SERIES: Enlightening Epitaphs of the Kings and Prophets
Solomon: “Give Your Servant a Discerning Heart”
Introduction: We’re going to begin today with a little quiz. I want you to take a pen or pencil and write something on your worship folder. Suppose I was in a position to give you any three wishes your little heart desired, what would they be? That’s right. Anything you want. Write it down. You don’t have to show it to anyone else–this is just between you and the Lord. Have you got it? Now just set it aside; we’ll come back to it a little later this morning.
I am excited about a new sermon series we are beginning this morning. It is based upon one of the least-read portions of the Bible–the OT books of 1 and 2 Kings, with supplemental material from Second Chronicles. Some people have called this “the graveyard” of the Scriptures, both figuratively because it’s a place we tend to avoid, and literally because an awful lot of deaths and burials are recorded here. Over the next five months I want us to examine some of the tombstones in this graveyard, and particularly the epitaphs God has written on some of those tombstones. Epitaphs, you know, are often used to capsulize a person’s life.
I have entitled this new series, “Leaders Set the Standard: Enlightening Epitaphs of the Kings and Prophets.” The point is this: as leaders go, so goes a nation, or a company, or a church. We see this so clearly in the lives of the ancient Israelites. When a godly king was on the throne, or a godly prophet was getting through to the people, revival and spiritual blessings were enjoyed. On the other hand, when a wicked ruler was in charge, or when there was no prophet to challenge the people, spiritual chaos was inevitably the result. I think that is still true today. I, for one, would rather live under the current threat of terrorism and with the economy and stock market in a deep funk, but with a man in the White House who acknowledges God and tries to pursue biblical standards, than to experience budget surpluses but moral deficits under a President whose ethical standards are gleaned from the pop culture and from overnight opinion polls.
I would also rather endure average preaching and mediocre music under Pastors and Elders known for their integrity and pursuit of holiness than to hear brilliant and eloquent sermons and symphony quality music produced by leaders more concerned with their own press clippings than with the Lord.
This truth that “leaders set the standard” is one of the reasons our church is making a major new investment in leadership development. We’re doing that through the Journey to Maturity discipleship program and also through bringing on a new pastor, Kevin Hughes, who will give the bulk of his time to help us focus on developing godly leaders and equipping them for ministry. We believe we owe it to the next generation to make sure First Free continues to be led by those who are committed to biblical standards of faith and conduct.
Still a question may come to your minds: “Why explore a graveyard for epitaphs when one has so many other options, like studying one of the Gospels, or one of the great NT epistles, or even the Book of Revelation?” My answer is found in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” I take that literally–allScripture. That’s why I have tried over the past 18 years to offer you a balance between OT preaching and NT preaching, between narrative and doctrinal portions of the Bible. I believe our spiritual health depends upon a balanced diet from the Word of God.
Some years ago we did a series on the life of David. Today we’re going to pick up with his successor as King of Israel, namely Solomon, and then, Lord willing, we will consider the lives and legacies of at least 15 of the Kings of Israel and Judah, as well as four or five fascinating prophets. I have never preached these books before, so we are going to be plowing new ground together. I’m pumped!
Overview of Jewish history.
Before beginning our journey with Solomon, I think it would be helpful to offer a 5-minute overview of Jewish history so we can see how this period of the kings fits into the whole. The father of the Jewish people was Abraham, who lived in the 21st century B.C. He was the first of four great patriarchs–Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph–who spanned roughly 400 years. Joseph, the last of the patriarchs, was sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt and, by God’s amazing providence, eventually became the Prime Minister of Egypt. Years later, when a great famine hit the entire Middle East, Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to find food and ended up finding reconciliation with their long-lost brother, whom they presumed was long-dead. The Pharaoh also gave them a new home in the Nile Delta of Egypt, and this extended family of about 70 members became a nation of several million over the next 400 years.
