And Hiram sent him ships commanded by his own men, sailors who knew the sea. These, with Solomon’s men, sailed to Ophir and brought back four hundred and fifty talents of gold, which they delivered to King Solomon. – 2 Chronicles 8:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 18, 2019): 2 Chronicles 8

The history of naval enterprise extends back to the first ocean capable boats invented by the Austronesian people, a loosely connected group of people who spoke the Austronesian language and who lived in Southeast Asia. The ability to travel over the ocean allowed the Austronesian people to spread as far west as Madagascar, and possibly even the eastern shore of Africa, and as far east as Rapa Nui (Easter Island), although it is conceivable that they made it all the way to the Western coast of South America. A wide swath of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans was owned by this early sea-faring population without any competition from any other civilization. But the secret of traveling the oceans of the world did not stay with the Austronesian speaking people. In ancient times, Egypt learned the ways of the sea, as did some of the other nations. In modern times, Britain and Germany have tried to own the oceans, but the greatest maritime nation ever might be the United States. Their ships can be found in almost every ocean or sea far and near on the planet. They dominate the waters of the earth.

But one nation that was never able to learn the ways of the sea was Israel. Their people fished and negotiated the lakes within the country, but that experience was much different from what was needed to travel on the oceans of the earth. And so they needed help from those who knew the ways of the sea in order to carry out their maritime commerce.

Hiram had both the ships that could sail the sea as well as the sailors who knew the ways of the world’s oceans. His relationship with Solomon made both of these assets available for Solomon and Israel. But these were not free gifts given to the Israelite people. Solomon would have paid the expenses incurred as well as made it financially worthwhile for Hiram to help him in his endeavors. Solomon would grow in fame in the area, but to get to the far reaches of the near east, he needed help. And a lot of that help seems to have come from Hiram, who made a good ally for Solomon because he had some of the knowledge that Solomon lacked.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 127 & 128