The Ark Brought to the Temple (Solomon): At the culmination of the grand opening of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, God showed up. When the ark of the covenant was brought into the Most Holy Place, the glory cloud of God’s holy presence appeared. This strange phenomenon happens throughout the Bible, pointing to the good news that God keeps his promises by moving in with his people. Recorded on Dec 7, 2025, on 1 Kings 8:1-21 by Pastor Nate Huber.
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.
The Palace of the Forest of Lebanon (Solomon): In the middle of the long story of the Temple building project in Jerusalem, another building project interrupts — that of Solomon’s own palace district. Why is this here? As we compare the construction of the Lord’s house with Solomon’s own extravagant house, we find ourselves asking a big question: What does this project say about what Solomon actually believes about God? Recorded on Nov 30, 2025, on 1 Kings 7:1-12 by Pastor David Parks.
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, 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. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon succeeded his father, David, as the king during a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But Solomon was young and inexperienced, so he asked the Lord for help, and God graciously gave Solomon a greater portion of wisdom than anyone on earth. So King Solomon used this God-given wisdom to start organizing his kingdom to start the signature building project of his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem. This project was based on the Bible-long theme of God wanting to dwell with and among his people and their worship and enjoyment of him in return. However, interrupting a longer passage describing the interior and exterior design of the Temple in chapter 6 and a list of articles used in the Temple in the second half of chapter 7, is the description of a different building project — that of Solomon’s house. Solomon was building the Lord’s house, but in the middle, we have the description of the building of his own house. But this seeming detour from the main storyline of the Temple reveals a powerful question (and maybe a warning) that remains for every follower of Jesus today. So if you have your Bible/app, please open to 1Ki 6:37. We’re going to read the last few verses from last week before starting chapter 7.
1 Kings 6:37-7:5 (NIV), “37 The foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it. 1 It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. 2 He built the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon a hundred cubits long, fifty wide and thirty high, with four rows of cedar columns supporting trimmed cedar beams. 3 It was roofed with cedar above the beams that rested on the columns—forty-five beams, fifteen to a row. 4 Its windows were placed high in sets of three, facing each other. 5 All the doorways had rectangular frames; they were in the front part in sets of three, facing each other.” Ok! So, last week, we saw King Solomon finally break ground on his signature building project, that of building the new Temple for the living God, the House of the Lord, there in Jerusalem. The Temple took four years to plan, organize, and fund, and then seven years (as we saw at the end of chapter 6), even with almost 200,000 workers, to complete. Its intricate design and costly building materials — if you remember, just about everything on the inside was covered in gold — were meant to convey something of the character of God — the beauty, glory, and infinite worth of the creator of the heavens and the earth, and the one who had faithfully accomplished everything he had promised for his people, Israel. But here in v. 1 of chapter 7, we read that the King spent almost twice as long (13 years!) to build his house. Why did Solomon’s house take so much longer to build? And what are we to make of that compared to the house of the Lord? And then, in v. 2, we read that Solomon’s house was significantly larger than the Temple. The Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, which was adjacent to the Temple complex, was over four times larger in square footage than the Temple, not to mention all the other buildings in the palace district. Just what exactly was that meant to convey, do you think? Was this appropriate for Solomon to do? What did God think of all this? Let’s leave those questions for now. But one thing to note is the lack of gold mentioned in the design of Solomon’s Palace. Now, we shouldn’t get the wrong idea. Solomon’s palace would contain many articles made of gold, but we can see where the palace got its name from vv. 2-3. Solomon created something like an indoor forest using all those cedar logs for columns. And everyone knew that the famous cedars of Lebanon were the best. So why shouldn’t the king’s palace have so many that it could be called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon? It would be like making a palace today out of Lamborghinis. Who does something like that? Well, ok, it does make sense that a King would build a big palace for himself. And given all his wealth and fame, it does make sense that Solomon’s palace would be pretty lavish. But is that everything that he built? Not even close.
1 Kings 7:6-12 (NIV), “6 He made a colonnade fifty cubits long and thirty wide. In front of it was a portico, and in front of that were pillars and an overhanging roof. 7 He built the throne hall, the Hall of Justice, where he was to judge, and he covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. 8 And the palace in which he was to live, set farther back, was similar in design. Solomon also made a palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter, whom he had married. 9 All these structures, from the outside to the great courtyard and from foundation to eaves, were made of blocks of high-grade stone cut to size and smoothed on their inner and outer faces. 10 The foundations were laid with large stones of good quality, some measuring ten cubits and some eight. 11 Above were high-grade stones, cut to size, and cedar beams. 12 The great courtyard was surrounded by a wall of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord with its portico.” This is God’s word. So, in addition to the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon, Solomon built a number of other buildings. Let’s look at an artistic rendering of this whole Temple/Palace district. We can see the Temple in the upper right, as well as the Palace (lit. “House”) of the Forest of Lebanon. We can see the colonnade, or Hall of Pillars, a throne hall called the Hall of Justice, as well as his-and-hers palaces that served as Solomon’s private residence and one for his Egyptian wife and her whole entourage. There was a great courtyard between the Temple and Palace buildings, and the whole thing was surrounded by a wall for protection. The great courtyard could hold thousands upon thousands of people, which was the main gathering area for the three national religious festivals required annually under the Mosaic Law. But I’m sure this whole district would’ve been a tourist destination as well — something like the National Mall in Washington, DC. (If you went to Jerusalem, you had to visit the Great Courtyard!) Well, ok! This is all very impressive, but was this what a good and godly king was supposed to be doing? You might say, “Well, every king, practically from the beginning of time right up until today, has spent a lot of time and money and (other people’s) labor on building impressive palaces for themselves and their court. Why shouldn’t Solomon?” And that’s a good point. None of this was that different than the other kings and kingdoms of their day, other than the fact that the Temple didn’t have an image or idol representing God because God had forbidden the use of images in worship in the Ten Commandments. That was unusual. But everything else here was totally normal. King Solomon was just acting like a king of his age. What’s the problem with that?!? Well, maybe there isn’t any problem with that. We have to be careful not to read anything into this text that isn’t there. And we must observe that there are no explicit condemnations of Solomon’s extravagant building projects here. That’s no prophet who shows up and calls Solomon to repent for spending almost twice as long to build not one but five different palace structures, many times larger than the Temple. However…if we kept reading through 1 Kings, we would see that the Temple isn’t completed until chapter 9. Remember, the first three chapters of 1 Kings were really about Solomon becoming established as the king of Israel. Then, chapters 4-8 are mostly about the organizing, building, dedicating, and grand opening of the Temple. This whole section is about God’s house, not Solomon’s. Also, we might observe another important design feature of 1 Kings: that God appears to Solomon before and after the Temple building project in chapters 3 and 9. This material is clearly organized to tell the story of the Temple, not the palace. So why, in the middle of this long section on the Temple, right here in chapter 7, did the editor insert the story of Solomon building