Week #21 | "Solomon the Wise"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Kings 2-3, 1 Chronicles 1, Psalms 72 and 127, and Proverbs 1-16

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

But first, seek wisdom (1 Kings 2-3, 1 Chronicles 1, and Proverbs 15). One of the most notable things about Solomon was his pursuit of wisdom. When this pursuit was centered around the wisdom that comes from God, Solomon was at his best--that's the version of him that we see in Week #21: he is writing Proverbs, composing Psalms, handing down landmark rulings in court, and seeking the face of God. The sure-footed early career of Solomon testifies to the tragedy of his ethical downfall later. Imagine of Solomon had actually kept, throughout his life, just these few of the following verses in Proverbs 15:

v. 5 "whoever heeds reproof is prudent"

v.10 "whoever hates reproof will die"

v. 12 "A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise."

v. 14 "The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge"

v. 22 "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed"

v. 31-33 "The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor."

Solomon must surely have had some advisers caution him along the way, to point him back to God, much like Nathan the Prophet did for David. But for whatever reason, if Solomon had those advisers, he stopped listening. He became proud. But younger Solomon knew better than older Solomon did. And if younger Solomon had stuck to the course that he set, older Solomon's story wouldn't have been so much of a tragedy. We too can listen to younger Solomon -Solomon the Wise- and commit ourselves to being people who will seek wisdom and who will accept correction. That's what it means to seek wisdom first: to prize it so highly that we would rather hear from others first before we go too far down the wrong path ourselves.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. One other thing that stands out to me is how many kinds of things Solomon applied himself to. He didn't get stuck just working with law and governance, but he did a little composing too. And he didn't just do that, but he also read widely and composed collections of proverbs. And not only did he do that, but he was also a builder and a diplomat. God has given us a wide variety of capabilities--more, probably, than we could begin to explore in a single lifetime. But if Solomon was able to try a little bit of this, and a little of that, maybe you have an instrument you can still learn, or a book to write, or a big renovation or building project, or maybe it turns out you've got an eye for camerawork and might have a productive second career filming documentaries. Former U.S. President George W. Bush went on after his presidency to take up painting; maybe God put a little Rembrandt in you, too. Is this year the one where you begin to explore some of those other gifts?

Jesus Succeeds Where We Have Failed. Early on, Solomon is depicted as the ideal successor to King David. He is wise, he is capable, he is strong, he cares about the things of God, he rules with justice (although, maybe that is arguable if you are Joab). He eventually rules over the largest territory that Israel ever possessed--though that is still short of Israel's total promised inheritance. But ultimately Solomon doesn't turn out to be the Promised Deliverer that was foretold to David: Solomon is not the one who God will raise up to eternally rule on David's throne. Instead, many centuries later, Jesus would be born in Bethlehem -the city of David- after a long line of David's successors had failed and split the Kingdom and led the people astray. And Jesus succeeds where they didn't. He turns the people towards God. He presents true wisdom. He establishes the standard of justice, righteousness, and holiness. In fact, he extends his righteousness to all who follow him! But the rise and fall of Solomon reminds us that there is one beyond Solomon who we need: as one band once wrote, "the shadow proves the sunshine," and the failure of Solomon points to one who provides a greater wisdom and a better Kingdom.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ACTIONS, I think we can apply the above by seeking out correction and wise counsel and trying different things. IN OUR WORSHIP I think we can use our own failures to remind us of our need for one greater than ourselves, who redeems us and purifies us from the shame of our failings.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean