1 Kings 3-5 "The Wisdom of Solomon" Introduction (3:1-2) Where do you find wisdom? You find wisdom in the worship of God. Wisdom and Worship are intimately bound together in our passage today. The discussion of Solomon's wisdom begins and ends with worship. It starts at the high places and it ends with preparations for the temple. 1 Kings 3-11 has a chiastic structure. It starts with Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter, (but his love for Yahweh); then we have the discussion of Solomon's wisdom (3-5), then we have the building of the temple (6-8), then we have another discussion of Solomon's wisdom (9-10) concluding with Solomon's love of foreign women. The temple is at the center, but the high places form the framework for Solomon's wisdom. Many have assumed that Solomon's marriage to Pharaoh's daughter was the beginning of the end. But the Law never prohibited marrying a Gentile. Deuteronomy 7:3-4 prohibits intermarrying with any of the nations that Israel was supposed to destroy. But Deuteronomy 23:7 says "you shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a sojourner in his land. Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the LORD." Furthermore, there is no indication in Kings or Chronicles that Pharaoh's daughter continued to worship her own gods. We'll hear in 1 Kings 11 that his Moabite, Ammonite, and Sidonian wives turned him aside, but Pharaoh's daughter is conspicuously absent from this list of corrupt wives. Solomon's alliances with Egypt and with Tyre are portrayed as faithful alliances. He is not serving foreign nations, nor serving foreign gods. Rather, through this marriage Solomon is bringing the blessing of Abraham to the nations, as he is supposed to do! In this way, Solomon anticipates the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, who also takes to himself a Gentile bride (bringing us into the church). But the difference is obvious: while Pharaoh's daughter is exempt from the charge that she led Solomon astray, in 3:3 it says that Solomon loved Yahweh, but in 11:1 it will say that Solomon loved many foreign women, and they turned his heart away from Yahweh, and he "went after" the gods of the nations. Jesus is the Son of God whose heart remains pure. Jesus may have married us, but his heart has not been drawn away by our idolatry rather, he has drawn our hearts to God. Verse 2 then tells us that Israel was sacrificing at the high places because the temple had not yet been built. We have heard about this many times in Samuel, as Samuel, Saul, and David all offered sacrifices at the high places. It is perhaps instructive that Exodus 20:24 it says, in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you (This is in the context of the law of the altar very clearly stating that God expected there to be multiple places of sacrifice) but then in Deuteronomy 12:26 Israel is instructed to only bring their burnt offerings and sacrifices to the place that the LORD will choose. This place could vary at first, but once the temple is built, there will be only one place. That is why in verse three you have the first suggestion that Solomon was wavering in his allegiance to Yahweh. He sacrificed and made offerings at the high places even after God had made clear his selection of Jerusalem (Mount Moriah). King after king will follow in Solomon's ways and worship at the high places, in spite of the fact that the temple has been built. 1. Solomon's Request for Wisdom (3:3-15) Nonetheless, it is at the high place in Gibeon that the LORD spoke to Solomon. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, 'Ask what I shall give you.' And Solomon asks for wisdom. But what kind of wisdom did Solomon request? It is worth looking at the details of his request: He starts by reminding God of his faithfulness toward David in verse 6. In verse 7 he refers himself as 'a little child' (probably around 20). He does not know how to go out or come in (in other words he has never led the army). And he is king of a people "too many to be numbered or counted for multitude" (in other words, God has been faithful to his promise to Abraham!) And so he asks for "an understanding mind to govern your people." He does not ask just for "wisdom" generically. He asks for wisdom in order to govern. And notice how he puts it: that I may be able to discern between good and evil. In other words, Solomon asks for that which Adam had illegitimately grasped. Adam had been forbidden to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Solomon says, if I am supposed to be your son, O God, then I will need your wisdom in order to rule your people. Solomon is portrayed as the new Adam. When you think of Solomon in this way, you start noticing all sorts of other parallels. Solomon is given charge over the new Eden (the land flowing with milk and honey), yet the new Eden lacks the temple the sanctuary the garden in Eden (remember that in Genesis 2, there is the land of Eden, and then there is the garden within the land.) Solomon must build this sanctuary by wisdom and he must rule over all God's creatures (Solomon will speak of all the plants and animals in 4:33). Solomon will also imitate Adam's fall, by being led astray by his wife. And so though Solomon is a new Adam, he is not the last Adam, because he does not reverse the curse, he participates in it! God responds to the request of his son in verses 10-14. God is pleased with Solomon, and he promises him both wisdom, and all the things for which he did not ask: riches and