his palace? Solomon didn’t build his Palace until after the Temple. This text would fit much better chronologically in the middle of chapter 9. So why is it here if not for us to compare and contrast these two building projects? I believe this text was intentionally inserted here to start raising some questions in our minds, at the very least. Was this what a good and godly king was supposed to be doing? Well, if that’s why this story is inserted here, let’s do a little evaluation. Is this good or bad, right or wrong, do you think? Let’s start with the good. First, Solomon built the Temple before his own Palace. That was a good thing! God came first. And Solomon used his God-given wisdom to plan and organize the whole thing. He didn’t pawn this project off on someone else. And the Temple project consumed the resources of the whole kingdom for seven years. This looked like the activity of a good and godly king. Second, as we’ll see in chapter 8, King Solomon gave a very orthodox and faith-filled prayer of dedication for the Temple, and blessed the whole nation in the name of Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty. This didn’t sound like a pagan or worldly king. This sounded like a good and godly king. Third, the fact that Solomon named his throne hall the Hall of Justice was a very good thing. Do you remember why, when God appeared to the young King Solomon in Gibeon, Solomon asked for a listening/discerning heart? Do you remember why he asked for wisdom? To be able to administer justice, as a good king should. God was so pleased with this request that he lavished his wisdom on this young king. Why? Because the central activity for a good and godly king was to administer justice. A prophet’s role was to represent God to the people by speaking the word of God. A priest’s role was to represent the people to God through his priestly ministry. But a king’s role was to ensure that God’s will was done, on earth as it was in heaven. He was to listen to the needs of the people (almost like a priest) and to listen to God’s word (almost like a prophet), but then to apply God’s word to real-world issues, especially to judge the most difficult cases of the people. You see, in a broken world, wherever righteousness is lacking, justice is required. Whenever something isn’t right, in a marriage, a business transaction, a city, your heart, or wherever, it should be made right. That is what justice is: setting a wrong to right. “And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mic 6:8). This was as true for the highest status person as it was for the lowest in God’s kingdom. So, naming his throne room the Hall of Justice meant Solomon knew this was the primary job of a good and godly king. Ok! So there are several reasons why Solomon wasn’t necessarily in the wrong for building such an extravagant palace district. But the fact that it was so extravagant, and that it took so much longer than the Temple and was so much larger, and that it was inserted here to compare and contrast, surely raises at least a few troubling questions in our minds. But the truth is, if you know the story, you know that though King Solomon started off so well, he would not finish well. Later in life, he would be led astray by virtually unlimited wealth and fame, and by his many foreign wives and their many, many false gods. He would continue the family dysfunction that his father, David, struggled with. So maybe this wasn’t wrong of him at this point, but this interruption of the Temple story with his own Palace does foreshadow some very real problems that would appear later in his life. The Palace represented a rotten seed that only later bore poisoned fruit that eventually killed the whole kingdom. Now, King Solomon should’ve known. God’s word had warned him. About 480 years earlier, right before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God warned his future people and their future kings not to live and govern according to the ways of the world. In Deuteronomy 17, God specifically warned the kings of Israel not to acquire a great number of horses for themselves or to return to Egypt to get more. He warned them not to take many wives, or their hearts would be led astray. And he is not to accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. Instead, the king was to get a copy of the Law of Moses from the priests and read it every day so that he would obey God’s word and ensure that he reigned and ruled according to justice and righteousness. Though there were good signs in building his Palace district, especially with the Hall of Justice, this passage does start to raise questions about Solomon’s heart. But sadly, after building the Temple, Solomon clearly started going against God’s word in Dt 17. He eventually fully embraced the temptation of wealth, women, and false worship. It didn’t matter that every other king, from the beginning of time, operated in a certain way. And it didn’t matter that this was no different than the other kings and kingdoms of their day or that King Solomon was just acting like a king of his age. Solomon was supposed to look/sound/act differently as a king because Israel was supposed to be a different kind of kingdom. It was chosen by God to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, set apart from the other nations and kingdoms of the earth to represent God and his kingdom and his character and values to the other peoples of the earth. Instead, Israel’s kings looked exactly like the worldly kings. And the kingdom looked exactly like the other worldly kingdoms. This would be the tragic pattern of the generations that followed that eventually led to the punishment of the exile. However, God didn’t give up on his people or on the project of establishing his own kingdom on the earth through an anointed Son of David. But it wasn’t until almost 900 years after the time of Solomon that a different kind of king arrived on the scene. As we’ll see in a few weeks in the Christmas story, the gospel authors were careful to show how Jesus was of the house and line of David, as the true and ultimate fulfillment of all the promises of God made in 2 Samuel 7. In Jesus, we find not only a king who is the perfect judge, being without sin or bias or blemish. But we also find one who came on a rescue mission to rescue his people from the just wrath of God against sin. On the cross, we see how God could both be just and the one who justifies sinners by bearing the wrath of God in our place. So today, for every injustice, both great and small, for the murderer on down to the little white liar, Jesus offers forgiveness and freedom from the power of sin and death. Come to him by faith. Admit you need a Savior, and you will be forgiven. But today, I’d like to leave you with not a big idea, but a big question: What does my life say about what I actually believe about God? This is a question about integrity. Does your life reflect what you believe or not? For Solomon, building such an extravagant palace wasn’t necessarily wrong, but it wasn’t necessarily right either. And given his later problems, it should’ve been a much bigger warning to him that his priorities might be a bit off. If he’d repented here, it would’ve spared so much later destruction/division in his life/family/kingdom. What did his palace building project say about what Solomon actually believed about God? Maybe that if he did what his father, David, had expected him to do, and what God had said he would do, and build this beautiful Temple to the living God, that afterward he could do whatever he wanted? Even if it went against God’s word? But how about you? What does your life say about what you believe about God? If you say that God comes first in your life, does he actually come first? Like in your relationships and with your money and with how you spend your time? Of course, not one of us is perfect; we all need Jesus. But, O Christian, are there any patterns of thought/speech/behavior that might raise at least a few troubling questions if others found out about them? Maybe with how you use your phone? Or how you treat certain types of people? Maybe you’ve got some things in your life that aren’t necessarily wrong, but they aren’t necessarily right either. Be honest with yourself; are there any rotten seeds that might bear poisoned fruit later in your life? Now is the time to put your gloves on, grab your shovel, and dig those seeds out of your mind/heart/life. The sooner the better. King Solomon could’ve been a good and godly king if he’d only seen the warning signs. What does my life say about what I believe about God? Well, just as this text interrupts a larger passage about the Temple and God’s presence among his people and their worship of him, maybe this sermon today will interrupt your life and worship in the best way possible. I hope it does. Don’t wait for the day of disaster. It’s never too early to do justice and set a wrong to right. It’s never too early for repentance. It’s never too late, but it’s never too early, either, for the prodigal to come home. The good news is that our King isn’t just good and godly; he is perfect, and he is God himself, and his grace is enough. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb 4:16). Let us pray.