After Joseph’s death a Pharaoh came to power who knew not Joseph, and the fortunes of the Israelites deteriorated markedly; they became slaves rather than guests. In about the year 1446, the Israelites were rescued from Egypt by God’s miraculous power. Moses led them across the Sea of Reeds, to Mt. Sinai, and then through the desert to the doorstep of the Promised Land. Tragically, as we saw several weeks ago, the people rebelled against God and, as a result, they had to spend nearly 40 years wandering in the desert until an entire generation died off. But eventually Joshua led them across the Jordan River and into the land God had promised to Abraham some 700 years earlier.
The Conquest of the land from the pagan tribes who lived there took about 30 years, and then for about three centuries the Israelites lived in a sort of theocracy, with God ruling through a series of judges. Eventually they begged God for a king, because the other nations had one, and reluctantly God acceded to their wishes, warning them that there were grave dangers associated with centralized power. He gave them Saul as their first king, a man with great potential, but one who sadly failed to live up to his gifts and abilities. Saul was followed by David, and David by Solomon. This was known as the Golden Age of Israel or the United Monarchy.
The kingdom split after the death of Solomon in 931 B.C., with ten tribes forming the Nation of Israel under Jeroboam and two tribes forming the Nation of Judah under Rehoboam. Both countries largely failed to follow the Lord, though Judah, whose kings were all descendants of David, had at least a few righteous rulers. Israel had none, and as a result God brought the Assyrians in 722 B.C. to destroy their nation and carry off its inhabitants into exile. To this day they are known as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, for no Jewish person today can trace his or her ancestry to any of these tribes. Judah lasted for another 140 years until King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonians put it out of its misery in about 600 B.C.
Now the first thing we discover in the book of 1 Kings is that …
The torch is passed from David to Solomon. (1 Kings 1, 2)
David is very old and near death, but choosing his successor turns out to be anything but simple, for David had several wives and many children, he was not a great father, and therefore there was a lot of bad blood in the family. Bathsheba wanted her son Solomon to become King, and David had agreed, but an older son, Adonijah, succeeded in having himself crowned first. However, with the help of Bathsheba, Zadok the high priest, Nathan the prophet, and a number of other loyal officials, Solomon was given the throne, Adonijah surrendered, and the Kingdom was eventually firmly established under Solomon’s control.
The official passing of the torch involved a beautiful and profound charge from David to Solomon at the beginning of 1 Kings 2:
“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’” (2:2-4)
The key concept David communicates here to his son and successor is the need for obedience to God’s commandments. It is conveyed through such terms as “observe,” “walk,” “keep,” and “watch.” God’s full blessings have always been contingent upon obedience. Not His salvation, mind you–that is based on grace. But the full realization of joy and peace and happiness and spiritual prosperity depends upon obedience. Solomon could have heeded that charge better than he did.
In chapter 3 of 1 Kings we read about a remarkable exchange between the Lord and Solomon. It happened through a dream, but it was nevertheless very real. In this exchange …
The Lord offers to give Solomon whatever he wants. (1 Kings 3)
Solomon, we discover, starts out pretty well. It says in 1 Kings 3:3 that “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.” That seems like a small exception, but it is perhaps more significant than we might first think. We will hear a lot about the high places in our study of the kings. These were places of worship that pagans built on the top of mountains because they believed their gods were more accessible there. Now this doesn’t mean that Solomon himself participates in pagan worship; actually, he is offering sacrifices to the Lord God, but he is doing it from pagan altars. This is in spite of the fact that God had specified that He wanted worship to take place in the tabernacle in Jerusalem, where the Ark of the Covenant resided.
Why does Solomon choose to worship at the high places instead of in the Tabernacle? I suspect it is because he is an ostentatious person; he seems to love the attention he received by sacrificing huge numbers of animals on the top of a mountain. And while God does not approve of his compromise, God is nothing if not gracious. So, one night, after Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar at the high place of Gibeon, the Lord appears to him during the night and says, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
I asked you earlier in the service to write down your own wishes. How do they compare to what Solomon asked for? In verse 7 we discover that after thanking God for His kindness to David and to himself, the young king responds:
“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.” (3:7b-9)
And, we are told, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.” I’m going to share later that I think Solomon could have done better, but he certainly could also have done worse.
