Wisdom’s Fruit

INTRODUCTION

I grew up with a dad who was forever talking about the ‘Good Old Days’ - a time before I was born

A WISE ADMINISTRATION, vv. 1-19

Our chapter begins by taking us into the West Wing of Solomon’s palace - to the administrative centre of the nation. Solomon has done some re-orgainizing of the way government is structured in Israel. There are a couple of lists that kick off chapter 4.

First, in vv. 1-6, we get a list of the members of Solomon’s cabinet. So, we get: v. 2 - Azariah the priest; v. 3, Elihoreph and Ahijah - secretaries and Jehoshiphat the recorder; v 4, Benaiah, the army commander - or ‘Secretary of Defense’ and on and on. This is pretty standard stuff in Israel.

But then, in vv 7-19, we see something new - some ‘re-structuring’. Solomon has divided the country into 12 administrative districts. You may already know that there are 12 tribes in Israel - these administrative districts don’t exactly match the tribes. Some of the tribes are very small and these territories, presided over by these officers - they’re dvided by more equal size. Verse 7 tells us the main task of these officials: “(They) provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year.”

So, these officers make sure that their district can stock the royal court with food for a month. If you look down to vv. 22-23, the Bible tells us what size we’re talking about when we talk about the needs of the royal court.

V. 22: “Solomon’s provision for one day was 30 cors of fine flour and 60 cors of meal (a cor is about 220 litres - so that’s 6,600 l. of finely ground flour and 13,2— l. of meal - every single day … not to mention, v. 23) … “10 farm raised oxen, 20 cattle, 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks and fattened fowl.”

That’s a big need for the palace … imagine in the days before highway trucking and rail cars. If Solomon is going to just depend on meeting that daily need from the farms around Jerusalem - the supply’s going to run out pretty fast.

But Solomon plans ahead - WISELY - he plans ahead so that the supply is constant, for everyone who’s depending on him - and he doesn’t over-stress any one area.

Now, at theis point, you may be wondering, ‘So what?’ “Is ist relevant to me AT ALL that Abishar is in charge of the palace, or that Ben Hur is in the hill country of Ephraim, making sure that they have enough supplies for their month of responsibility?”

It IS relevant to you and I’ll tell you why: Because it lets you know that God’s wisdom impacts EVERY area of your life. Wisdom isn’t just about being morally or ethically upstanding - ‘doing the right thing morally’ … it has to do with living WELL - in every area of life - including order. Wisdom keeps CHAOS away.

There are some of you, who love order and organization - you love to design flow charts - that’s artwork for you … you love to come up with detailed 5 and 10 year plans. Many of us are NOT wired that way - we see some of you design everything in such minute detail — that you choke the life out of everything.

Have you ever been on vacation with one of those people who have everything on the trip planned down to 15 minute increments. “We’ll go to Hawaii … and we’ll spend 45 minutes at the beach and 60 minutes at Pearl Harbour - and we’ll take a 5 minute bathroom break right here” … and it kills the fun - it’s no vacation for you.

But have you ever spent time in a workplace, where nobody’s in charge - nobody has any authority or plan to lead? Or - have you ever been in a home where everyone just does their own thing … Dr. Spock … parents have no plan or authority .... it’s chaos. It’s misery. And THAT, sucks away joy and peace.

IDuring the 1948 Arab-Israeli war an Israeli Palmach force had seized Kastel, an Arab village that controlled the western approaches to Jerusalem. Defense of the village was turned over to seventy men of the Jerusalem Haganah. Naturally, the Arabs regrouped and counter-attacked under Kamal Irekat, their leader. Four hundred men screaming ‘Allah akhbar! God is great!’ swept down on the Jewish positions, driving the Jews from their trenches, then from the quarry buildings, and eventually into the outskirts of the village itself. But then the problems began. The Arabs were exhausted. Most had been without food for twenty-four hours. Timeout while they send for village women to bring food. To the attack again. Ah, but half-way through their assault on the village they ran out of ammunition. No one had thought to procure an adequate supply. Timeout again while couriers go off to buy ammunition. But after they obtained ammunition, Jewish ammunition found Irekat, their leader. There was only one medic and one first aid kit available to the five hundred villagers. The medic insisted Irekat be carted off to Jerusalem for treatment. But Irekat knew that without his presence the assault would fizzle, for his villagers always looked to the charismatic leader for their inspiration. There was no other leader. And Kastel remained in Jewish hands, as the Arab force gradually dwindled and left the field. Wisdom, of course, would have changed everything. Wisdom would have arranged for food, amassed ammunition, secured medical supplies, trained additional leadership. One can complain that wisdom involves such tedium. I suppose so. It all depends on whether you prefer to win or lose.

