The Wisdom of SolomonLesson 25: 1 Kings 3:1-5:18

by Dellena Ludwig

“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!”

Romans 11:33

1 Kings 4:32 explained that Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs and songs. I have

included a few of them in this lecture.

Let's put ourselves for a moment in the place of Solomon as he takes

the throne of Israel. He is around 20 years old. His father, King David, had

placed him on the throne after a lifetime of battle and expansion. Solomon

listened to his instruction concerning his dream of building the temple, and

had followed his warnings about treacherous people around the throne. He

made a treaty with Egypt by marriage to secure that final border. Now, faced

with the daunting challenge of stepping out to rule a nation, how in the world

does one begin? He knew he did not have the same skill-set as his earthly

father, to rule with power and might. But what skill-set did he have to draw

on himself? He needed help and guidance but who could be trusted? The

only direction Solomon could turn with confidence was toward God himself;

the God he learned about from his father. He showed the wisdom to seek

God first.

It is here our lesson begins. Solomon turned to worship the Lord God

of Israel, in order to tap into God's depth of wisdom and knowledge to begin

his rule the right way. In 1 Kings 3:4 we learned, “The king went to Gibeon

to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place.” The state of

Israel's worship at that time was haphazard at best. The Mosaic law warned

that the people of Israel must destroy the pagan high places where the

Canaanites had worshiped their false idols. In Deuteronomy 12:2 God

commanded, “Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains and

on the hills and under every spreading tree where the nations you are

dispossessing worship their gods.” He warned,“Be careful not to sacrifice

your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the

Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I

command you.” [Deuteronomy12:13,14] However, so far, the people and

leaders had set up altars on many high places, God had not previously shown

the exact place He had chosen and the tabernacle was now in Gibeon. That is

why Solomon first went there.

After showing his love for the Lord by offering 1,000 burnt offerings,

Solomon went to bed. Psalms 111:10 instructs us, “The fear of the Lord is

the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good

understanding.” Solomon began at the right place; with the fear or reverence

of the Lord. Then the Lord responded to his worship by appearing to

Solomon in a night vision, saying, “Ask for whatever you want me to give

you.” [1 Kings 3:5]

What would you answer if God gave you this choice? All of the stories

of genies in lamps came to my mind. Would you ask for healing or lasting

youth? Wealth or riches? Power or fame? An end to your enemies? World

peace? Three more wishes? Well, Solomon asked from the depth of his

heart, “Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of

my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry

out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a

great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a

discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and

wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” [1 Kings 3:7-

9] Solomon correctly asked for the skill he needed. But more than that, he

exhibited the humility missing from all alternative requests.

Did you notice how he referred to himself as “your servant,”? Proverbs

11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with humility comes

wisdom.” Solomon realized God's sovereignty in placing him on the throne

and recognized his true need was discernment in this rule because he was

answerable to God himself for how he led God's people. How important it is

for us to remember that God himself has sovereignly placed us in the position

we find ourselves: as a parent, an employee, a neighbor, a caregiver, a friend,

a church member. Even through terrible trials, we also are responsible to

God to serve in each position He has placed us, according to the way He

wants us to serve. We too need wisdom.

God in his grace, gave generously to Solomon above and beyond what

he asked for. He not only gave him wisdom that would place him above all

others of his time and through following eras, but God also granted him both

wealth and honor that was beyond any other king. But there was a condition

to God's final gift. “And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and

commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” [1 Kings

3:12-14] We will see as we study Solomon's life that this one condition was

difficult for the king to keep.

Solomon returned to Jerusalem where David had brought the ark of the

covenant and worshiped before the presence of the Lord there. His joy in

receiving such a clear answer from God resulted in a feast for all of his court

in God's honor. Then he began his duties as King of Israel. It was a regular

duty of the king to hear grievances from his people and to make judgments

accordingly. It is during one such judgment that Solomon's gift from God

was made evident to all.

