Title: The Golden Age of National Israel

Fallen Condition Focus: How prone we are to putting our trust in the temporary and material.

Proposition : Do Not put your trust in your wealth, wing-men, or wisdom. They will fail you.

Headings:

The Greatness of his

Politics Power vs: 1-19, 21, 24-26

Advisors, Territory, Safety and Military Might

Provision vs. 20, 22-23, 27-28

Prosperous People, The Kings Table

Perspicacity vs. 29-34

Wisdom, Fame, Written works, knowledge, Gravitas

Greeting

Good Morning

Today's texts is 1 Kings Chapter 4.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to stand in this pulpit and deliver this message to you.

While the opportunity is truly generous and I am as I said immensely thankful to the elders for it.

I cannot escape the feeling that the text I have been assigned is somehow punitive in nature, as 1 Kings Chapter 4 contains a dense concentration of difficult names,

the likes of which I haven't seen since I barely survived the book of Numbers in my bible reading plan.

So, if you are privileged to have a copy of God’s word Please open it to 1 Kings Chapter 4,

to follow along and feel free to chuckle at my expense as I do a grave injustice to the names of many valiant and honorable men.

Sermon Passage

1 Kings 4 (NASB95)

Now King Solomon was king over all Israel.

These were his officials:

Az-ariah the son of Zadok was the priest;

El-i-hore-ph and Ahi-jah, the sons of Shi-sha were secretaries;

Jehoshaphat the son of Ah-ilud was the recorder;

and Ben-aiah the son of Je-ho-iada was over the army;

and Zadok and Ab-i-athar were priests;

and Az-a-riah the son of Nathan was over the deputies;

and Za-bud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend;

and Ah-ish-ar was over the household;

and Ad-on-ir-am the son of Ab-da was over the men subject to forced labor.

Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel,

who provided for the king and his household;

each man had to provide for a month in the year.

These are their names: Ben-hur, in the hill country of Ephraim;

Ben-deker in Ma-kaz and Shaal-bim and Beth-shem-esh and Elon-beth-ha-nan;

Ben-hesed, in Ar-ubb-oth (Socoh was his and all the land of Hepher);

Ben-ab-in-a-dab, in all the height of Dor (Ta-phath the daughter of Solomon was his wife);

Baa-na the son of Ah-ilud, in Taa-nach and Megiddo,

and all Beth-shean which is beside Zarethan below Jezreel,

from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah as far as the other side of Jokmeam;

Ben-geber, in Ramoth-gilead (the towns of Jair, the son of Manasseh,

which are in Gilead were his:

the region of Argob, which is in Bashan,

sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his);

A-hin-a-dab the son of Idd-o, in Ma-ha-naim;

Ahi-maaz, in Naph-tali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon);

Baan-a the son of Hu-shai, in Asher and Bea-loth;

Jehoshaphat the son of Par-u-ah, in Issachar;

Shim-ei the son of Ela, in Benjamin;

Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan;

and he was the only deputy who was in the land.

-WHEW-

Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance;

they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.

Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt;

they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal,

ten fat oxen,

twenty pasture-fed oxen,

a hundred sheep

besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiph-sah even to Gaza,

over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him.

So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree,

from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

Those deputies provided for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table,

each in his month; they left nothing lacking.

They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to his charge.

Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.

Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

For he was wiser than all men,

than Ethan the Ezra-hite, Heman, Cal-col and Dar-da, the sons of Ma-hol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations.

He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall;

he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish.

Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon,

from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Introduction:

Illustration

In Studying this passage I want you to imagine something for me.

Suppose you have a business, as many of us do.

You have been gifted by God with certain talents, and abilities, that have made you very good at what you do.

You are prudent and wise about the finances of your business,

and shrewd in the deals you make with others.

You did not start your business, but inherited it from your father,

and some day you will turn the business over to your son,

because as your son, obviously God has gifted him with the same wisdom, and shrewdness,

you may even visualize sometimes about the markets he will expand into,

crossing the continent, someday maybe even going worldwide. I

ts a satisfying though.

