Historically, regarding the kings of Israel: There was a king whose wisdom God described as 'exceedingly great,' surpassing that of all men, and kings from all over the world sent people to hear his words; and his heart was described as 'vast,' even as the sand on the seashore, immeasurable. This is King Solomon, who sought wisdom from God in the previous chapter. How did this wise man govern his country, and what were the effects of his wisdom? Let the teacher tell you about this wise King Solomon.
Questions for Reflection:
How does God give us wisdom?
In this chapter, what are the effects of wisdom?
In what areas do you feel you need wisdom the most?
1 Kings Chapter 3 tells of Solomon's request for wisdom and how he put that wisdom into practice. Seeking wisdom is a very good thing, and from today onwards, each of us should learn to seek wisdom. Putting wisdom into practice relies on prayer and sacrifice. The Old Testament involved sacrifice, while the New Testament involves prayer. Today, we have it easier, without the need to bring oxen or sheep. Thank the Lord that Jesus Christ, through His one-time sacrifice on the cross, has already accomplished these things. If a Christian still finds sacrifice challenging today, unwilling to set aside time for prayer, I can only say that they are truly indebted to God. Actually, it’s not about being indebted to God, but rather being indebted to themselves, truly indebted to themselves. Today, there are still many Christians unwilling to pray, which is very strange. How can wisdom be put into practice without prayer?
1 Kings Chapter 4 speaks of the effects of wisdom, of which there are six.
First Effect: Wisdom in Governance (verses 1-6)
Governance includes administration and other aspects. Years ago, someone shared a saying with me: When the ruler is busy and the ministers are idle, the nation will perish; when the ruler is idle and the ministers are busy, the nation will prosper. This saying is very interesting. After thinking about it, I realized that this is called wisdom in governance. If a ruler is very busy, there must be problems with the management. Actually, Solomon was not particularly busy; in his management, he delegated and coordinated, distributing many tasks. In our church, the pastor's wife has this gift of management. If someone asks me: Pastor, are you busy? If my answer is often I am very busy, very busy, then the church is probably collapsing, indicating problems with the management. Thank the Lord; this is the wonderful heritage of Ling Liang Church. The entire system is very interesting: the pastor's wife does a lot of management work. Ling Liang Church inherits a husband-and-wife team ministry: the pastor's wife assists the pastor and does management work.
Therefore, Solomon, as king of Israel, arranged the work of his officials very well. Choosing the right person for the right job is wisdom. Solomon's first attribute was wisdom in management. It seems simple, but if arranged incorrectly, it could lead to chaos.
Second Effect: Wisdom in Provision (verses 7-19)
Solomon had enough wisdom to do this. What would you think if Zhongnanhai (the Chinese government leadership compound) invited you to supply sheep today? Wow, that would be your brand! Once you have a brand, would you worry about not making money? No. These sheep are for Zhongnanhai, I am a supplier to Zhongnanhai, you know? Would his business grow larger? Absolutely! These people used all their abilities to supply Solomon, carefully selecting these twelve, which was not a misfortune but a blessing for them.
Today, a special phenomenon has appeared in our church: everyone is eager to serve, everyone feels that serving is a grace. Discovering your function and the purpose of living begins to manifest through the small acts of service in the church. When God's wisdom descends upon a person, it manifests through all aspects. You will find that these twelve people provide these cattle, sheep, and flour without complaint, providing them daily. Later, it was discovered that these suppliers had received grace. Today, have you noticed that actively participating in service in the church is truly receiving grace!
Third Effect: Wisdom in Diplomacy (verses 20-24)
Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. As long as Solomon lived, these kingdoms brought tribute and served him. (1 Kings 4:21)
Did Solomon conquer these lands through warfare? No. Wise warfare does not require fighting. In China, it is also said that the worst strategy is to send troops to fight. The highest wisdom is to subdue the enemy without firing a single shot. This is a manifestation of Solomon's wisdom in diplomacy, which is very powerful. As a result, Solomon had peace on all sides, with many kings under his rule. His own people lived in peace and contentment under their own vines and fig trees, and they began to become more prosperous, with horses and horsemen.
Fourth Effect: Wisdom in Food (verses 22-28)
King Solomon's palace needed to eat a hundred sheep a day, which was not just for Solomon alone. Solomon turned eating into a very interesting matter. Look at the Korean drama Dae Jang Geum, which is about the events that happened in the royal kitchen, such as cooking. In Solomon's time, I believe cooking had become an art, and being able to be in Solomon's presence and eat with him became an honor. You must learn to use wisdom. If you are a group leader managing a small group, you must also learn to use the wisdom of eating. Recently, I have begun to carefully understand and feel that Pastor Zhou and his wife are very wise. When we went to Taipei, the church had not yet developed to this state. They shared with us how they usually dined with their co-workers, and during the meals, they could more openly discuss some matters. We also began to ponder and understand. Although our church has begun to transform from a church focused on eating and drinking to a church focused on prayer, if a praying church adds a little of King Solomon's wisdom in eating and drinking, it will be on a completely different level.