Davis, D. R. (2002). 1 Kings: The Wisdom and the Folly (pp. 45–46). Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications.

In chapter 4, Solomon’s Kingdom is reflecting God’s wisdom. I wonder, is your life ordered?

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2. WISDOM’S JOY, vv. 20-28

Verses 20-28 give us a summary of what life was like during the golden age of Solomon’s rule. Most people couldn’t care less about government administration and officers .... but they feel the effects of wise government.

READ vv. 20-21Now skip down to READ vv. 24-25.

This is so massively important. Remember Solomon’s concern, back in chapter 3 - when God appeared to him? He was terrified - said that he felt like a child who was in way over his head and no idea how to govern a people so numerous.

1 Kings 3:8, “… your servant is in the midst of a people whom You have chosen, a great people too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.”

Now, we’re being told that everything Solomon has done is working out fantastically. When you read, in v. 21 that the people ‘ate and drank ...’ - it DOESN”T mean that they ate their dry, crusty bread and drank their lukewarm, slightly contaminated water just to keep their bodies alive. NO - this is the language of feasting, “They ate and drank” - it’s a foreshadowing of the Messianic Kingdom when Jesus visibly takes His throne and calls His Church to the banquet table. This is the language of Abundance and blessing.

As verse 20 says - this is a great number of people- as many as the sand by the sea - Solomon was right to be concerned. BUT - he’s been up to the task, so far.

This king has organized a govenment tha … definitely makes sure the royal household has everything that it needs - with its massive supplies. But it doesn’t come at the expense of the people. It’s not oppressive at all. In fact - the people are feasting and happy .... and, as v. 25 tells us, “every person has his own vine and fig tree.”

This is what the ideal government looks like in the Old Testament. It’s a government that makes the people rejoice. Take a look at Proverbs 29:2, That Solomon wrote this at some point in his life. “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

Good government brings harmony to the people - it protects them from danger. It also makes everyone a stakeholder. Notice v. 25 again, “Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and under HIS fig tree.” This is important. There’s a lot of talk these days about what ‘good’ government looks like. Well this ‘ideal’ King Solomon - at his best - makes it clear that good government protects the safety of its people, it also values private property. This is no overpowering, centralized government authority, making every decision for you - and feeding you ‘government chese’ or ‘government figs’ - everyone has his or her own fig tree.

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INTERNATIONAL IMPACT:

Solomon’s wisdom doesn’t just shine inside Israel’s borders. He steps onto the world stage - and steals the spotlight. Look at v. 21, “Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of teh Philistines and the border of Egypt. They brought tribut and served Solomon all the days of his life.”

Now that word for ‘rule’ in Hebrew, is ‘mashal’ and it also happens to be the very same word for ‘Proverb’. So this huge area is now under the leadership of Solomon and his WISDOM.

Let’s pick up the chapter at v. 29 and READ: 1 Kings 4:29-34.

And as I read - notice how many times ‘wisdom’ shows up in these few verses. READ

‘Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt … He was wiser than ALL other men …’ Wisdom, wisdom, wisdom. What do you think is the main point of these verses?