But you don't have time to teach your son how you manage the business,

and to be honest he isn’t particularly interested at this age,

he just wants to hang out with his friends and run around,

boys will be boys after-all.

But someday you will teach him what you have learned,

and in conjunction with the ability you are so certain God has given him,

he will lead in your place, and take the business to the next level.

Well, the day comes that you are to leave this world,

and you never got around to teaching your son how to lead the business,

but surely God has gifted him, you even see hints of it now and then,

sure he is still only focused on the trouble he can get into with his friends,

but that's just his youthful charm, after all you are quite the ladies man yourself.

Imagine you pass away, and your son takes over,

and having never governed and sadly having not inherited your wisdom from God

in spite of being your son, he runs the business into the ground,

so awful is his leadership that former employees go into business for themselves,

taking parts of your business with them,

competitors that you had successfully marginalized are now taking huge swaths of market-share ,

and whats left of your business is forced to borrow money from,

and even supply these competitors, who you were once on the verge of encompassing and making part of your business,

eventually your company is subject to a hostile takeover and all the promise you believed in, is gone.

Application

Today’s Passage is about such a father, A father who had everything in this world, and relied heavily upon it.

A man who was given amazing gifts, but did not stay faithful to the giver of those gifts, nor labor to instill their value in his son.

Today’s message isn't about the end of his kingdom, that message will come later.

Rather it is about its zenith.

The Glory of its height.

So why give us this tragic story to open?

I give you this illustration because we cannot discuss the greatness of Solomon’s Kingdom without at least considering its fall.

For in its fall the distinction between Solomon’s Kingdom, and Christ’s, are most clearly seen.

This chapter isn’t a snapshot of a particular day in Solomon’s Kingdom, but more of a review covering start to finish.

And what a gracious, and favorable review it is.

The passage doesn't mention the weaknesses or vices that Solomon had, the strife, nor his unfaithfulness to the God who so firmly established him

but instead focuses on the shining light of his rule.

I want to look with you today at the awesomeness of Solomon’s Kingdom.

I want us to consider its many accomplishments, to take in its amazing prosperity.

But, ultimately I want us to see its utter inferiority to the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Who unlike Solomon does not lie in the ground, and whose kingdom, unlike Solomon's, will never recede, divide, or fall.

Today I want us to consider why Like Solomon we are prone to putting our trust in the temporary and material.

Headings:

We will consider this as well look at three aspects of Solomon’s Greatness.

His Power

His Provision and

His Perspicacity which is the quality of having a ready insight into things; shrewdness, discernment, or wisdom.

In considering these things, I want to compare each to Christ’s kingdom.

Not to diminish Solomon’s Rule, but to Magnify Christ’s Lordship.

Power

Let us begin by looking at Solomon’s Power.

Chapter 4 begins with a seemingly obvious and simple statement:

“Now King Solomon was king over all Israel.”

and at first we may be tempted to run past this, but consider:

Saul couldn’t claim this throughout his reign.

David certainly couldn’t claim this throughout most of his reign, in fact his claim was often challenged by his own children.

No one after Solomon will be able to speak of their reign in these terms.

Especially after the kingdom divides and then falls in turn.

The Maccabees (The Great Jewish- Nationalists of the inter-biblical period)

who successfully rebelled against The Blasphemous Greek Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes

and won a short lived restoration of the Jewish state

could not claim the security or territory Solomon has claim to.

Even today with Israel established as a nation state, they do not have the territory or authority, that Solomon had.

It was truly the golden age of national Israel.

Advisors

It is certainly true that Solomon Ruled over all of Israel, but he didn’t do it alone.

Solomon exercised authority over Israel through capable ministers , and an efficient hierarchy.

Consider how many of the men mentioned in verses 2- 19 are men we have heard of before under David’s reign.

With the exception of specific men who had shown wickedness and disloyalty,

Solomon gladly accepted the counsel and capabilities of his father’s ministers.

Consider that several of these men are priests, or the son’s of priests.

Solomon was never without Godly counsel,

though just like his father, he didn't always listen to it.

We see duties we are familiar with

such as the Office of High Priest, Military commanders, and advisors.

