Solomon’s Peace (Solomon): Ancient Israel experienced something of a golden age under King Solomon’s rule. The people enjoyed abundant peace and prosperity as Solomon expanded his administration, wealth, and influence. Life was good. How should Christians think and respond…to the good times?? Recorded on Nov 9, 2025, on 1 Kings 4:20-34 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of the Solomon: The Legacy of a King series. King Solomon was a complex man whose story started some 3,000 years ago, when David, his father, was the most powerful and successful king of ancient Israel. David’s reign brought peace, prosperity, and plans to build the temple before handing the kingdom to Solomon. How would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Could he overcome the plotting of his enemies, the dysfunction of his family, and the temptations of virtually unlimited wealth, fame, and women? What would be his legacy? Solomon’s story is a vital part of the history leading up to the ultimate son of David and anointed king, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Transcript
Well, this fall and into the winter, we’re exploring the life of one of the most important ancient kings of Israel in a sermon series called Solomon: The Legacy of a King. These events took place almost 3,000 years ago, when God chose the young man, Solomon, to succeed his father, David, as the king. And we’ve been asking, “How would he handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy?” Well, the answer so far is not bad! Solomon inherited the kingdom of ancient Israel at a great time in history (honestly, probably the best). His dad had won peace and prosperity before handing the throne over to him. He had plans and provisions to build a new Temple to the Lord. But then, God graciously gave Solomon a greater portion of wisdom than anyone on earth. And Solomon started using all this wisdom to administer justice as a good king should. But also, Solomon used this gift of wisdom to write a lot of things, as we’ll see in our text today. We’ve already considered some of Solomon’s proverbs, or wise sayings. And last week, we considered Solomon’s Song of Songs, maybe the greatest love song of all time. (By the way, I heard from several of you men, who said that comparing your wife’s appearance to a horse, even a royal horse, was not in fact a well-received compliment. So maybe don’t use that one going forward?) At any rate, we’ll get to a few more of Solomon’s works in time, but for now, let’s jump back into the history of Solomon’s life, recorded in 1 Kings 4. And today, we’ll consider a very scary thought. Are you ready for this? What if everything works out? What if everything you’re worried about today, and all the scary things you think about when you wake up at night, never happen? What if everything is just good? So much time and energy is spent preparing for the worst-case scenarios. And it makes sense on some level. Bad stuff can happen (and does happen sometimes!). We do live in a broken world after all. But what if everything works out? What if your plans work out? What if this season is just a sweet season without some huge crisis? What if things go better than you even imagined? Then what?? Well, you might not think you need a sermon on what to do if everything works out for you, but I think you might. In our passage today, everything was going great for Solomon and the kingdom of Israel. Like, really great. To be honest, I kept trying to change this sermon to factor in pain and suffering or sin and death or something, but then I was reminded that sometimes things do work out. Sometimes our team wins. Sometimes our kids are healthy, and we have just enough money in the bank. Sure, there are ups and downs, but we can’t forget about the ups! And Christians need to think and respond as Christians to the good times, as well as to the hard times. So what do you need to know if everything works out? Let’s find out. If you have your Bible/app, please open to 1Ki 4:1. We’ll read through this passage and unpack it as we go.
1 Kings 4:20–25 (NIV), “20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life. 22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of the finest flour and sixty cors of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.” Isn’t this a great picture? Life was great. The kingdom was still united; Israel in the north and Judah in the south were still on speaking terms. They would later be divided, but this was not that day. And the people were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They had been faithful to fulfill the creation mandate of God to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. And God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah that their family would grow so large that they would be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. So they ate, drank, and were merry. From the lands to the east, all the way to the Euphrates River in modern Iraq, to the western lands along the coast of the Mediterranean, the land of the Philistines, to the south, as far as the border of Egypt, Solomon was the most powerful king, and Israel was the most powerful and influential kingdom. Everyone wanted to keep them happy, so they sent tribute and followed Solomon’s lead. Solomon’s daily provisions of food for his growing family, important officials, and the foreign dignitaries who ate at his table were incredible. They had the best of everything. But it wasn’t just the king. The people lived in safety, not worried about crime or war, famine or drought. Everyone relaxed under their own vine and their own fig tree. I love that phrase. Meaning, everyone had enough and enjoyed the comfort of all this prosperity. But was this it, or was there more? There was more.
1 Kings 4:26-28 (NIV), “26 Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses. 27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.” Was there more? There was a whole lot more. It wasn’t just an abundance of food and peace from their enemies; Solomon had an unbelievable level of wealth. We’ll see all the gold and silver and other costly materials in the weeks ahead as we get to the building of the Temple of the Lord. But here, we see just one metric of this incredible wealth, probably more on the military side of things, that King Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses and twelve thousand horses! All these horses and all the officers and workers required to keep them ready for battle would’ve cost enormous sums of money, some of which we see here. This money came from taxes and tribute, which both needed organization. Now, we skipped over the first half of chapter 4, which is a list of Solomon’s officials and governors—the ones mentioned here who made sure that nothing was lacking for the king or the kingdom. They collected the taxes needed to fund all this, each one taking one month out of the year. Now, notice that the size of the government greatly increased during Solomon’s reign. The reason is that Saul was the first king of Israel, but he was constantly at war before he was removed by God. He didn’t have the opportunity to build out his administration. Then, David took over after Saul and brought an end to all the wars, but he faced the drama/disruption of his son Absalom’s attempted coup. David developed the military during his reign, as well as the ministry of the Levites, who led the nation in worship, which was near to David’s heart. But even the mighty King David didn’t have the kind of extended prosperity his son Solomon enjoyed. So it wasn’t until Solomon that there was enough time and money to develop the administration to support this rapidly growing nation. Solomon built out his administration by appointing “twelve district governors over all Israel” along with other chief officials, to help him reign and rule according to justice and righteousness, but also to collect the taxes and mobilize the manpower required to accomplish all the massive building projects he wanted to do. But was this it, or was there more? There was more.
