Previous chapter (apologies for long gap)
The joy that wisdom brings
We turn next to verses 1 Kings 4:20-29. We want to ask two questions.
Firstly, what does the writer tell us?
The writer tells us that Solomon ruled over a numerous and contented people and that he had a large, stable, prosperous, peaceful and well-ordered kingdom. The marks of God’s blessing were everywhere.
1. The population was large – 20a ‘The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore’. The promise to Abraham had in part been fulfilled by Solomon’s time. (See Gen 22:17).
2. The people were happy – 20b ‘they ate, they drank and they were happy’. There was harmony.
25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig-tree.
3. The territory was large, as large as it ever became. 21ab ‘And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River (Euphrates) to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt’. This again picks up on what was promised to Abraham in Genesis.
4. The regime was stable. Stability is something to be appreciated. It is the product of wise and strong government. 21c ‘These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.’ That is one reason why the people ‘lived in safety’. We are told (26) that ‘Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.’ No doubt that reassured people.
5. The nation was prosperous.
22, 23 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.
It has been estimated that there was enough to feed four or five thousand people everyday. (Other estimates are much higher, depending on how much each one ate.)
6. The empire was peaceful - 24 ‘For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.’
7. The kingdom was competently organised.
27, 28 The district officers, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Secondly, why does the writer tell us this?
Clearly the writer is very enthusiastic about what he has to say. He is excited. As D Ralph Davis puts it, when he describes ‘Solomon’s daily provisions’ he is saying ‘Get a load of this: for only one day, folks’. He is saying ‘Isn’t that impressive?’ The reason why he thinks it is impressive and why he is so joyful about it is that he sees it as the fulfilment of God’s promises to Abraham. This, at least in part, is the fulfilment of what God promised to Abraham so long before. The point here then is not simply that wisdom leads to joy – although that is true, wisdom brings real delight to all who exercise it – but also that God fulfils his promises to the faithful and it is his wisdom that brings joy.
The variety that wisdom exhibits
In the final section (29-34) the writer seeks to sum up Solomon’s wisdom and the sort of impact that he had. He makes some five points, which teach us further things about wisdom, particularly about its dimensions. We must not think of wisdom as something monolithic or static. There is tremendous variety in it. This comes out here along with the reminder that wisdom comes from God and amazes men. I suppose we can think of it in terms of wisdom coming down and diversifying, leading to amazement all around.
1. True wisdom is given by God. We ought not to miss 29a ‘God gave Solomon wisdom.’ This has already been said and the story of Solomon’s wisdom underlines it. Never forget that. True wisdom is from above.
2. True wisdom is deep and broad in scope. Verse 29 goes on
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
The wisdom that Solomon had from God gave him both insight and breadth of understanding. This is the nature of true wisdom. It is often observed that there are an increasing number of people who are getting to know more and more about less and less. The other side of this is that there are less and less people who know a little bit about many things. Wisdom is marked both by deep insight and broad understanding. That is what to seek – deep insight into and broad understanding of the Bible and of God. Are you seeking that?
3. True wisdom is varied in degree. We are told in verses 30 and 31 that
Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite - wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol.
No wonder ‘his fame spread to all the surrounding nations’. We do not know who the men mentioned were although Ethan is the author of Psalm 89. Like them we cannot be as wise as Solomon but we can be wise to a degree. If we can at least be wiser than we were yesterday, wiser than others ….
4. True wisdom is expressed in various ways. 32 ‘He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.’ Solomon was no one chord player. He was no one trick pony. He had many strings to his bow. There was variety in his wisdom. Some of it went into proverbs – compact portable wisdom. Many of these proverbs are preserved for us in Scripture. Some of it went into songs – we have the best of them in the Bible, the Song of Songs. He also (33)
described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.
These very references remind us of the variety of knowledge that can be acquired. What a wonderful world God has made. We should all have an interest in at least some part of it and work to gain knowledge about it.
5. True wisdom is attractive to men.
34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
Surely this is one of the ways that we can make the teaching about the Saviour attractive. Here is real wisdom. It is found in God’s Word. It humbles us when it points to our sin but then it lifts us up as it shows us the way to heaven through faith in Christ.