We also see some less familiar roles such as “Ad-on-ir-am the son of Ab-da was over the men subject to forced labor”.

Among the men listed as officials are a group of 12 spread throughout Israel

These men are charged with supplying the king’s provisions

but this division isn't according to the tribes exactly,

but rather each man had a month in which it was his job to make sure the King and his court were supplied with what they needed,

and as we will see this is no small task.

These men were obviously of good stature and reputation,

as at least 2 of them are given daughters of Solomon as wives.

Over these men is appointed Az-ariah the son of Nathan,

who is most likely the Nathan who served David so faithfully,

even when it could have cost him his life.

Solomon had a strong team, and he listened to them.

Such will not be the case with his son Rehoboam.

Rehoboam will be given the choice between the advice of his fathers counselors, and that of his friends,

and he will go along with his friends, with predictably disastrous results.

You cannot over value wise counsel.

Territory

I want to skip over verse 20 for a minute. and look at verse 21.

Here consider the greatness of Solomon’s Territory.

Solomon’s power wasn't confined to a city.

No he had a great amount of territory,

Follow along here with me, Verse 21 Says:

Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

The River mentioned here is the Euphrates, North and East of modern Israel.

Solomon is a man firmly established in his authority. The passage later clarifies in verse 24:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him.

Solomon not only rules over Israel but has made vassals or subordinate kingdoms out of many of the surrounding nations.

They had in a sense, their own territory, but thier rule, was only allowed so long as they Did Solomon’s bidding. Among these subordinate kingdoms were:

The Philistines

the Edomites

The Assyrians,

and the peoples to the East, perhaps as far as the Medes.

Solomon Rules over all the land Promised to Abraham, and then some.

As a result, all of Israel is at peace because Solomon has turned his neighbors into a buffer zone against more powerful nations that may move against him.

Specifically, The Egyptians and a growing power in the east we would come to Know as the Persians.

Over this vast swath of territory Solomon had dominion.

Safety and Military Might

That is, he did as he pleased, and it pleased Solomon to use his Power to make his people stronger and more prosperous.

We see in Verse 25:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.

This verse is a testimony to the stability enjoyed under Solomon.

Each man was able to work and sustain his own family with peace and plenty.

From one end of Israel, to the other.

This peace lasted all the days of Solomon’s rule.

but don't for a second think that the peace existed because of a lack of threats as that was clearly not the case. We just read about The influence Solomon exerted over the surrounding Kingdoms.

Do you think they wanted to be subject to the son of a Jewish Shepherd?

Absolutely Not!

No, This peace had to be enforced, and secured by a military power every bit as impressive as the splendor of the Kingdom it protected.

Let us take a glimpse at the military power of Solomon

Verse 26:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

The author takes note of Solomon’s Chariots and horsemen, and for good reason.

The author doesn't mention Infantry, archers, artillery or seige works.

Do you wonder why?

Perhaps because

The last two because at the middle of the iron age they were in their infancy rarely used, and crude at best.

Archers on the other hand were highly specialized and usually hired from nations with large state supplied mercenary forces,

similar to the Archers of Crete or the Slingers of Rhodes during the Roman age, or the Prussians of Europe for most of their history.

Infantry, is not listed because it is the most basic and quickly assembled force.

Any man or boy able to lift a sword and don a helmet could be counted within the ranks of a nations Army.

But Horsemen, they’re different.

Cavalry forces, especially chariots and extremely resource intensive.

Building the Chariots alone would a huge amount of material and manufacturing capacity.

and then there’s the training.

You also have to train the horses and the riders.

My wife will tell you from trying to instruct me,

the riders are much more difficult to train than the horses.

So distinct, and impressive were cavalry forces that In Solomon’s day,

and for more than 2,0000 years to follow the strength of most nations was defined by their Horsemen.

and Solomon’s Horsemen, were numerous and magnificent.

Textual Variance

I want to make a brief aside on this verse, and talk about how we translate texts.

because this verse is one skeptics of the bible will point to

as proof of flaws or errors in the text.

1 Kings Chapter 4 Verse 26 says:

“Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.”

