Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
“Now, 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?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
Then the king said, “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.”
The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love 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!”
Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

• 1 Kings 3:28

So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. And these were his chief officials:
Azariah son of Zadok—the priest;
Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha—secretaries;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud—recorder;
Benaiah son of Jehoiada—commander in chief;
Zadok and Abiathar—priests;
Azariah son of Nathan—in charge of the district governors;
Zabud son of Nathan—a priest and adviser to the king;
Ahishar—palace administrator;
Adoniram son of Abda—in charge of forced labor.
Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. These are their names:
Ben-Hur—in the hill country of Ephraim;
Ben-Deker—in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;
Ben-Hesed—in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his);
Ben-Abinadab—in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon);
Baana son of Ahilud—in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;
Ben-Geber—in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the region of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars);
Ahinadab son of Iddo—in Mahanaim;
Ahimaaz—in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon);
Baana son of Hushai—in Asher and in Aloth;
Jehoshaphat son of Paruah—in Issachar;
Shimei son of Ela—in Benjamin;
Geber son of Uri—in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.
The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of the finest 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. For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.
The district governors, 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.
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

• 1 Kings 3:1-34

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

1 Kings 3:1-3 ‘Solomon started with humility’: ”Solomon loved God with all his heart and began his reign with a wonderful expression of yieldedness and desire for God’s authority over his life. He followed in the footsteps of his father, David. Nevertheless, he did two little things-seemingly trivial matters-that plant the seeds for the ultimate overthrow of his kingdom.
“… He made an alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Throughout Scripture, Egypt is generally presented as a symbolic picture of the world. Solomon not only makes a political alliance with Egypt, but he makes a personal alliance as well: he marries Pharaoh’s daughter and brings her into the heart of the nation of Israel. Thus Israel, through King Solomon, makes an alliance with the world.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Kings 3:5 ‘dream’: ”God often gave revelation in dreams (Gen. 26:24; 28:12; 46:2; Dan. 2:7; 7:1; Matt. 1:20; 2:12, 19, 22). However, this dream was unique, a two-way conversation between the Lord and Solomon.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 3:8 ‘a great people’: “Based on the census, which recorded 800,000 men of fighting age in Israel and 500,000 in Judah (2 Sam. 24:9), the total population was over 4 million, approximately double what it had been at the time of the Conquest (see Num. 26:1–65).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 3:9 ‘effective leadership’: ”By beginning his reign in this way, Solomon showed that he understood the most essential ingredient in effective leadership: wisdom.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Kings 3:10-14 ‘Solomon Granted Divine Blessings’: “The Lord appears to Solomon in a dream and asks the newly installed king what request he would have the Lord grant. Solomon requests sufficient wisdom and discernment with which to effectively judge his subjects (3:5-9). Solomon’s specific request so pleases the Lord (3:10) that He grants the king not only the wisdom for which he had asked, but also the wealth and renown that he had not requested (3:11-14; cf. 2 Chronicles 1:10-12). The newly bestowed wisdom of Solomon is famously on display in the immediately subsequent passage relaying the story of the two mothers (3:16-28), and both 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles lavishly attest to the king’s greatness (1 Kings 10:14-29; 2 Chronicles 9:13-28).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

1 Kings 3:14 ‘lengthen your days’: ”In contrast to riches and honor that were already his, a long life was dependent on Solomon’s future obedience to the Lord’s commands. Because of his disobedience, Solomon died before reaching 70 years of age (cf. Ps. 90:10).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 3:16-28 ‘demonstration of his wisdom’: ”Solomon’s great wisdom is demonstrated in 1 Kings 3:16-28, when he settles a dispute between two women who claimed to be the mother of the same baby. The two women were prostitutes living in the same house, and both had given birth at about the same time, but one baby had died. Each woman claimed the living baby as her own. So the two women took the matter to court and asked King Solomon to judge whose baby it was.”
In a dramatic display of God-given wisdom, Solomon said, ‘Bring me a sword:’ Then, laying the baby down before these two women, he said, ‘Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other:’ One woman said, ‘Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!’ But the other woman-the real mother-immediately protested, ‘Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!’
“Solomon flushed out the imposter and spotlighted the real mother. This was a powerful demonstration of Solomon’s wisdom-and a challenge to today’s judges who decide divorce cases, custody cases, and adoption cases by emotionally cutting children in half rather than placing them with people who truly love them. Today’s judges desperately need the God-given wisdom of Solomon.“

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Kings 4:2 ‘Azariah … son of’: “Actually, he was the son of Ahimaaz and the grandson of Zadok, as ‘son of’ can mean ‘descendant of’ (cf. 1 Chr. 6:8, 9). In David’s roster of officials, the army commander came first (2 Sam. 8:16; 20:23). Under Solomon, the priest and other officials preceded the military leader.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 4:20-21 ‘not a God of confusion’: “Solomon wisely understands that God is not the author of confusion. The Lord of creation does all things decently and in order. So Solomon patterns his governance after the orderly governance of God. As a result, the people of Israel prosper and are happy under the firm but wise leadership of Solomon.”

