Encounter the Truth

Jonathan Griffiths: It’s sobering to consider the power of a leader over those whom he or she leads. It’s sobering to consider the consequences of his or her actions for those who depend upon the leader. Their decisions, their actions, they have wide consequences for the people.

Steve Hiller: You’re listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths and a message called "The Greatness of the King." And Jonathan, as we begin to look at the authority, the power that a leader has, I’m thinking it should cause those who are in a leadership position to really consider their actions because their actions are going to have an impact on the people around them.

Jonathan Griffiths: Well, that is so profoundly true. And it is an important principle that I think we see working itself out in this section of the Old Testament Scriptures. We do see the impact of Solomon’s good decision and his wisdom and also the impact of his sin upon his people. And this is all very, very sobering.

And I think for those in leadership positions, there are lessons here to take away, important lessons to consider. But I think also there is within this a pointer to the need of a greater King who was yet to come and who is coming again, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as we see Solomon’s failure, we are moved to praise the Lord Jesus Christ for his faithfulness. And we are prompted, we are pushed, we are driven to trust in Christ as the one truly reliable, faithful ruler. And our confidence has to be in him.

Steve Hiller: It’s a great thing for us to be thinking about as we open up God’s word together. If you can, grab a Bible, meet us in the book of First Kings. We're going to be looking at chapters 8 and 9 today as we begin our message, "The Greatness of the King." Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: I wonder what is the most impressive place you’ve ever had occasion to visit. What city scape, what vista, what palace, what castle most took your breath away and left a lasting impression upon your mind?

I think of visiting the great palace at Versailles, the court of Louis XIV in all his pomp and grandeur. I think of the Great Hall of Mirrors there—maybe you’ve seen the pictures, maybe you’ve been to visit. The wonderful grounds. I think of one occasion driving into Manhattan one evening, crossing the Hudson—I think probably over the George Washington Bridge—and then driving down the Henry Hudson Parkway, catching sight of the city, the skyscrapers, the glittering lights, sensing just the sheer size and energy of the great city. Maybe it’s driving up the Mall in London if you’ve done that and seen the palace for the first time. We all have those moments lodged in our memory of first seeing a place of splendor and wealth and power. Something of true magnificence within this world.

Now, that is the feeling and that is the impression that captivates us as we enter into the scenes of First Kings 9 and 10. Here is the kingdom at its heights, a king at the height of his power and influence. And at the sight of it, at the overview, at the survey that we are going to have, well, we’re meant to find that our breath is taken away. We are in the presence of greatness. We are seeing and witnessing the pinnacle of power and wealth at this point in the ancient world, the pinnacle certainly of Israel’s history in the Old Testament era. Here is wealth, power, influence on full display.

Solomon has fulfilled the great plan and purpose of his life—or at least the great project of his life. He has built a house for the Lord and a house for the king in Jerusalem. This was, of course, planned and promised to David, and Solomon has brought it to fruition now. And the Lord has blessed Solomon in this and, in fact, in all that he has done. The Lord offered to give to Solomon any gift that he should choose, and he made a good choice, you remember? He chose the gift of wisdom. And the Lord not only gave to Solomon the wisdom that he sought, he gave him power and wealth besides. And now all things are in place for a glorious reign. The temple is built, Solomon has built his own house too, he is dominant in international relations, in trade, in wealth, in reputation.

And just survey then with me the glittering scenes before our eyes. We need to just take it in, we need to absorb the moment in which we find ourselves. At the opening of chapter 9, we’re told that Solomon has finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all that Solomon desired to build. He has fulfilled his heart’s desire, completed all his building plans. It is a triumph.

Next, we see a window into international relations. Hiram, King of Tyre, had supplied Solomon (verse 11) with cedar and cypress timber and gold. And evidently, Solomon had paid him in the form of real estate: 20 cities in the land of Galilee. But evidently, the King of Tyre was not all that pleased actually with these cities. He was a bit disappointed, and he issues a complaint in verse 13: "What kind of cities are these that you have given me, my brother?" I don’t like them very much.