The companion passage to this verse is found in 2 Chronicles Chapter 9.

Please turn to 2 Chronicles , so you can see the text in your own Bible.

And before we dive into this understand , and I believe you do, that people have been quibbling against the inspired word since it was uttered.

Most of these men, and women, are dead and long forgotten,

but God’s word still stands and will continue to do so.

2 Chronicles 9:25

“Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.”

Here we have companion verses giving two different figures that are wildly different. But is this the silver bullet so many critics claim it is?

No, of course not.

The Hebrew word for stable, which I will spare you my butchering of,

is the same Hebrew word used for a stall.

since 40,000 Horses and 12,000 Men make sense in regards to a Chariot teams,

and since it would not be uncommon for a stable to have 10 stalls in it.

The simple answer to the mocker is that Chronicles is referring to stables and Kings to individual stalls.

It is critical when sorting out these issues that do arise from time to time

that we begin with the simple assumption, that God is right and every man is a fool.

So we hold the scripture as truly authoritative,

and it is our understanding that must be conformed to its truth,

absent any “proof” or “reasoning”.

Because Proof is subject to interpretation and our reasoning is as fallen as all our other faculties.

WE mustn’t try to make scripture answer to us or our logic.

Sadly many, even in reformed circles will do just this.

Returning to our text what do we see ?

Summation of Power

So this is Solomon’s Political Power.

National Israel is well governed,

secure and prosperous, there is a buffer of client kingdoms around them,

and Solomon has a strong military to react to any challenges that arise.

This is the most secure National Israel will ever be,

and given that Solomon now ruled over all of Canaan we see God’s Promise to Abraham fulfilled.

If Solomon and his sons keep God’s Covenant, then this will be for them an everlasting possession.

Sadly they won’t, and as a result Solomon’s Political power will be a footnote in history, never to be restored.

Solomon’s Advisors couldn’t surpass the one they served,

so their ability was always capped,

because the one they served was flawed and limited.

However Solomon, and his Power can easily be seen as a type of the one to come,

and Christ’s rule is without border, and his power without limit.

There is no end to the peace of those who are found in him, and his kingdom will never see its twilight.

Surely the Kings of this world will rage against him,

and in response he will mock them, smash their teeth, and run the streets red with their blood.

The armies of our Lord are infinity more powerful than the Chariots of Solomon, or the Armies of this nation we reside in today.

Jesus Christ , whose kingdom was inaugurated with his glorious assent to God the Father as foretold in Daniel Chapter 7

Now sits in heaven and rules the nations.

Today he rules with an open hand, and the rulers of the world get away with much,

just as on a lessor scale Solomon allowed his subordinate kingdoms much leeway as long as they paid their tribute.

But I promise you, as scripture declares, that a day is coming when the rules of this earth will be called to make account for their wickedness,

and they will stand before the almighty sovereign, speechless, and condemned.

Now Let us shift our focus to the Provision Solomon had

Provision

We see, Solomon didn’t only have Political Power, he also had Great provision, both for himself and his people.

Prosperous People

Let us go back up and Look at verse 20 which we skipped earlier.

1 Kings Chapter 4 verse 20:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.

Numerous as the sand that is on the seashore.

I want us to consider that, and ask yourself if ever Israel had been described that way,

or if this description had ever been promised?

The people are secure, and that security has allowed them to grow,

without war, plague, or famine.

They are eating and drinking , and rejoicing,

certainly thankful for all their king has provided.

It is unusual for a text to make mention of a king’s greatness in terms of the health and bounty of his people.

So often the greatness of a king was expressed in his own opulence, and no matter the wealth of the king, the people suffered.

We see this today in many corners of the world,

where nations, charities, and everything in between throw billions of dollars, thats billions with a B.

at starvation and poverty in small nations, but so much of the relief is eaten by the currupt governments in their pursuit of wealth and power,

These awful rulers oppress the poor and and lavish themselves over the poverty of their people.

This was not the case with Solomon.

No, through solomon’s rule the people had plenty.

