used this power to exalt Himself. No dream of worldly
greatness marred the perfection of His service for others. Those who
enter the service of the Master Worker should study His methods.
He took opportunities to meet people along the great highways of
travel.
In His journeys here and there, Jesus lived at Capernaum. Lo-
cated on the highway from Damascus to Jerusalem and Egypt and to
the Mediterranean Sea, it was well suited to be the center of the Sav-
ior’s work. People from many lands passed through the city. There
Jesus met people of all nations and all ranks, and they carried His
lessons to other countries. This awakened interest in the prophecies
pointing to the Messiah and brought His mission before the world.
In our day, such opportunities are much greater than in the days
of Israel. The routes of travel have multiplied a thousandfold. Like
Christ, messengers of the Most High should take their position in
these great routes, where they can meet the passing multitudes from
all parts of the world. Hiding self in God, they are to present before
others the precious truths of Holy Scripture that will take root and
spring up into life eternal.
Solemn are the lessons of Israel’s failure, when ruler and people
turned from the high destiny God had called them to fulfill. In the
ways that they were weak, today’s representatives of heaven must
be strong, for on them falls the task of finishing the work committed
to God’s people and of ushering in the day of final rewards. Yet the