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Kings 4:21 ‘all kingdoms’: “The borders of the kingdoms which Solomon influenced echoed the Lord’s promise to Abram in Gen. 15:18. However, Solomon’s reign was not the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant for 3 reasons: 1) Israel still only lived in the land ‘from Dan as far as Beersheba’ (v. 25). Abraham’s seed did not inhabit all the land promised to Abraham. 2) The non-Israelite kingdoms did not lose their identity and independence, but rather recognized Solomon’s authority and brought him tribute without surrendering title to their lands. 3) According to Num. 34:6, the Mediterranean Sea is to be the western border of the Land of Promise, indicating that Tyre was to be a part of the Promised Land. However, Hiram king of Tyre was a sovereign who entered into a bilateral or parity treaty (between equals) with Solomon (5:1–12).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 4:29-34 ‘wisdom to govern the people, but not himself’: “Here we have a picture of the kind of intellect Paul describes: ‘We have the mind of Christ;’ and ‘The spiritual man makes judgments about all things’ (1 Cor. 2:15-16). Solomon did not need anyone to teach him, since he already discerned all things. He was able to analyze and understand the workings of the world and the human heart, because he had the wisdom that comes from God.
“Why was Solomon so wise? Because wisdom was the one and only request he asked of God, and God granted it to him. As James 1:5 tells us, ‘If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.’
“But Solomon’s request contained one slight weakness. He asked for wisdom that he might govern the people. We can only wish that he had also asked for wisdom to govern his own life.”

• Ray C. Stedman, Adventuring Through the Bible

1 Kings 4:30 ‘the East … Egypt’: “The men to the East of Israel in Mesopotamia and Arabia (cf. Job 1:3) and in Egypt were known for their wisdom. Egypt had been renowned for learning and science, as well as culture. Solomon’s wisdom was superior to all at home or abroad (v. 31).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

1 Kings 4 ‘Reflections’: “When reviewing the religious scene today we are tempted to fix on one or another weakness and say, ‘This is what is wrong with the Church. If this were corrected we could recapture the glory of the early Church and have Pentecostal times back with us again.’
“This tendency to oversimplification is itself a weakness and should be guarded against always, especially when dealing with anything as complex as religion as it occurs in modern times. It takes a very young man to reduce all our present woes to a single disease and cure the whole thing with one simple remedy. Older and wiser heads will be more cautious, having learned that the prescribed nostrum seldom works for the reason that the diagnosis has not been correct. Nothing is that simple. Few spiritual diseases occur alone. Almost all are complicated by the presence of others and are so vitally interrelated as they spread over the whole religious body that it would take the wisdom of Solomon to find a single cure.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

My Thoughts

The people of Israel had been building altars on high places all throughout the Promised Land.  There are many occasions when there has been a spiritual event, and it is commemorated by building an altar and offering sacrifices.  The tabernacle had been in three different locations: Shiloh, Nob, and Gibeon.  There could have been other locations for the tabernacle that are not mentioned.  Shiloh is in the land of Ephraim.  This makes sense in that Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim, and since he led the people into the promised land, the tabernacle was nearby.  It goes to reason that Saul would want the tabernacle near him during his reign.  Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin and both Nob, where Saul killed all the priests, except Abiathar who escaped, and Gibeon are in the land of Benjamin.

It could be that many of these high places were built to worship the true God, since they rejected the Levitical Law and people did not tell them they could not do so.  But these high places quickly became altars to make other sacrifices.  Solomon building the temple was important, but before he could undergo such an undertaking, he went to Gibeon.  The NIV says that the Gibeon high place was the “most Important,” probably because that was where the tabernacle was at that time.  And the tabernacle was moved to Gibeon after Saul had destroyed the city.  The Gibeonites had tricked Joshua into signing a treaty with them.  As a result, the Gibeonites were not destroyed then.  But a famine came over the land during David’s reign and the Lord reminded David that the cowardly act of attacking a peaceful city had to be avenged.  David did so, but he did not move the tabernacle.

After Solomon worshipped and gave sacrifices at Gibeon, he fell asleep and had a dream.  This is a strange dream, according to the scholars.  A lot of people had dreams, but Solomon has a two-way conversation with God.  Most of the two-way conversations with God in the Old Testament are either visions or Christophanies, Christ appearing before the person He is speaking to, as Abraham in Genesis 18.  Note that in that chapter, the one being called the Lord does not correct Abraham.  An angel would have corrected him because they were not, and are not, to be worshipped.

Solomon asked God for wisdom in ruling the nation.  As Rev. Stedman states, he did not ask for wisdom in ruling himself.  Solomon almost immediately makes an agreement with Egypt, his biggest threat at that time.  He marries Pharoah’s daughter in the bargain.  This is not a marriage of love, but a political bargaining chip.  There was no requirement for the daughter of Pharoah to adhere to the Jewish practices.  And this was the first step in Solomon’s downfall – before he ever really got started.  He was not worshipping the false gods yet, but others in his household were.

But in the dream, Solomon is told he will have a long life if he obeys God.

Solomon returned to Jerusalem, where his father King David had repositioned the Ark.  Solomon again makes sacrifices and then gives a feast.

