The Biblical Age of Kings #2: The Allure of Wisdom

As we continue our study on the books of 1 & 2 Kings, we reach the apparent pinnacle of Israel's greatness in 1 Kings 4:29-34. (It's 5:9-14 in the Hebrew text). Solomon seems to be the greatest king ever for the small and otherwise insignificant nation of Israel. His wisdom, wealth and glory put Israel on the map of world powers. Solomon maximized the potential of Israel, at least in an economic and geopolitical sense. He was a master of public relations, churning out loads of artistic material and know-how, making him the envy of world leaders near and far.

This chapter and the surrounding narrative also contain a cynical undercurrent. While the story of Solomon speaks of great bounty and success, it also calls into question the nature of a Solomonic kingdom. God does not hold back in giving Solomon a wise mind and discerning heart, but this seems to produce in Solomon a man who suffers from memory loss. Although God is blessing him richly, he seems to quickly forget that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov 1:7). Solomon gets so accustomed to being the star of the show that he fails to properly honor God with humility and obedience in his personal life (11:1ff).

This brings up some interesting questions about wisdom. Why do people become so enamored with the wisdom of powerful rulers and celebrities? Is their wisdom really better than that of "simple" farmers, laborers, parents & others? What kind of wisdom should the people of God seek out? Is there a general category of Wisdom that all people should ideally seek out?

Some of the Old Testament's wisdom literature has been attributed to Solomon or tied to his school of thought: books such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs. The messages of these books seek to shape the character of Godly people. They seek to guide us between the poles of legalism and chaos. Clearly, that’s the purpose of God's Wisdom: to help us navigate the challenges of life & still come out standing on the other end. Wisdom opens our eyes to life's most meaningful and not just pressing concerns, and to help us understand the priority of the important over the tyranny of the urgent.

It's not clear whether Solomon himself ever fully understood this as the goal of wisdom. He clearly had access to all the wisdom a person could ever need. As biblical writers reflect on his life and his sayings, they see in Solomon both a worthy goal (initially) and a troublesome warning (in the end). In Jesus, however, we see the personification of Wisdom that Solomon ultimately failed at. While Solomon's vast knowledge and understanding increased his reputation and made him one of the marvels of the ancient world, his inability to apply wisdom to himself cost him and Israel dearly. Solomon may have been the perfect Renaissance man. He was the Dos Equis man before there ever was Dos Equis. But he failed at applying wisdom to his own life. Only in Jesus do we finally discover what Wisdom in the flesh really looks like. And only through Jesus do we have the chance to live a life shaped by Wisdom.

Comments

David H said…
I wonder how much of Solomon's fall into blindness to his own teaching relates to the unseen realm. The reign of David's son was idyllic until other gods deceived him, until his heart was turned away to foreign gods. The time to fall prey is thankfully past. Jesus triumphed over all the powers of darkness putting them on public display by the victory of the cross. And in His Kingdom are blessings forever.

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