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"Building
For The Ages" • 11.27.16 • Calvary Christian
Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- The first book of Kings has concerned itself
thus far with the life of Israel's third King Solomon. In chapter 1, we witnessed Solomon's ascension to the throne of David.
- Coming into chapter 2, we observed his authority
in action, as he dispensed with all who would have continually challenged
his right to rule, becoming the undisputed King.
- In chapter 3, the author exposed his aptitude,
as the Lord granted that he receive wisdom to govern his people, providing us
with a vivid illustration that proved his prowess among the people.
- Coming into chapter 4, the author records the names which make for Solomon's administration. Verse 1.
Text
• I Kings 4:1,2 : "So King Solomon was
king over all Israel. And these were his officials:" :
These men were department heads, princes over the various arms of Solomon's
government. The priests, the scribes, the General over the army and the labor
force.
- Several of the names are familiar, several
are found only here. All of them are difficult to pronounce! God's wisdom was
employed in and through ample administration over the Kingdom.
• I Kings 4:7,8a : "And Solomon had
twelve governors over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his
household; each one made provision for one month of the year. These are their
names: " : Twelve district governors would have the
responsibility to provide the King with sufficient food for one month a year.
- This doesn't mean that they worked for one
month and then had eleven free! Rather, they would work all year to gather
enough food for their single month!
- The people of Israel would pay their taxes in
grain, fruit and every other kind of enterprise. Various seasons would produce
various kinds of food. Much of it would end up on Solomon's table.
- The men listed from verses 8 through 19, including Solomon's son-in-law Ahimaaz, were responsible to
carry this enormous task out.
- The effect of their administration and
Israel's peace is seen as we move into verse 20.
•
I Kings 4:20-25 : " Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea in
multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. So Solomon reigned over all
kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as
the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of
his life. Now
Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of
meal, ten fatted oxen, twenty oxen from the
pastures, and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted
fowl. For he had dominion over all
the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza,
namely over all the kings on this side of the River; and he had peace on every
side all around him. And Judah and Israel
dwelt safely, each man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan as far as
Beersheba, all the days of Solomon." : The
people of God were flourishing numerically. They are as numerous as the sand by
the sea. The comparison to the sand is no coincidence.
-
It's a call back to the Abrahamic Covenant. The third time that God repeated
His promise to Abraham, He stated that this would be the case. (Genesis 22:17)
-
When you consider their history, which had been fraught with disobedience and
reckless abandonment to idolatry, you and I are tempted to marvel that we find
them so vastly populated.
-
And yet, it is not because of their faithfulness to God, but because of God's
faithfulness to them that we see Israel at all!
-
They are a larger nation than they have ever been and they are found eating and
drinking and rejoicing! There is safety and God's people are living the way
that God intended for them.
-
They are free to be His people and this is directly related to their King's
expansive Kingdom.
-
Look at the borders that the author notes. He reigned from the Euphrates river
in the North, to the Mediteranean west and the territory of the Philistines.
-
We noted last week that he had made a treaty with the people of Egypt, which
covered his southernmost border. The Philistines brought their tribute to
Solomon for all of his life from the west.
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And it was all necessary! The daily provision for Solomon's house was of a
magnitude that is difficult to assess. The measurements given here reflect
profound riches.
-
One commentator mentioned that the food measured here would provide 14,000
people with enough to insure that they had 2 pounds of bread and 2 pounds of
meat per day!
-
That is a tremendous amount of food! The amount is not the point. The fact that
Israel was prosperous enough to produce this on a daily basis is nearly
unfathomable!
-
Everywhere he looked, he was at peace and the people of God from the north in
Dan to south in Beersheba, ate calmly under his own vine and fig tree.
-
The euphemism spoke of a peaceful contentment. The Kingdom is stable and her
people are enjoying the most security that they have ever had as a nation.
Verse 26.
•
I Kings 4:26-28 : "Solomon had forty thousand
stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And these governors, each man in
his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King
Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. They also brought barley and straw
to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his
charge." : II Chronicles 9:25, mentions that he had four thousand stalls of
horses for his chariots.
-
Aside from what was provided for Solomon's house, the governors were also
charged with providing enough for his horses!
-
They were so good at their job that there wasn't a hungry official or horse
among the group!