If there was an America’s Got Wisdom competition - Solomon would have won hands down - every single year. And he doesn’t hide it selfishly to make his own life better …

Solomon spoke 3 THOUSAND proverbs, wrote 1,005 songs. He could look at a towering cedar tree and get a life lesson from it. He could look at a trivial hyssop plant sprouting out of a wall … and get a life lesson from that. He could look into a barn, or into the sky, or down at the ground and see ants scurrying across the floor .... and he could draw life lessons, from God’s ordered creation, out of all of them. And if you’re not sure what I mean - read the book of Proverbs.

The bottom line is, there was nobody in the entire world like Solomon in his day. Verse 34 tells us that people from around the world - kings included - were making the trek from home to come to Israel and buy tickets to hear Solomon speak … just so they could hear him with their own ears and get a nugget or two of his wisdom to take home and treasure.

This king has become the equivalent of a rock-star. Can you see how that would puff the chests of the Israelites who are eating and drinking and happy? This world fame and power is just the icing on top of their very delicious cake. That’s the difference that wisdom makes.

Oh, for wise government in our day! Are you praying for wisdom for our government? I trust we all are.

But don’t stop there. If wise and righteous government brings happiness and refreshment to its people - the same principle holds true for us in our personal relationships. Let me ask you a question and please be honest with yourself: “Are you the kind of person who brings happiness and refreshment to the people around you?” I don’t mean empty laughter and silliness - that’s the fruit of foolishness. I mean - when people see you coming, do they think, “Oh yes - here comes my friend and I can’t wait to talk, because i know that when I spend time in her presence, I’m going to go away refreshed - like I’ve just sipped water from a fountain on a scorching day - and I know that because she alwasy brings wisdom to the conversation.”

You know people like that. In fact, as I was asking the question - I’m sure that many of you had an image come to mind of somebody who is that to you - a water fountain that quenches your thirst - not by spewing out a bunch of proverbs … but because their life is marked by wisdom and the fruit of the Spirit. Who’s that person in your life? You get excited when it’s time to see them - you can feel the wave of refreshment start to wash over you, even before you see them.

But then there’s the other type of person in your life. Every time you get ready to talk with them or meet with them - you have to take deep breaths to help keep you moving forward and not running away. And that’s because you know you’re in for some kind of tension, an argument or a list of demands. The wisdom is missing.

Don’t be THAT guy, friend. Don’t be the person everyone wants to run away FROM. Be the person people run TO - especially at times like we’re living in today. Pray for wisdom for yourself. Solomon did - and here is the fruit of that prayer.

And our chapter - with it’s picture of the fruit of Wisdom - it’s a reminder that God has answered Solomon’s prayer. If you pray for wisdom - God will answer you. It’s also a reminder that this kind of wisdom only comes FROM GOD.

3. WISDOM, A GIFT OF JOY,

Last week I took you to the book of Proverbs - a book Solomon wrote dedicated to wisdom and how to get it. In the very first chapter of that book, Proverbs 1:7, he writes, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom ...”. James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to all and without reproach.”

1 Kings 4 enforces the message of the rest of the Bible: “Do you want wisdom? You can’t get it anywhere else!”

You can’t buy it: Solomon becomes one of the richest men in the world - but he had to ask God for wisdom. You can’t learn wisdom from books alone - Solomon spoke 3000 proverbs and wrote 1,000 songs - but he got wisdom when he humbly asked God for it in his need.

You can’t get wisdom by rolling up your sleeves and just working hard.

A few years ago, on vacation, we went to San Francisco and did a tour of Alcatraz. What a fascinating educational experience - on the tour, we heard the stories of a number of the well-known inmates who spent time in that institution that was reserved for the 'worst of the worst'. Men like Al Capone and Machine-Gun Kelly you may have heard of. But have you ever heard of John Giles?

John Giles went to the infamous prison, in 1935, when he was 40 years old. Everyone on 'the Rock' had a job, while they were incarcerated. Giles soon got a job down on the island's dock, Sweeping the docks and loading and unloading the ships that came in. One of the regular ships that came in, came from Angel Island, which was a military base just across the San Francisco Bay from Alcatraz. The ship would regularly dock with supplies and laundry from Angel Island, which would be washed on Alcatraz, before being carried back - and carrying soldiers, from the base to San Francisco for their leaves. And that gave Giles an idea for an escape attempt. If he could just pose as a soldier and get on the boat - he would be delivered to the shore in San Francisco and then disappear forever.

