1 Reis 4

1 Reis 4

Meyer - Largeness of heart. We must all admit that our soul is too narrow. It holds too little, knows too little, is deficient in will-power, and, above all, in capacity of love; and when we are called to run in the way of God’s commandments, we break down in despair, and cry, “If I am to be a runner, Thou must first enlarge my heart.” How little we know of the experience which Madame Guyon describes when she says: “This vastness or enlargedness, which is not bounded by anything, increases every day; so that my soul in partaking of the qualities of her Spouse seems also to partake of his immensity.” “There is,” remarks one of the old Puritans, “a straitness, slavery, and narrowness, in all sin; sin crumples up our souls; which, if they were freely spread abroad, would be as large and wide as the whole universe. No man is truly free; but lie that hath his will enlarged to the extent of God’s will, by loving whatsoever God loves, and nothing else, he enjoys boundless liberty, and a boundless sweetness.” God’s love embraces the universe. He “so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.” We who have partaken of the Divine nature must also love as He does. Thomas à Kempis says, finally: “He who desires glory in things outside of God, or to take pleasure in some private good, shall many ways be encumbered and straitened; but if heavenly grace enter in, and true charity, there will be no envy, neither narrowness of heart, neither will self-love busy itself, for Divine charity overcometh all things, and enlargeth all the powers of the soul.” Give unto us, O God, this largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore! 1 Kings 4:30 Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. the sons of the east : Ge 25:6 Job 1:3 Da 1:20 4:7 5:11,12 Mt 2:1,16 the wisdom of Egypt: Isa 19:11,12 Ac 7:22 Related Passages: 1 Corinthians 1:19-31+ For it is written, “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28 and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29 so that no man may boast before God. 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” 1And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 1 Corinthians 3:19+ For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS”; SOLOMON'S SURPASSING WISDOM Solomon's wisdom (chokmah) surpassed the wisdom (chokmah) of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom (chokmah) of Egypt - See passages above explaining what Solomon's wisdom from God surpassed all earthly wisdom of men. Egypt was well known as a source of ancient wisdom, but of course it was not wisdom from on high. Solomon's wisdom surpassed that of all other men not just in quantity but in quality, because his wisdom was from God, not from fallen men! 1 Kings 4:31 For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations. wiser: 1Ki 3:12 Mt 12:42 Lu 11:31 Col 2:3 Ethan: 1Ch 15:19 Ps 89:1 Heman: 1Ch 2:6 6:33 15:17 Ps 88:1 his fame: 1Ki 5:7 10:1,6 2Ch 9:23 Mt 4:24 Related Passages: Psalm 89:1 A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalm 88:1 A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You. 1 Chronicles 15:19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze; 1 Chronicles 2:6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol and Dara; five of them in all. SOLOMON'S FAME SPREAD INTERNATIONALLY For he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations - Solomon's wisdom was compared here with other men who had wisdom from on high. Solomon's was still greater. Ethan and Heman are mentioned in 1 Chronicles 15:19 as members of David’s musical staff assigned to direct sanctuary worship. Ethan is also probably the man also known as Jeduthun who wrote Psalms 39 and 89 (1Chr 16:41–42; 1Ch 25:1, 6). John Woodhouse - The fame of Solomon “in all the surrounding nations” has today spread even to Australia (where I am writing this) where people who know little of the Bible still speak of a difficult decision needing “the wisdom of Solomon.” (I suspect that most Australians who use this phrase have no idea who Solomon was!) (See 1 Kings: Power, Politics, and the Hope of the World - Page 101) 1 Kings 4:32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. Spoke: Pr 1:1-31:30 Ec 12:9 Mt 13:35 songs: Song 1:1-17 PROLIFIC PROVERB PRODUCER AND SONG WRITER He also spoke 3,000 proverbs (mashal; Lxx = parabole) and his songs were 1,005 - There are 600 proverbs with about 915 verses that have been preserved in Proverbs representing about 20% of all of Solomon's proverbs. And of course these writings were inspired by the Holy Spirit, Peter writing that "no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." (2Pe 1:21+) The Song of Solomon is one of his songs and along with Ecclesiastes are Solomon's other two Spirit inspired writings. It is also worth noting that we have no record of the "the book of the acts of Solomon" mentioned in 1Ki 11:41. There were other lost writings about Solomon mentioned in 2Ch 9:29 "Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat?" These lost writings remind me of John's words concerning Jesus "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book." (John 20:30+). John Woodhouse - It is more than interesting to note that the Hebrew word for “proverbs” in verse 32 is translated into Greek with the word used in the Gospels of the New Testament for Jesus’ “parables.” (Heb = mashal; Lxx = parabole) Just as King Solomon spoke many proverbs, the still greater Son of David spoke many parables (see Matthew 13:3, 34; 22:1; Mark 4:33). Those who heard him were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom?” (Matthew 13:54). He had been filled with wisdom from childhood (Luke 2:40, 52). For those who had eyes to see, in Jesus “something greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). (See 1 Kings: Power, Politics, and the Hope of the World - Page 101) Proverbs (04912) mashal 12)(mashal [Singular = mashal, Plural = misle] from the verb mashal - to rule [e.g., Ge 1:18] or more generally indicates idea of comparison, likeness or equality