Solomon
was the King of Israel. “Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.” 1
Kings 2:12
Jesus
Christ is the King of Kings. “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name
written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Rev. 19:16
The Reign begins with Judgement
1
Kings 2:25-26 ‘So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he
struck down Adonijah, and he died. To
Abiathar, the priest, the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You
deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now
because you carried the ark of the Sovereign LORD before my father David and
shared all my father’s hardships.”
1
Kings 2:32-34 ‘The LORD will repay him for the blood he shed because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked
two men and killed them with the sword. So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and
struck down Joab and killed him.’
1
Kings 2:44-46 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the
wrong you did to my father, David. Now
the LORD will repay you for your wrongdoing. Then the king gave the order to
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him.
The
first thing that we should notice is that the reign of Solomon began with
judgement. Men who had lived through the entire reign of David and had got away
with many hideous crimes now got their fair punishment. Is this not the same as
the start of Jesus’ reign on earth? People in our age commit great sins against
both God and man and for the time being, do not seem to be judged for their
actions. God in His mercy and patience allows them time to repent, but He has set aside a day when he will judge
the world. When Solomon’s reign began, judgement was pronounced upon these
wicked men. So, it is with the return and reign of Jesus – it starts with judgment.
Matt
25:31,32 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,
he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered
before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats.’
1
Cor 4:5 ‘Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord
comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the
motives of men’s hearts.’
Thus
Solomon’s kingdom was established when he put away his mortal enemies.
Likewise, when we acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ, we put him first.
There is nothing we want more. We seek His kingdom first.“ But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to
you.” Matthew 6:33
Christ
also ascended to Heaven and is seated at
the right hand of Majesty on high, having destroyed the power of the grave and
hell forever.
“
‘O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?’[The sting of
death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. 15:55-57
“For
He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that
will be destroyed is death.” 1 Cor. 15:25,26
“He
who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this
purpose, the Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8
“I
am He who lives, and was dead, and behold; I
am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Rev.
1:18
“Inasmuch
then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise
shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power
of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2:14,15
By
destroying his enemies, Solomon did not tolerate threats to his reign or false
claims to his throne. Likewise, Our God is a jealous God, and He will not give His glory to another. He
is the Only One worthy to sit on the throne and judge the nations.
“Worthy
is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength
and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven and on
the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in
them, I heard saying: ’Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who
sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’” Rev.5:12,13
The Wisdom of God Manifested
1
Kings 3:5-13 ‘At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a
dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon
answered, “…Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great
people, too numerous to count or number. So, give your servant a discerning
heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who
is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that
Solomon had asked for this. So, God said to him, “Since you have asked for this
and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of
your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you
have asked. I will give you a wise and
discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will
there ever be.’
God
was so pleased with Solomon’s request that He said to him ‘I will give you a
wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you,
nor will there ever be.’ Except one that is! The one in whom Solomon’s reign
was just a mere shadow. Of all the men that had lived, Solomon was the wisest
there had ever been. He judged righteously, and many came from far away just to
listen to his wisdom. But even Solomon cannot compare with the soon coming rule
of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.
Isa
11:1-5 ‘A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots, a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of
the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
LORD— and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he
sees with his eyes, or decide by what he
hears with his ears; but with righteousness,
he will judge the needy, with justice he
will give decisions for the poor of the earth . He will strike the earth with
the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips,
he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the
sash around his waist.’
Wisdom,
understanding, knowledge, and counsel are
essential characteristics of the rule of
Christ. In this age we struggle to discern correctly, not knowing others,
hearts. Not so when Jesus reigns. Real
justice will be applied in every situation as nothing can escape the limitless
understanding of the God-Man!
1
Kings 4:29-34 ‘God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of
understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was
greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East
and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man,
including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of
Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three
thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered
a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the
hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds,
reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent
by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.’
The
last line of this quote says ‘Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s
wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.’ How
true this is of Jesus’ reign. We know from prophecy that
Isaiah
2:1-5 ‘In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established
as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all
nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us
his ways , so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will
settle disputes for many peoples .
How
awesome this is going to be! Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven!
