1 Kings - Chapter 4 with Psalm 104 and Proverbs 15:16,17, 22

Solomon becomes king of Israel and asks God for wisdom. God grants his request and also gives him riches and honor. Solomon forms alliances and marries a daughter of Pharaoh. He appoints officials and governors to help manage the kingdom. Solomon's kingdom is prosperous and peaceful. He is known for his wisdom and his fame spreads to other nations. Psalm 104 praises God as the creator of all things. Meditating on God's word brings peace and understanding. I'm Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. By chance you want to contact me, you can do that at dab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are looking at chapter 4 of 1 Kings with Psalm 104 and Proverbs chapter 15 verses 16, 17, and 22. Solomon is now king of all Israel and he asked God to grant him wisdom so he could lead his people. The Lord granted that request and there has been no other king of Israel that was known for wisdom like he was. The Lord was pleased with the request and he also granted him riches and honor. So far we know that he made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and Solomon married one of his daughters. With today's lesson we take a closer look at Solomon's kingdom. Chapter 4 verses 1-19 cover Solomon's officials and governors of the land. One thing to note is that some of the officials that David had, now their children, are officials to Solomon. We also notice that two of the governors married a daughter of Solomon so we know that this is later in his reign. The offices under Solomon include priests, secretaries, recorders, commanders of armies, personal advisors to the king, in charge of the palace, and in charge of forced labor. Verse 7 reads Solomon also 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. Something that is interesting here is that Solomon did not honor the boundaries of the twelve tribes of Israel. It may be since the land had expanded so much under Solomon that it became necessary to regroup into districts. This section brings to mind Proverbs chapter 15 verse 22. Solomons fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed. One thing about Proverbs is, like the Psalms, they are words of people that are generally true. In other words, we need to keep in mind what type of literature we are reading. This is not the law, this is not thus saith the Lord, but this is wisdom literature, an expression like songs of what humanity, such as Solomon, sees and responds to. Do all plans made with advisors and much planning succeed? No, but generally they do. Solomon had wisdom to know that he could not lead the nation of Israel alone, and he divided the land and placed people over the land because he couldn't do it all. The next section in chapter 4 of 1 Kings explains Solomons daily provisions. Verse says the people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate, they drank, and they were happy. The wording of this verse reminds the readers of the promise the Lord made with Abraham about the land and about his descendants, found in Genesis 22, when he was willing to sacrifice his only son, yet the Lord spared him and gave him a ram caught in the bush. The Lord said, I swear by myself that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me. Over a thousand years ago the Lord made this promise to Abraham, and now the nation of Israel is at its height. I like what Paul House said in his commentary. The land Moses desired, Joshua conquered, and David subdued now lay in the hands of a man of unsurpassed wisdom. This made me think of another quote that I read at work that I have been pondering. No matter what accomplishments you make, someone helped you. This was by Althea Gibson. Solomon did not get to this point in history all by himself. He had a lot of help along the way. Well, Solomon needed a lot of provisions to maintain his country, but verses 24 and 25 say they had peace on all sides. During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel from Dan to Beersheba lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree. As a reminder, Dan was one of the most northern cities in Israel and Beersheba was on the most southern part in Israel, so it is a way of saying that all of Israel lived in safety. Another thing that House said was, only prosperity keeps people from resenting large government and new taxes. At this point the people were happy because they were living in prosperity, so they did not mind the tax and the labor needed to make this country great. Verse 26 tells us that Solomon had 4,000 stalls of chariot horses and 12,000 charioteers. The question is raised, how many horses or too many horses? Did Solomon need, want or desire all of these horses? Also in Proverbs 15 there are two more proverbs that apply to this section of scripture. Proverbs 16 and 17, better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil, better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred. Thankfully at this short stage of Israel's history they had both wealth and peace. In this last section of chapter 4 the writer described Solomon's wisdom which was greater than anyone from the east or south in Egypt and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations and people came from all over who heard about his wisdom. Verses 32 and 33 say he spoke 3,000 proverbs and his songs numbered 1,005. He described plant life from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. To end today I'd like to read Psalm 104 which has no title and it covers many of Solomon's interest in creation. Praise the Lord O my soul, O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundation, it can never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment. The waters stood above the mountains, but at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. They flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them. You set a boundary they cannot cross, never again will they cover the earth. He makes springs pour water into the ravines, it flows between the mountains. They give water to all the beasts of the field, the wild donkeys quench their thirst, the birds of the air nest by the waters, they sing among the branches. He waters the mountains from his upper chambers. The earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth, wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted, there the birds make their nests. The stork has its home in the pine trees, the high mountains belong to the wild goats, the crags are a refuge for the canes. The moon marks off the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lion roars for their prey, and seek their food from God. The sun rises and they steal away, they return and lie down in their dens. Then man goes out to his work, to his labor, until evening. How many are your works, O Lord, in wisdom you made them all! The earth is full of your creatures, there is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed, to frolic there. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hands, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified. When you take away your breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in his works. He who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. I sing to the Lord all my life, I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. But may sinners vanish from the earth, and the wicked be no more. Praise the Lord, O my soul, praise the Lord. In this psalm we see that the God of Israel is the creator of all things, even the cedar trees in Lebanon, a different country. The psalmist also understands that if God is the creator, then we are the created. Which is why this is a psalm of praise. He sees the created order, and wants to sing praises daily. He also wants to make sure that his thinking, meditation, is pleasing to the Lord. According to W. Robert Godfrey's book, Learning to Love the Psalms, Meditation takes place in the mind, but also in the mouth. The Hebrew word for meditation has the sense of mumble. Meditation is not necessarily a silent activity, but usually includes speaking or singing out our thoughts. Reading, meditating, and speaking the word of God, and especially the Psalms and Proverbs, has a way of placing our mind into a godly world view, which reminds us that God is creator, and we are the created, and he knows what he is doing, even when we don't have a clue. It has a way of bringing peace to our hearts. If you have heard his voice today, please don't harden your heart, that leads to grief. Instead, let's be women of faith who hear, meditate, sing praises, and obey. Until next time, and thank you so much for listening.