First Kings 3 ends with a bizarre story to illustrate the wisdom of Solomon.  Two prostitutes lived together.  Each of them had a baby, but one baby died.  That baby’s mother demanded that the baby was hers.  Solomon had a sword drawn and he was going to have the baby cut in half so that each mother would have half of the baby.  The true mother protested that the other woman could have the baby if the king would spare the baby’s life.  He had the baby given to its mother.  This was only one way in which Solomon illustrated his wisdom.  I have heard this story used in illustrations many times, but they gloss over the fact that the women were prostitutes.  God even looks out for the offspring from an impure relationship.

The officials of Solomon are listed at the beginning of 1 Kings 4.  Note that the worship of God is more important than the commander of the army, with Azariah son of Zadok being listed as the priest.  Later, Zadok and Abiathar are both listed.  In 1 Kings 2, Solomon dismissed Abiathar, but he did not have him killed.  Abiathar is listed, but he and his children were not allowed to carry out priestly responsibilities.

Two sons of Nathan are mentioned.  Solomon had a brother named Nathan, in the Luke genealogy of Jesus.  But would sons of that Nathan be old enough to be officials in King Solomon’s court?  Thus, the prophet Nathan could have had sons, or it could be a totally different Nathan.

The absolute “trivia” in this chapter is that one of the governors, the first mentioned, is Ben-Hur.  This means son of Hur.  Was Ben-Hur the immediate son of a man named Hur or was Ben-Hur in the lineage of Hur, the man, along with Aaron, who held up Moses’ arms while Moses held the staff during Joshua’s battle with the Amalekites (Exodus 17)?  Only when the staff was raised was Joshua winning the battle, and Moses was too tired, thus, he got help from Aaron and Hur.  This is about in the same vein of questions as to who Nathan was.  But we could add one question as to whether Lew Wallace, who wrote Ben Hur had any other reason to name the title character of his book that name other than he was mentioned once, in 1 Kings 4?

At this time, Solomon’s influence ranged far beyond the borders of the kingdom of Israel.  Rev. MacArthur points out, even though there is a statement that the people of Israel outnumbered the sands of the sea (metaphorical term), the nation was not fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant in that these nations gave Solomon tribute.  They were not part of the kingdom itself.  And with these nations giving tribute, we can see why Solomon needed such a large army with chariots and horses.  This was not as much largess on Solomon’s part as an army that can not only protect Israel, but it can quell insurrections or protect those nations offering tribute.  While financially, this might be an even wash, this increased the safe borders of Israel itself.  And at least two of the strong neighbors had treaties: Egypt and Tyre.

And the chapter ends by speaking of the reputation of Solomon’s wisdom.  Egypt had become the bastion of intelligentsia, the air of educated people exuding culture and political influence.  During the time of Solomon, that shifted to Solomon.  Many think that the queen of Sheba came from Ethiopia.  Thus, she came through Egypt to inquire of Solomon.

Yet, if the numbers at the end of 1 Kings 4 are correct, not all of Solomon’s proverbs are recorded.  And very few of the 150 psalms are attributed to Solomon.  There are two psalms attributed to him:Psalms 72 and 127.  There is a book from the first or second century BC of eighteen psalms called the Psalms of Solomon.  The book is not part of the canon of Scripture and there is no tie between the appearance of the book and King Solomon who died centuries before the book appeared.

And Solomon was somewhat of a renaissance man before that was a term in that he could speak on a variety of topics.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

I Kings 3:1-15 Solomon asks for Wisdom 1. Have you ever sensed God’s will in a dream? How does God’s word come to you? Do you need a special ‘appearance’ from God some­ times to help you cope?
“2. Whose interests are close to your heart? Do your own needs weigh heavy? Or are you so concerned about everyone else that you don’t take care of yourself? Does anyone have your interests at heart? Who?
1 Kings 3:16-28 A Wise Ruling 1. Do you pursue wisdom? How? How many hours did you seek wisdom this week?
“2. What has been your toughest decision this year? What prevailed: Your feelings? Other’s advice? Circumstances?
“3. Are you considered compassionate? What brings it out? What closes your heart towards others?
“4. Have you ever had the attitude: ‘If I can’t have it (him or her), then nobody can!’? What is your story behind that attitude?
1 Kings 4:1-19 Solomon’s Officials and Governors 1. Of the following, which job pressures affect you positively, and which affect you negatively: Parents’ expectation? Monthly routine? Urgent dead­ lines? Job specs? Getting ahead?
“2. When jobs are passed out (at church, on the job, in the home) are you the ‘can-do’ type, the ‘talk-it-over’ type, or what? Give an example.
“3. What title would you give your ‘job’ in God’s kingdom? How did you find your line of work?
1 Kings 4:20-34 Solomon’s Daily Provisions and Wisdom 1. Is Solomon indulgent? Should affluent people consume so much while others go hungry? What sacrifices can you make to help those less fortunate? How so?
“2. ls taxation an absolute right of those in power? What do you make of this country’s tax system?
“3. If Solomon were a member of the group, what would you ask him?
“4. In what areas would you like more wisdom? How can you get it?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

First Kings 3 and 4 each have two sets of questions as noted.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.