This prosperity is a far cry from the destitution the people will experience as war grips the land and poverty soon follows,

this prosperity is also a far cry from the experiences of those wandering in the desert just a few generations before.

The poeple of National Israel had plenty,

The King’s Table

but don’t think for a second that the noble king suffered want that his people may eat their fill, that simply was not the case.

as verses 22-23, and 27-28 show us.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal,

23 ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.

Now, Solomon’s Table is not his personal diet,

can you imagine 10 fattened oxen a day?

No. Solomon’s Provision would be that which he provided for the court and its officials , t

hose listed in the first 19 verses, and their families, and possibly their servants.

This is a massive amount of food,

even for that many people.

Consider that by Roman standards that would have fed almost 30,000 men.

Of course Roman rations weren’t aimed at people getting their fill,

so I doubt Solomon was feeding that many people.

However he was feeding a great number, and those under his care were eating well.

It wasn't just flour and meal either.

Each day, Solomon’s court consumed 30 oxen,

a hundred sheep, and numerous other animals.

My family of 9 consumes one and a half cows,

4 pigs, and 26 chickens a year.

Solomon’s table could probably feed my family better than we are eating today, just off the table scraps.

It is sometimes an enormous undertaking to feed my family, and even in this world of modern convenience

there are challenges and shortages I deal with, How much more daunting was this task in Solomon’s day.

But Solomon was wise, and his Officials efficient.

The method by which this massive undertaking was accomplished is explained in verses 27 and 28

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

Those deputies provided for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking.

28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to his charge.

The logistics of these meals are breath taking to consider,

But Solomon in his great wisdom found a way to make it as simple as possible.

First he made sure his farm and grazing lands were secure,

this we described in the last section.

Next he assigned a minster over each of the months.

Those ministers are listed above.

Then each minister had all year to tend to his land and store up for the month of his provision,

all under the watchful care of Nathan’s son Az-a-riah.

See here that even the care of the animals is mentioned,

after-all if you want Cavalry and chariots you have to feed and shelter the horses,

and Solomon’s horses are as well supplied and as the members of his court.

So, Solomon provided greatly for his Kingdom.

Christ’s Provision

Its important to remember that Solomon while a real, historical man,

is only a shadow of the Greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the conclusion of this message We will respond to it by taking the Lord’s Supper.

We will eat and drink, and while the physical amount may be little, the spiritual blessing is great,

but be mindful of the warning that comes with our meal ,

not to eat or drink in an unworthy manner, for by doing so, you heap condemnation upon yourself for such.

But even that Table, which we partake in, with its awesome blessings, and potentially grave consequences

is only a foretaste of the great table we will share in at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

Where the court of our lord will be more numerous and the bounty of its provision far more lavish than that of Solomon.

Consider also, that every provision you have is a gift from God, the very ability I have to feed my family day after day, is a blessing from God

and that all this must be counted in the provision which our King has given to us.

Even the salvation of our very souls. A provision Solomon Could never make for even one of his people, not even his own son.

Earlier I ask if you had ever heard Israel spoken of as being like the sand on the shore.

It is in-fact mentioned earlier, if you want to turn there, in Genesis 22 after

Abraham is prepared to give is son Isaac as a sacrifice,

since he acts in obedience, God promises in Chapter 22 verses 16-18 Hear the words of our God:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 22

and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son,

17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.

18 “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Solomon’s Kingdom shows further fulfilment of God’s promises to Abraham,

in the vastness of his people, and their occupation of their enemies and subjugation under Solomon.

Summation of Provision

But what of our King?

The Multiplicity of his People?

For does not he Himself say, that at the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage, that they will be like the angels in heaven.

Our King, who took no earthly Bride, and produced not earthly progeny.

But who bought, or ransomed a Spiritual Bride that is his entire church.

Of whom the Prophet Isiah says most assuredly

He will see his Generations!

Unlike The genetic promise to Abraham of a multitude of offspring we see fulfilled in Solomon

our Lord’s Kingdom is not one of genetic lineage, but a kingdom of adoption,

where by many sons and daughters of Hell are adopted in by the election of the Father

to be co-heirs with Christ,

a people not physically born of Christ

but bought with his own blood, and sacrifice.