and thus to speak a proverb or popular saying comparing 2 objects, attitudes or activities -Ps 49:12-note, Ezek 16:44, 18:2, 24:3) usually conveys the meaning of a wise saying (or a pithy maxim which suggest special insight and authority), but in two occurrences of the connotation of parable or allegory (as defined above) is clearly evident (viz. Ezek 17:2ff = a parable centering on two eagles, Ezek 17:12 representing Babylon and Ezek 17:15 representing Egypt, as well as centering on a vine Ezek 17:6), both in indictments against Israel for her sin. In Nu 23: 7, 18, 24:3ff. mashal refers not to a popular or common saying but to Balaam’s prophetic oracles (the first 7 uses in Scripture). In Isa 14:4 the context is after Israel's return to the land and the song is one of contempt or taunting (mashal) directed at the king of Babylon. A proverb is a truth expressed in brief and striking words, like "Pride cometh before a fall." John Phillips noting that the root verb means to rule says "Mashal therefore are words and sayings that are supposed to rule and govern life. The book of Proverbs then is not simply a collection of bits of human wisdom. It contains God's rules." (Proverbs Commentary) NET Note on mashal - In Pr 1:1 it "means an object lesson setting out courses of action. It helps one choose the course of action to follow or avoid." William Arnot - It is safer and better to assume that all men know what a proverb is, than to attempt a logical definition of it. As a general rule, the things that are substantially best known are hardest to define. MASHAL - 40V - byword(3), discourse(9), parable(3), parables(1), proverb(15), proverbs(6), taunt(2), taunt-song(1). Num. 23:7; Num. 23:18; Num. 24:3; Num. 24:15; Num. 24:20; Num. 24:21; Num. 24:23; Deut. 28:37; 1 Sam. 10:12; 1 Sam. 24:13; 1 Ki. 4:32; 1 Ki. 9:7; 2 Chr. 7:20; Job 13:12; Job 27:1; Job 29:1; Ps. 44:14; Ps. 49:4; Ps. 69:11; Ps. 78:2; Prov. 1:1; Prov. 1:6; Prov. 10:1; Prov. 25:1; Prov. 26:7; Prov. 26:9; Eccl. 12:9; Isa. 14:4; Jer. 24:9; Ezek. 12:22; Ezek. 12:23; Ezek. 14:8; Ezek. 17:2; Ezek. 18:2; Ezek. 18:3; Ezek. 20:49; Ezek. 24:3; Joel 2:17; Mic. 2:4; Hab. 2:6 1 Kings 4:33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. the cedar: Nu 24:6 2Ki 19:23 Ps 92:12 the hyssop: Ex 12:22 Nu 19:18 Ps 51:7 Heb 9:19 of animals: Ge 1:20-25 Large cedar, Small hyssop SOLOMON WAS A "RENAISSANCE MAN" He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish - The cedar of Lebanon was the greatest of trees, and the hyssop was the smallest, especially when stunted by growing from a wall. David wrote psalms that mentioned plants and creation, whereas Solomon studied it objectively. Ecclesiastes 2:5 says a"I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; John Woodhouse -Solomon’s wisdom had a great deal to do with understanding God’s creation. The range of plants and animals in verse 33 should remind us of Genesis 1. (Of the vocabulary in verse 33, “trees,” “beasts,” “birds,” “reptiles” [or “creeping things”], and “fish” occur repeatedly and prominently in Genesis 1 (see Genesis 1:11, 12, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30).) Adam exercised dominion over “every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens” by giving them their names (Genesis 2:19). Solomon mastered the created world with words of wisdom. This is the extraordinary significance of true “wisdom.” God’s work of creation is a work of his wisdom. God’s wisdom is behind all things he has created (see the remarkable personification of God’s wisdom in Proverbs 8:22–31; cf. Psalm 104:24). That is why wisdom is needed to rightly understand and live in the world God has made. Such wisdom begins with rightly acknowledging God (“the fear of the Lord,” Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33). The wisdom God gave Solomon was the power to put things right (“do justice,” 3:28) in God’s world. (See 1 Kings: Power, Politics, and the Hope of the World - Page 101) 1 Kings 4:34 Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom. 1Ki 10:1 2Ch 9:1,23 Isa 2:2 Zec 8:23 Related Passages: 1 Kings 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. 2 Chronicles 9:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions. She had a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was on her heart....23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. Deuteronomy 4:6+ “So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ SOLOMON'S WISDOM WAS WORLDWIDE Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom - Solomon's great wisdom was ultimately to be a testimony to the great wisdom of God. This testimony leaves one thinking Solomon's kingdom and rule were like a utopia, but as we have seen in chapters 3-4 now all was well in Solomon's heart. Recall the marriage to an Egyptian woman, mention of the persistence of the notorious high places, the mention of his work on his palace before mention of work on God's Temple and his multiplication of horses in direct disobedience to Dt 17:16+. Biblical biographer Alexander Whyte expressed it vividly when he wrote that “the secret worm … was gnawing all the time in the royal staff upon which Solomon leaned." Brueggemann - “This exuberant affirmation of the king would suggest that he is represented and celebrated as the true, judicious, all-knowing manager of all creation. That is, the king is understood as ‘the true Adam,’ the real human being. And he is treated so in later Israelite development which attributes to him the wisdom materials of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.” (Borrow Kings, p. 68 but be a Berean Acts 17:11+) John Woodhouse - When we see the wisdom of God in David’s greater Son, Jesus, we understand Paul’s exclamation: “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33). The manifold wisdom of God is now being “made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he [foreshadowed in King Solomon and] has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10, 11). (See 1 Kings: Power, Politics, and the Hope of the World - Page 101)