-
Horses and chariots, at 4 or 40,000 speak toward military readiness. In this
way, Solomon was armed to the teeth, but he is playing a dangerous game.
-
Deuteronomy 17:16 forbids the
proliferation of chariots, as such an action might cause the people to trust in
them over their God! (Psalm 20:7)
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David had taken chariots from his enemies, which left them powerless. Solomon
seems to have taken his cue, but missed the point.
-
His chariots didn't just disable other armies. It made his the greatest force
in the ancient near east! There is now a temptation to begin trusting in his
power, rather than the Lord's.
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As you move along in Solomon's life, add these things up. Not one of them will
start the fire, but each one is a new spark that will eventually ignite his
Kingdom! Verse 29.
•
I Kings 4:29-34 : "And God gave Solomon wisdom and
exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the
seashore. Thus
Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the
wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and
Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the
surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one
thousand and five. Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to
the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of
creeping things, and of fish. And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had
heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon." : Despite Solomon's spiritually dangerous trajectory, God
continues to faithfully bless him.
-
He had asked for wisdom and God gave it to him along with exceedingly great
understanding. The measurement is beyond calculation, off of the charts.
-
His wisdom wasn't just in matters of deciding difficult cases and arranging
administration.
-
Solomon set himself up to explore wisdom in all of it's facets. He sought to
understand his world. The NIV terms his understanding as "insight"
while the NASB uses the word "discernment."
- Solomon's ability to see through
surface conditions and get to the true source of human issues was legendary. We
would call him a man of great intuitive genius.
-
Along with that practical and personal wisdom, God expanded his heart. Other
translations refer to the breadth of his mind being expanded in an exponential
way.
-
The author mentions every one of Solomon's contemporaries and there wasn't one
who was better. We aren't sure how he bested them, but he was preferred above
them.
-
Solomon was also a poet and an artist, whose portfolio was large and diverse.
The picture painted here is of a man that was curious about all of his
surroundings.
-
There wasn't a subject above ground or below the surface of the sea that he
didn't explore. Consequently, Solomon continually had an audience as people
filed in to hear him.
-
Among those visitors, were members of the nation to the north and which leads
to his agreement with Hiram, the
King of Tyre. Chapter 5, verse 1.
• I Kings
5:1-6 : "Now Hiram king of Tyre
sent his servants to Solomon, because he heard that they had anointed him king
in place of his father, for Hiram had always loved David. Then
Solomon sent to Hiram, saying: 'You know how my father
David could not build a house for the name of the Lord
his God because of the wars which were fought against him on every side, until
the Lord
put his foes under the soles of his feet. But
now the Lord
my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor evil
occurrence.
And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of
the Lord my God,
as the Lord spoke
to my father David, saying, 'Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your
place, he shall build the house for My name.' Now
therefore, command that they cut down cedars for me from Lebanon; and my
servants will be with your servants, and I will pay you wages for your servants
according to whatever you say. For you know there is none among us who has
skill to cut timber like the Sidonians." :
Hiram had been ruler over Tyre during David's reign and was now hearing that
the power transition was complete.
- Hiram had been a friend to David. According
to II Samuel 5:11, he had sent cedar
trees, carpenters and masons to build David a house.
- Solomon saw it's splendor first hand and knew
that he needed Hiram's help.
-
God had given Solomon rest on every side. Soon, you will see what that affords
in terms of manpower. He didn't have an enemy to deal with. There wasn't even
an crisis.
- The time to build the temple was now! There
was nothing else to be done except to fulfill what God had commanded that he
should do.
- In order to do that, he negotiates this labor
agreement with the Sidonians. As you review those last words, understand that
this undertaking will be great because it's for the name of the Lord.
- Solomon, therefore, is unwilling to allow his
people to experiment and eventually gain wisdom in the cutting of timber. He looks
to this Gentile source to find the very best that there was!
- Cedars of Lebanon are rot and insect
resistant and yet, can be forged into pliable shapes, used all over the ancient
world. The Sidonians, the people of Tyre, were experts in their use. Verse 7.
