Many people (Christians included) try to divide life into the sacred and the secular, with the sacred relating to worship, etc, and the secular to the concerns of everyday life. In the secular realm religion seems to have little or no part to play. Those who think in this way will struggle to see why 2 Kings 4 has a place in the Bible. We will seek to answer this problem as we consider 1 Kings 4:1-34 Covenant promises kept.
1. Efficient administration
What is the value of v1-19 for Christians today? The context helps. This account follows chapter 3 regarding God’s gift of wisdom to Solomon and here we have examples of how that wisdom was seen. We see that efficient administration for God’s people should give evidence of godly wisdom. God’s people are not to think that the affairs of the material world do not matter to God. Administration in every area of life ought to be carried out with an awareness of God’s oversight and a sense of need of God’s wisdom.
2. Covenant blessings
By any measure Solomon’s kingdom is flourishing (v20-28). We need to view this kingdom from two perspectives:
– an outworking of God’s covenant promises
– a foreshadowing of Christ’s kingdom.
We see here blessing regarding:
(i). The people. God is keeping his promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:17 and the people are ‘as numerous as the sand of the seashore’ (v20). The fulfilment is in Christ’s kingdom where he saves an innumerable multitude (Revelation 7:9).
(ii). The place. The description in v21 of the extent of Solomon’s kingdom is the fulfilment of Genesis 15:19. Believers in Christ’s kingdom are ‘Abraham’s seed’ (Galatians 3:29) and are part of his spiritual kingdom by the new birth (John 3:3), with the hope of life body and soul in the new creation that far outshines Solomon’s kingdom.
(iii). The peace. Solomon ‘ruled over all the kingdoms…and had peace on all sides’ (v24). The Lord grants peace to his people through the reign of his king, in fulfilment of his covenant promise to David (2 Samuel 7:10-11). Peace characterises the kingdom of Christ, the ‘Prince of Peace’ (Isaiah 9:6). We have ‘peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1) and look forward to perfect peace in the new creation, like no earthly kingdom.
3. Outstanding wisdom
God’s gifts to Solomon are abundant (v29). His understanding is beyond that of all other men (v30-31) and he instructs in proverbs and songs (v32). He also studies God’s wonderful creation (v33) and has a worldwide reputation (v34). One far greater than Solomon has come – the Messianic King, ‘Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 1:24), who provides all the wisdom we need for godly living.