Solomon’s Temple (Solomon): The Temple in Jerusalem was the signature building project of King Solomon’s reign. But almost hidden in the middle of a passage full of details about the building’s design is a reminder of a Bible-long theme that is such good news: The great big beating heart behind everything God does is his steadfast desire to dwell with his people. Recorded on Nov 23, 2025, on 1 Kings 6 by Pastor David Parks.
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
“This time of year is hard for me,” is a sentiment that I heard from several people over the last week. As we come into the holiday season, a season of joy and celebration for so many, I’m certainly aware that it can be a uniquely difficult time for others as well. Whether because of family dysfunction and broken relationships or personal losses that happened over the past year or two, the pain of which can seem greater around the holidays. Then, sprinkle in the earlier darkness of the winter months, and some of us might be feeling the weight of loneliness pressing down more now than at other times throughout the year. Isn’t it strange that sometimes we can feel lonely even when we’re physically near many others? Sometimes it can even feel like God is at a distance. Is he near even when it feels like he isn’t? Well, 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. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon succeeded his father, David, as the king during a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity. But Solomon was young and inexperienced, so he asked the Lord for help, and God graciously gave Solomon a greater portion of wisdom than anyone on earth. So King Solomon used this God-given wisdom to start organizing his kingdom to start the signature building project of his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem. He mobilized money and manpower from the whole kingdom, and last week, we saw that Solomon decided to partner with a neighboring kingdom, a pagan kingdom, for resources and skilled labor. And so, we’re finally ready for the work to begin. But almost hidden in the middle of our passage for today is a Bible-long theme that is such good news, but especially when we feel lonely and abandoned. So if you have your Bible/app, please open to 1Ki 6:1. We’ll read through this passage and unpack it as we go, before ending with some applications of this teaching.
1 Kings 6:1-10 (NIV), “In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord. 2 The temple that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. 3 The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple. 4 He made narrow windows high up in the temple walls. 5 Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. 6 The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls. 7 In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. 8 The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third. 9 So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks. 10 And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.” Our passage starts off reminding us that these are not myths or legends, but records of events that actually happened in history. Moses wrote that the Israelites had spent 430 years as slaves in Egypt before the Exodus. Now here, we’re told that 480 years had passed since that time. So, we’re about 1,000 years from when God made a covenant of promise with the family of Abraham and Sarah. And God was faithful, and so their little, miraculous, improbable family had grown into a large and flourishing kingdom, marked by abundant peace and prosperity. It’s no wonder that David and then Solomon wanted to build such a great new Temple for the one who had been so faithful to them. And now, “in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the Lord” with all the wisdom that God had graciously given him. We can see from this artistic rendering of Solomon’s Temple that the outside was a fairly simple, almost fortress-like stone structure. There were water basins for the priests to wash the meat of the animal sacrifices, and one larger water basin called the Molten Sea, which was made of bronze and was used for ritual washing and purification of the priests themselves before entering the Temple. Finally, there was the large stone altar, later replaced by a bronze altar, for all the burnt offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings, and fellowship offerings performed by the priests on behalf of the people. These priestly activities were all defined by God’s word in the Mosaic Law, but especially in the book of Leviticus. Now, the inside was much more lavish than the outside, as we’ll see. Let’s jump down to v. 14 and consider the interior design.
1 Kings 6:14-38 (NIV), “14 So Solomon built the temple and completed it. 15 He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of juniper. 16 He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. 17 The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long. 18 The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen. 19 He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the Lord there. 20 The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar. 21 Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. 22 So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary. 23 For the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim out of olive wood, each ten cubits high. 24 One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits—ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. 25 The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. 26 The height of each cherub was ten cubits. 27 He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. 28 He overlaid the cherubim with gold. 29 On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. 30 He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold. 31 For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors out of olive wood that were one fifth of the width of the sanctuary. 32 And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold. 33 In the same way, for the entrance to the main hall he made doorframes out of olive wood that were one fourth of the width of the hall. 34 He also made two doors out of juniper wood, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. 35 He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings. 36 And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams. 37 The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. 38 In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.” Now, I don’t know how you feel about it, but all this description might seem a little unnecessary for us today. So why do you think this passage in the Bible? Well, first, we must remember that the Bible was not written to us. The Bible is, of course, written for us and for all of God’s people, no matter where or when we live. But the book of 1 Kings was originally written to people facing very different circumstances. 1-2 Kings were recorded over a number of generations and reached their current form among ancient Israelites during the Exile — a time when the average Israelite was desperately in need of hope and probably wondered if God had abandoned them or not. And wouldn’t this picture of the beauty and glory of the Temple of the living God be a hopeful reminder of what God was like and of his desire to live among his people? They needed this word. But second, why is there so much description of the interior design? Because we’re talking about God’s house here. Solomon’s Temple was to be the most important building on earth, and this building project deserved more than a footnote in God’s word. Ok! So what do all these details reveal to us? Let’s look at the inside of Solomon’s Temple. And we see the lampstands, the table for the bread, and the altar of incense before the veil which separated the holy place where the priests ministered from the inner Holy and Holies or the Most Holy Place. The Most Holy Place was where the two towering cherubim statues guarded the ark of the covenant containing the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God, and where, once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter and make atonement for the sins of the nation. The imagery intentionally mirrored the Garden of Eden, with the “cherubim, palm trees and open flowers,” a place where God walked with his people in the cool of the day. The gold was meant to represent the infinite worth of God. Nothing but the very best for God, right? But what does it mean to have the lamps lit, fresh bread put out on the table, and incense burning every day? That someone was home. This wasn’t an empty house built in honor of some God who was actually far off and removed from his people. This was meant to look like a house that was lived in, as if God were home. But, my friends, it wasn’t just meant to look that way. As hard as it might be to believe, it actually was that way. We see this in the passage we skipped over, the heart of chapter 6. I’m not sure if you noticed, but sandwiched between the first section, which describes the temple’s exterior, and the third section, which covers the interior, in the middle is this purpose statement for the whole structure. Yes, this is what Solomon’s Temple was going to look like, but more importantly, what was it all for?