• I Kings
5:7-12 : "So it was, when Hiram
heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said, 'Blessed be the Lord
this day, for He has given David a wise son over this great people! Then Hiram sent to Solomon, saying: 'I have considered the
message which you sent me, and I will do all you desire concerning the cedar
and cypress logs. My servants shall bring them
down from Lebanon to the sea; I will float them in rafts by sea to the place
you indicate to me, and will have them broken apart there; then you can take
them away. And you shall fulfill my desire by giving food for my household. Then Hiram gave Solomon cedar and cypress logs according to
all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty
thousand kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty kors of pressed
oil. Thus Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. So the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He had
promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of
them made a treaty together." : Why
would Hiram be so excited about this request from Solomon? First, it was a
tribute to David.
- God had given David, his friend, a wise son
to rule over Israel. Hiram celebrates the fact of God's faithfulness as he
listens to Solomon's offer.
- Of course, Hiram also rejoiced because of the
economic blessing this arrangement was going to bring his people. This agreement
would benefit Hiram's labor force for several years.
- Finally, they were going to participate in
building one of the greatest and most famous buildings of all time! His
nation's cypress logs would provide the temple of God with it's edifice.
- These Gentiles would have an integral part in
bringing the temple of God into existence!
- The plan is set in place. The Sidonians, the
people of Tyre, were located on the Mediteranean coast to the north.
- Their ships would haul the logs down the
coast to Joppa where they would be unloaded. Solomon's people would then reload
their ships with food for Hiram's household.
- Tyre was rich in lumber supply, but they were
poor in grain and fruit. This mutually beneficial arrangement lasted the full
seven years that it took to complete the Temple.
• I Kings
5:13-18
: "Then King
Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was
thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts:
they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge
of the labor force. Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty
thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, besides three thousand three
hundred from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people
who labored in the work. And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly
stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s
builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones
to build the temple." : Solomon's labor force were
men who were forced into labor. There wasn't any choice, but there also wasn't
a lack of consideration.
- These men worked in one month shifts, 10
thousand at a time. When they completed their shift, they were home for 2
months.
- It's no doubt that the work was strenuous,
but it was made a bit better by the compassionate release of a two month
reprieve.
- Just when the laborers were about to
complain, it was almost quitting time! Besides these men, there were 70,000 men
that "carried burdens."
- These are men who were in charge of
transporting items from site to site, likely directly related to the 80,000 men
that worked in the quarries.
- None of the stones were cut or shaped on the
temple site. They were cut to size at the quarry and then carried to the
temple. Prefabrication is not a new thing in construction.
- The stones in question were both well cut and
incredibly large, some as large as 90 feet in diameter! How they were moved
from the quarry to the Temple site is still a mystery.
- You can go to Israel today and see the
enormous stones, all cut to perfection.
- 150,000 men were supervised by an additional
330,000 men. Nearly half a million men of Israel, not to mention the men of
Tyre, worked on the temple building.
- Their first task was to quarry the largest
stones, those which would lay at the foundation level. These are large and
costly or quality stones.
- They won't be seen, but they are extravagent
in price and effort. Solomon wouldn't cut a single corner. God was to be
honored at ever step!
- We have seen Solomon's administration and his
agreement with Hiram. We will only glance at what we will discover next time.
Note Solomon's achievement!
• I Kings
6:1 : "And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year
after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth
year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second
month, that he began to build the house of the Lord." : The author gives us a time stamp to make note of. 480 years
have passed since the night of the Passover.
- It's been 1200 years since God had given
Abraham His word that the people of Israel would have their land and here they
are, numerous enough to carry out this enormous feat!
- Solomon has now been on the throne for 4
years. In that second month, he began to build the house of the Lord! What an
awesome achievement it will be!
Conclusion
- When you
consider what went into this project, you are likely astounded as to the cost.
Solomon wouldn't flinch at paying what was necessary to build something for
God's Name.
- Whether it
was the finest timber or the best cut stone, Solomon paid for it all because it
was associated with God's Name.
- I Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 identifies the church and
individual Christians as the temple of the Holy Spirit! How careful should we
be in what we build our church upon?
- How
considerate should we be in what is built into our lives? We can't settle for
less than God's best because we must make our lives a fit home for His Name!
- Consider that
Solomon paid for all of this out of his own stores of gold. He built a building
that was one for the ages, but that does not exist today.
- The greater
Solomon, Jesus Christ, paid for His church out of His own life's blood and
built a church filled with people, who will exist for eternity!
- May the
spirit of Solomon's investment in what was valuable to him, be our spirit as we
value the presence of God in us!