Second Sunday after Christmas

Richard Davenport January 2, 2022 - 2nd Sunday after Christmas 1 Kings 3:4-15 Life in King Solomon's day is hard to imagine. You watch historical documentaries from time to time or see those period piece movies and tv shows that recreate the life of those who lived long ago. It gives you a sense of what that sort of life might have been like. The things you'd need to do to live, the jobs you might have, what the culture around you might look like. All of that sort of thing. Still, there is so much you just have to imagine. Being Solomon would be a very strange experience. Solomon lives nearly a thousand years before Christ, in a land and a culture none of us have ever been a part of. Within that culture, his father is the king. Now, Solomon had a few brothers and many more half brothers and sisters. Though Solomon was royalty, he had no real chance of claiming the throne. The crown always went to the eldest son. That's how inheritance worked in Israel and that was no different for royalty. Still, even though I might have a hard time knowing what it would be like to live in ancient Israel, one thing I do know is that people haven't really changed in the thousands of years since God created us. So, while I may not know what Solomon's daily life looked like, I bet I know what was going on in his head, even from a young age. He was doing what all little boys and girls do, dreaming, imagining, picturing his life as a king. All little boys and little girls like to dream big, whether it's superheroes or princesses or any other person that's big, that's larger than life. Living in that story land where everything goes just the way you want, whether it's being the action star or the good fairy or the king and queen of the castle. Those are the kinds of stories kids grow up on. We never quite let go of those dreams. They may change. They may become a little fanciful and a little more attuned to the world we live in, but those dreams are still there. We dream of being famous. We dream of living in comfort and being pampered. We dream of being able to do what we want, when we want. Whether that comes from having lots of money, or because we hold some position of power and authority, or because our name is a household name that everyone knows and pays attention to. What we aspire to may change as we grow older, but we never quite abandon those desires and dreams. I'm sure Solomon had those sorts of dreams too. How could he not? His dad was King David, a man honored and respected throughout the whole country and beyond. He was the king, but he was also a mighty warrior. He was loved by friends and feared by enemies. He had a palace and lived in the kind of luxury one might expect of a king. Granted, even as a prince, life isn't bad. But, he knows how it works. He's way down on the list to take over as king. Though David's eldest sons are either dying young or doing dumb stuff to get themselves killed, there would still be many ahead of Solomon. There's also the case that power struggles are rarely pretty. These days, those fighting for power usually sling mud and lawsuits. Back in those days they'd just kill you, or at least exile you. Solomon's older brother, Absalom tried to take the crown from his dad and ended up dead. Adonijah, another brother, tried to claim the throne when David was nearing death. He ended up executed some time later. At this time, the best Solomon can hope for is to be relegated to some kind of governorship or some sort of ambassador. Not a bad life, but certainly not the king either. That all assumes that whoever does take the throne doesn't decide to get rid of anyone who might have a claim to it. This is Israel. This is God's people. But, even David's family has shown it isn't above some particularly bad behavior. That isn't what God had in mind for Solomon though. God had promised that Solomon would be king, even though that goes against the normal rules. The little boy who lives in the shadows of his father, the king, and his older brothers, now becomes king. For a short while, there are two kings in Israel. David is still the king, and now Solomon is also king. David is not able to do very much and dies not long after, but still, Solomon has gotten to see his dad in action all his life. He sees how his dad has worked and lived and now Solomon has the opportunity to step into his father's shoes. Once David dies, there's no one to really stop Solomon from doing whatever he wants. There are certainly many other emperors and kings throughout time who have basked in that lavish life of luxury and allowed the kingdom to do its own thing. Solomon could have done just about anything he imagined. He was the king, and not just the king, he was the king specifically chosen by God. No one would have dared to contradict him. What would you do in his place? Your dreams and aspirations have somehow come true. You've become the superhero or fairytale princess of your childhood days, or the CEO or movie star of adulthood, the king or queen. What kinds of things are on your to-do list? What kind of life do you lead? What sort of influence do you want to have on those around you? Do you even care? Maybe you