You could never steal a whole military uniform, everything was carefully recorded coming and going from Alcatraz. But, while he worked on the dock - Giles took one button at a time, one cuff-link at a time, one dogtag at a time, piece by piece, stashing the pieces somewhere around the dock - until he put together a complete Technical sergeant uniform. It took him almost 10 YEARS!

The day finally came, when the uniform was sewn up, the military ship pulled into the dock, Giles slipped on his uniform and nonchalantly walked on board and started mingling with the soldiers, pretending he belonged there. The routine head count, after the ship pushed off showed an inmate missing from the dock.

You can see San Francisco from the dock at Alcatraz - it is only about a 20 minute boat ride to the big city. The boat pushed off from the dock and Giles was 20 minutes from freedom! He could taste it.

The only problem is - that THIS ship was NOT headed straight to the city - as Giles expected. It was coming FROM the city - going the other direction, back TO the military base at Angel Island. The Assistant warden took a small speedboat, arrived at the military base at the same time as Giles, picked him up, cuffed him and led him back to prison. 10 years of painstaking work all down the drain. Well, at least Giles had a nice little trip - and he earned a nickname from his adventure: WRONG WAY GILES.

This world is filled with people who are intelligent, creative, hard-working and perseverant - - - all great characteristics - the very qualities should pave the way for success. But the problem is - you can have the best qualities in the world - but if they are not bound together by wisdom - They are just leading you to successfully go the WRONG WAY - to a personal prison. DON'T BE A WRONG WAY GILES!!

I want us to make the most of this vapor of a life, here on this earth. I want my that for all of you. I want it for my boys. I want them to live in Christ, yes. But I want them to live SKILLFULLY in Christ.

If you want excellence for your child’s life - - then you may not realize it, but friend, you want for your child - - WISDOM. You want your child to live wisely. The word ‘wisdom’ in this book – is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to technical skill

." The fear of the Lord - A relationship with Him is the beginning of wisdom. “Beginning” is not beginning like the starting blocks are the beginning of a race – You start there – but when the gun goes off, you leave the beginning behind. No, fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom like my feet are the beginning of my body - - if I try to stand anywhere but on them – I will fall.

When you think 'wisdom' - do you still think 'good advice' - head-filled with facts? It is so much more than that.

“In Christ are hidden all the riches of WISDOM and knowledge,” Colossians tells us.

If you want to be a better parent or spouse, if you want to get out of credit card debt, if you want to know how much tv to watch, you DON'T need someone to beat you down with guilt and pressure. You don't need 5 easy steps to this or 7 sure-fire principles for that. So many of you have tried that already. What you need is a new heart, a new character, new taste buds. And God is saying, "If you will seek me, wisdom will come into your heart and knowledge will be pleasant.

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The point our text is making is that this happiness-infusing wisdom of Solomon’s kingdom - it’s all God’s gift.

Let me give you another reason why I say that so confidently. Look at 1 Kings 4:20-21 again.

“Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. they ate and drank and were happy. (21) Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”

Now, when you read the census number there - it’s not exactly precise. It isn’t supposed to be - when you read it, along with the description of the territory Solomon ruled over .... you’re supposed to have an ‘aha!’ moment. If you’re an Israelite, reading the words, you recognize them. And your mind goes back to one place. You go back to Genesis. Turn there with me, very quickly:

Genesis 22:17, God makes a staggering promise to Abraham: “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of the heaven AND AS THE SAND ON THE SEASHORE.” There it is - 1 Kings 4:20.

Now flip backwards to Genesis 15:18-21, “On that day, the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates .... the Amorites the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” That’s 1 Kings 4:21.

See how 1 Kings is calling out: “Hey, everyone! Recognize that this is God’s blessing for His people. Promises made: Promises kept!”