The Prince of Peace
1
Chron 22:6-9 ‘Then David called for his son Solomon and charged him to build a
house for the LORD, the God of Israel. David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it
in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of
the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You
are not to build a house for my Name
because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a
son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his
enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace
and quiet during his reign.’
According
to this verse, one of the leading characteristics of Solomon’s reign was
peace. King David had not been allowed to build the temple because of the wars
and bloodshed he had been involved with. Instead,
this was granted to his son Solomon, a man of ‘peace and rest’ whom God would
grant ‘rest from all his enemies on every side.’ What better picture of the
reign of Jesus is there? The name of Solomon even means ‘peace’! Read and enjoy
these verses that speak of the peace in the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Isa
2:3,4 ‘The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He
will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They
will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war
anymore. ’
Isa
9:6-8 ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will
be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. He will reign on
David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice
and righteousness from that time on and forever.
The
zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. ‘
Isa
11:6-9 ‘The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the
goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will
lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the hole of
the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. They will
neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of
the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.’
The Rebuilding of the Temple
1
Kings 6:1,14 ‘In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had
come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the
month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD. So, Solomon built the temple and completed
it.’
Solomon
built a magnificent temple, seven years in the making, with many objects made
of marble and overlaid with gold. It was one of the wonders of the ancient
world.
Jesus
Christ has been preparing a place for us in Heaven for 2,000 years! How awesome
will that be? We will walk through gates of pearl, stroll on streets of gold,
and live in a city whose foundations are made of precious stones. Rev.21
and 22
“In
My Father’s house are many mansions if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
John 14:2,3
After
Solomon finished building the temple, during the dedication, God Himself came
to dwell in it. “And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy
place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord
so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud;
for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.” 1 Kings 8:10,11
Likewise,
God ‘tabernacled’, or pitched His tent among us, when Christ took on flesh and
lived among us. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.” John 1:14
But
even more glorious, will be the day when we will be in the presence of God in
Heaven, seeing His face, enjoying unbroken fellowship with Him.“ ”And I heard a
loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and
He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow,
nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed
away.’” Rev. 21:3, 4
Like
Solomon, Jesus will build the temple in His Kingdom. This is the temple that
has been described in Ezekiel Chapters 40-46 that has not yet been constructed.
It has been written in Zechariah that the Messiah will
do this.
Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory,
and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his
throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Zech. 6:13
Zech
6:11-13 ‘Take the silver and gold and make a crown, and set it on the head of
the high priest, Joshua, son of
Jehozadak. Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘ Here is the man
whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the
temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will
be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a
priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’
The
title of the ‘branch’ is a known name given to the Messiah. The crowning of
Joshua in this passage foreshadowed the crowning of the Messiah who, at His
second coming, would build the temple and unite the offices of King and Priest
in one person just as Melchizedek had done. (Gen 14:18-20) Also, in this
present age, each member of the church is the temple of God (1 Cor 6:19) – a
habitation for God himself to dwell. Jesus has also been the builder of this
temple as he declared to Peter -
Matt
16:18 ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’
The Ark and the Glory Return
1
Kings 8:6-11 ‘The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its
place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it
beneath the wings of the cherubim… When the priests withdrew from the Holy
Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not
perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled
his temple.
With
the temple completed and the ark of God returned to the Holy of Holies, God
showed His pleasure in all that had been done by filling the temple with His
presence and glory. The ark of God is a type of Jesus Himself – the manifest
presence and power of God. The same glory that filled the temple will one day,
in the Kingdom to come, be openly visible
for the world to see.
Isaiah
24:23 ‘The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will
reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.’
Isaiah
40:5 ‘And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will
see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
Isaiah
60:1-3 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises
upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and
thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you, and his glory appears over you. Nations will
come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.’
Israel’s Exaltation
1
Kings 10:4-9 ‘When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the
palace he had built, the food on his table, the seating of his officials, the
attending servants in their robes, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he
made at the temple of the LORD, she was overwhelmed. She said to the king, “The
report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is
true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes.
Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth, you have far exceeded the report I heard. How happy your
men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and
hear your wisdom! Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and
placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for
Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.”
1
Kings 10:23-27 ‘King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the
other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear
the wisdom God had put in his heart. Year after year, everyone who came brought
a gift—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons and spices, and horses and
mules. Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots
and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with
him in Jerusalem. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and
cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills.’