see your position as finally getting what you've always deserved. You've worked hard all your life and now you've been given what you've been owed. In that case, it's really no one's business what you do with it. It's yours now. Live it up. Go crazy. Have fun. You earned it. Just imagine what you would do if all of that was dropped in your lap. Whatever might be on your list of things to do with all of that money and influence, the top of the list probably isn't, "Figure out how best to serve others." I got the wealth. I got the influence. I got the dream that means I get pampered and live in luxury. I got that. No one else did. Just me. That means I get to enjoy it because all of that privilege is mine and mine alone. Yeah, maybe so. If it was given to you, it, like everything else we have, is a gift from God. But, if you stop short of asking the question, "Why did he give it to you?" it's probably because you don't really want to hear the answer. This is the question Solomon is faced with. Though he had no right to expect it, he suddenly becomes king of Israel. All of the power and prestige of the nation is his. The Israelites started out as a bunch of nobodies trapped in slavery in Egypt, but now they were known far and wide. People got out of their way. They had earned respect. No nation wanted to tangle with King David on the battlefield because he didn't lose. Now Solomon inherits the throne of a strong kingdom, strong and confident. The world is his oyster and he can do what he wants with it. So, with all of that going on, God raises the stakes. He has the throne of this kingdom and all of the power and wealth that goes with it. Like Aladdin and his lamp, God appears and offers him a wish. It sounds as though just about anything is on the table. What more can you imagine? More fame? A larger kingdom? To live another hundred years and die in peace? The adoration of millions? For as much as Solomon has, it isn't hard to imagine more. It's that same mentality we never grow out of and it comes out especially at times like Christmas. You have Christmas morning. You're there by the tree with mom and dad. Your presents are all in a pile there and there are a lot of them. You open your presents and find all sorts of new, fun toys. You open all of your presents and you enjoy what you've got, but you're also secretly disappointed there aren't more. You got all of these things you wanted, but you didn't get that thing you told your parents you really wanted. Even if you had, there was probably that other thing too. The riches, the fame, the stuff, it just is never good enough. We can always imagine more. So to get a wish like this and to intentionally not take more becomes unimaginable. Who would do that? Who would intentionally take a role of service when he could be a king, or a CEO or some other worldwide celebrity? Who would willingly give up all of that? Oh, right. Suddenly the life of Jesus is put into perspective. The one who has everything gives it all up in order to serve, because caring for others is worth more than all of the wealth, fame, and power one could possibly have or want. He gives up everything, because caring for you, loving you is more important to him than anything else in the world. It is a hard lesson for us to learn and one that we often fail at. Putting things into perspective. Having all of this stuff won't really make us happy and won't give us a fulfilling life because that's not who we were created to be. We were created to love, care, support, and serve one another and we find this is how we were meant to live and where we find the joy and peace we were meant to have. Living just for ourselves is to cut ourselves off from everyone and everything else that supports us and gives us life and is the surest way to our own destruction. Solomon's predecessor, King Saul, found this out for himself. God asks Solomon a question and that same God gives Solomon the grace to answer the question the way he is supposed to. Solomon becomes the object lesson, the foreshadowing of Christ. As Solomon asks for the ability to serve, he is given that ability, and much more besides. Centuries later, Jesus volunteers to serve, even to the point of giving his own life. He volunteers to serve because he cares more about you than he does riches, fame, power, or anything else. He gives his life to serve and to die, and because he lives in that same grace God gave to Solomon, he too is blessed beyond measure, with the name that is above every name and with the glorious life that is beyond death. But it isn't his glory or his power, it isn't his fame or his wealth that saves you. It is his service, his self-offered service, given that you might be free from your sins, saved from death, and living eternally in the resurrection of all flesh. Solomon finds glory, not in his mighty kingdom or his royal wealth and power, but in service, by living in the light of God's grace and the future forgiveness given through Christ. It probably wasn't what he dreamed of when he was a little boy. But I'll bet the gifts God gave him went far beyond what he imagined, and all of that is just a small taste of what God has in store for you in the resurrection.