honor and long life, if you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments. Solomon is around 20 when he comes to the throne, and he rules for 40 years, dying around the age of 60. That is not long life. It is important to remember that God's covenant is always both unconditional and conditional. God has promised that David's son will rule on his throne, but God has also warned that rebellious sons will be disciplined. That is why we need the faithful Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Because as long as the righteous requirements of the law go unmet, our lives will be nasty, brutish, and short! And Solomon awoke, and behold it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings and made a feast for all his servants. (3:15) 2. Solomon's Wisdom Displayed in the Court (3:16-28) The rest of our text this evening then displays Solomon's wisdom: in the courtroom (3:16-28) in the administration of the kingdom (4:1-19) in the prosperity of the kingdom (4:20-28) and in his relations with the nations (4:29-5:18) and in his building of the temple. Verses 16-28 then demonstrate that God has indeed given Solomon wisdom to rule his people. There is no statute that will help Solomon decide the case between these two prostitutes. He needs wisdom to resolve their dispute. We usually focus on the main point the demonstration of Solomon's wisdom, which is all well and good, but we don't pay attention to the rest of the story. For instance, these women are prostitutes. The best way to describe the biblical attitude toward prostitution is that scripture frowns on the practice. Prostitution is a wicked practice that should not happen. It is sin. But it does happen. It shouldn't, but it does. And while prostitutes symbolize everything that is wrong with Israel, even prostitutes deserve to be treated with compassion. Solomon does not say, "hey, you are prostitutes; you got pregnant, the baby died serves you right!" Remember that this book is the Gospel according to Kings: and the good news is that Israel is going to die, and Israel's only hope is that God will raise the dead. And Solomon uses the wisdom of God to restore life to a child that was sentenced to death. And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice. Here is a king who will do what is right and just for his people! He gives justice even to prostitutes! You would think that this would have made people think twice before condemning Jesus for associating with tax collectors and prostitutes he was just doing what the Son of David is supposed to do! 3. Solomon's Wisdom Displayed in His Administration (4:1-19) Chapter 4 then displays Solomon's wisdom in his administration of the kingdom. Verses 2-6 demonstrate that Solomon followed David in the organization of his chief officials, but verses 7-19 then reveal that Solomon's organization was more thorough. Solomon did not rely upon tribal leaders, he had his own 12 officials distributed throughout the land, each of whom was responsible for providing a month's provision for the king and his household. Two of these officials were sons-in-law (which means that this is probably describing the administration of the kingdom twenty years or so after he became king, since his daughters would not be old enough yet!) As Joshua distributed the land between the twelve tribes, so now Solomon distributes the land between his twelve officers, and even so will Jesus send out his twelve apostles! The wisdom of the king is demonstrated not only in his courtroom justice, but also in his ability to delegate and distribute power in order to ensure that the kingdom is well administered. Jesus Christ alone is Lord of the church, but he has appointed officers to rule and govern according to his word and wisdom. 4. Solomon's Wisdom Displayed in Its Results (4:20-28) Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. (4:20) The reign of Solomon is portrayed as a time of peace and plenty a time when Israel and Judah ate, drank, and were happy. Ecclesiastes will tell us that this is pleasing to God to eat and drink with a merry heart (Ecclesiastes 9:7), drawing on the image of this time of prosperity and joy the golden age of Israel's history. In Luke 12:19, the rich man says to himself, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry! He is saying to himself, I am as wise as Solomon, for I have provided well for myself. But God does not address him as wise. He says, "you fool!" You do not find wisdom by seeking prosperity. You find true prosperity by seeking wisdom! Solomon sought first the kingdom of God. He did not ask for wealth and prosperity he only wanted to be able to rule the kingdom of God wisely. And so God added all these things to him. And so in Solomon's day the promises to Abraham were fulfilled: For the first time in Scripture, Judah and Israel were as many as the sand on the sea (4:20 cf. Gen 22:17), Israel ruled all the land from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt (4:21 cf. Gen 15:18) Likewise, the promise of Dt 28:13 that Israel would become the head and not the tail is fulfilled as the kings of the nations bring tribute to Solomon (4:21). Every man sat under his vine and fig tree (4:25), and all the good things of the earth can be found on Solomon's table (4:22-23) 4:26, though, suggests that Solomon is multiplying horses and chariots which was contrary to Deuteronomy 17. There is trouble even in paradise restored! Solomon is everything that a king should be and more! (It's the more that gets him in trouble!) 