In this sample case, he faced the dilemma of deciding which woman

was the true mother of the baby in question. Both mothers had held, loved,

and nuzzled their babies, carefully noticing their tiny fingers, ten toes, and

any birthmarks. But one baby had died. Neither woman had a husband to

vouch for her testimony. No other person had been present. The babies were

born within three days of each other and so a difference in age could not

determine which belonged to which mother. And, both women claimed the

living baby.

If you have ever been on a jury I'm sure you remember how hard it was

to listen to all of the testimonies, take notes and try to figure out which point

of view was more likely to be true or to find discrepancies in any part.

Wisdom for adjudication was vital, particularly in this “she said-she said”

judgment. That is probably why this case came before the king. Lower

magistrates could not make a decision that seemed just on their own.

But as Solomon listened to both arguments, he also closely watched the

emotions on the faces of both women. He probably prayed silently and the

Lord gave him a glimpse of how to distinguish truth from lie. That is when

he calmly commanded that the baby be shared: “'Bring me a sword.' So they

brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: 'Cut the living child in

two and give half to one and half to the other.'” [1 Kings 3:24,25] Faced with

the death of this newborn child, the king heard the telling reactions which

confirmed his judgment: “The woman whose son was alive was filled with

compassion for her son and said to the king, 'Please, my lord, give her the

living baby! Don't kill him!' But the other said, 'Neither I nor you shall have

him. Cut him in two!'” [v.26]

As a juror, I would wonder later, “Why would the false mother not

gladly receive the living baby when the true mother now offered it to her?”

In The Pulpit Commentary a possible answer is offered. Perhaps there might

be legal consequences for bringing false testimony before the court. She

continued her ruse to avoid the penalty of her lie.” But wisdom from the

Lord left no doubt in Solomon's mind. “Give the living baby to the first

woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” [1 Kings 3:27]

Word spread quickly throughout Israel. It was easily recognizable that

Solomon had wisdom beyond that of normal men. God had given it to him to

administer justice in this most remarkable way. We would stand with the rest

of Israel in this recognition. How many times have we just shaken our heads,

wondering through the long hours of sleepless nights what decision we

should make in our own cases?

It was prophesied by Isaiah about the Christ: “The Spirit of the Lord

will rest on him – the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of

counsel and of might.” [Isaiah 11:2] Shouldn't we go to Him whose name we

know as Jesus, as Solomon did, and ask for wisdom too? James 1:5

encourages us in saying, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask of God

who gives generously to all without finding fault.” Just as Solomon could

trust in God's gift of wisdom, so can we for the dilemmas of our life.

The fame of Solomon spread all through Israel and the surrounding

nations. An unexpected blessing was found in chapter 4, verse 1: “So King

Solomon ruled over all the tribes and with the full consent of all.” The

residual divisions left after Absalom's rebellion that threatened to split Israel

were now mended by the wisdom of Solomon.

Now Solomon would demonstrate God's gift of Wisdom in

Administration of the nation. In chapter four, are listed the names of men,

given different responsibilities in Solomon's administration. While David

listed the men who were important during his reign in chapter 20, we find an

important difference comparing this list. David listed his mighty men and

their heroic deeds in battle. But Solomon began with priests, scribes and

recorders. This reign will be quite different than the reign of his father.

But Solomon showed respect for his father in choosing the men or sons

of men who had served David faithfully. Proverbs 10:1 announces this truth:

“A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his

mother.” Solomon chose Azariah, the son of Zadok the priest as his chief

officer or counselor. The root of the word for officer here, in Hebrew means

to set in order. The word steward is also used. Azariah would be over all

other organizers in the kingdom, but by no means must he administer every

section himself.

Elihoreph and Ahijah were chosen as secretaries. In an age where sons

learned their trade by working with their fathers, it was no coincidence that

these two were sons of Shisha, who had been the scribe for King David. The

scribe was like our secretary of state, putting the kings decisions in writing

for edicts and official letters.