1 Kings 6:11-13 (NIV), “11 The word of the Lord came to Solomon: 12 “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. 13 And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.” This is God’s word. So, it wasn’t just that the Temple was made to look like someone was home. God actually wanted to dwell with and among his people. Though God was the creator of the universe and sovereign over all the kingdoms of the earth, Yahweh had chosen Israel as his people. And he desired to dwell with them. However, an ancient Israelite couldn’t simply wander into the Temple, and even the priests couldn’t wander into the Most Holy Place whenever they wanted. There were strict rules about these things. Why? We saw why in the Exodus series last year. Because even in the best-case scenario, the holiness of God was still something of a threat to God’s people. Why? Because the holy presence of God himself was in there. Ok! So, would the Israelites be able to handle the presence of God living in their midst? Well, we see in v. 12 that God’s presence in Solomon’s Temple was conditional on Israel’s obedience. “…if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands and obey them…[then] I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.” Of course, this would be the main problem of the Israelites in the generations that followed. They would not be faithful to obey the word of the Lord. And eventually, Solomon’s Temple would be abandoned by God and would be destroyed during the Exile as the just punishment for their covenant unfaithfulness. But God still wanted to dwell with and among his people. The faithful people of the Exile needed this message, but we do today as well. And here’s the message: The great big beating heart behind everything God does is his steadfast desire to dwell with his people. This is the great big beating heart of God behind creation, salvation, and new creation. God wants a people, made in his image, that he can be with and work with and enjoy, and that we can flourish in life, work, and worship and enjoy him in return. Now, we can certainly question why God would want to dwell with disobedient, unreliable, unfaithful people, but we can’t deny that this was and is God’s heart behind the whole record of Scripture. Think about it, when God made the first people, he wanted to walk with them in the garden in the cool of the day. But when their sin drove them from his holy presence, did God give up? No. When, during the time of Noah, “The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (Ge 6:5), did God give up? No. Graciously and mercifully, he just worked his plan for redemption and salvation. In the Tabernacle and here with the Temple, we see this Bible-long theme of God still wanting to dwell with his people. But the first audience of the book of 1 Kings had to be wondering if, after their utter failure to be faithful to God and the just punishment of the Exile, God still wanted to be their God and for them to be his people and for God to once again dwell with them. I’m sure many were wondering, “Has God finally abandoned us?” But the ultimate answer came with the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Apostle John wrote, “The Word [that is, Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14). I love Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of this verse in the Message, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” We couldn’t keep God’s presence among us through our obedience, so God had to come and be obedient for us in the person of Christ. We couldn’t climb up to heaven through our goodness, so God had to come down into this broken world to rescue us. And through his sinless life, his atoning death on the cross, and his victorious resurrection from the dead, Jesus accomplished everything needed for us to be in the presence of a holy God without fear of punishment. So in Jesus, we see that despite their sin, despite the Exile and the destruction of the Temple, God still hadn’t changed his mind one bit. He still wanted to dwell with and among his people. But as we saw last week, this plan would include Jews and Gentiles to build God’s house. So today, all are invited into the house of God. Today, it’s a spiritual reality for the Holy Spirit dwells in and among us, who is the very power and presence of God himself. But one day, Christ will return from his present heavenly reign, the dead will be raised, and all will give an account of their lives to him. Those who did not believe the gospel and receive Jesus as Lord will be separated from the life, light, and love of God forever. But those who have believed and received Jesus as Lord by grace and through faith will finally see what God has wanted from the beginning: God’s dwelling place will be among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. And he will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away (Rev 21:3–4). So today, when you feel lonely or if you ever wonder if God has abandoned you or even notices all the difficulties of your life, you need the same reminder of hope that our ancient brothers and sisters needed. The great big beating heart behind everything God does is his steadfast desire to dwell with his people. We see this Bible-long theme pop up at the heart of 1 Kings 6 as the great purpose behind the building of Solomon’s Temple. But we also see this theme behind God’s work of creation, salvation, and, one day, in the return of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, in a broken world, you might feel lonely at times, but you are not alone. And you might feel that God is far off, but he has not abandoned you. Why? For some crazy reason, God loves us despite our sin and not only has committed to saving and sanctifying us by his Son and Spirit today, but wants to dwell with us forever and ever in the kingdom where Jesus is King. Isn’t that amazing? All we can say now is “Come quickly, Lord! We want to dwell with you, too.” Let us pray.
The Cedars of Lebanon (Solomon): Solomon prepared to build the temple by negotiating with the pagan King Hiram of Tyre for timber, skilled workers, and other materials. What did God think about this? This text reveals a (perhaps surprising) pattern of God using Jews and Gentiles to build his house; a pattern that continues today. In Christ, you’re part of the blueprint. Recorded on Nov 16, 2025, on 1 Kings 5 by Pastor David Parks.
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
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. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon succeeded his father, David, as the king during a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity. He was really set up for success. But still, Solomon had some big things to do and a large and growing kingdom to lead, and he was young and inexperienced. So he asked the Lord for help, and God graciously gave Solomon a greater portion of wisdom than anyone on earth. And Solomon started using all this wisdom to administer justice, to write thousands of songs and proverbs, and to learn science. We saw last week that Solomon used this God-given wisdom to build out his administration. Now, we’re almost ready to start the most significant project of Solomon’s reign, the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. But before the men get their tools and get their lunches packed and they head out to the job site, we’ll see today that Solomon needed some vital resources to complete this project. But, and this should be surprising, he decided to partner with a neighboring kingdom, a pagan kingdom, to build a temple for the God of Israel. Was this appropriate for him to do? Would the God who cared so much about faithfulness be ok with this? “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:3). Well, we’ll see that Yahweh God not only is ok with it, but this reveals a shocking pattern of how God works to build his house even to this day. There is so much good news to be found here. So if you have your Bible/app, please open to 1Ki 5:1. We’ll read through this passage and unpack it as we go, before ending with some applications of this teaching. What does this word say, what does it mean, and what do we do with it today? Ready?
