(26) And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. (27) And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. (28) Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
We may (still carrying on the idea of Solomon's splendour) have a conception of the greatness of his equipage by the number of his horses. But how much more interesting is the view of Jesus' glory, of whom the sacred writer tells us, the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels, and the Lord is among them as in the holy place of Sinai. Psalms 68:18. If it were not for swelling this commentary to too great a bulk, I should beg the Reader to indulge me with the throwing in a few thoughts on what Jesus saith to his church, in that sweet song Solomon wrote under inspiration, in allusion to this very subject of the horses of those days. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots. Song of Solomon 1:9. Believers, in the eye of Jesus, are chosen, select, beautifully singled out as a chosen generation and a royal priesthood, by redeeming grace, as the choicest horses are marked for the royal chariots. Moreover, they are purchased at an high price; for believers are bought with no less a price than the blood of Christ. Horses also are costly. We read of a single one of Solomon's valued at 150 shekels of silver: See 1 Kings 10:29. But how precious in the sight of God are the souls of his people! and as the horses of Pharaoh's chariots we may well suppose were properly fed, trained, and not used in ordinary service; so the people of God are fed with the bread of life, trained by divine grace, and employed only in the ways and commandments of the Lord, whose service is perfect freedom. But I must not enlarge on those points.