What’s significant here is that Solomon is not bullied into renegotiation. The King of Tyre cannot throw his weight around before Great King Solomon of Israel. And we find that Hiram is assisting Solomon again at the end of the chapter in verse 27. Solomon was able to draft huge forces of labor for his building work (verse 15). He was able to build a great fleet of ships (verse 26) which served to bring home more gold to Solomon. Speaking of gold, gold is the primary refrain of chapter 10 as we enter the next chapter. The word is repeated again and again throughout the chapter. Solomon’s wealth, we are meant to see, is immense.

The Queen of Sheba comes for a visit. Having heard of Solomon’s reputation, his fame has reached her ears in her land. And when she comes and she sees his wealth, it literally takes her breath away in verse 4: "And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her." Breathtaking.

Being so impressed, the Queen of Sheba then gave to Solomon even more riches, actually. Verse 10: "Then she gave to the king 120 talents of gold" (which I gather is something like $190 million worth in today’s money), "a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to Solomon." Hiram’s fleet of ships (verse 11) brought Solomon more wealth again, in case he needed a little bit more.

And at this point, we’re just struggling, aren’t we, to keep up with the picture of Solomon’s vast and growing wealth. So now we’re given a summary, which is almost too much to take in (verse 14): 666 talents of gold. That’s a lot of gold. Which allowed Solomon to make 200 large shields of gold and 300 regular-sized shields of gold and an ivory throne overlaid with the finest gold (verse 18), the like of which (verse 20) was never made in any kingdom. All his drinking vessels were of pure gold. And here’s why: no silver involved because "silver was not considered as anything in the days of Solomon." And his fleet of ships (verse 22) just kept bringing back more and more and more wealth. Verse 23, here’s the sum of it: "Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind." Every one of them brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules—so much, year by year.

Now, to look upon all this, we really need our mental and spiritual sunglasses. It’s truly splendid, almost overwhelming to the mind’s eye. And it’s meant to be. This is a picture of the earthly kingdom of God at this point in history, singularly blessed, showcasing the glory of the God of Israel.

Now, we need only to glance ahead and notice that all this splendor is actually built atop a cliff edge which is soon to crumble. The heading in my Bible—I don’t know what yours says—but over the next chapter, chapter 11, which we’re going to come to in due course, the heading says in my Bible: "Solomon turns from the Lord." And he will, sadly.

There are huge storm clouds on the horizon. And what we discover is that this day of glory for the kingdom in the Old Testament, it’s going to prove to be a fleeting day in the end. Glory will soon give way to disgrace and then to decline. But here we are at the peak, at the height of blessing, at the height of splendor, at a turning point as well. It is actually a moment of drama and, as we notice the next heading, a moment of tension. And at this key point in Solomon’s life and in Israel’s history, Solomon has two very significant encounters.

Steve Hiller: Well, we’re going to find out what those two significant encounters are in just a moment. You’re listening to Encounter the Truth with Jonathan Griffiths. I’m Steve Hiller and appreciate you tuning in today. While we pause the message for just a moment, I want to let you know that if you ever miss a broadcast, you can come and you can listen at our website. The website is encounterthetruth.org and you can stream the program or you can download an MP3 for free. You can also find out more about Jonathan, this ministry, and find ways to connect and grow more in your relationship with Christ. Again, the website address is encounterthetruth.org.

Today’s message, "The Greatness of the King," is part of a larger series called "Days of Glory." We’re taking a look at the book of First Kings. And if you miss any broadcast, not only can you listen online, but you can also listen through the Encounter the Truth app. That’s free and you’re going to find it at your favorite app store. Simply look for Encounter the Truth. Well, if you joined us late, we’re in First Kings chapters 9 and 10 today, so grab a Bible and meet us there as we get back to the message. Here is Jonathan.

Jonathan Griffiths: Solomon has two very significant encounters. And I want to focus our attention on these encounters and on their far-reaching significance. In chapter 9, Solomon has a very significant encounter with the Lord himself. And in chapter 10, he has an encounter with the Queen of Sheba. And I’d like to look at each of those encounters in turn and learn the significant lessons of these encounters together. Two encounters, two key lessons.