1 Kings 5:1–6 (NIV), “1 When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David. 2 Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: 3 “You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the Lord his God until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster. 5 I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the Lord my God, as the Lord told my father David, when he said, ‘Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.’ 6 “So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians.” Ok! 1 Kings started with Solomon’s brother Adonijah, trying to steal the throne. Chapters 1 and 2 were about how Solomon dealt with this crisis, how King David intervened, and how Solomon was made king before David passed away. Chapter 3 had the young King Solomon asking God for wisdom, and boy did he get it! King Solomon became internationally famous and accomplished many great things with his God-given wisdom. Last week in chapter 4, we saw that Solomon developed his administration for governing, collecting taxes, and organizing the manpower needed for these building projects. Now here, in 1 Kings 5, we start this signature work of King Solomon’s life, that of building a new and glorious Temple for the living God, a house for the Lord, in the city of Jerusalem. The Temple was to become a permanent structure to replace the mobile structure of the Tabernacle, which served as the central place of worship for the Israelites from the Exodus until this time — a period of about 480 years. So, after almost 500 years of bringing sacrifices and offerings to the Tabernacle, wherever the people of God were at the time (Wilderness or Promised Land), so that the priests and Levites could do their work of teaching God’s word, facilitating worship, providing atonement for sins, and so forth, there would be a new place for all that — and hopefully it would better represent the majesty and glory of the Lord of the house than some ancient tent. But to say that this was a big deal for Israel and Solomon is a laughable understatement. I guess building projects are always a bigger deal than you’d expect. Some of you remember when we, as a church, moved from being a mobile church setting up and tearing down every week at the YMCA, to finding a new permanent building facility. First, we did our REACH Campaign, and so many of you gave so generously, and we raised the money we needed to do the work without going into debt. Then, so many of you worked so hard for a whole year to remodel this whole space and move in…just one month before the Covid shutdown. (Wasn’t that fun?) That move took us years to accomplish (and took several years off the end of my life), but that was nothing compared to building the Temple in Jerusalem! This building would be the main church building facility for the worship of the whole nation of Israel. But it wasn’t just an impressive place for people to worship; this was the place where God had said his holy presence would dwell amidst his people. And, of course, Yahweh wasn’t just the God of Israel; he was and is the creator of the whole cosmos. The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain the Lord, much less a temple made by human hands (1 Ki 8:27) — even if Solomon’s Temple was the most beautiful and costly temple ever made. Nevertheless, this God who made and ruled over all decided that he would dwell on this earth with this particular people in this particular place. He had chosen this family descended from Abraham and Sarah to be his vehicle for the salvation of all. But, like most major building projects, King Solomon was going to need some subcontractors. So he called Hiram, the king of the pagan city of Tyre, of the Sidonian people. He told Hiram what God had called him to do in building this new Temple for his Name (representing all of who God is). And he asked for the famous cedars of Lebanon, as well as skilled men for the building of the Temple. Hiram and King David had been friendly, so it was reasonable to expect that he’d have a good working relationship with Solomon. But this Temple project would take their relationship to the next level, working together on something so costly and so important. Now, I’m sure it didn’t hurt that this would likely be very lucrative. Did you notice that Solomon offered to pay Hiram for his men whatever wages he set? What a deal, right? But would Hiram want to be part of this? Even if he received good compensation, it would still probably take a ton of his time and energy and, of course, his resources and manpower. Would it be worth it to him, this pagan king, to help build a Temple for the God of his neighbors? Would Muslims or Buddhists help build a Christian church building? It’s certainly possible, but do you feel the tension there? I suppose Solomon’s blank check would’ve helped. Let’s keep the question of whether God was ok with this on hold for a minute. First, would Hiram be ok with it?
1 Kings 5:7-12 (NIV), “7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he was greatly pleased and said, “Praise be to the Lord today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon: “I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and juniper logs. 9 My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea, and I will float them as rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household.” 10 In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and juniper logs he wanted, 11 and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year. 12 The Lord gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.” So, when Hiram heard Solomon’s message, he praised Yahweh, the Lord God Almighty, for the wisdom this young king demonstrated. In the account in 2 Chronicles, Hiram says, “Praise be to the LORD [Yahweh], the God of Israel, who made heaven and earth!” (2 Ch 2:12). God’s wisdom was attractive, inviting worship even from a pagan king. But also, on some level at least, Hiram recognized that this particular God, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was the creator, the maker of heaven and earth. That’s unexpected! But wasn’t that the plan from the beginning? That all the nations/peoples on earth would be blessed through Israel? (Ge 12:3) So Hiram committed not only to providing the timber and the men skilled in working with it, but also to providing the transportation from Lebanon, north of the kingdom of Israel, south along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and then inland to Jerusalem in Judah. And what did Hiram want in return? To provide food for his royal household. So basically, this is Settlers of Catan — we’re trading wood for wheat. But the narrator is clear: this arrangement for the exchange of goods and services wasn’t just a good business deal; v. 12 says it happened because of the Lord’s wisdom given to Solomon. Interesting! Maybe God was ok with this arrangement, too? So, was Solomon good to go then? With this treaty with Hiram and the Sidonians and all the cedars of Lebanon they could ask for, along with the gold and silver and other things that King David and many others within Israel had already given, did they have everything they needed? Well, not quite…
1 Kings 5:13–18 (NIV), “13 King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel—thirty thousand men. 14 He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, 16 as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workers. 17 At the king’s command they removed from the quarry large blocks of high-grade stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. 18 The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.” This is God’s word. So, in addition to the timber and transportation and specialized labor that Solomon was going to get from Hiram, it turned out that they needed a lot more muscle. So he conscripted 30,000 laborers from all Israel. This would be something similar to a draft during a war. If we were in a serious war today, the United States might have a draft, and if your number was called, you’d have to go and fight; you would be compensated, but it wouldn’t be optional. Here, if Adoniram called your name, then you’d have to go to Lebanon to work one month on and two months off back home; again, you’d be compensated, but it wouldn’t be optional. Or, you could be one of the 70,000 carriers or eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills. Or, you could be one of the foremen to help coordinate all this work. Additionally, think of all the work that would be needed to support these almost 200,000 men hard at work. Makes me very thankful for the scope of our last building project, to be honest. Well, in the next few weeks, we’ll see this incredible building project continue to progress. And after Christmas, we’ll see it finally completed. But for today, what do we do with this passage? How might we apply God’s word to our lives to grow a bit more like Jesus? Well, that’s a very good question, and I’m glad you asked. I confess, I had a completely different sermon planned for today, one that connected the wisdom that God gave Solomon to the planning and execution of this huge building project. But something hit me yesterday as I was going for a walk: I don’t think that’s really what this passage is about. There are many ways to apply God’s word. One set of application questions I’ve used over the years is this: What do people need to know, what do people need to feel, and what do people need to do in light of this text? And I realized something about this Settlers of Catan text — it’s not just a picture of wisdom in making a good business deal or in organizing a huge building project. Those things do happen in this text, but that’s not as significant as something else. What’s so important (and shocking) is a pattern revealed here in our text that we see repeated again and again in the Bible. What do you need to know from this text? Here’s what you need to know: This text reveals a pattern of God using Jews and Gentiles to build his house. We saw this pattern last year in the story of the Exodus of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. It wasn’t just the Jews who were liberated from Egypt. Moses said, “Many other people went up with them [when they left Egypt after the Passover], and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” (Ex 12:38). Also, many Egyptians supported the Israelites by giving them articles of silver and gold and costly clothing (v. 35). Where do you think these former slaves had the resources to build the Tabernacle? From the Gentiles who came with them and with the resources they were given when they left Egypt. God used both Jew and Gentile to build his mobile house. Now here, again, God was using Jews and Gentiles to build his permanent house. But the pattern doesn’t stop there. What do we see in the person and work of Jesus Christ? The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Ro 1:16). Once again, God not only uses Jews and Gentiles to build his house; God is building all people, Jews and Gentiles, into his house, his temple, the place where his holy presence dwells. We’re going to focus more next week on this Bible-long theme of God’s desire to dwell with his people. But for today, and from our text today, I want you to know something — that Solomon and the kingdom of Israel, working together with Hiram and the kingdom of Sidon, Jews and Gentiles coming together, this pattern, is like a big finger pointing forward to the people united together by faith in Jesus Christ. Do you know why we don’t have a Temple today? One answer is that Jesus has fulfilled everything related to the temple (priesthood, sacrifice, atonement, everything). But another answer is because you are now the temple for the living God; you are the house of the Lord. Whoever you are, Jew or Gentile, young or old, rich or poor, male or female, in Christ you are the place where heaven and earth come together, the dwelling place of God. This pattern of including Jew and Gentile is repeated over and over to foreshadow the greatest building project in the history of time — that God is building a people for himself. This is the building project that God is doing among us today. He is building you into his house. So how should we feel about this? This is what I want you to feel: Amazement! Shock! Relief! Gratitude! Did you know that this is what God is doing in the world? Building himself a dwelling place among and within his people? Not just the God of Israel or the God of the East, but the King of all creation, of heaven and earth! And his plan includes you in this project. Does this not stir your heart with joy and wonder? Don’t you feel the weight of this good news? I hope you do. Finally, what should we do in light of this pattern of inclusion in God’s plans and purposes and in light of the joy and wonder that should accompany this good news? Here’s what I want you to do: Worship the Lord! Take this news that God not only will include you in some far-off and distant day, but that you have been invited to come into God’s house today. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ has done everything needed to allow you to come in. But remember, you’re not only invited in, you become a living stone, a living breathing cedar of Lebanon, filled by the Holy Spirit, that God is using to build his eternal house. So what? So worship him! Take all that shock and gratitude and pour it right back to God in worship! We are a house of worship. So let’s lift up the name of Jesus and give him all the glory, honor, and praise for what he has done. Let us join Solomon the Jew and Hiram the Gentile, both our brothers in Christ, along with the whole history of God’s people from every nation, tribe, people, and language, and worship the Lord with everything we have. Our text reveals a pattern of God using Jews and Gentiles to build his house; a pattern that continues even now. Let us pray.
