Posted on 04/11/2019 3:04:30 PM PDT by pastorbillrandles
So king Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the priest, Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests: And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend: And Ahishar was over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute. ( I Kings 4:1-6)
Solomon’s inner circle consisted of Priests and Scribes. In other words, he sought the counsel of the Word of God and of prayer. The next level of officers in Solomon’s cabinet consisted of twelve regional representatives. Twelve is the number of Divine Government, as in twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of Jesus.
Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry. ( I Kings 4:20)
The promise to Abraham was being realized in Solomon’s day, but under Solomon they had multiplied in population, prosperity and influence. The expression “eating, drinking and making merry” comes from the Covenant in Deuteronomy , wherein God commanded the people to tithe so that they could celebrate the feast of tabernacles, and “eat, drink and rejoice”.
The very picture of the “good life” according to God himself was being realized for it was of Solomon’s reign that we hear the repeated statement, “Every man under his Vine and under his fig tree”.
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. (I Kings 4:25)
Solomon’s Kingdom was represented as a type of perpetual feast of tabernacles, so prosperous and blessed was it. His territory stretched from the “river”(Euphrates) to the “land of the Philistine”, (the Mediterranean coast). Never had Israel ever so fully realize the full promise of the Land.
As an expression of the greatness of his reign, we are taken into Solomon’s daily dining hall. There He received hundreds and thousands of delegations from all over the world, who were drawn to the presence of the Kingdom of God on earth and the mighty King who represented the Wisdom and glory of that Kingdom.
And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl. (1 Kings 4:21-23)
This was but a foretaste of the Millennium to come, in the time of the restoration of Israel to her place as a Priestly nation again,
Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. (Isaiah 60:1-6)
Thus the gift of Wisdom given by God to Solomon was no zero sum matter, for it benefitted everyone in the nation, and even became a blessing to those across the world who began to make their way to Jerusalem, to behold the King, His Wisdom, and the glory, honor and blessing that this Wisdom granted from God afforded freely to all who would receive it.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about. And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom. ( I Kings 4: 29-34)
This was not an “accumulated Wisdom, as in the pagan wisdom of the Egyptian or the Babylonians or Greeks. God granted this Wisdom, it came as a gift of the grace of God. But it exceeded all of the Wisdom of the pagans.
All Civilizations have their ‘Wisdom” traditions and accumulated knowledge and application. After all, man is made in the Image of God, therefore fallen men have wisdom. But the fall has corrupted Man’s Wisdom, thus Pagan Wisdom is darkened and corrupted, centered in the SELF, or in Humanism, and influenced and teaching of the Serpent.
Solomon is like a new Adam who has been granted the original Wisdom again, thus Edenic language is used to describe it, He speaks of Trees, and of Creatures, particularly the Cedar (The Temple ) and Hyssop ( The Blood of sacrifice). People came to hear his lectures, they flowed in from the heathen nations.
Finally in a large way the promise given to Abraham that one of his seed would bless every family n earth, seemed to be being fulfilled. The Kingdom of God was being established and Pagans were coming back to the only true God.
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