Jehoshaphat was called to be the recorder as he had been under David

as well. The recorder kept the official record of everything that happened

during the king's reign as read in the Chronicles. Solomon would have

grown up with these men. Seeing their value in the service of his father,

Solomon fulfilled Proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with the wise grows wise,

but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Solomon lived with these wise men

and their sons and further brought honor to his father's name by trusting them

with the same positions.

Benaiah had already shown his respect for Solomon by carrying out the

difficult tasks of killing those final men who were disloyal to Solomon in the

last lesson. Now, he commanded the army, having been given Joab's position

after killing him for his betrayal. Also last week we learned that Abiathar

also betrayed Solomon by supporting his brother as king. But here, both he

and Zadok are mentioned as priests. Ellicott explained in his commentary

that “Abiathar, though disgraced and practically deposed, was still regarded

theoretically as priest … for the priesthood was properly for life.” Both

would be respected as priests, but Zadok and his son would be most involved

as counselors to the crown.

Next two sons of Nathan are mentioned. Azariah was over the district

affairs and Zabud, was a priest and personal adviser. The Nathan here

mentioned, may not have been the prophet but rather one of David's sons.

Although the two eldest of David's sons were rivals for Solomon's throne,

Nathan and his sons were loyal to him. So here they are called the Hebrew

word, “Cohen” meaning personal advisers.

With all of these officials, advisers, friends and family working in the

palace, Solomon also needed someone to be in charge of the care of the

palace itself. Ahishar was placed in that position. In 2 Kings 18:18 he is also

called high steward. And finally, Adoniram was in charge of the forced

labor, also called the “tribute or levy” which would place him a position

equatable to our head of the IRS.

This tribute was not paid in dollars and cents, however. In the 22-23

verses we read the daily portion of food needed for meals in Solomon's

household. “… 30 cors [185 bushels] of fine flour and 60 cors [375 bushels]

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.”

Therefore, the “forced labor” was the order given to all the people of Israel to

provide this food from their own farms and pastures.

However, even this levy was organized so that no farm would be over-

taxed, to the detriment of their own household needs. Twelve regional

officers were to rotate this responsibility between them, each taking one

month per year to fulfill their tribute. All of the tribes of Israel were to share

as follows: 4:8 Ben-Hur (the Hebrew word “Ben” means son-of) generally

representing the ½ tribe of Ephriam; 4:9 Ben-Deker from the tribe of Dan;

4:10 Ben-Hessed from the area of Judah; 4:11 the son of Abinadab (married

to Taphath the daughter of Solomon) from the area of ½ tribe of Manasseh;

4:12 Baana-son of Ahilud around the area never taken by Manasseh but

which were taken as tributaries, in which was the city of Jokmean which was

of the Levites; 4:13 Ben-Geber covered some of Manasseh and Gad; 4:14

Ahinadab from the tribute also of Gad; 4:15 Ahimaaz (who was also married

to Basemath, daughter of Solomon) from the territory of Naphtalai; 4:16

Baanah from the area of Asher; 4:17 Jehoshphat from the land of Issachar;

4:18 Shimei from the area of Judah and Benjamin; and 4:19 Geber partially

from the land of Reuben.Some of the areas were divided into very large

areas, but some were simply a single city. But in reference to their

productivity, the division was really very fair. However, many

surrounding kingdoms also brought tribute to King Solomon, some because

they had been made vassal states by David, and some out of respect for the

new king. The territory now under the dominion of Solomon ranged from the

Euphrates River in Syria in the north to the Land of the Philistines and the

border of Egypt, in the south; and from the eastern valley of the Jordan to the

land along the Mediterranean Sea on the west. The territory described was all

the land promised by God to Israel, when Joshua set forth to conquer the

promised land. And all during his reign, Solomon had “peace on all sides”.

