1 Kings 5 is about the contract that Solomon makes with the King of Tyre to secure lumber and labor in building the Temple. A few things jump out here.

1. Solomons intrest in building the temple seems to come from a genuine desire to worship God. At this point in his life, Solomon is seeking the Lord.

2. The negotiations with the King of Tyre proves that Solomon’s wisdom extends into the area of political influence as well.

3. Solomon divides up his workforce to be able to work in Tyre one month and tend their own fields 2 months. This is an amazing strategy that allows Solomons workers to take care of their own, while still providing the neccesary labor for the temple.

This strategy was so effective that centuries later the Christian King Alfred the Great would borrow on this tactic when trying to raise a standing army to fend off the Vikings. Thus allowing his men to care for their families, while maintaining a standing army prepared to fight at a moments notice. Though Solomons plan was practiced surfing an erra of peace, the solid principles worked dieting Alfred’s time to keep Britan free from Viking rule.

Application: Solomon is seeking to build the Temple fir the right reasons. Often we can get caught up in the disractions and fail to truly worship God. We become consumed with showing up at church or saying and doing the right things that we can forget why we are gathered together.