Encounter the Truth

Jonathan Griffiths: Jesus is the one truly wise ruler, and if you would entrust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be sure of this: he will lead you in wisdom and he will bring you safely to his kingdom, which is a place of blissful order and harmony and security.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths. I'm Steve Hiller, glad you're with us today as we continue a message we began last time, A Blessed King—A Blessed People. Jonathan, when we think about wise kings, in fact, when we think about wisdom in general, Solomon might be the very first person that comes to mind. But I hear you saying Jesus is the supremely wise king.

Jonathan Griffiths: The New Testament tells us that now one greater than Solomon is here in the coming of Jesus Christ. That is a wonderful thing to consider because Solomon was in many ways a wonderful king, not a perfect king, but with respect to wisdom, he was unparalleled in the ancient world and in the history of Israel.

But his great wisdom is only a faint foreshadowing and pointer to the wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to us as wisdom from God. Wisdom is something we so desperately need. We need to understand how it is that we may live in God's world, live in fear of God and in honor of God, live in a way that will be fruitful and healthy for us and for those we love and those in our communities. We don't know how to do this on our own, but Jesus knows. He can instruct us through his word, and as the King of kings, the eternal ruler of God's kingdom, we have confidence that living under this wise king will be good and wholesome and joy-filled.

Steve Hiller: We're going to continue to look at that today from the book of 1 Kings. We're in chapters three and four. So if you have a Bible handy, I hope you'll grab it and join us there as we continue our message, A Blessed King—A Blessed People. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: I don't know what you would ask for if you had the invitation to ask God for anything, if he appeared to you as he appeared to Solomon and extended that extraordinary invitation. The mind just begins to spin a little thinking what one might ask for. I take it that we might be tempted each one of us to go in a slightly more self-indulgent direction than Solomon went in his great request.

Very often a great leader, a monarch, a politician will have a moment of greatness for which he or she will be remembered in particular. They may have their faults, they may end in disgrace, but there will be the high-water mark, the moment of brilliance—Churchill's World War II and so on. This is really Solomon's great moment. Here is the core of his reply to the Lord's invitation, verse seven.

And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or to come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people.

I saw recently in the news that the founder of Amazon, who currently ranks as the world's third richest man, has commissioned the building of the world's largest superyacht at a cost of $485 million. This has caused some consternation in the Dutch city of Rotterdam because a historic bridge will need to be temporarily removed to allow the ship to travel through the city from the shipyard to the open sea. I just thought to myself as I read that, so that is what you buy when you can buy yourself literally anything that your little heart desires.

That's the great prize for the super-duper extraordinarily rich these days. Solomon could have asked for anything, but he asked for this: wisdom that he might govern well. He got the privilege of divine approval for his request. He really hit the nail on the head here. Verse 10: It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

And God said to him, because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind so that none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you all your days. And if you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.

The Lord gave to Solomon all that he asked for and so much more. But at the core, he gave to Solomon this gift of wisdom. We know Solomon for his wisdom because we read it in the book of Proverbs. If you spend time in Proverbs, as I do quite often, it's one of the Bible books I turn to most frequently, you find incredible insight into how to live wisely and well in God's world.

The wisdom in there is evergreen. It's always fresh, always relevant, because God gave Solomon an understanding into the basic structures of how his created world works, how it functions best. He gave him insight into how to manage himself and how to manage others. It is truly profound wisdom. But what we see here next in the text is a very practical showcase and an example of Solomon's wisdom in the following verses from verse 16 of chapter three.

The story is this, and you may know it, it's a famous story. Two prostitutes come to the king. They have both given birth. In the night, one child dies. The accusation comes: the mother of the dead child has swapped the children while the other slept. She has taken the living baby and laid a corpse alongside the other woman. There are no other witnesses. There is no one else in the house.

In the days before genetic testing, it's almost impossible to unravel this situation. It is emotionally charged. You can imagine that it could quickly become a sensation in Jerusalem, the tabloids would be ready to go to town with that story. What's the king going to do? Has the gift of divine wisdom actually been bestowed upon him? Well, here is his response. It is brilliant if brutal. Verse 24.

And the king said, bring me a sword. So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other. Immediately, one woman says, look, let the other woman have the child. Only let him live. Don't harm the child. And the other says, just divide the baby in two.

Solomon showcases his wisdom in verse 27. Then the king answered and said, give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death. She is his mother. And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

It sounds like a four-part TV drama in the making, extraordinary stuff. You couldn't make it up if you tried. But what wisdom. Remarkable wisdom, profound insight into human nature. This wisdom in the king and in his judgments is now a profound gift to the people who will live under his rule.