First, an encounter with the Lord. And the lesson here is that the king’s response to the Lord matters. Occasionally, of course, people will just appear at the door—you know the experience. The doorbell rings and there’s someone you just didn’t expect to see: an old friend, long-lost family member, perhaps. Maybe a well-known politician on the campaign trail. Maybe just a neighbor in need of a cup of coffee and a chat. And there they are, and you suddenly think, "Oh no, I haven’t vacuumed in a week, there are dishes piled in the sink, I’m not ready for a visitor."

Twice in history, Solomon has an unexpected visitor appear: unannounced, unanticipated, but with a message of weighty importance. The Lord appeared to Solomon once in chapter 3, you may remember. And on that occasion, he offered him a gift: "What would you choose?" And he chose wisdom and he received that and more. At the start of chapter 9, the Lord appears to Solomon now for the second time. And notice with me what takes place. I’d like to read this, chapter 9 and verse 1.

As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all that Solomon desired to build, the Lord appeared to Solomon a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the Lord said to him, "I have heard your prayer and your plea, which you have made before me. I have consecrated this house that you have built, by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time. And as for you, if you will walk before me as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father, saying, 'You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'"

"But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins. Everyone passing by it will be astonished and will hiss, and they will say, 'Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?' Then they will say, 'Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.'"

Now, it’s fairly rare, actually, in the whole of Scripture for the Lord to appear to someone. Solomon is one of the towering figures in biblical history, of course—he’s the great king of Israel—but nonetheless, within Solomon’s own life, this is something of a major occurrence. This is out of the ordinary. This is enough, we should think, to make Solomon sit up and take some notice. As he did some years before in chapter 3, the Lord’s appeared to Solomon. As he did on that previous occasion, the Lord has set before Solomon a wonderful prospect for the future. Obedience will bring security and tremendous blessing.

But this time, the Lord is at pains further to tell Solomon in no uncertain terms that there is a flip side to the arrangement. It is not unconditional. Obedience, faithfulness—yes, that’ll bring blessing and security, will bring a good future to him and to the nation. But unfaithfulness, rebellion—it will bring destruction and untold loss. And the key is this: the Lord wants heartfelt obedience and faithfulness from Solomon the king. It’s there in verse 4: "And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever."

Now, it’s sobering to consider the power of a leader over those whom he or she leads. It’s sobering to consider the consequences of his or her actions for those who depend upon the leader. I think of a father in his household, the CEO within the company, the pastor within the church, a president or prime minister in their nation, a monarch within their realm. Their decisions, their actions, their moral integrity or lack thereof, they have wide consequences for the people.

Now, we see that on the world stage, don’t we? We see this in action. A leader without integrity, a leader with evil intent, pursues a course of action and thousands, millions of lives are gravely impacted. We’ve seen it all over our television screens, haven’t we? The Lord is telling Solomon here that his faithfulness, it matters hugely—not just for his life and his future and his legacy, but for the entire nation. The Lord stands ready to bless, ready to pour out his kindness, ready to fulfill his promises. But if Solomon will not do what he’s asked to do, if he will not keep the Lord’s statutes and commandments in verse 6, and if he’ll go and serve other gods, then the consequences will be nothing short of disaster. Israel will be cut off from the land (verse 7). The house of God will be cast out of God’s sight. It will become a heap of ruins. And Israel will become a proverb and a byword among the nations.

And so now it’s clear, if it wasn’t clear before, Israel will stand or fall, the glory of the kingdom will endure or be cut off, based on the faithfulness of Solomon in a real, central, and substantial way. And you know, in large part, Solomon’s done pretty well so far. He hasn’t been perfect. There was that marriage alliance with Egypt which was perhaps a little bit questionable. There were maybe some questionable labor practices. Perhaps he could be criticized on some other levels too. But the Lord has by no means written him off at this point.

And you know, the Lord is actually so gracious and so patient—that’s the way he is. You notice the way in which he spoke of David in verse 4? I wonder if that struck you. Holding David up as faithful. Well, you know, David, he loved the Lord, but he failed in some pretty catastrophic ways, we remember. No, the Lord, he’s not quick to write people off—that’s not the way the Lord is. But we’re going to discover soon enough that Solomon will not hold to the standard that the Lord sets for him. Solomon will not be found faithful in the end. And the consequences for Israel are going to be absolutely dire. The Lord’s presence will depart the house, it will be reduced to ruins, the people will be cast out of the land in exile at the hand of the Babylonians. The worst warnings of the passage will become the historical reality.