The wisdom given by God is different from human wisdom. In the past, our eating and drinking was human wisdom, but with God's wisdom, even eating and drinking becomes an art. In the coming period, we will continue to ponder this aspect, and perhaps God will give us wisdom so that we can solve some problems through people dining together.
Fifth Effect: Wisdom of the Heart (Verse 29)
The heart must be broad. Verse 29 mentions that Solomon's heart was as immeasurable as the sand on the seashore. Know that the most obvious trait of a wise man is his broad heart; a narrow-minded person cannot be wise. Because he always focuses on trivial matters and is always disturbed by those minor things. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we must learn to be generous. A broad heart is itself a kind of wisdom, and you will not focus your eyes on those unwise things. If one reads the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, he will understand the most incisive discussions of life. If he grasps this wisdom, it will be extraordinary. A person with wisdom will not do foolish things. Doing foolish things leads to entanglement. Entanglement then narrows the heart, and narrowness leads to even less wisdom.
Sixth Effect: Insight into Science and Art (Verses 32-34)
He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. (1 Kings 4:32)
Songwriters really need inspiration. If the Spirit of God is in you, and you have wisdom from God, you can write it quickly. Later I discovered that what I needed most when preparing a sermon was that inspiration. Once inspiration comes, you can finish writing in a few hours. The important thing is, when wisdom is at work, how can you bring out those inspirations to edify people? If this sentence comes from God, the listeners can be edified. A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11). Speaking must be with wisdom. Without wisdom, even if you speak a lot, the problem will not only not be solved, but more trouble will come.
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. (1 Kings 4:33)
Solomon was a remarkable man. His understanding of the entire material world was more profound than that of ordinary people. So, when you read Solomon's book of wisdom, you will find that he used animals such as foxes and little foxes as metaphors. The wisdom books written by Solomon that have been preserved are not many; not many are included in the Bible. Many have been lost. But I think he basically talked about these things in the material world from the perspective of spiritual characteristics.
Recently, I have gained a special understanding of cats. Previously, I never had a good impression of cats. This fully confirmed my point of view. A sister shared such an event with me: when she was studying in Beijing, she picked up a stray cat from the street. This stray cat often committed suicide, jumping off the building by itself, had surgery, and also had fractures. Later, after she graduated, she brought the cat back to her hometown over a long distance. Her family liked the cat very much, and then they kept it. Later, she believed in the Lord. Who knew, this cat became fierce with her, attacking her and scratching her. Don't you think this is very strange? This cat even knew that its owner believed in the Lord. If it knows that the owner believes in the Lord, instead of submitting to the owner, it attacks the owner. Would you say this cat is evil or not?
I think that birds, beasts, insects, aquatic creatures, flowers and trees in this material world all have their unique spiritual essence. Why do I say that? Let us return to the Book of Leviticus and see what is clean and what is unclean. This is very interesting. Some things are unclean and cannot be used for sacrifice, and some things are clean and can be used for sacrifice. So we begin to understand that these animals are created by God. Since God is a Spirit, then the material world that He created is also a spiritual world. That is to say, when the spiritual world is reflected in the material world, these birds and beasts will have their characteristics.
The Bible records that the snake was more cunning than any other animal, and then it spoke to Eve and deceived her. So you will find that the spirit of Satan appears in the form of a snake. The spirit of the fox is a spirit of fornication. We Chinese also know what a fox spirit is. We begin to understand that animals have spiritual characteristics. These things that Solomon said, these things that he discussed, these revelations that God gave to Solomon, many of them were lost later, which is a pity. Today, in our prayers, in times of healing and deliverance, we will see the spirit of the fox, the spirit of the fox king, and also the spirit of the snake, the spirit of the python, and the spirit of Satan. People who do not understand this spiritual world very well will wonder after hearing this: What kind of religion are you? Is this still Christianity? This is indeed Christianity. The Christian faith can have a deeper understanding and recognition of the spiritual world and understand the spiritual characteristics of these animals.
Summary
This chapter discusses six effects of wisdom in total. If you gain wisdom, will it help your scientific research? Will it help your literary creation? It definitely will. It will definitely help your management, supply, etc.