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.
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.
Solomon’s Love Song (Solomon): The Song of Songs is King Solomon’s poetic celebration of the romantic love and attraction that God intended for a healthy marriage. But how do love, marriage, and sexuality work in a broken world? Solomon’s love song reminds us of how marriage ought to be and also points to the perfect love of God for his people. Recorded on Nov 2, 2025, on Song of Songs 1:1-2:7 by Pastor David Parks.
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, we’re continuing to explore the life of one of the most important ancient kings of Israel in a sermon series called Solomon: The Legacy of a King. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon was chosen by God to succeed his father, David, as the king. And we’ve been asking, “How would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy?” Well, two weeks ago, we saw that when the young King Solomon asked God for wisdom to administer justice, God was so pleased with this request that he graciously gave Solomon wisdom and more. This was the most helpful thing because every day, we all make decisions that would benefit from God’s wisdom. Last week, we considered a few of the thousands of wise sayings or proverbs written by Solomon with the wisdom God had given him. If you missed that or any other sermon in our series, you can always go back and watch or listen online if you’d like. But today, we’re going to have one more example of King Solomon’s writing that was included in the canon of Scripture, before we jump back into the historical narrative next week. But I need to ask you a very important question: when I ask you to think of the greatest love song of all time, what comes to your mind? Don’t shout it out, I just want you to picture it. What do you think of? I remember being a kid, skating around Gem Roller Rink to songs belted out by Whitney Houston or Bryan Adams. I had no idea what romantic love looked like, but I knew these songs knew what it was about. One of the songs that was a big deal when Holly and I started dating was the song, More Than Words, by Extreme. I feel like there’s a lot of Ed Sheeran played at weddings nowadays. Today, we’re going to consider another of Solomon’s writings, but this time, it’s not a proverb; it’s a love song — maybe the greatest love song of all time — it’s the Song of Songs. If you have your Bible/app, please open to Song of Songs 1:1. If you aren’t sure where the Song of Songs is, you can always look it up in the table of contents. But we’ll read through this passage and unpack it as we go.
Song of Solomon 1:1-4a (NIV), “1 Solomon’s Song of Songs. [She] 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. 3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! 4 Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers.” Whoa, right? What are we reading, and did you know this kind of thing was in the Bible? Well, verse 1 starts off saying Solomon’s Song of Songs or, more literally, The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. Now, this is a little ambiguous because it could mean that Solomon wrote this spicy love song, or that it was written for Solomon, or perhaps it was something like an anthology of poetic love songs that was collected and published by King Solomon. Commentator Philip Ryken thinks it was a wedding song. He writes, “Weddings in ancient Israel lasted as long as a week, and singing was always part of the festivities. From its presence in Holy Scripture, we may infer that the Song of Songs was at the top of the charts in those days. What wedding would be complete without it?”Could be! And it makes sense that it was associated with King Solomon, since he was later known for having an absurd number of wives and concubines. As wise as he was, tragically, he didn’t appear to have any limit to his sexual relationships. That being the case, and given his incredible creative output, if anyone had a collection of love songs, it probably would’ve been this king. Ok! So, one design feature you might’ve noticed is that there seems to be multiple voices singing here. This first passage is marked in the NIV Bible translation as “She.” This is the voice of the bride. Other verses are labeled “he” referring to the groom, or “friends” referring to the friends of the bride. These labels are not part of the original text, but have been added for clarity, because different lines of the song have different gendered pronouns and other details that help us understand who is singing to whom. With that context, let’s jump into the song. The bride wants to make out. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out.” She’s saying even the mention of his name reminds her of the pleasing aroma of his presence. Wine and perfume are both often part of a romantic evening together, but this isn’t the only thing she wants. “Let the king bring me into his chambers,” means she wants to hurry up and get married already! The song starts with a couple that is engaged or betrothed to be married. If you’ve ever been married, can you think back to the feelings of being engaged? When you knew you wanted to marry this person, but it hadn’t happened yet? That’s the feeling of our girl, here. She just wants to be with her man. To this statement of impatient desire, her friends respond in v. 4.
Song of Solomon 1:1-4b (NIV), “[Friends] We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.” They’re like, “Girl, he’s perfect for you! You’re the perfect couple! We will praise your love more than wine!” I imagine there were lots of squeals and people wanting to see the ring again. But there’s something so contagiously fun about a wedding. It’s a celebration for everyone at the ceremony and at the reception. Even mostly uptight people loosen up a little at a wedding. But the bride’s friends totally support this relationship. They aren’t jealous or bitter; they just share her joy, as they should. She responds to them at the end of v. 4.
Song of Solomon 1:1-4c-7 (NIV), “[She] How right they are to adore you! 5 Dark am I, yet lovely, daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. 6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother’s sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I had to neglect. 7 Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?” Have you ever felt self-conscious about your appearance? Most people have physical features they wish they could change or that they feel embarrassed about. It was no different almost 3,000 years ago. The bride tells her girlfriends, the daughters of Jerusalem (all the single ladies), that even though she knows she’s lovely, she’s worried her beloved might not find her as attractive because she’s so tan, because her brothers made her work out in the sun. Maybe all the pretty girls of Jerusalem were lighter in complexion, not having to work out in the vineyards. But she was a country girl, not a city girl. Would he be attracted to her, or would he stare at her, but like not in a good way? Maybe she didn’t think she could compete with the standards of beauty of her day. So, in her worry, she wants to go to him to see if she can get some confirmation. “Where are you, my love? Where are you grazing your flocks?” She wants to visit him at work to make sure he still feels the same way about her. Now, would King Solomon have been doing the work of a shepherd? It’s possible. His father, David, was a shepherd, as had been other notable leaders of Israel, such as Moses and Abraham. Solomon might’ve been doing the work or he might’ve been with the shepherds tending to the royal flocks. But the woman isn’t sure where her fiancé’s job site is. Her friends reply in v. 8.
