1 Kings 4:29-34 Solomon's Wisdom Draws Attention
Last year all of the elders of the church went on a twenty-four hour retreat together. We discussed many things over that time and then on the way home we stopped at a diner and had a meal. I sat there and I listened to these guys as they talked about so many different things. They talked about geography, hunting, education, religious topics, medicine, ministry, politics, fire codes, etc. I came home that evening and one of the first things that I told my wife was how I am always amazed that these guys know so much about so many things.
In 1 Kings we are beginning to read about Solomon and his reign over the kingdom. In chapter three God comes to Solomon in a dream and asked Solomon to ask Him to do something for him. Solomon did not ask for riches or long life but asked for the wisdom needed to lead the Lord's people. This pleased the Lord.
The Lord gave Solomon great wisdom and his fame spread throughout the land. His wisdom and discernment surpassed all the great thinkers of the East. Men such as: Ethan, Herman, Calcol, Darda and his fame spread throughout all the nations. They came to hear the wisdom of Solomon from afar.
One of the things that sticks out to me is the breadth of Solomon's wisdom and how it is described in these verses. We are told that he spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. We are told that 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.
Isn't it amazing that great wisdom can be found in so many things as these. Wisdom is not always found in the musings of men as they talk about philosophies and human teachings. But it can be found in the very things that the elders talked about while on the elder retreat. Wisdom was found in our discussions on geography. It was there when we talked about science and medicine. It was even present when they talked about fishing and hunting. In all these discussions God was given honor and glory.
This makes sense when you consider that God made all of these things. He is Lord over His creation. A fool rejects the Creator and neither glorifies Him or gives to the Lord thanks. But a simple man who prays over his meal with his family and who gives thanks to God for it has just displayed more wisdom than the college professor who denies the Lord. Parents who take notice of birds, and beasts and every growing thing and teach their kids to honor the Lord for such blessings are far more wise than the secularist who believes in evolution and professes so confidently that this is all a product of chance.
In our society men and women will travel so far to attend universities and to sit under secular professors. They will pay large amounts of money to be educated by men like: Ethan the Ezrahite, Herman, Calcol, and Darda. These students will take notes and fill their minds with the wisdom of this world. But may the wise students seek the Lord and pray for wisdom. May the students that attend our church pray for the Lord to grant them wisdom so that the Natural Resource Major can honor God with the wisdom in that field as they learn about the beasts of the field, birds in the air and the fish in the water. May the environmentalist display God's wisdom when he or she protects the trees and every little shrub. May the music major honor God with the songs that they learn to play and write. May the English major honor God with the poems he or she may write. And may the student taking a religion class honor the LORD and give Him glory above all.
In 1 Kings 3:3 we read these words, "Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father..." May such a simple description be said of all of us. May it be said that we love the Lord and that we walk in the statutes of the Lord. And may it also be said that we sought out men like David and Solomon to learn from. May we seek to learn from those who love the Lord, who walk in His statutes, who pray to the Lord for wisdom and honor Him with their words and their lives. We find such people throughout our church. They are our friends, our family and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.