We only need to consider world leaders in the modern era and to reflect upon the decisions they face, and I'm not thinking of anyone in particular, just a general thing. To consider frankly the missteps that so many leaders make as they all do, and then consider the cost of the mistakes of great leaders and the cost of their missteps and their unwise judgments for the people they lead, we realize at once as we contemplate that briefly, we realize at once that a wise leader, a leader who really knows what is best for the people, who really understands how people function, what motivates them, what makes them tick, who can navigate impossible situations and bring them to the right outcome, such a leader is a true gift to any people. In Solomon, in the days of glory, well, that's what we see.

Much of chapter four is concerned with the administration of the kingdom under Solomon and with the people who were set in positions of leadership to oversee kingdom administration. We don't have time to examine line by line all the details of this, but what we are given here is a picture of a well-ordered kingdom, a kingdom where wisdom at the top has led to good order for the people under the king's rule.

Just follow with me as we read and we gain just an impression of this, chapter four and verse one. King Solomon was king over all Israel, and these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king's friend; Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor. Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month of the year.

In our church family here in the nation's capital as we're situated, we have many gifted leaders who work in government administration of one kind or another. It's just interesting how the Lord orders these things and I've had cause to think about this just in the last few days. I've had occasion to have some fascinating conversations with folk in the church family who are entrusted with significant national responsibility, running programs, overseeing infrastructure, immense financial responsibility, large teams reporting to them.

I always find these conversations just fascinating. I love listening, I love learning, and one thing I know is this: if you are called upon to take national responsibility like that, to lead teams, to oversee large budgets, large projects, here is something you need, here's one thing you need. You need wisdom. You need lots and lots of wisdom. If you have ever exercised organizational leadership in any context and on any scale, you know this is true. It takes wisdom.

I find the study of large corporations quite fascinating. There's an art to building and then running a corporation, making it function, making it successful. I like listening to successful CEOs to hear how they did it, what was their outlook and their strategy and their way of approaching people and recruitment and team building and all these things. It's so interesting. And one thing you can know for sure about someone who has been successful in this, they possessed wisdom. If you see a thing running well, well-staffed, well-organized, well-led, you know this much for sure: there is wisdom at the top.

In 1 Kings chapter four, we are given a portrait of a kingdom that is well-led, well-provisioned, well-organized, well-staffed. It is running beautifully. And there is a simple reason for that: the king has been given wisdom from above.

Steve Hiller: This is Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths and a message called A Blessed King—A Blessed People, part of our series Days of Glory, looking today at 1 Kings chapters three and four. We'll get back to the message in just a moment.

Encounter the Truth is able to be on this station because of your generosity. So thank you for giving to and supporting this ministry. As you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a book written by the late Tim Keller. He looks at true Christian humility and true Christian joy and ties those together by something that the Apostle Paul writes about to the church in Corinth: self-forgetfulness. Now, how does that all work together? Well, that's what Tim Keller is addressing in his book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, and we'd love to send you a copy as our way of saying thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at encounterthetruth.org or over the phone when you call us at 1-833-99-TRUTH. That's 1-833-998-7884 or encounterthetruth.org. Back to the message. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: In 1 Kings chapter four, we are given a portrait of a kingdom that is well-led, well-provisioned, well-organized, well-staffed. It is running beautifully. And there is a simple reason for that: the king has been given wisdom from above.

History has given us plenty of examples of nations and empires that have been run well, at least for a time, administered in justice and with efficiency. History has also given us plenty of examples of fragile and of failed states, where basic administration no longer functions, where order has crumbled and then evaporated. We might think of South Sudan or Syria or Afghanistan as examples at the present time. And the great victims within all this, as we know, are always the people. Order and protection and provision for their needs can no longer be found and they suffer.

Look at the result of it for the people of Judah and Israel in Solomon's day, verse 20 in chapter four: Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Of course, this does turn out to be a high point in the history of Israel. A high point that would never really be seen again in the Old Testament era. It was but for a moment. But we know that this moment of glory is a picture of the glory to come. We know that this king of wisdom is a precursor to the great and coming king.

When the Lord Jesus came to earth, the Apostle Paul said of him, 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 30, he says, Christ Jesus became to us wisdom from God. You see, Jesus the Messiah is the embodiment of the wisdom of God. He is the incarnation of wisdom. He created the world by wisdom, he came to the world to show us and to teach us his profound wisdom, he ascended on high that he might continue to uphold the universe in wisdom, and he will return to reign in wisdom. He is the supremely wise king.

In his eternal kingdom, believers have the hope and the promise of living under his wise rule. Living in the security and the orderliness and the sheer bliss of that for all eternity to come. But of course, we who trust him, we who know his wisdom even now as members of his kingdom, we know it in his word and we see it in his leading.

We know that Jesus orders each day of our lives in his great wisdom and we know what it is to trust him and to see the fruit of his wisdom in the unfolding plan of our lives. As Christians, we learn over time, we don't always see this in prospect, we see it in retrospect more often, we learn over time to rejoice in the sheer wisdom of our Lord and Master. I think of Fanny Crosby's good words, you may well know them: all the way my Savior leads me, what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who through life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in him to dwell, for I know whate'er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.