See, the king’s response to the Lord is highly consequential for the people. It matters for the nation. It carries huge implications. The Lord holds out the promise of such blessing for Israel if Solomon would simply walk before him in faithfulness and heed his word. But the warnings are so stark, they are so fearful. And the fact that Solomon turned from the Lord, as we’re going to see, in disobedience and idolatry—the fact that he did that and it all went so wrong—it’s terribly sobering. And it’s just very, very sad.

In a sense, these chapters where we are today are the last of the truly good days of the Old Testament era. And you know, there’s centuries and centuries yet to go of the Old Testament. We’ve got a lot of Old Testament Bible books yet to go before we hit the New Testament. But it’s never going to be this good again. Solomon’s fall will be Israel’s fall.

So what now for the promises of God? What now for the hope of the nation? Is all lost? Will God now close his book on his covenant and abandon his promises? Is that what’s going to happen? Well, as we know the story, we know that’s not what happens. But the fascinating thing to consider is this: God’s plan for the thing will still remain intact. He will still offer blessing to his people on the same basis that he offers it here. He’s not going to change tack. He wants a king who will be obedient of heart, full of godly integrity. And under such a king, he will then bless his covenant people.

Remember again God’s terms here, what he wants to see (verse 4): "And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever." That’s the deal. That’s God’s requirement. The Lord says he will respond to the godliness, integrity, and obedience of the king and he will establish his throne forever, so bringing true blessing to his people.

Now just remember that. Remember that stipulation. And with it in mind, I’d like to read for us some verses from the New Testament from Philippians chapter 2. Familiar verses about the Lord Jesus Christ, Philippians 2 and verse 8. Paul says this about Jesus: "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Now, I’ve always kind of tripped over that little section there in Philippians 2 for one reason and in one respect. I’ve always tripped over that statement that God has highly exalted Jesus because of his obedience. You notice it there in the text? Jesus was obedient—that’s the word that’s used—to the point of death. "Therefore," says Paul, "God highly exalted him" and clearly appointed him to rule and be honored by all people as king.

Now, why is this exaltation contingent in some way upon the obedience of Jesus? Why is there that link between obedience and exaltation? Why that focus? I mean, Jesus is the Son of God—surely he’s entitled to rule and to reign irrespective. But the obedience of Jesus clearly matters so much, and it’s quite a big deal in the New Testament. And looking at the history here, looking at the history with Solomon, we start to understand why.

God made it so clear, didn’t he? He wanted a faithful, godly, obedient king for Israel. That was Solomon’s greatest calling. More than his effectiveness in building the great temple and so on, God the Father wanted his faithfulness in heeding his word right to the end. But Solomon—well, he failed in the end. Solomon fell. And so what did God do? Did he give up? Did he abandon his people? Did he forget his great plans for the kingdom? No. Here’s what he did: he sent his own Son to be the Messiah, the long-awaited king. He sent his Son into the world. But the criteria for kingship remained the same. God the Father looked for a king who would be faithful to his word, obedient to his will.

And what do we see in the life of Jesus Christ? What do we observe? We saw a life, didn’t we, that radiated moral purity, perfect goodness, total obedience to the word of God. Jesus spoke truth always. He did justice consistently. He showed compassion to the poor and the needy. We never found him in a place of compromise, did we? A place of violence, a place of dishonesty, a place of cruelty—never once, not in any way, in any respect. And when it came to the final test as he approached the cross of Calvary in obedience to the Father, as we found him in the Garden of Gethsemane, you remember, overcome with sorrow at the agony to come, what do we hear him pray? "Father, not my will but yours be done." He was obedient to the Father in every way.

Steve Hiller: Jonathan Griffiths here on Encounter the Truth with a message called "The Greatness of the King," and we’re going to pause right here but we’ll continue this message on our next broadcast. Hope you’ll make it a point to listen. By the way, if you ever miss a program or you just want to find out more about Jonathan and this ministry, visit our website, encounterthetruth.org.

Well, 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: Well, 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 unhealthy. 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. For Jonathan Griffiths, I’m Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join us next time.