Here’s how God responds to Solomon’s request:
“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 riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 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.” (3:11-14)
Let’s stop here and talk for a moment about what wisdom is. Charles Stanley, well-known pastor and TV preacher, has a new book out entitled Walking Wisely: Real Guidance for Life’s Journey. He defines wisdom this way: “Wisdom is the capacity to see things from God’s perspective and to respond to them according to Scriptural principles.” Another way of stating the same thing is that “Wisdom is seeking heavenly opinions on earthly circumstances.”1
Wisdom is not just knowledge, though wisdom employs knowledge. As a matter of fact, some of the most knowledgeable, brilliant people on earth are fools, not wise, by God’s standards. Harvard, Princeton and Yale may have the greatest concentration of brain power per capita on the face of the earth, but wisdom is in extremely short supply in those hallowed halls (just read John Leo’s regular column in U.S. News for plenty of evidence). Wisdom starts and ends with God. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” “Fear” here means reverence or awe. True wisdom, discernment is what Solomon sought, and this is what God grants him, with the result that . . .
Solomon receives wisdom greater than that of all other kings of the earth.
The writer offers us an illustration of Solomon’s wisdom by means of a true story, found in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two women lived in the same house and each had a baby, just three days apart. A short time later the one woman smothered her son accidentally during the night. So, she got up and switched babies with the other woman, who was still sleeping. When this other woman woke up to nurse her son, she was stunned to find him dead, but on closer examination, her motherly instincts told her the dead child was not hers. But she could not prove it; there were no witnesses, there were no DNA tests to confirm it, and perhaps because they were both prostitutes, no one cared to bring the matter to justice.
The issue eventually came to the attention of King Solomon. We pick up the story in verse 23
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 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!”
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.
Just how great was Solomon’s wisdom? We read in 4:29-34,
“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 men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man …. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.
The writer goes on to tell us that Solomon spoke 3000 proverbs and wrote over 1000 songs. He understood plant life and taught about animals, birds, reptiles and fish. Legend tells us he was able to talk to the animals, but there’s nothing in the text about that. Clearly, however, Solomon’s wisdom went beyond discernment and extended to immense knowledge about a vast number of subjects.
In chapter 10 we have the fascinating story of the visit of the Queen of Sheba. She came in order to test Solomon with hard questions, and he answered all her questions. Nothing was too hard for the king to explain. Here’s her reaction in her own words: “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me.” (10:6-7)
But you will recall that God not only granted Solomon what he requested, but He also gave him what he did not request, namely wealth–probably just God’s gracious way of rewarding him for his unselfishness.
Solomon also receives riches greater than that of all other kings of the earth.
Just how rich was he? In chapter 4 we are told that he had 4000 stalls for chariot horses, and 12,000 horses. In chapters 5 and following, we are told about the temple he built in Jerusalem, which we will examine in some detail next Lord’s day. It was probably the most expensive building ever erected on the face of the earth, with estimates of its cost ranging from $2 billion to $25 billion dollars.
The king imported on average 25 tons of gold a year, and virtually everything in his palace was made of gold. It specifically says in 10:21 that “Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days.” And a few verses later it adds, “The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore -fig trees.” Further it says in verse 22 that “The king had a fleet of trading ships at sea …. Once every three years it returned, carrying gold, silver and ivory, and apes and baboons.”
Look at the summary of both his wisdom and his wealth in 10:23-25:
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules.
But friends, there is another message in this amazing account, and that is that wisdom and riches are not enough–i.e., not enough to produce spiritual success.
Solomon discovers that wisdom and riches are not enough to produce spiritual success. (1 Kings 3:1, 3; 11:1-13).
