Hello, my dear “Walking with Jesus” friends all around the world,
Now with only 10 days till Christmas Eve, I hope your excitement is growing the closer we come to that very, very important day!
I wonder who the wisest person is that you know? I don’t mean the person with the highest IQ or the most earned degrees or the most significant role in society, I mean the WISEST person.
In our 30-day journey toward Christmas, as we look at Old Testament heroes whose lives pointed forward to Jesus, do you know who the person is whom God blessed with more wisdom than any other person alive at that time, or maybe in all of history? He was the third King of Israel, the son of King David. His name was Solomon, and we find his story in I Kings 1-11 and 1 Chronicles 28- 2 Chronicles 9. The story of Solomon’s birth is found in 2 Samuel 12 and sadly comes at the conclusion of King David’s darkest and most shameful time, his sinful relationship with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. (2 Samuel 11) The son born to David and Bathsheba conceived in that sinful relationship died, but after David’s repentance and his marriage to widow Bathsheba, God blessed them with a son they named Solomon.
May I suggest this is one way Solomon’s story points forward to Christmas? I think it’s fair to assume no one believed the preposterous story Joseph and Mary offered as explanation for Mary’s pregnancy while she and Joseph were engaged. And because Joseph and Mary returned to live in Nazareth, their hometown, I think it’s fair to assume that shameful doubt about the conception of Jesus was in the minds of everyone in Nazareth during His boyhood years, and maybe even into His adulthood.
We have no record of how much or how often Jesus and Mary and Joseph spoke of His true identity as God incarnate, nor His earthly mission, nor the miracles associated with His birth. Nor do we have record of conversations between Solomon and his parents King David and Bathsheba regarding the circumstances surrounding his conception and birth nor the expectations they had of his future as a Prince in the Davidic royal family and his possible kingship. We do have record of one conversation when King David is challenging and commissioning his son Solomon in preparation for his ascending to the throne of Israel, found in 1 Chronicles 28:9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek the LORD, He will be found by you but if you forsake Him, He will reject you. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build this Temple as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.” Do you hear David’s passionate appeal to Solomon to guard his heart and mind so that he might not be seduced into the same dangerous trap of failure into which David had fallen?
Shortly after Solomon was anointed King, after the death of his father King David, Solomon did as David had urged him. He went to meet with God at the Tabernacle which was at that time in Gibeon. During his time of prayer and sacrifice, God appeared to Solomon and said something remarkable: “Ask Me for whatever you want Me to give you.” (2 Chronicles 1:7) Solomon’s response was amazing: “You have shown great kindness to my father David and have made me king in his place…give me wisdom and knowledge that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours, O God?” Now ponder that for a moment friends. What would you say to God if God invited you to ask Him for anything? God’s response to Solomon was very significant: “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies…therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor such as no king who was before you ever had, and none will have after you.” (2 Chron. 1:11 & 1 Kings 3) Does this intentional effort by King Solomon to seek guidance from Almighty God point us forward to Jesus, often going away from the crowds and even from His disciples, to meet with His heavenly Father seeking guidance and direction? (Mark 1:35-39)
As we read the account, in the subsequent chapters, of the remainder of Solomon’s life it is amazingly clear that God did as He had promised and blessed Solomon with God given wisdom and knowledge so remarkable that Kings and Queens from many other nations came to seek audience with him. Furthermore, God poured out such abundant blessings in wealth and prosperity that the opulence of his palace was almost beyond description. Listen to this summary found in 1 Kings 4:29 “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore….and his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke 3000 proverbs and his songs numbered 1005. He spoke about plant life from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom….” Solomon became a professor, an author, as well as King. The Bible book of Proverbs is a compilation of many of those wise sayings of King Solomon. Do you see how Solomon’s God given wisdom pointed forward to Christmas and Jesus? We have only one Biblical story of Jesus during his youth days and in Luke 2:41-52 we find twelve-year-old Jesus accompanying Joseph & Mary to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When this several day festival was concluded Joseph & Mary began their journey home to Nazareth, not noticing Jesus was absent from the traveling caravan. Upon their return to Jerusalem searching for Jesus the record says: “They found Him [Jesus] in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers….and Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” When is the last time you have observed learned scholars amazed at the wisdom and knowledge of a 12-year-old boy?
Following the first lengthy sermon Jesus gave which Matthew records for us in Matthew 5-7, we find this summary statement: “When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, not as their teachers of the law.” (Matt. 7:28) Mark tells us: “Jesus traveled throughout Galilee preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons… As a result, Jesus could not enter a town openly but stayed out in the lonely places. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere.” (Mark 1:39,45) Do those statements remind us of the record of King Solomon’s popularity and wisdom?
Other than wisdom and wealth King Solomon is famous for one other great accomplishment, the construction of the great Temple of God in Jerusalem. It is described in detail in 1 Kings 6&7. The dedication of this great Temple was an outrageous ceremony detailed in 2 Chronicles 5-7 and culminating with God sending fire from heaven to consume the many sacrifice offerings made that day, but also God met once again with King Solomon to explain His covenant promise with His people. That encounter is highlighted by a statement you’ve probably heard repeated many times: “…if My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and I will heal their land..” (2 Chronicles 7:14) Do you see how this powerful promise from God was pointing forward to Jesus and His repeated invitation to all people to understand God’s love for them? To understand their wicked ways separate them from God and to understand that He, Jesus, God the Son, came to pay the sin penalty for every and any person who will trust in Him and accept God’s conditions for a restored relationship with God and eternity with God in His presence?With Christmas Eve now 10 days away, can you celebrate my friends that the lives of Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David and Solomon ALL point us forward several centuries from their time to the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ? May I ask if your life and mine points people in our day to Jesus and the total life transformation of life that He offers us? Here’s another Christmas song to help us embrace these truths…
Today’s Scripture is 1 Kings 3.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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