And every family in Israel “lived in safety, each man under his own vine and

fig tree.” [2 Kings 4:24,25] This is the description of a secure and happy

nation that had fulfilled God's promise.

Given this peaceful picture of paradise it seems incongruous that the

next description of Solomon's kingdom is one of violation of God's

commands. In Deutronomy 17:16 the law declares, “The king, moreover,

must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people

return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, 'You are not to

go back that way again.'” But Solomon had four thousand stalls for his

chariot horses, and twelve thousand cavalry horses. When Joshua won

victory for Israel against the Northern kings, “Joshua did to them as the Lord

had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.” [Joshua

11:9] God desired for Israel to rely on His strength for victory, not on the

horses and chariots men relied upon. We are not told where Solomon acqired

all of these horses. He used them for peace, not war. But they seemed to be

in violation of God's command.

Solomon reigned in a time of peace, and so in his position of strength

gathered horses and chariots. What is it we gather for our security? Don't we

strive to have the highest paying job and the best house? Don't we count our

possessions too as our strength? But God warned in Proverbs 8:10,11

“Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold.

For wisdom is more precious that rubies, and nothing you desire can compare

with her.” We will study how, later in life, Solomon examined all of the

wealth he had acquired and found it was meaningless compared to knowing

God. Psalms 19:7 reminds us, “The law of Jehovah is perfect restoring the

soul; the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple.” Solomon

learned that the gift of wisdom from the Lord superseded all other gifts God

had given him.

Yet we examined in chapter five one more display of wisdom from God

– the wisdom needed in treaty making. One of the surrounding kings who

honored Solomon was Hiram, king of Tyre. This may have been the same

man who had sent cedar to King David when he desired to build his palace in

Jerusalem, or his son had also been named Hiram. But the friendship that

had been forged by his father bloomed into a trade agreement for Solomon.

The words in verse 2, “Solomon sent back this message to Hiram:” signify

that most of these negotiations were done through letters carried back and

forth from Solomon and Hiram through envoys.

Hiram possessed in his kingdom, present day Lebanon, vast forests of

cedar and pine trees. However, the mountainous terrain in which these trees

flourish, also made cultivation for basic staples such as wheat and barley very

difficult. Since God had blessed Israel with fertile, highly productive land,

but little timber, a treaty beneficial to both kingdoms presented itself.

Although Solomon could have demanded the wood as tribute, he spoke

humbly in his negotiations. Proverbs 3:7 warned, “Do not be wise in your

own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” Solomon began his letter, recalling

the friendship he had witnessed between Hiram and King David. Then he

recalled the deep desire of David's heart, to build a temple to the Name of the

Lord, and how this desire was denied by God to his father, because he had

been a man of war. In chapter 5, verse 5 Solomon reached out, owning his

father's dream as his own; “I intend, therefore to build a temple for the Name

of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, 'Your

son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my

Name.'”

But rather than demanding the timber, he offered this deal in verse 6,

“So give the orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work

with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You

know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.” By

admitting he lacked skilled lumber cutters, Solomon put himself in a weaker

bargaining position. But he countered this weakness by offering to pay the

skilled Sidonians whatever wages Hiram set.

Of course this approach to the deal pleased Hiram. He then countered

by setting the wages and describing exactly what his men would do to earn

them. Not only would they cut down the trees, but they would transport the

trees by floating them as rafts south to the closest port, later known as Joppa.

The wages included food for the men and for Hiram's royal household.

Hiram began to receive about 20% less than Solomon required for his own

household. In this way the deal was struck, to the benefit of both Hiram and

Solomon.