Don’t misunderstand me, wisdom or discernment is a great gift and is to be envied. Over the years I have come to believe that the most important gift for an Elder in God’s church is the gift of discernment. Oh, I know we need a balance of gifts, including administration and leadership and mercy (we need them all), but without a strong dose of discernment among the leaders of God’s church, the best of intentions will fall short.
Wealth is also a good gift from God, though there is a great deal more risk associated with it. The options that wealthy people have for serving the Lord and accomplishing good for mankind are enormous.
But friends, neither wisdom nor wealth can produce spiritual success in and of themselves. Solomon had both but they were not well balanced with obedience, with the result that Solomon was largely a spiritual failure. The very first thing we are told about Solomon after the consolidation of his kingdom is this: “Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter.” God had made it clear that He didn’t want His people to be making political alliances to protect themselves–He wanted them to rely on Him. But Solomon disobeyed.
And when Solomon disobeyed, he did it in style. In chapter 11 we read,
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. (11:1-4)
Some commentators see a contradiction here between Solomon’s wisdom and his actions. Anyone who would take on a thousand mothers-in-law cannot be exceptionally bright. (Just kidding, I have a wonderful mother-in-law and a wonderful step-mother-in-law). Seriously, I think what we see here in Solomon is the plague of a divided heart; he had other loves, and those loves drew him away from the Lord.
Solomon is so much like us when we passionately express our love for the Lord and yet have divided hearts. I think of the businessman who professes strong faith in Christ yet tolerates unethical practices in his business. I think of the husband who loves his wife yet has a secret habit with pornography. I think of anyone of us who worships and praises the Lord but clings to something God has forbidden.
A pastor I know tells about rounding the corner of his house one day to find his 3-year-old son Joshua wrestling with the family’s Labrador retriever Kelly. The boy had a bear hug on the dog’s mid-section, his face pressed right into her side. The dog was known to put up with this for a while, but when she finally had enough, she would turn around and nip him. Little Joshua knew that, but he was stubborn. This particular time, unaware of his dad approaching, he was squeezing the dog with his eyes shut, all the while praying out loud, “Dear God, please don’t let Kelly bite me!” His dad interrupted him, “Hey, Josh, I think God is more likely to answer that prayer if you let go of the dog.”
We are so much that way. We cling to something we know is going to hurt us, and we plead, “Lord, don’t let it bite us!” We say, “Lord, I love you, but I love something else, too. It is so very important to me and I have to cling to it.” Perhaps it is a relationship we know is wrong. Maybe it is some habit we know is going to produce harmful consequences. Perhaps it is even something that is good but not the best.2 Solomon’s problem was that he had a divided heart, and it eventually led to his downfall.
Now I want us to spend the last few moments this morning pondering the truths we need to take home from this portion of Solomon’s life.
Points to Ponder:
1. Wisdom is no substitute for obedience. There is a very profound verse in 1 Samuel 15:22 which it would do us well to have emblazoned on our hearts and minds. King Saul was in battle against the Amalekites. The prophet Samuel had given him a message from the Lord to the effect that he was to destroy everything that belonged to this enemy. But Saul relied on his own reasoning and spared the best of the sheep and cattle in order to offer a sacrifice to God. Here is how Samuel responds: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
Friends, you may be brilliant; you may have reasoning powers that enable you to win any argument; you may even have the gifts of discernment and wisdom and knowledge. But none of that is a substitute for obedience to God. The U.S. has probably never had a President with greater intellectual gifts than Bill Clinton. “Brilliant” is the only appropriate word to describe his mental capacities. But no one would call him wise–not even his strongest supporters. Clinton will always be a tragic figure because his brilliance was never balanced by obedience to the moral laws of God. Contrast him with another one of our most brilliant presidents–Jimmy Carter. His legacy, though questionable at the time he left office, has steadily grown in stature–principally because he has made a strong attempt to acknowledge God’s claims on his life, both personal and public.
