52. THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

"All Israel feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him."

Aim

To show how Solomon became king while David was still alive and began to rule wisely.

David was now an old man. The hardships of his life as a soldier, fighting the battles of Yahweh, had worn him out. It was time for someone else to take over and rule God's people. David already knew who the next king was to be, but it was necessary to make an announcement to the

nation.

1 Kings 3

SOLOMON BECOMES KING: 1 Kings 1:5-10, 32-40

David was king for forty years. He reigned over Judah in Hebron for seven and a half years and then for thirty three years in Jerusalem over the whole of Israel (2 Samuel 5:4-5). He was a great king indeed, but his reign was not a peaceful one. When we look at the things David did, we can see how he was preparing for the reign of his son Solomon, whose name means 'peaceable', for God had chosen him to succeed David. "Behold", God said, "a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days" (1 Chronicles 22:9).

In the meantime, some of David's other sons were anxious to steal the kingdom for themselves. First Absalom tried to overthrow his own father and David had to flee out of his palace and across the river Jordan. Many of his faithful friends accompanied him and Absalom was eventually killed by Joab, captain of David's army, a hard man but a very loyal soldier. Then, when David was old and weak, Adonijah gathered some supporters together, including Joab and Abiathar, the priest. He prepared a feast where he was going to announce that he was the new king.

However, the faithful prophet Nathan,together with Bathsheba, Solo mon's mother, and Zadok the priest, con-suited with David. They knew that David had promised that Solomon should be king, for God had cho sen him. "Of all my sons," said David, "(for Yahweh hath given me many sons), He hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh over Israel" (1 Chronicles 28:5). Then David gave instructions for Solomon to be anointed king. "Cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule and bring him down to Gihon: And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel" (1 Kings 1:33-34).

So they blew the trumpet for all Jerusalem to hear and brought Solomon to sit upon David's throne. Zadok the priest anointed him with oil out of the tabernacle and "They blew the trumpet and all the people said, God save king Solomon" (1 Kings 1:39).

SOLOMON BEGINS TO REIGN: 1 Kings 3:3-15

From a child Solomon had learned to love God. Both David his father and Bathsheba his mother had taught him to fear God and to keep His commandments. So when he first became king we read that "Solo mon loved Yahweh, walking in the statutes of David his father" (v 3).

One of the first things that Solomon did as king was to gather to gether all the captains and princes of Israel at Gibeon, where the Taber nacle was set up. Before all the people he offered upon the brasen altar a thousand burnt offerings, for he was determined to serve God well.

That night, God appeared to him in a dream and said, "Ask what I shall give thee " (v 5). Solomon realised how richly God had blessed his father David and now had blessed him too, to make him sit on David's throne. Yet when he thought of the great work of ruling God's people, he was not sure whether he was going to be able to rule them wisely. "/ am but a little child, " he confessed to God. "/ know not how to go out or come in" (v 7). He needed God's help to guide him in governing Israel well. "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this Thy so great a people? " (v 9). With such an answer God was well pleased. "Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart, " He said (v 12). God knew that it would have been quite natural for a king to ask for a long reign, or for great riches for himself, or for victory over his enemies (v 11), but Solomon had asked for none of these. So God was pleased to give him wisdom as lie had asked, as well as the things which he had not desired. "/ have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour:...and if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days" (vv 3, 14).

SOLOMON SHOWS HIS WISDOM: I Kings 3:16-28

Not long after, when Solomon was back in Jerusalem, two women came before him with a problem that seemed too difficult to solve. These two women lived in the same house and had both given birth to a baby son. During the night one of the babies died. Each of the women now said that the living baby was her own. They argued before the king. One woman said that the other woman's baby had died in the night and she had taken the living baby from its mother while she slept and put the dead boy in its place. "No, " said the woman, "the living is my son and the dead is thy son. " (v 22).

How could the king ever know who was the true mother of the living child? Thoughtfully he answered, "Bring me a sword" (v 24). So they brought a sword to the king. "Divide the living child in two, " said Solomon, "and give half to the one, and half to the other" (v 25). Immediately the true mother cried out, "O my lord, give her the living child and in no wise slay it. " But the other said, "Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it" (v 26). It was easy now to see who was telling the truth. No true mother would want to harm her baby, as Solo mon wisely knew. "Give her the living child, " he said "and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof (v 27).

We can be sure that Solomon certainly did not mean to kill that little baby, but because he was wise, he knew how to find the baby's real mother.

"And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment" (v28).

LESSON FOR US

Solomon was so impressed by the need to get wisdom that the book of Proverbs is full of advice to search for wisdom, as though we are seeking hidden treasure (2:4). It was no wonder then that Solomon asked God for wisdom to rule His people, for he knew that "wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be com pared to it"(8:11). True wisdom can only be found in the Bible. It teaches us how to speak and how to behave and how to make right decisions in our lives. We can learn that wisdom as Solomon did, by listening care fully to our mother and father as they teach us what God wants us to do. "Be not wise in thine own eyes, " David told his son, because that is not true wisdom; it is only pride and cleverness. True wisdom and under standing are things we must seek for daily, by praying to God and reading His word in the Bible. The stories we read of faithful men and women of old will help us also to walk wisely before our God.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

In these lessons the story of the glorious days of Israel's history is unfolding. Not only is it an exciting and thrilling story, but it takes our mind forward to the time when the greater "Son of David," the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1) will be king over the whole world. In Ezekiel 37:24 he is called by God "my servant David, " for David means "the beloved" and we know that God also proclaimed Jesus "My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17).

When Christ returns he will sit on the throne of David (Luke 1:32) and rule from Jerusalem over the whole world, for he must destroy all his enemies before he can reign over his kingdom in peace. Speaking of this time, David wrote in the Psalms: "Yahweh said unto my Lord (i.e. Christ), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool" (Psalm 110:1). So God will send the Lord Jesus Christ back from heaven to overthrow all his enemies and then the earth will have peace and quietness. These things are spoken of in Isaiah 9:6-7, where he is called "the Prince of Peace. " Just as Solomon asked God for wisdom, so God has given His Son "the spirit of wisdom and of understanding" (Isaiah 11:2-5), for he will be a righteous king, caring for the poor and needy (Psalm 72:12).

We are now beginning to see how the reigns of David and of Solo mon point forward to the reign of Christ. Another way of saying this is that in his life David was a type of Christ and that Solomon also was a type of Christ. We can start to make a list of these types:

QUESTIONS

Short Answers

1. How long did David reign?

2. Which one of Davids sons did God choose to be king?

3. What does the name Solomon mean?

4. Who was Solomon's mother?

5. Who anointed Solomon with oil?

6. What was at Gibeon?

7. What did Solomon do at Gibeon?

8. When God appeared to Solomon in a dream, what did Solomon ask for?

9. What else did God promise to Solomon?

10. What had Solomon learned about wisdom?

11. Where is the only place we can find true wisdom?

Detailed Answers

12. Tell how Solomon was made king as David commanded.

13. Tell what happened when God appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon.

14. Tell how Solomon judged wisely between the two women who came before him.

Additional Answers

15. Make a list showing three ways in which David was a type of Christ and three ways in which Solomon was a type of Christ.