1 Kings 4:20-34--Solomon's Wealth and Wisdom

1 Kings 4:20-34
English Standard Version

Solomon's Wealth and Wisdom
20 Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 21  Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

22 Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, and twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates. And he had peace on all sides around him. 25 And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. 26 Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon, and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.

​29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

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Israel and Judah are numerous, wealthy and seemingly without any wants as they are eating and drinking (a sign of both peace and plenty) whatever they want whenever they want.  This is not necessarily a good thing though as it is in times like these that people often forget their need for the LORD and that He provides every good and perfect gift from above.  When we feel we don't need anything from Him, it seems easier to turn away.

Another item of note here is that the borders of the Land that Solomon ruled over are in line with the promise of the Land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  While we only have broad boundary markers given, these boundaries seem to be in place with the LORD fulfilling that covenant He made (though as we've talked about in the past, the promise of the Kingdom will not be fully fulfilled until Jesus is the One who sits on the throne of David and reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords).

We read last time how different men were responsible for providing the provisions for Solomon and his household each month, but now we get to see how much they consume in a single day, and it's a lot.  Certainly the men who were selected to provide for him were wealthy to be able to provide this much grain and meat on a daily basis.

The LORD gave Solomon peace on every side so that he would not be a man of war like his father David was.  Solomon would be known for his wisdom and for being selected to built the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.  He had a vast army with many chariots and horsemen at the ready, but he never had to use them.  Everything was taken care of each month by the officials that were selected, even the barley and straw for the horses that were stabled.

The LORD increased Solomon's wisdom and understanding so that its breath was compared to that of the sand on the seashore.  Solomon's wisdom surpassed that of all the wise men of the East (probably referring to the Chaldeans who were also called the Magi in Babylon) and the magicians who called themselves "wise men" of Egypt. No man that gets his "wisdom" from the powers of darkness can compare to the one who receives wisdom from the One who knows all things.

Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs (we have 31 of them recorded in the book of Proverbs) and 1,005 songs (I know of at least one of them recorded in the book of Psalms, there may be more).  This man was gifted not only in thinking, but also in several art forms that allowed him to express and covey the wisdom that the LORD had given him so that it could be of benefit to others.

Solomon apparently studied nature as well knowing about all kinds of trees and land-dwelling animals and fish of the sea.  People came from all over the known world to listen to him teach and to hear his wisdom.  He would be known as the Teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes, yet we'll find out there that none of this knowledge fulfilled him.  He found out that he could have a life full of wealth, plenty, knowledge, and pleasure and he would still feel empty without knowing God first and foremost, so he writes that letter to his son to warn him to not seek all these other things, but to seek that relationship with the LORD while he was still young.  Even the wisest man (apart from Jesus) to have walked this earth had regrets about not making wise choices, and his choices would not only affect himself, but his sons and all of Israel and Judah.  This nation that is united in the beginning of Solomon's reign will be a nation divided by end of his forty-year reign.