On the other hand, you may not feel very intelligent yourself. You may not think you are very competent. You may consider yourself a failure. But you can live a full and rich life and one that is pleasing to God if you are simply obedient. It’s not an issue of native ability; it’s an issue of humility and surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
2. Wisdom is no substitute for proper priorities. (1 Kings 6:38, 7:1) There is a very interesting and revealing observation found in the last verse of chapter 6 and the first verse of chapter 7:
In the eleventh year in the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it. It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace.
We have already mentioned the great Temple of Solomon which served as the center of Jewish worship for well over 300 years until King Nebuchadnezzar tore it down. It was the culmination of a dream God gave to David years before. Solomon did a wonderful job building it, but he spent nearly twice as long building his own personal palace as he did that great Temple. I would say his priorities were out of order.
I wonder if Solomon’s personal priorities weren’t out of order even when he made his famous request of God. Remember exactly what he asked for back in chapter 3? “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?” This was a good request, but it was probably not the best one he could have made. His focus was on wisdom for governing the nation; what he lacked was wisdom to govern his own life. Wisdom is no substitute for proper priorities.
Friends, God wants us to put first things first in our lives. We can be hugely successful in our careers, but if we have to relegate God to a distant place in order to accomplish that, we have failed miserably. We may be hugely successful in ministry, but if our families are in disarray as a result, we have failed miserably. We may be very knowledgeable in this area or that, but if we haven’t learned how to “see things in our own lives from God’s perspective and to respond to them according to biblical principles,” we will fail miserably.
3. Wisdom is no substitute for intimacy with the Lord. (Psalm 27:4). It is difficult not to draw some comparisons between David and Solomon. They were both monumental figures in Israel’s history. On the scale of political ability, Solomon outdid his father, as he consolidated his kingdom and enjoyed an unbroken time of peace. Both men were extremely wealthy, but Solomon again outstripped his father. In regard to territory, Solomon certainly had more influence and power
Yet, when you look at their legacies, David comes out way ahead. Solomon virtually disappears from view once he dies, while David is mentioned in almost every book of the Bible. Again and again, God says, “For David’s sake” I will do such and such. “For David’s sake” I will refrain from such-and-such. Why? Well, David was no less a sinner than Solomon, but he had an unsurpassed love for the Lord. He was a man after God’s own heart. Great sin can be resolved by great forgiveness, but a divided heart is always fatal.
Whether or not God ever asked David verbally what he desired above all other things, as He asked Solomon and as I asked all of us this morning, David tells us what his answer would have been. In Psalm 27:4 he writes,
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek;
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to meditate in His temple.
Solomon sought discernment from the Lord to rule his country; David sought the Lord.
Conclusion: I close this morning with the observation that none of us will ever match Solomon in wisdom and discernment (God specifically promised that there would never be anyone like Solomon). But wisdom is something he desires each of us to pursue. Later in his life Solomon wrote most of the Book of Proverbs, and the first four chapters are devoted completely to extolling wisdom. I want to read just one short section of chapter 4, which is part of Solomon’s autobiography:
When I was a boy in my father’s house, still tender, and an only child of my mother, he taught me and said, “Lay hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands and you will live. Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore, get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” (Proverbs 4:3-9)
I think God wants each of us to pray Solomon’s prayer: “Give your servant a discerning heart,”meaning the capacity to see things from God’s perspective and to respond to them according to Scriptural principles. But he wants even more for us to seek intimacy with Him.
Prayer: Father, thank you for this powerful lesson from Your Word. May we seek wisdom and discernment, but never at the expense of seeking You. Amen!
DATE: April 7, 2002
Tags:
History of Israel
Wisdom
Obedience
Priorities
1. Charles Stanley, Walking Wisely, Real Guidance for Life’s Journey.
2. David Roper, King Solomon’s Ring, sermon on September 30, 1973, Discovery Papers, #3059, 3.