1 Kings 4:24-28 Everything For Jesus!

 ”For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every side all around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.“ ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Each man under his vine and his fig tree: This was a proverbial expression for a time of peace and prosperity in Israel (Isaiah 36:16, Micah 4:4, Zechariah 3:10), indicating safety from both internal and external enemies.

b. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots: The famous stables of Solomon show what a vast cavalry he assembled for Israel. 2 Chronicles 9:25 is a parallel passage and has 4,000 chariots instead of 40,000 – the smaller number seems correct and the larger number is probably due to copyist error.

i. Unfortunately, it also shows that Solomon did not take God’s word as seriously as he should. In Deuteronomy 17:16, God spoke specifically to the future kings of Israel: But he shall not multiply horses for himself. One may argue if 20 or 100 horses violates the command to not multiply horses, certainly forty thousand stalls of horses ismultiplying horses.

c. Each man according to his charge: Spurgeon preached a sermon on this verse, focusing on the idea that we each have a charge to fulfill in the Kingdom of God, and we should be diligent to perform it and be expectant in being supplied for this duty.

i. “In Solomon’s court all his officers had a service to carry out, ‘every man according to his charge.’ It is exactly so in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are truly his, he has called us to some work and office, and he wills us to discharge that office diligently. We are not to be gentlemen-at-ease, but men-at-arms; not loiterers, but laborers; not glittering spangles, but burning and shining lights.” (Spurgeon)

ii. “Many a servant girl gives her fourpenny-piece to the offering, and if the same proportion were carried out among those who are wealthy, gold would not be so rare a metal in the LORD’s treasury. A tithe may be too much for some, but a half might not be enough for another. Let it be, ‘Every man according to his charge,’ as to measure as well as to matter.” (Spurgeon)

iii. Spurgeon concluded the message on a high note: “Everything for Jesus, the glorious Solomon of our hearts, the Beloved of our souls! Life for Jesus! Death for Jesus! Time for Jesus! Eternity for Jesus! Hand and heart for Jesus! Brain and tongue for Jesus! Night and day for Jesus! Sickness or health for Jesus! Honour or dishonor for Jesus! Shame or glory for Jesus! Everything for Jesus, ‘Every man according to his charge.’ So may it be! Amen.”

(Guzik)

Everything For Jesus!

Spurgeon has a way with words! “the glorious Solomon of our hearts, the Beloved of our souls! Life for Jesus!” 

Is Jesus the beloved of your soul and are you living your life for Him?

Blessings 

Everything For Jesus!

1 Kings 4:22-23 Great Prosperity

 ”Now Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Ten fatted oxen:…… This provision was for Solomon’s entire household and his royal court.

i. Some estimate that this much food every day could feed 15,000 to 36,000 people. It supplied considerably more than Solomon’s household, large as it was.

ii. Fatted oxen are pen-fed cattle in contrast to open grazing varieties.

b. Thirty kors of fine flour: The kor equaled 220 liters or about 55 gallons. We can accurately picture 30 55-gallon drums full of fine flour being delivered for every day.

c. One hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl: This list is not meant to stress the idea of opulence and luxury; the stress is on the idea that this daily provision indicated the great prosperity of the kingdom.

i. “Whether Christianity helps a man to worldly success or not, it helps him to get all the good out of the world that the world can give. It may, or may not, give wealth, but it will make the ‘little that a righteous man hath better than the riches of many wicked.’” (Maclaren)

(Guzik)

Great Prosperity 

I can’t imagine all the people required to prep, cook, bake and feed all those people! 

I recall growing up in the fifties and sixties, the great prosperity of our country when the economy, housing and the automobile industries were booming! 

But even if we have or experienced great prosperity it will be nothing like heaven and being with Jesus!

“Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

— Revelation 19:9 (KJV)

I look forward to that time, do you?

Blessings 

1 Kings 4:20-21 Divine Providence

 ”Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing: The reign of Solomon was a golden age for Israel as a kingdom. The population grew robustly and it was a season of great prosperity, allowing plenty of leisure time and pursuit of good pleasures.

b. So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt: Solomon was not a warrior or a general. This peace was achieved by King David and was enjoyed by King Solomon. It was also assisted - under God’s providence - by a season of decline and weakness among Israel’s neighbor states. (Guzik)

Divine Providence

“Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe.”

Israel’s peace and the golden age couldn’t have been achieved without God’s divine providence!

It was divine providence that “Jesus had to die at the hands of the Romans in order to become the sacrifice for sin.” 

”For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,“ Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.“

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭45‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you been adopted into the family of God?

Blessings 

Divine Providence?