5. Solomon's Wisdom and the Nations (4:29-5:18) Verses 29-34 then summarize the wisdom of Solomon. Solomon's wisdom was "like the sand on the seashore." Verse 20 has just said that Israel was like the sand by the sea so now we are told that Solomon's wisdom is as expansive as Israel. Which is exactly what Solomon had asked for: he had asked for wisdom to govern Israel and now we hear that God gave him wisdom (breadth of mind or heart) that matches his task as king. But not only is Solomon's wisdom as expansive as Israel, Solomon's wisdom is also greater than the people of the east (lit., the sons of the east), probably a reference to the famous Babylonian sages, and greater than the wisdom of Egypt. When we went through Proverbs we noticed some parallels with Egyptian wisdom, but here we learn that Solomon's wisdom is greater than Egypt and Babylon. For he was wiser than all men wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. Ethan wrote Psalm 89, and Heman wrote Psalm 88. Solomon is wiser than Egypt, wiser than Babylon, wiser even than the sages of Israel. And his fame was in all the surrounding nations. It is perhaps not accidental that Kings tells us that Solomon was wiser than three classes of men: Babylonians, Egyptians, and all men; and then four individual Israelite wise men; because this makes Solomon the eighth in the list. He is wiser than the seven. And his wisdom is evidenced in his literary production: he spoke 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. The number seven appears again in his speech: he speaks of trees, from cedars to hyssop (three forms of plant life) and he speaks of beasts, birds, reptiles and fish (four forms of animal life) Solomon's mind encompasses all of creation. His wisdom is not merely as broad as Israel. His wisdom extends to the ends of the earth! And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. Indeed, Solomon had the mind of Christ the mind of the LORD's anointed. As an example of this, we hear of Hiram. Hiram loved David, and so when he heard that David's son had been anointed king, he sent his servants to Solomon. So Solomon responded by declaring his intent to do what his father had wanted: But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. And so I intend to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD said to David my father, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.' And so Solomon asked Hiram to cut cedars of Lebanon for the temple. Hiram's attitude toward the house of David is revealed in his response: Blessed be Yahweh this day, who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people And so Solomon and Hiram arrange a wood-for-food program (think of the oil for food programs of the modern era). It would be easy to think that Solomon has violated the law against entering foreign alliances. But verse 12 will not allow that interpretation: And the LORD gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made at treaty. Solomon's treaty with Tyre is considered a wise covenant, because Hiram of Tyre loved David. There are some very definite hints that Tyre is brought into the covenant, in some sense, through their covenant with Solomon. This covenant appears to be largely a covenant of equals (Solomon does not impose tribute on Tyre), but Hiram acknowledges Yahweh, while Solomon (at least at this point) does not acknowledge the god of Tyre. And the prophets will often treat Tyre differently than the other nations and when Tyre apostatizes and turns against the LORD, Ezekiel will deliver one of the most scathing indictments of any nation (Ezekiel 28) But 5:12 makes it clear that this alliance was a wise alliance, because it furthered the advance of the kingdom of God and was necessary for the building of the temple. 5:13-18 then speaks of the labor force that Solomon drafted. One month on the job in Lebanon, and two months at home not a bad system, if your goal is to keep the hearts of the people! All told there were nearly 200,000 men involved in the project (not including Hiram's men or the men of Gebal, who were allies of Tyre)-- all focused on preparing to build the house of God. Conclusion So what conclusion do we draw from all this? First, we see that wisdom is multifaceted. It is not just about deciding difficult cases and ordering your government. It is also about understanding the whole of creation. And wisdom leads both yourself and others to worship God. And that is the second point, wisdom leads to worship but worship also leads to wisdom. It was when Solomon was worshiping God that God offered him whatever he wanted. And it was because Solomon was worshiping God and seeking first his kingdom that Solomon asked for wisdom. When a nation is ruled by a wise king, then peace and prosperity come. But not just economic peace and prosperity! But the peace and prosperity of the kingdom of God, which is most abundantly revealed in the temple! When the wise king rules according to his wisdom, then even the nations come flocking to him, delighting to serve him in building the temple of God. You see, that is what Jesus has done. He is the wise king who has called the nations to serve him. And he is building his temple his church. And so let us bow the knee to our Lord Jesus Christ, the one greater than Solomon, and let us devote ourselves to the furtherance of his kingdom, that the kingdom of God might come, and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Because it is only as we worship him that true wisdom comes.