Song of Solomon 1:8 (NIV), “[Friends] 8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.” Again, they just affirm her. Like, “Go to your man, girlfriend. Just go to his work. I mean, you’re the most beautiful of women; you have nothing to worry about. But if you need to hear it from him, follow the tracks of the sheep and you’ll find the shepherds.” We all need friends like this, don’t we? Who just pump us up? But friends like this can sometimes not tell us the whole truth. It might not completely alleviate her fears to hear that they think she’s so beautiful. The real question is: does her man find her attractive? Let’s hear from him in v. 9.
Song of Solomon 1:9-11 (NIV), “[He] 9 I liken you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariot horses. 10 Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. 11 We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.” Doesn’t seem like the strongest start from our boy. You, my darling, are like a horse…but not just any horse…ok, so we’re kind of a long way away from the culture of ancient Israel and the beauty of Hebrew poetry. So some of the beauty of this poetry might be a little difficult for us to appreciate. But Solomon is saying she is majestic and noble and beautiful, and she deserves jewelry to match the natural beauty of her face. Notice that the king keeps his comments to the neck up. We haven’t gotten to the king’s chambers yet, so he’s being respectful of her publicly and privately. But her fears are unfounded! She kind of put herself out there by going to him, and he tells her he does think she’s beautiful! Her dark complexion is no problem. He’s attracted to her, too. She doesn’t have to be so self-conscious around him. She can relax in his love. Of course, a healthy marriage is more than just physical attraction; it’s also sacrificial love and friendship, but physical attraction certainly helps! In fact, it’s usually the first connection to develop. You see someone and you think they’re cute, so you lean into the relationship a little bit more. And then, over time, you see that they’re actually a really good person with lots of great qualities, and they get to know your great qualities, so the relationship continues to grow. This is where this couple is at. It’s a tale as old as time. But let’s hear from her and see how she felt being compared to a horse. v. 12.
Song of Solomon 1:12-14 (NIV), “[She] 12 While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance. 13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. 14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.” Whew! Solomon’s response must’ve done the trick. Now they’re having dinner together, and she made sure to wear her favorite perfume. From here on out, she calls him her beloved. Don’t those little pet names people have in a relationship seem so annoying to people outside the relationship?? But they’re kind of fun for the couple in the relationship. My baby, my pookie, is to me like an intoxicating aroma resting between my breasts. We’re starting to get more intimate here as we start to think below the neckline. But what do they talk about over dinner? v. 15, Solomon says…
Song of Solomon 1:15-2:3 (NIV), “[He] 15 How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. [She] 16 How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant. [He] 17 The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs. [She] 1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. [He] 2 Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women. [She] 3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.” So they’re whispering sweet nothings to each other here. “You’re so beautiful!” “You’re so handsome!” “You’re a lily.” “You’re an apple tree.” They can’t help but start imagining their future together. Our bed is verdant, meaning it’s green and life-giving. In other words, we’re gonna make beautiful babies together. And we’re going to build a beautiful home together. And he’s like, you’re a lily among thorns, my darling (which is a much better line than you remind me of a horse). There’s no one else I’d want to build a life with. She feels the same way. He’s like an apple tree among all the other trees of the forest. She wants to do more than just be near him. Ok! I think it’s time. They just need to get married already! They need all of their lives to be united as one in order for this passionate desire for physical oneness and intimacy to have a safe place to grow and flourish. The original description of marriage goes back to Genesis 2. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” (Ge 2:24–25). God’s intention for marriage is that, as important as the relationship is between parents and their children, the relationship between a husband and wife is even more important and intimate. Two individuals become one flesh, that is, one in body sexually, but also one legally, financially, emotionally, relationally, and in every other way. There should be nothing to hide and nothing to come between the two. This is why Adam and Eve were naked but felt no shame. They were perfectly one. But in a broken world, perfect oneness is impossible. Sin comes between people, including a husband and wife, and becomes a wedge that drives them apart. At least in a godly marriage of two believers, you have two people who understand the problem of sin and the kind of relationship God intended marriage to be. You have two people who understand the regular need for repentance and forgiveness, and their need for a savior. This is the safest place to be for the vulnerability of sexual intimacy. This is also why sex outside of marriage is not just wrong, since you’re being unfaithful to your spouse (whether or not you get married in the future), but it’s simply unwise. Why would you be one-flesh with someone physically when you don’t trust them enough to be one-flesh financially or legally? Why would you sleep with someone without the mutual commitment to be together no matter what? That is what our wedding vows mean, you know. It’s the promise of future-love, as Tim and Kathy Keller write in The Meaning of Marriage. No matter what happens, I will love you and you will love me. That’s safety. That’s security. That’s a love relationship that can survive the ups and downs of life in a broken world. So our bride and groom are attracted to each other. Good! And they can imagine a beautiful future together. Good! Time to call the Levitical priest, book the venue, and send out the invitations. It’s wedding time in v. 4.