A people so numerous that their number cannot be figured as John recounts in his Revelation.

Children sitting here today, young and old, Hear this If your parents are believers, praise God for giving you this blessing.

But your Parents faith is not yours, and their faithfulness will not save you. You must be born again!

Parents, some of you who have wayward Children, Children you discipled from birth, but who went out from us because they were not of us,

Parents of these, while I know your heart aches, and these wayward sons and daughters march towards hell,

Know and take comfort that Salvation belongs not to you, but to the Lord, and he will act rightly, always.

Their condemnation if it must happen, even over your every attempt, is not your failing.

Likewise if your parents are unbelievers and you sit here today by the grace of God,

also praise him for this blessing, and for the fact that your parents disobedience does not condemn you,

for you are born again, and the sins of your earthly father, or mother, will not befall you on the day of Judgement.

God Elects His people.

Sometimes through our genetic family, and sometimes in spite of them.

Solomon could not bring members of the Early Chinese dynasties into his kingdom,

But Christ has brought every person who will ever believe into his family of his father

and given them his spirit to sustain them from better than Solomon ever could.

The Lord’s Provision for his people is without measure, and certainly without equal.

Perspicacity

So far we have considered the Greatness of Solomon’s Political Power, and his provision,

and while both were truly awesome,

we have seen that they are unbelievably wanting when compared to that of our risen Lord and Savior.

But most people don't Know Solomon for his Political and military power, or the provision he made for his people.

No.

Solomon is known for his Perspicacity, which was on display in the text brother Joel preached recently, and it is this discernment and wisdom that made Solomon famous

Wisdom

So let us look at the great Wisdom of Solomon.

We read in verses 29-34:

Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.

30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.

Egypt for a few thousand years was a powerhouse of intellectual expression, and knowledge. At its prime Egypt boasted not one of several of the world’s leading libraries, comparing Solomon to Egypt is truly putting him up against the best the known world had to offer. as I mentioned we previously saw this wisdom in how he handled the legal dispute between the women in whoredom. But in that case we are forced to ask the question, why was a brothel allowed to Sand in Solomon’s back yard? The Law, of which Solomon would be well versed, plainly forbid fornication and adultery, yet not only is it practiced, it is known to the authorities, and nothing is done about it. Indeed Solomon may have been wise to the ways of the world, but his wisdom didn't keep him from sinning.

Fame

Solomon’s wisdom is even famous in our day.

31 For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Cal-col and Dar-da, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations.

We know how great Solomon’s wisdom was.

But this is normal, that after a man dies his greatness in though, or expression, or art is truly discovered.

What set’s Solomon apart is that his wisdom was known in his time.

He didn't have to die for people to figure it out,

And it wasn’t just his people who knew.

His wisdom was compared to the Arabians,

and the Persians,

and the Egyptians

and found greatly surpassing on all accounts.

Just as Solomon gave his daughters as wives to some of the men in his Court, so also the Kings of these surrounding lands gave their daughters to solomon as wives. at some point they had to have figured out that women were a weakness of His, and how many of these nations took advantage of this weakness?

Written Works

Solomon wasn’t just famous for for being famous, like some modern Social Media influencer, no Solomon had Bona fides!

He was a prolific writer, speaker and musician Verse 32 Tells us:

32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005.

Many of those proverbs divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and preserved for us

in our Bibles, within the pages of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes.

These are his greatest works, but it not his only areas of brilliance.

Indeed Solomon’s works were far reaching.

Knowledge

Verse 33 :

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish.

It is also worth noting that his wisdom wasn’t limited to a single small subject.

It is said in the field of history, and I assume it to be so with other disciplines that:

A man with a Bachelors Degree Knows a little about a lot

A man with a Masters Degree Knows some about a little

and a man with a PhD knows a lot about nothing.

This is not the case with Solomon,

for when he asked of God for Wisdom it was truly given to him in abundance.

His possessed knowledge of philosophy, Biology, politics, military strategy, law, and Love.

That last one would get him into real trouble.