We can trust Jesus. We can trust him because he is wise. We can trust him because he does all things well. We know his wisdom as we live under his lordship, we will see his wisdom more fully in a day that is to come as we behold his kingdom with our own eyes.

I want to say something directly to those who don't yet know the Lord Jesus Christ. There will be some here today, and I'm just guessing but I expect this is true, some here today and you're here because your life is in chaos. I wonder if anyone is here today because your life is in chaos. You're looking for order, you're hoping for direction, you are seeking hope in a hopeless world.

Jesus is the one truly wise ruler, and if you would entrust your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, you can be sure of this: he will lead you in wisdom and he will bring you safely to his kingdom, which is a place of blissful order and harmony and security. And so let me ask you, would you entrust yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, to his leadership, to his rule, to his care and to his protection even today?

The blessed kingdom is grounded in grace, it is governed by wisdom, and finally and very, very briefly, it is gifted with abundance. The kingdom under Solomon was prosperous and happy. Again, there are seasons, there are eras in earthly kingdoms where there is wonderful prosperity. Normally the season does not actually last all that long.

I take a bit of an interest in places of faded glory. I enjoy visiting some of the formerly grand towns and cities of the northern industrial regions of the United States, what is sometimes called the Rust Belt, and seeing the wonderful old buildings, art deco office towers, fine homes, mansions, grand municipal buildings, and imagining what they were like 60 or 70 years ago when those communities were at the industrial heartland not only of America, but really of the world.

The wealth did not last in Israel. But in Solomon's day, for this brief moment in history, it was a thing to behold. Notice the portrait, just imagine the scene. Verse 20 again: Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

Solomon's provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal. I think that's quite a lot. Ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks and fattened fowl. For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings west of the Euphrates, and he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen. And those officers supplied provisions for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table, each one in his month. They let nothing be lacking. Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds they brought to the place where it was required, each according to his duty.

Suffice it to say, this is a picture of a kingdom of bounty, of a royal house where generosity is the order of the day. You don't go to the king's table ever and leave hungry. It was a good season for Israel. And it tells us something, doesn't it, about the God of Israel. It tells us something about God's appointed king.

The character of our God, you see, is one of generosity, profound generosity, of bountiful provision for his people. There's nothing miserly about the way in which the Lord orders life in his kingdom. And we see it now. We have a taste of it now in his goodness to us, his people, for the way in which he so faithfully provides for our needs, cares for us, undertakes for us.

And in a day to come, if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, we will see and experience the fullness of that bounty in his glorious kingdom. In his bountiful and beautiful realm, where want and lack will be utterly foreign and completely unknown. Friend, if you know the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, rejoice today that you live under such a ruler and will spend eternity in such a kingdom. And if you don't know him, if you haven't yet submitted your life to his rule, haven't placed your trust in him, haven't come to him for forgiveness and cleansing, won't you do so? There's an open invitation, there is a welcome for you. There's no better king and there's no more wonderful kingdom.

Steve Hiller: Well, I hope that you will come to Jesus today. You're listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths, a message called A Blessed King—A Blessed People, a look today at 1 Kings chapters three and four. We're going to continue our series in our next broadcast, so I hope you'll make it a point to be listening. If you ever miss a program, you can always listen on the website. Our website address is encounterthetruth.org, and you can stream the program or download an MP3 for free. Again, that's at encounterthetruth.org.

Encounter the Truth is a listener-supported ministry, that's exactly what it sounds like. We do depend on your generosity to keep this program going. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a book that Jonathan has picked out. It's written by Tim Keller called The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, and Jonathan, why'd you pick this book?

Jonathan Griffiths: Tim's really tapping into an issue which I think is huge for so many of us, and I believe will be huge for so many of you who are tuning into the program today. And the issue is this: where do I find my self-worth? Where do I find my own value? How do I construct my identity? And the world, of course, has all kinds of answers to that question, many of which are profoundly unhelpful.

We end up with either too inflated a view of ourselves or a very low view of ourselves, which can be terribly damaging. But we build that view of ourselves based on our own accomplishments. But the gospel offers us something profoundly different, and Tim really opens that up in this book. It offers us the opportunity to forget ourselves and to enjoy the freedom of self-forgetfulness as we stake our identity on the work and person of Jesus Christ. As we entrust ourselves to him, we find that he is our all in all.

Steve Hiller: Well, we want to send you a copy of this book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, as our way of saying thank you for financially supporting Encounter the Truth this month. You can call and give a gift over the phone. The number is 1-833-99-TRUTH. That's 1-833-998-7884. Or the website is encounterthetruth.org.

You can also write us at Encounter the Truth, 2176 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2E 0A1, or in the US at Encounter the Truth, 215 North Arlington Heights Road, number 102, Arlington Heights, Illinois, 60004. For Jonathan Griffiths, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time.