Finally,
the last characteristic that marked Solomon’s reign was the exalted position
that Israel held among the nations. When the Queen of Sheba came, she was ‘overwhelmed’ and ascribed all
that she saw and heard to the ‘LORD’s eternal love for Israel.’ The reign of
Solomon marked an incredible influence
among the Gentile nations, with many sending representatives to bow and pay
homage at the footstool of his throne. Israel was praised among the nations and
peace reigned. The millennial kingdom also displays the pre-eminence of Israel
as out of her will come the word and glory of the Lord.
Micah
4:2 ‘In the last days…The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem.
Zech
8:20-23 ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants
of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to
another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD
Almighty. I myself am going.’ And many peoples and powerful nations will come
to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him.” This is what the
LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten men from all languages and nations will
take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you because we have heard that God is with
you.’”
In
the age in which we live, the Jew is still bearing the effects of having
forsaken God, and for the last 2000 years,
they have faced more persecution and trials than any other people group in the
world. Yet just as in Solomon’s day when Israel was exalted and her supremacy
unchallenged, so is the day coming when God again shall fulfil His promises to
His chosen nation and her glory and splendor shall be restored. Gentiles will
take the hand of the Jew knowing that ‘God is with you.’ Jesus himself will rule from Jerusalem for it is written that
‘the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, …gloriously.’
Also,
Zech
14:8-9,16 ‘On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the
eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. The LORD will
be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name
the only name… Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked
Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty.’
Solomon
was rich, with yearly tax revenue equaling 39,960 pounds of gold. 1 Kings 10:14
(See all of 1 Kings 10 ) $774,117,700,000
He
had an opulent palace and many building projects, the pinnacle of which was
Solomon’s temple. Read 1 Kings 6:14-22
But
Jesus Christ is rich, without taxing His people. “For every beast of the forest
is Mine And the cattle on a thousand
hills.” Psalm 50:9-11 Psalm 50:11-13
He
is the maker and owner of all things. Thus, says the LORD: Isa. 66:1-3 And He
owns the gold and silver in every mine. Hagg. 2:8
Yet,
Jesus laid aside His glory and riches for our sake. “For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became
poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” 2 Cor. 8:8-10
In
what sense did He become poor? On earth, He was homeless, had only one piece of
clothing worth anything, and had no possessions. He owned no property and
carried no cash. He even paid His taxes in an unusual way. “Nevertheless,
lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that
comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of
money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” Matthew 17:27
When
the Queen of Sheba came to investigate the rumors about Solomon’s wisdom and
wealth, she exclaimed, “It was a true report which I heard in my own
land about your words and your wisdom. However,
I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes, and indeed the half was not told me. Your
wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard! 1 Kings 10:6,7” We
cannot begin to imagine how amazing Heaven will be.
She
said his servants were blessed to see his face and hear his righteous
judgments. “Happy are your men, and happy
are these your servants, who stand continually before you and hear your wisdom!
Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne
of Israel! Because the Lord has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you
king, to do justice and righteousness.” 1 Kings 10:8,9
Even
more so, the servants of Christ are blessed to read His words and serve Him.
God is praised because He delighted in His Son and was pleased to set Him on
the throne of the universe, to do justice and righteousness. One day, we will
see Him face to face, hear His voice, and serve Him without weariness or sin.
“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and
His name shall be on their foreheads.” Rev.22:3.4
Solomon
received wisdom from God so that he could lead Israel. One case, stands out.
Read 1 Kings 3:16-28 Two women and one live baby that they both claimed was
theirs. Solomon’s decision revealed the true mother. “And all Israel
heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king,
for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.” 1 Kings
3:28
Jesus
teaching was unlike any other. He spoke with “authority. “ And so it was, when Jesus had ended these
sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as
one having authority, and not as the scribes.”Matt.7:28,29 He forgave sin. He
passed judgment. “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the
woman, He said to her, ’Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one
condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord. ’And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I
condemn you; go and sin no more.’” Matt. 8:10,11
Jesus
Christ is the King of kings and LORD of lords.
He reigns in the hearts of those who believe Him. Have you accepted Him as your King?
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