A city's economy depends upon the mental condition of its citizens. It is the people who live in it, not its streets, shops, parks, and offices that constitute a community's assets, and the way these people think and act determines whether the city flourishes or is stagnant, and whether it is rich or poor.
The Bible relates national greatness to intelligence, justice, and the activity of spiritual qualities. It has made proverbial the wisdom and constructive energy of Solomon, as well as the riches of his country. When the Queen of Sheba saw the magnificence of his house and the economic well-being of his realm, she said, "Behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard." I Kings 10:7;
Solomon had his conspicuous faults, referred to even by the chroniclers of the Bible. His expansive building program was carried out at the cost of exploitation. His political alliances brought a multitude of foreign wives with their gods to his court. But through it all something seems to have remained of that prayer attributed to him as a young man. He had prayed not for riches but for "understanding to discern judgment" 3:11; so that he might serve his country according to the law of God. He was able to bring his people a rare period of peace and security from external foes.
