2 Chronicles 9:17

d. Regarding that gold-plated, idolatrous throne:

"Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold. And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold, which were fastened to the throne, and stays on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing 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. 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: silver was nothing accounted of in the days of Solomon. For the king had ships that went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years came the ships of Tarshish, bringing gold, and silver, and ivory, and apes, and peacocks."

In addition to all of the wealth brought to Solomon by his commercial ventures, "the governors of the country" (the provincial authorities in Israel, 2 Chronicles 8:14) were also subject to oppressive taxation, to such an extent that the northern tribes demanded an easement of the burden when Solomon's son succeeded him. And what did Solomon do with all that wealth? He blew all of it in ostentatious decorations of his personal effects, "a footstool of gold"! What earthly benefit was there in a thing like that? It ministered to only one thing, Solomon's colossal, conceited pride!

One thing is absolutely a mystery to this writer. How could any scholar ever have written a paragraph like the following?

These verses are closely paralleled in 1 Kings 10, the source upon which the writer relied. There was no reason to deviate from the source for it fitted quite well into his scheme for the glorification of King Solomon![1]

Contrary to this allegation, which is frequently parroted by critical scholars, a more eloquent or convincing condemnation of Solomon's sinful conceit and violation of God's Word, than that which we find right here, could not possibly have been written.