Prosperity And Wisdom of Solomon’s Reign

Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny. “What did he find?” asked the cohort. “A piece of the truth,” the Devil replied. “Doesn’t it bother you that he found a piece of the tr … More

Choices

Solomon’s kingdom was unified, secure, strong, and prosperous, with a large population. Solomon’s rule extended over all the kingdoms from the river Euphrates to the border of Egypt (v. 21). His kingdom was strong, secure, and prosperous with a very large population. Verse 20 says  the people were as many “as the sand which is by the sea.”

 

Solomon had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates (v 24). And he had peace on all sides around him (v.25). And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine. The ability of the nation to provide Solomon’s daily provisions testifies to his prosperity (vv. 22-23).  His horses numbered 12,000 and his chariots 1400 (II Chron. 1:14) and these were kept in several locations called “chariot cities” (II Chron. 9:25). These horses and chariots were used for national defense and served as a strong deterrent to potential foreign aggressors.

 

Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt (v. 30). His wisdom exceeded that of all men of the East (Job 1:3) and all of the people in Egypt and both of these areas were known for their wisdom. The extent of Solomon’s wisdom, understanding and knowledge was so great it could not be measured. It is demonstrated by the kings coming to observe and listen to him (vv. 32-34). He wrote over 3,000 proverbs of which several hundred have been preserved in the book of Proverbs and a few in Ecclesiastes. He also was an authority in botany and zoology. He had many important visitors from far away places who came for advise which he gave freely. He was recognized as the wisest man of his day as God had promised he would be.

 

Application

While Solomon possessed great wisdom, he did not always apply it to his own life. This proves that having insight into life does not guarantee that a person will choose to do what is right. I must live close to the Lord and seek to please Him daily or I will not make right choices. I need to make sure that I walk my talk for the Lord.

I Kings 4:20-34 (English Standard Version)


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