As far as uninspired works go

some claim Aristotle’s History of Animals was entirely plagiarized from Solomon,

though we have no real way to test this claim.

Gravitas

On top of all this, and indeed through these gifts

Solomon gained a great deal of clout, or influence

Make no mistake, Solomon was a man of Gravitas.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 4

34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

If you pay 5 minutes of attention to men’s ministries, blogs, or the so called “red-pilled alpha men”

Gravitas is a big subject right now, and to be sure it is important for men to be taken seriously within their various spheres.

But Gravitas without godliness is just another form of vanity.

and along with Solomon’s Gravitas certainly came an equal measure of vanity.

Every nation that heard of his wisdom came to meet him,

and see if it was as amazing as they had heard.

In 2 Chronicles 9 The queen of Sheba comes to Solomon with great gifts and even greater questions.

asking of him many mysteries, and riddles, and attempting to confound him, but she cannot. Solomon is truly wise.

Solomon’s wisdom was great, but he was not a man after God’s own heart.

Solomon’s Folly in Spite of Wisdom

Solomon had a lot of knowledge,

but his faith was lacking,

and his obedience more so.

Solomon would practice Idolatry,

he would marry to one degree or another 1000 or so women,

and he would make treaties that would open his people up to future risks, they simply were not prepared for.

Christ will never do so.

For the Wisdom of God surpasses all understanding.

In fact Christ himself declares in Matthew Chapter 12:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 12

“The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Solomon’s Greatest strength could not protect his Kingdom from its greatest threat. Him.

Christ’s Ultimate Supremacy

It is not the Case with our Lord,

He knows our every need, and he is faithful to provide.

His rule is perfect and without fault.

His reign will never end, not from strife within, or enemy without.

He is greater.

This is the argument from the author of Hebrews, That Christ is Supreme.

His Kingdom, His power, his wisdom are all supreme.

Because of this His Covenant is supreme.

Jerry Just returned from Israel,

those among that people who have not completely forsaken their God to modern day Hellenism,

believe that a day of reckoning is coming because of the Promises made to Abraham, Moses, and David,

and I tell you That the promises made to Abraham for Land,

and people were fulfilled in Solomon,

and that what those people are waiting on, isn't coming because the covenant they hope in dead,

and it died Giving birth to the new Covenant Christ’s Covenant.

Jeremiah says,

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 31

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

The Covenant in View here is The Mosaic Covenant which assumes the Abrahamic Covenant

the land they were taken into was the Land of the Abrahamic Covenant,

you cannot divide these covenants,

People had to be taught who God was, and to fear him.

Sacrifices had to be made to cover the sins of those people,

but the cover was not permanent nor efficacious to salvation

No, More was needed. Something Greater had to come.

Verse 33:

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 31

“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

If your sins are not forgiven, you are not in the new covenant.

I don't care who you are!

At Pentecost Thousands of Jews found out they weren't in Covenant with God in a single day.

Many fell to submit. and many more failed to submit.

The outcomes of these two groups couldn't be more different.

Colnclusion:

Solomon built a great Kingdom, a great Temple, and a great house.

He truly had Power, Provision and Perspicacity

But he lacked faithfulness in basic matters of Faith

Solomon didn't raise up his children to fear the Lord,

in fact he himself was dragged away by his passions and idolatrous heart

Nothing he did stands today.

And this is the warning for all of us kings and peasants alike.

Make the eternal the priority.

Be faithful to God

Lead your family to Christ.

Store up your treasure where moth and rust cannot destroy.

I'm not telling you to hide in your prayer closet and congratulate yourself on your pietistic aloofness

Engage the culture,

leave a a temporal inheritance to your children and grand children, but hear me today:

I could be the greatest Financial Advisor on the Planet.

I could build my business to have billions of dollars in assets under management.

I could have land, and barns, and houses, and cars.

I could build this body its new Church, but if God isn't in it, I have done nothing.

If I turn over my Billion Dollar Business to my kids, but don't show them Christ, don't make him unavoidable to them.

I have given them nothing of lasting value.

and all I leave will vanish just like Solomon’s kingdom.