1 Kings 4:7-19 Names of Twelve Governor’s!

 ”And Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household; each one made provision for one month of the year. These are their names: Ben-Hur, in the mountains of Ephraim; Ben-Deker, in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh, and Elon Beth Hanan; Ben-Hesed, in Arubboth; to him belonged Sochoh and all the land of Hepher; Ben-Abinadab, in all the regions of Dor; he had Taphath the daughter of Solomon as wife; Baana the son of Ahilud, in Taanach, Megiddo, and all Beth Shean, which is beside Zaretan below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah, as far as the other side of Jokneam; Ben-Geber, in Ramoth Gilead; to him belonged the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, in Gilead; to him also belonged the region of Argob in Bashan—sixty large cities with walls and bronze gate-bars; Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in Mahanaim; Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he also took Basemath the daughter of Solomon as wife; Baanah the son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth; Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; Shimei the son of Elah, in Benjamin; Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, in the country of Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan. He was the only governor who was in the land.“ I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Twelve governors over all Israel: These men were responsible for taxation in their individual districts. The districts were not strictly separated by tribal borders but often according to mountains, land, and region.

i. Solomon’s leadership was creative. We can imagine that in the past, twelve governors would be apportioned strictly along tribal lines. Solomon knew that the way you did it before wasn’t necessarily the best way to do it at the present time. He was willing to try new things.

ii. “The absence of reference to Judah in this list could be explained by ‘there was only oneofficial in the home-land’ (i.e. Judah, RSV) – that is, these twelve districts were additional to Judah, which remained unchanged, some say untaxed.” (Wiseman)

b. Each one made provision for one month of the year: Taxes were paid in grain and livestock, which were used to support the royal court and the central government. Each governor was responsible for one month of the year.

i. Solomon’s leadership was not oppressive. It doesn’t seem too much to do one-twelfth of the work, so each of these governors didn’t feel overwhelmed by the burden of raising so much in taxes. (Guzik)

Names of Twelve Governor’s!

When I study the Bible and a list of names come up, my eyes tend to glaze over! 

But I need to remind myself that there is a reason that the names are mentioned. 

Biblical and historical!

Do you think your pastor could give a sermon on these verses and correctly pronounce all the names?

Blessings 

Twelve Governors

1 Kings 4:1-6 Organized

 ”So King Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king’s friend; Ahishar, over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda, over the labor force.“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. And these were his officials: Just as the story of the mothers contending over one baby was an example of Solomon’s great wisdom, this chapter also shows Solomon’s wisdom. The wise way he selected, trained, empowered, and supervised leaders is clearly seen.

i. Solomon was a leader of leaders. No wise leader does it all themselves. They know how to delegate responsibility and authority and get the job done. Solomon’s great wisdom enabled him to see the needs to get, train, and employ the right people to meet those needs.

b. The priest… scribes… the recorder: Solomon’s government was structured much like that in modern nations. He had officials who served as ministers or department secretaries over their specific areas of responsibility.

i. Solomon’s leadership was organized. He knew that God is a God of design and organization, and that things simply operate better and more efficiently when organized.

ii. “Jehoshaphat, who had served under David (2 Samuel 8:16; 20:24), continued as recorder. As such he was more a chief of protocol than a ‘remembrancer’ or recorder of the past. His status was almost that of a Secretary of State.” (Wiseman)

iii. “Since Abiathar had been exiled by Solomon (1 Kings 2:26ff), his inclusion here as a priest seems to be a problem. It must be remembered, however, that while Solomon could only reassign Abiathar’s responsibility, he could not take away his title nor his dignity as a priest.” (Dilday)

(Guzik)

Organized 

Solomon organized his government from the top down to run efficiently. But have you ever been in a church where the pastor tries to run everything? If it grows it doesn’t end well. We first have to do our due diligence and read the church’s beliefs and ask ourselves, are they biblical? 

Does the church have an elder board that keeps the church, its pastors teaching biblical and organized?

”“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.“ ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you belong to the Faithful Church?

Blessings 

1 Kings 3:28 Wisdom of God!

 ”And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.“ I Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. All Israel heard: Such a wise decision could not be hidden. The matter was soon known throughout the kingdom.

b. They feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice: The people of Israel saw that Solomon had both the wisdom and the courage to do the right thing as a leader. This made them hesitant to disobey the law of the king. (Guzik)

Wisdom of God!

We may not have the wisdom of God in us like Solomon but we have the Bible, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

All we have to do is study it and apply it to our lives to understand who God is, His infinite wisdom and love for us.

”If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.“ ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you asked God for wisdom?

Blessings 

Proverbs 2:6

1 Kings 3:23-27 Proved By Love!

 ”And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my Lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”“

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Bring me a sword: Solomon’s solution to the problem at first looked foolish - even dangerous. The wisdom of his approach was only understood when the matter was settled.

i. In the same way, the works – even the judgments – of God often first seem strange, dangerous, or even foolish. Time shows them to be perfect wisdom.

ii. Trapp on bring me a sword: “For what purpose? Thought the standers by; wondering and perhaps laughing within themselves. The actions of wise princes are riddles to vulgar constructions: nor is it for the shallow capacities of the multitude to fathom the deep projects of sovereign authority” (Trapp).

b. She yearned with compassion for her son: The true parental relationship was proved by love. The true mother would rather have the child live without her than to die with her. She put the child’s welfare above her own.

c. She is his mother: Solomon knew that the offer to cut the child in two would reveal the true mother, and he rewarded the mother’s love accordingly. (Guzik)

Proved By Love!

I am reminded of the love of God.

”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.“

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Solomon was willing to give the appearance of a son’s death to prove a mother’s love, but God loved us so much that He allowed His Son to die so that we may live!

Do you believe in the love of the cross or do you consider it foolishness?

Blessings 

John 3:16