1 KINGS 4
Read 1 Kings 4:1-34
This chapter starts with another one of these darned Old Testament list of names. Do we really care about the names of Solomon’s officials and his district governors, other than perhaps to wonder if the Ben-Hur of v8 is the same guy that they made the film about? But the theme of these chapters is wisdom, and the point is that Solomon brought to bear his gift of wisdom, not just on judicial rulings as we saw with the case of the two women claiming the same baby back in Chapter 3, but also on the day to day affairs of being a king and ruling the nation.
And the outcome of his wise decision making in appointing his officials can be seen in vv20-28. The nation prospered. The people were happy, they all (from Dan to Beersheba, that is, from the Northernmost town in the kingdom to the Southernmost) ‘lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig-tree (v25). There was peace in the kingdom. Relations with the surrounding countries were good. How different to the days of David when there seemed to be constant conflict, either with the other nations or from rebellions from within.
But this is not simply the result of good governance on the part of Solomon. We can see God’s hand in this – after all, it was God that gave Solomon the gift of wisdom in the first place. But also, the language of v20 harks back to covenant relationship that God made with Abraham back in Genesis. Verse 20 says, ‘The people of Judah and Israel (that is, all of God’s people) were as numerous as the sand on the seashore’. When God called Abraham into service he made promises to him, saying, ‘your descendants will be like the stars in the sky’ (Genesis 15:5) and ‘I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore’ (Genesis 22:7). God entered into a relationship with Abraham called, the covenant, which was a promise by God to be with Abraham and his descendant forever – to be their God and for them to be his people. There was also a promise to Abraham (at the time a landless wanderer) that his descendants would have their own land and that they would have rest from their enemies. Under Solomon’s rule this all seemed to be coming true. God’s people had their own land, their borders were secure and there was peace so that each man could sit under his own fig-tree.
The implication of all this is that the relationship between God and his people, led by Solomon, was in good shape. And when that happens, life is easier and becomes full of the joy of knowing God. And that message holds true to us today. The most important aspect of Christianity is not going to church regularly (although that is a good thing to do) or adhering tightly to the right doctrine, but having a good relationship with our saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. And to do that we need to walk with him and talk to him on a regular basis.