Again, the wisdom of administration was shown as Solomon put into

action his plan to gather the building materials. His need for tree cutters to

learn this skill by on-the-job training, required workers from Israel to travel

to Tyre. So “King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel – 30,000

men. He sent them off to Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was

in charge of the forced labor.” [2 Kings 5:13,14]

This was a noble occupation, to be part of this historic event building a

temple for the Name of the Lord in Israel. But the commentary by Jamison-

Fausset & Brown described a caution concerning the impact of this forced

labor as follows: “So great a stretch of arbitrary power as is implied in this

compulsory levy would have raised great discontent, if not opposition(ary),

had not his wise arrangement of letting the laborers remain at home two

months out of three, added to the sacredness of the work, reconciled the

people to this forced labor.” This was also prophesied by Samuel when the

people first asked for a king. 1 Samuel 8:17 Samuel states that any king “will

take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.” Up

until now, kings had mostly conscripted men for the army, but now, in peace

time, the need was to help build the temple.

Solomon displayed great wisdom by including his people in the

building of the temple. But he also called upon the non-Israelites in the land

as well, because this precious temple would not be made of only wood. He

needed stone cutters, carriers, and supervisors. Living in Israel were

remnants of subdued Canaanites: Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and

Jebusites. 1 Chronicles 22:2 described David's preparation of these people

for service, “So David gave orders to assemble the aliens living in Israel, and

from among them he appointed stone cutters to prepare dressed stone for

building the house of God. He provided a large amount of iron to make nails

for the doors of the gateways and for the fittings, and more bronze than could

be weighed.” With all that David had prepared for the Temple, Solomon

needed even more to complete the plans God had given.

1 Kings 5:17 described that “At the king's command they removed from

the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed

stone for the temple.” The Hebrew word for these large blocks indicated that

they were removed or “brought up” as a tent peg is pulled up when removing

a tent. In the case of a long seated peg, the removal is long and arduous and

takes systematic hard work. They were costly stones and so were probably of

marble or similar value because of the care that must be taken to quarry them

carefully and select them for their beauty. These stones would have probably

been twenty to thirty feet long, five to six feet long and beveled or grooved to

fit together. Since many of these stone cutters had been working on this

project for David, they had learn the techniques necessary to remove and

finish the stones that would be so perfectly fit, Herod would later be able to

use these same original foundation stones for the temple he rebuilt.

We also are called by our King of Kings to help build a temple.

However this is not a temple of cedar, pine and stone. In 1 Corinthians

3:10,11 Paul describes his apostolic ministry as a building project. “By the

grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and

someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is

Jesus Christ.” The Jehovah Solomon worshiped was the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah, seeing the completed temple that then stood in danger of destruction

by Babylon foretold that He would come. “This is what the sovereign Lord

says: 'See I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious corner stone for a

sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed'.” [Isaiah 28:16]

When we asked Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, our faith began with

Him as our “precious cornerstone”. The craftsmen of so long ago worked

long hard hours to shape and smooth the stones and logs so they would be

perfectly ready for building the temple. In this same way, Paul admonished

us to “be careful how we build”. Ephesians 5:15 admonishes us, “Be very

careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise.” In fact, this great

care must be taken every day because the building being constructed is the

temple of God: “What agreement is there between the temple of God and

idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, 'I will live

with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my

people.'” [2 Corinthians 6:16]

Therefore, we must dedicate ourselves to our task as part of God's

temple. Let's remember to ask God for the wisdom we need to accomplish

this task, as Solomon did. In order to do so, let's recognize that the quality of

building materials matter. On this same original foundation, Paul warns in 1

Corinthians 3:12-15 that some will build with gold silver and precious stones,

while others will build with wood hay and stubble. James 3:13 explains that

quality building materials come from actions done with good motives. “Who

is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by

deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” In a few weeks we

will study about how the building of Solomon's temple was accomplished.

Our building is accomplished by the Spirit of Christ who convicts us of

sin and strengthens us to live for Christ. But if you despair some days, as I

do, that we are not living up to our potential in Christ, recognize that God

knew the place you would fill in His temple before you even knew Him.

“Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this

inscription, 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and 'Everyone who

confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'” As

believers we are His holy temple because the mortar of His love can never be

broken.

“Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out!”

Romans 11:33