Jesus Wisdom

Solomon

Solomon’s History: David and Bathsheba’s second son. Bathsheba was the women David commited adultery with and murdered her husband Uriah.

David’s Charge: Solomon became king after his father David after his older brother Adonijah tried to usurp the throne. David gave his son a set of instructions to follow and a list of people to kill or show kindness too according to his wisdom. 1 Ki 2:6;9

Be strong, act like man, and do what the Lord God requires. 1 Kings 2:1-4

Joab and Shimei to be put to death. Sons of Barzillai to be shown kindness because of David. 1 Ki 2:5-9

David’s instructions to his son were for his throne to be firmly established. Removing all possible threats to the throne and kingship .

However, Solomon did put to death his older brother Adonijah. It was years later until Solomon executed everyone from his father’s instructions. Only then was his throne firmly established . 1 Ki 2:13-46

Solomon already had some form of wisdom and it was because he listened to his father’s instructions. He demonstrated this by showing love for the Lord according to his father’s instruction.

1 Kings 3:3–15 NIV

3 Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

Discerning Heart: Lit. “Hearing Heart” ; lev means “inner person,” “mind,” “will” or heart,” while shomea’ means “hearing” or sometimes “observant.” (Faithlife Illustrated Study Bible, pg.515, 2017)

The OT reflects that wisdom was attained through hearing. (e.g., Pr 4:1, Dt 4:1-2, 6:4, 2Sa 15:3; 1Ki 4:34, Ps 81:8, Isa 21:10; 44:1) (Faithlife Illustrated Study Bible, pg.515, 2017)

God was pleased with his request and added to it what Solomon did not ask for. It was based on condition however. 1Ki 3:11-14

Solomon demonstrated God’s wisdom soon after in the trial between the two prostitutes, thus fulfilling God’s promise to him. 1Ki 3:16-28

God blessed Solomon with wisdom, insight, and a breath of understanding. There was none like him throughout all the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt (indicating the world) and many came to hear him speak. 1Ki 4:29-34

Solomon built and prepared a temple for the Lord. It was glorious as it was built of the finest materials with gold and precious stones. 1Ki 5, 6, 7, 8

God appeared before Solomon once again and gave him instructions on how to live and keep his commandments. 1Ki 9:1-9

Solomon’s Downfall

Gold and gifts were imported and brought by other people to Solomon because of his fame and wisdom grew. 1 Ki 9:10-28, 10:1-13

Gold was recieved yearly that gold was common throughout the kingdom to be seen, which made silver worth of little value. However, there is a clue given at the sign of Satan working in the midst of it. The number reported was 666 talents a year.

1 Kings 10:14 NIV

14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,

Even though God did give Solomon riches it was to be used to glorify him as eventually Solomon would have 700 other wives that led him astray to worship their gods and build temples of gold dedicated to them. 1Ki 11:1-8

Solomon did not apply the word of God to his kingship eventually.

Solomon began to forget the covenant the Lord God gave him despite his wisdom for it wasn’t wisdom any longer. It was knowledge rather wisdom because wisdom is set to be used to please God. He knew what was right from wrong but did not apply wisdom to it as he did in the beginning.

God commanded the Israelites to not intermarry with other nations because they would lead them astray. In this case, the wisdom Solomon possessed began to be all in vanity. As God prospered him with wisdom the gold and the kingdom came along other sorts of things that were not of God. Solomon with wisdom should have discerned it, but that is why Satan was working in the midst of it to lead him away from the Lord.

One, was the foreign women he married and his dedication to their gods.

Exodus 34:16 NIV

16 And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same.

Deuteronomy 7:1–5 NIV

1 When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you—2 and when the Lord your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy. 3 Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, 4 for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the Lord’s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. 5 This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.

Second, he accumulated horses and chariots, gold and silver.

Deuteronomy 17:16–17 NIV

16 The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17 He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

Thirdly, idolatry was began to take place because these “gods” and aroused the Lord’s anger.

Exodus 20:3 NIV

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

Satan had corrupted Solomon’s wisdom by his love for the things of this world.

God’s Judgement

God rebukes Solomon and tells him what his fate will be and the nation as well. God raised up enemies against Solomon because he abandoned the God of Covenant. 1Ki 11:9-40

The kingdom was split in two after Solomon’s death because his son Rehoboam did not have the same wisdom his father had, but also he lacked the fear the of Lord. 1Ki 12:1-20, 14:21-28

The nation of Israel was never the same as the northern part of it had ten tribes along with it and the southern part called Judah had two tribes.

Jeroboam was an another adversary the Lord raised up against Solomon as well. When Solomon died, Jeroboam was made king over the northern part of Israel after Rehoboam put heavier taxes on the people than did Solomon.

Jeroboam however set up idols and led all of Israel astray to worship other gods. He lacked the fear of the Lord as well after being made king. 1Ki 12:20, 25-33

Most kings who inherited the throne in either the north or the south did evil in the eyes of the Lord because they lacked the fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom.

Therefore, God became angry and eventually cut the people off from the land fulfilling what he told Solomon.

1 Kings 9:6–9 NIV

6 “But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 7 then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 8 This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ ”

The kings failed to keep his commandments and hold steadfast to them because of the lack of the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10 NIV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Jesus Wisdom

Solomon had wisdom of God and he showed it when he first became king by following his father’s King David’s instruction. 1K 3:3

Even after he was visited by God, God gave him the wisdom to rule the people, but eventually his “hearing heart” became hardened and his heart grew to love the things of the world more.

Wisdom: the purpose of wisdom is to please God.

“Only when wisdom as a skill is subordinated to obedience to God does it achieve its proper ends in the OT sense (Fee 2014, 239).

However, Jesus demonstrates what it is to apply God’s word with wisdom to defeat the enemy.

Luke 4:5–8 NIV

5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

Jesus remained faithful to the Lord God after being tested with all the splendor of the world. He could’ve been richer than Solomon, but he is the king that never fails.

The goal of Christians is to serve the Lord and him only all the days of their life.

Matthew 22:37–40 NIV

37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

The kings failed because of the lack of the fear of Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom and they did not apply themselves to it wholeheartedly.

God gives wisdom for us to live according to his word and that we may discern how to live pleasing unto him.

Solomon wrote much of the wisdom literature books and knew the power that wisdom possessed.

Proverbs 8:15 NIV

15 By me kings reign and rulers issue decrees that are just;

However, when Solomon lost sight of what the purpose of wisdom was and focused on other things to fill his heart and purpose. It was all a chase after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 NIV

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 NIV

13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.

Solomon’s final conclusion to it all of it was to fear God and obey all his commands.

The fear of the Lord is to understand and approach God in awe and wonder.

Have you been chasing after the wind?

Do you have the fear of Lord?

Is Jesus your wisdom?