Solomon had 4,000 stalls for his chariot horses, and he had 12,000 horses.
In the ancient world, horses were a pretty big deal. An army with horses was far more powerful than an army without horses. Horses could pull chariots, and back then chariots were the most destructive thing an army could have. It was like having tanks and fighter jets today.
And that is exactly why God told Israel not to have horses and chariots. Before Israel ever had a king, God told them that their kings must not have an army of horses:
Deuteronomy 17:16. [God said], “The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses.”
God wanted his people to know that their military power came from God alone, not the horses and chariots they owned. God had rescued his people from the Pharaoh of Egypt and all his horses when he drowned them in the Red Sea. God won battle after battle in the book of Judges without horses. God helped King David conquer all his enemies without horses.
And then what did Solomon do? He bought horses. Lots and lots of horses. And he bought them from Egypt, which is exactly what God said NOT to do. And he bought lots of chariots too. Of course next he had to build stables to hold all his horses and chariots. Archeologists (do you know what an archeologist is?) have found huge stables in Israel that are almost as old as the time of Solomon. This proves that not only King Solomon, but the kings after him kept huge numbers of horses and chariots. King Solomon had a massive chariot army and he made lots of money buying and selling horses to other kingdoms. This may sound really smart, but it was actually disobedience against God and a lack of faith in God’s protection.
In the end, Israel’s horses and chariots could not save them. Eventually all of Israel would be conquered by other bigger and more powerful nations. But not because they didn’t have enough horses, but because they relied on their horses more than on their God.
Yesterday we said that Jesus came to Earth as a great warrior, but Jesus didn’t lead an army. He didn’t own a horse and he never rode in a chariot. Jesus was not a powerful warrior as the world would see it; he was a powerful warrior in the unseen world. He conquered sin and death for us when he allowed himself to lose the battle on the cross. Jesus let himself be defeated so that he could win. He let himself die so that he could come back to life. He let himself be counted as sinful so that he could defeat sin with his perfection.
The Bible says that one day Jesus will return (his second advent), and when he does he will be riding on a white horse. Just one horse. Why? Because Jesus won’t need an army of horses, he is powerful enough to take over the world all by himself. And when he does take over, everything bad will become good, and everything sad will become joyful.
Questions: Solomon relied on his horses. What do you rely on to feel safe, strong, important? Is it God and Jesus or something else? How can you rely on Jesus today to feel safe and secure?
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