Do you realize that when God made those promises to Abraham - they seemed so, so impossible? When He promised Abraham descendants like sand on the seashore - the guy was well over 100 years old and he and his barren wife had been miraculously given a grand total of ONE child.

When God promised him this land - Abraham was a nomad, without title to a single piece of property anywhere - let alone in this land. One thousand years have passed since those promises - and how many times did it seem utterly impossible that God would ever, EVER keep His word?!

400 Years of slavery in Egypt? The wilderness - when God threatened to wipe the people out and start over with Moses? The time of the Judges when it seemed the people were going to sin their way right out of the land?!

.... But here we are, in Solomon’s day - ruling over the land … ruling over a people as many as sand on the seashore. The narrator is shouting: “God is faithful! No matter how impossible it looks to you today, friend - God keeps His promises!”

That’s why there’s joy oozing out of this chapter. God has been at work, when nobody was sure how their circumstances could ever turn out well. And God has given Solomon his wisdom - to lead his people in this place of delight.

Do you see what this means to you, Christian?

4 WISDOM UNDER THREAT

Now, all Solomon has to do is keep on leading his people with his God-given wisdom. Ahh .... but here’s the problem. Because wisdom is God’s gift - the only way to keep the wisdom is to keep on following the LORD in humility.

And there’s a troubling section buried in our chapter. Look at 1 Kings 4:26-28:

Verse 26, “Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen.”

That’s not just the narrator letting you know interesting tidbits of trivia. He’s not just telling us that Solomon had an equestrian interest. I mean, everyone has some kind of hobby … Solomon’s just happened to be horses.”

No, this is the narrator signaling an alarm. Flip back to Deuteronomy 17:16. We looked at it last week - let’s go back there again. Moss is laying down the laws for the kings that he knows Israel is going to demand for itself in the years to come. The people are going to want to have a king, ‘just like the other nations’, and Moses is laying down laws for these kings to keep them from becoming rulers, ‘just like every other king’, who ends up abusing his own people with his unchecked power.

V. 17, “Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again’.”

Solomon has FORTY-THOUSAND stalls for his horses and TWELVE THOUSAND horsemen? He’s clearly breaking the command of Deuteronomy 17 right here. This isn’t just a harmless statement - it’s saying that there’s a ticking time-bomb that’s ticking away just below the surface of this golden age - and if Solomon doesn’t diffuse it now - it’s going to blow.

And for the next several chapters, we’re going to watch the wrestling - will Solomon choose humble wisdom … or will he let the world squeeze him into its mold and will pride take over?

There’s something within each one of us that longs for a wise leader we can trust to protect us from the dangers of this world and provide days of peace, marked by festive joy. That’s how people end up handing their freedoms over to authoritarian leaders and end up in slavery.

The problem is that there is no government – no human leader that isn’t flawed by a sinful human nature – who, when push comes to shove – doesn’t put himself first.

So if your joy depends on a human’s wisdom – you will be disappointed – because that leader will fail you. You already know that.

The good news for us is that Solomon’s kingdom isn’t only a matter of distant history – it’s also a pale foreshadowing that points forward to the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself claimed that – He is the One greater than Solomon. Of course he is. Because in Christ’s Kingdom – we move from a fallen, finite human king … to the sinless, eternal, King of Kings – who conquered the grave and ushered in an everlasting Kingdom that cannot be defeated and cannot fall

We move from a king who collected horses for himself, paid for by the taxes of others – to the King who collects human beings for eternal joy – at the cost of His own life.

We move from a king who had royalty coming out of curiosity …. To the King who will fill the earth with His glory and before whom every human being, including every king and power in the universe, will bow in worship and face His judgment.

We move from a king who provided a few years of feasting and peace, to the King who will provide a feast that never ends, greater than this puny mind of mine can fathom.

So let me ask you as we close, friend: Are you discouraged by the lack of wisdom among the leaders of today? Are you discouraged by your own lack of wisdom?

If you are – then let me say, “That’s great … because then you will be ready to look to the One Source of Wisdom and Security that cannot fail you. Ever.

Would you look to Jesus Christ – throw yourself at His feet and find in Him your joy?