1 Kings 4:20-21
Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
Matthew 11:29-30
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Philippians 2:3-11
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Cogitations—
“King Solomon was king over all Israel.” So begins this chapter. Solomon consolidated his kingdom in the previous chapter, and now we read of the foundations being poured to support a glorious kingdom— 4:1-6, the king’s “kitchen cabinet” inner circle listed; 4:7-19, the kingdom organized into effective governing units for smooth operation; 4:20-28, the logistics and provisions of a royal household; and 4:29-34, the summation of the king’s wisdom and swagger.
An impressive scene to open and written to accentuate every drop of “Wow!” God’s bestowal of wisdom and good favor is thick. Solomon gathers to himself a court of wise counselors. The king organizes his kingdom into an efficient tax conduit because this king, unlike David, his father, will be a builder, not a warrior. Solomon’s reign will be one of stability— fulfilling his name, which means “peace”— and as the opening verse of this chapter highlights, he will be king over “all Israel.” North and South united into one glorious kingdom.
Solomon’s consolidation and stabilizing efforts have seemingly brought the Egyptian exile and wilderness wanderings to an official end. Therefore, God’s promise made to Abraham in Genesis 22:17 referencing the blessing of his children, and his children’s children, seems to be fulfilled, or at the very least, in the process of being fulfilled: “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.” 1 Kings 4:20-21 (not coincidentally) drops this line to punctuate Divine provision of a promise: “Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.”
There may even be an allusion to the Garden of Eden and Adam to the theologically discerning eye here. In 4:29-34, consider this gem: “Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. …He was wiser… than all other men, …and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish.” Reading between the lines, the New Adam is back in Eden. Paradise has been regained! “Adam” is restored to the original wisdom in which he was endowed by God. A return to intimate stewardship and know-how of all creation— plant and animal kingdoms— have arrived with and in the person of Solomon.
Glorious, isn’t it? Biblically rich. And yet, there is drama in between these same lines— “cracks in the foundation,” as some observers have noted. Let’s go back to verses 1-6 and that “kitchen cabinet.” The very last official mentioned is “Adoniram the son of Abda” (4:6). It says, he “was in charge of the forced labor.” Even as the people of God were delivered from the bondage of servitude in Egypt, there is a foreshadow here of Solomon turning into another Pharaoh, enslaving his own people to build his kingdom. A reversal of the Exodus.
In verses 7-19, the efficiency of Solomon’s bureaucracy means heavy taxation. The tribal lands have been converted to impersonal tax units. And the twelve patriarchs have been replaced by governors who are F.O.K.s— “Friends of the King.” In verses 20-28, it is Solomon’s household that “all Israel” must provide for. Each month, a district would oversee feeding and supplying the king’s household (4:27): “Those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking.” A government built to sustain a lavish royal lifestyle! (cf. Deuteronomy 17:14-20!)
King Solomon brought much glory. But Solomon was a consumer king. He lived large, unfortunately at the expense of his own people, planting seeds of discontent that will finally erupt after his death when the kingdom splits north and south into Israel and Judah.
Choon-Leong Seow in the New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, captures the conundrum of God using the likes of Solomon in such a blessed manner: Solomon “is something of a genius, a veritable Leonardo Da Vinci or Mozart of his time with an abiding international reputation. But one wonders why it is this ruthless, self-centered, and vain man whom God has blessed with such extraordinary gifts. Why is it not someone else more deserving, lass rapacious, more faithful, less pompous? The difficult truth for us in this story is that it has no easy answers to our questions about the seeming arbitrariness of God’s election. It is a mystery that God’s purpose in history should be fulfilled through people who have their own biases, political agendas, and limited visions. It is a mystery, too, that God should bless some who are so unworthy or even unfaithful, more than those who seem to us more deserving. That same mystery of God’s surprising grace, however, is the good news in the story. The instruments of God are at best imperfect. So are we.” (NIBC, v.II, Abingdon Press, 2015 p.670). The last two sentences, a sharp reminder; good news, but still, oh, ouch.
Lissa Wray-Beal in her own commentary on the story, adds perspective here worth repeating because it lifts our eyes to a Christological horizon. It begs to go there! “It seems impossible, knowing the canonical story of Solomon in Kings not to read 1 Kings 4 without acknowledging the sad ending of the story. But it is the failure of this king that serves as a reminder that no earthly king can rule with perfect wisdom, justice, and power. These kings are imperfect regents, but their failure and all the pain it engenders for God’s people is a reminder that only God can rule the kingdom for which we long. The New Testament proclaims that this King has indeed come— humbly, and without any of the grandeur of Solomon’s court. …His future return will inaugurate the kingdom hoped for in Solomon, longed for in the psalter and awaited through the checkered years of history.” (1&2 Kings, Apollos Old Testanent Commentary, 2014, p.101)
Matthew 11:29-30 provides a striking contrast to Solomon. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” And the hymn in Philippians 2 is so un-Solomonic: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” In weakness, then, there is great power: “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father[!]”
Perhaps this is why Jesus was such a tough sell to his own people. When you think of a king, you think of Solomon in all his kingly kingness. Surely the messianic expectation can’t be lowly Jesus of Nazareth. Interestingly, there are two psalms in the Psalter attributed to King Solomon (72 and 127). In Psalm 72, which we would call a “Messianic Psalm,” Solomon describes well the calling of a godly king: “He delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.” (72:12-14) Etc. Etc. Jesus fulfills this psalm, but more importantly, King Jesus both rules humbly and lives out that very same humbleness.
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!” (Psalm 72:18-19)
Art: “The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon” (1881-1890) by Sir Edward John Poynter.