1 Kings 4:29–34 (NIV), “29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.” This is God’s word. Ok! In response to his humble request for a listening heart, God graciously lavished his wisdom on Solomon, and the whole world noticed. Solomon became wiser than everyone. And he applied his wisdom to all sorts of spheres of life, not just good government. He was something of a Renaissance man. The king was interested in the arts and wrote over a thousand songs, including several psalms and the Song of Songs. He was interested in wisdom and philosophy, and wrote 3,000 proverbs and other works, such as the book of Ecclesiastes, a reflection on the meaning (and meaninglessness) of life. But he was also interested in what we’d call science, and studied and wrote about plants, birds, animals, and all sorts of things. And his fame spread. People came from all over the world to hear him share this wealth of wisdom from God. Life was good. But, would it stay good? Unfortunately not. Even with all the wisdom in the world, Solomon was not a perfect man. Not even close. He would struggle with idolatry and dysfunctional family dynamics later on. And as happy as the people were, they would have times of hardship once again. And as capable and smart as all these new officials and governors probably were, the nation would face big problems soon enough. But here and now, things were good. Really good. The king and the kingdom were in a really sweet season. The narrator doesn’t condemn them for this peace and prosperity. God doesn’t send a prophet to tell them to repent and turn back to him. Everything was working out. So what do we do with a passage like this? There’s no drama. No problems to resolve. No questions to answer. How do we apply a passage like this to our lives today? As I said, I kept trying to change this sermon to factor in pain and suffering or sin and death or something. I mean, I have read this book several times. I know the future for ancient Israel, and it’s not gonna be pretty (at least until Christ). But then I was reminded that sometimes things do work out. Sometimes there are times of refreshment and ease. Since the fall, sin has impacted everything in this world, but not everything is sinful or corrupted. Some things are still truly good, right, and beautiful. Some things retain their goodness from the way God made them. But, you know, one thing I’ve noticed? As a pastor, I don’t get many emails when things are going well. When the kids are healthy and the income is steady and the marriage is decent. But I do get a lot of panicked emails, phone calls, text/FB/Slack/carrier pigeon messages when things are painful. I hear from people quick when something big goes down. Why is that? I’m not complaining about that, but it’s true. Why is it that we are more likely to reach out to a pastor, or pray, or turn to God when times are hard vs when times are easy? Christians are called to glorify God and enjoy him forever — always, not just in the hard times! How often do we go to God in the good times? Maybe this is revealing something. Maybe we need to have a better, more biblical perspective on the good times. So let me ask you again: What if everything works out? What if everything you’re worried about today, and all the scary things you think about when you wake up at night, never happen? What if everything is just good? Ok, sure, we still live in a broken world, and there’s always uncertainty about the future, but sometimes life is good, or at least the season we’re in isn’t too bad, if we’re honest. Christians need (we need!) to think and respond as Christians to the good times, as well as to the hard times. So, how should we think about the good times? I’ll leave you with two thoughts. 1. Every good thing is a gift from God. What does James 1:17 say? “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Every good thing in life ought to be received as a gift. Sometimes we forget the goodness that is still found in this broken world. We get too caught up in the news or our news feeds. We get too emotionally invested in the problems of people all over the world, and it’s way too much. Or we get too self-focused on our desires or expectations, and it’s depressing. Or we get too focused on the what-ifs, and we get overwhelmed by anxiety. All these things can cause us to lose track of the good gifts that God has graciously given to us for our enjoyment. John Calvin, the Protestant reformer, wrote that we are nowhere “forbidden to laugh, or to be full, or to…[have new] possessions, or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.” (Calvin, John. The Institutes of the Christian Religion (p. 130). (Function). Kindle Edition.) And when things are good, or circumstances go our way, or when we have good food and friendship and clothes on our backs and a roof over our heads, we should see all those things as good gifts from our good Father in heaven. And what do we do when we get a gift? We say thank you. When we fail to see the good things in our lives as gifts from God, or if we are so focused on all the bad things or hard things or all the things we want that haven’t happened yet, it robs us of the gratitude we ought to have. What if everything works out? Christians ought to see every good thing as a gift from God deserving of all gratitude, honor, and praise. When the business deal closes, when you make the final payment on that car or house, when you look in your child’s eyes, or even when you just have a great meal, let’s not miss a chance to say thank you when things are going well. Every good thing is a gift from God. 2. We must take care not to forget God in the good times. I touched on this already. At least in my life, I tend to go to God more quickly when I’m in pain vs. when I’m not. One of the most insidious aspects of life in a broken world is how quickly we forget our need for a savior. But God knows this. He knows how we are formed, and he knows the spiritual danger that peace and prosperity bring. It’s why Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of Heaven (Mt 19:23-24). Wealth masks our deepest needs. Wealth can make it seem like we have everything we need, so why would we need God? Earlier in Israel’s history, all the way back to the time of the Exodus, when the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, God warned his people they must take care not to forget him once they were in the Promised Land. I’d like to just read a part of this from Dt 8. Deuteronomy 8:10–18 (NIV), “10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.” Every good thing is a gift from God. Even a life in a broken world has a lot to be thankful for. There will be ups and downs, but we can’t miss the ups! But we must take care not to forget God in the good times. Now, there are different lessons for the hard times. And God will ultimately fulfill his good promises for our eternal peace and prosperity in the age to come, but he is still good here and now, and he gives many good gifts, and we are called to enjoy him and the goodness of his world. We have so much to be thankful for. Let us pray.