Song of Solomon 2:4-7 (NIV), “[She] 4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. 5 Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. 6 His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. 7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” This is God’s word. So they went with the banquet hall for their wedding and reception. And a banner in their day was like a flag or standard that represented a nation or tribe or king. But his banner over her is love. It’s not his family name or position of authority, but their covenant of love and commitment to one another. And the two have become one. And now they’re a little worn out by all their love. They’re eating fruit to keep their strength up! Meaning, they’re enjoying each other as much, if not more so, than they’d imagined before the wedding. And what a beautiful picture of the love, intimacy, and attraction of a healthy marriage! This is what God intended for marriage. God isn’t embarrassed or squeamish about this. God created us with these emotions and desires to help glue a husband and wife together (and keep them glued together) in a beautiful, God-honoring way. Sexuality isn’t inherently sinful or something to be ashamed of. But as is true of other beautiful things, even a passage from the Bible like this might awaken feelings or desires within us that are premature. This is why the bride ends this section with a solemn charge to her young, single friends. “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” Do not pursue this kind of intimate, one-flesh kind of relationship with someone until the time is right, until you’re both ready for everything in your lives to become one. Why? Because sex is so powerful. It’s the reason it’s used to sell everything. It’s why hook-up culture is pervasive. We often awaken love at the wrong time or with the wrong people. It was common enough that it was worth a warning 3,000 years ago, but the addictive nature of sexual sin is maybe even more powerful today. Pornography is ubiquitous, and AI-powered sexual immorality is right around the corner. But also, sexual sin is extremely shame-producing, so it’s hard for people to be honest about their temptations and sins and get help when they need it. But sexual sin brings us back to the most uncomfortable question about the Song of Songs. If Solomon was the one who wrote this, which one of his hundreds of wives or hundreds of concubines was this about? And wouldn’t his insane levels of marital unfaithfulness, the hundreds of wives and concubines, undermine the beauty of the song? The answer is definitely yes. Now, perhaps Solomon wrote the Song of Songs early on when he only had one wife. Or maybe Solomon wrote this song at the end of his life, when he reflected back on all his relationships and the idolatry and dysfunction that came from his polygamy. We can’t know for sure. But either way, given what we know about King Solomon’s actual love life, the Song of Songs ought to make us long for a better love. A more faithful love. The Song of Songs is first about human love, specifically the wonderfully intimate and pleasurable love that a healthy marriage can enjoy. This is what God intended for marriage to be from the beginning, and if you are able to have a relationship like this, then receive it as the blessing that it is. But we live in a broken world. So marriage and sexuality are often places of brokenness, pain, and shame. So second, the Song of Songs can serve as a sign pointing to the higher and deeper love of God for his people. Whether you’re married or single, whether you have a good, healthy, and life-giving marriage or a dysfunctional marriage that may not last, there is a higher love that is not only possible but is offered freely to all people because of the person and work of Christ. Not only does God know us completely and love us unconditionally, but his love has allowed us to be forgiven for all our sins, including our sexual sins. We can be declared righteous and washed clean from the stain of what we have done or what has been done to us. The best marriage on this side of eternity points to the love of Christ for his bride, the church. But every marriage at times ought to make us long for the better and more faithful love of God for us. So, husbands love your wives. And wives, love your husbands. Do not awaken love at the wrong time or with the wrong person. But above all, look to the unending, unconditional love of God found by faith in Jesus Christ. One day, there will be a feast in his banquet hall, and his banner over us will be love. And in that happy day, nothing “in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:39). I’m not sure if the Song of Songs is the greatest love song of all time, but I know the gospel is the greatest gift of God’s love for us. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Let us pray.
Solomon’s Proverbs (Solomon): Who should you date? What career should you pursue? Where should you live? When should you have kids? There are so many big decisions in life. How do we make all these decisions in a way that honors God and is good for us, even if we don’t have specific direction from him? Wisdom. We need wisdom. In his lifetime, King Solomon wrote thousands of proverbs to help children (and adults!) grow in wisdom. Recorded on Oct 26, 2025, on Proverbs 3:1-20 by Pastor David Parks.
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
Starting 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. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon was chosen by God to succeed his father, David, as the king. And we’ve been asking, “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? What would his legacy be?” Well, last week, we saw that when God appeared to the young King Solomon at Gibeon, God invited him to ask for anything he wanted. And Solomon asked for a discerning heart to listen to and obey God’s word, but also to truly listen to the needs of God’s people in order to govern wisely and administer justice. God was so pleased with this that he graciously poured out his wisdom on Solomon, which was one of the most valuable gifts he could’ve received. Why? Because think about it, there are all sorts of big decisions we need to make in life: who should you date; should you get married and if so, to whom; should you go to college and if so, then where; what should you study or what career should you pursue; where should you live, should you buy or rent; how much money should you spend, save, and give away; how many kids should you have and when should you have them; what kind of person should you be, how should you prioritize your time, and on and on. So many big decisions! But you know what? This might come as a shock, but the Bible doesn’t have specific answers for you on any of these big questions. Should I date this guy I met online? You won’t find a yes or no in the Bible; it’s not a magic 8-ball. And while God sometimes gives a clear yes or no in our spirits about certain things, most of the time, he doesn’t. So, as followers of Jesus, what are we supposed to do? How do we make all these big decisions in life in a way that honors God and is good for us, even if we don’t have specific direction from him? Wisdom. You need wisdom. Every day, we all make decisions that would benefit from God’s wisdom. Now, thankfully, God’s word is full of his wisdom, but we don’t become wise automatically or by osmosis. This takes work. We must search out the principles of God’s wisdom in God’s word and then apply them to all the complicated circumstances of life. But if we do this, then even the simplest among us can become wise and receive all the blessings true wisdom can bring. If you have your Bible/app, please open to Proverbs 3:1. If you aren’t sure where Proverbs is, you can always look it up in the table of contents. But the book of Proverbs is part of what’s known as the wisdom literature of the Bible. If you’re looking for wisdom, it’s a great place to start. Let’s jump in with v. 1.
Proverbs 3:1–2 (NIV), “1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.” Let’s pause briefly here. Why is the book of Proverbs in the Bible? Clearly, one purpose of the book was to instruct children. Here and elsewhere, Solomon addresses these proverbs to his son. Now, according to the Bible, both parents are responsible for helping their kids grow up in every way — physically, emotionally, spiritually, morally, academically, and so on. Now, this doesn’t mean that parents are the only ones who teach/help kids mature — grandparents, aunts/uncles, teachers, mentors, pastors, and youth leaders are also very helpful. But it’s the parents’ responsibility to ensure their kids do, in fact, grow up to become productive members of society, to the best of their ability. This is what parenting is. It’s not about what your kids/grandkids do for you; it’s about helping them grow to maturity. Think about everything kids need to learn. Kids need to learn how to eat well, exercise, and be healthy. They need to learn how to learn, to work hard, and to gain knowledge. They need to learn how to handle their emotions and make friends. And they need to learn how to manage their money and be kind and courageous and honest and so many other things. But above all, kids need to learn who God is, what he has done for them in Christ, what it means to be made in his image, and how to walk through life in a way that honors him. Kids need to learn how to love God and love their neighbor as themselves. No one is born knowing all these things. They need to learn! But if they do learn. If they remember the good teaching of their parents and other godly men and women, and they keep the commands of God in their hearts, this wisdom will prolong their lives and bring many years of peace and prosperity. Now, wait a second, you might be thinking. I’ve tried to follow Jesus and be wise in my life, but I’ve had maybe even years of struggle and difficulties. This is an important point: the proverbs of God are not guarantees; they are more like guidelines for how life generally works in God’s world. Generally speaking, if you are wise, your life will go better than if you are foolish, amen? But this is a broken world. Sometimes fools prosper while the wise suffer. But again, generally, wisdom will help everything that you or anyone you love might put their hand to. We all need the book of Proverbs. So let’s get to it! As we continue, Solomon gives us six examples of how to be wise.
Proverbs 3:3-12 (NIV), “3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Solomon lists six examples here of how to be wise. And what are they again? We have love and faithfulness, then trust, humility, and generosity, and finally, learning to embrace the loving discipline of the Lord. Now, there’s so much we could say about each of these principles, so this will only be scratching the surface of the wisdom we can find in God’s word. But that’s ok! I believe God intended that we return again and again to the well of his wisdom, so that we might be refreshed and strengthened and learn different things in different seasons and situations throughout life. Wisdom isn’t one and done. It must form the foundation of everything we do, but it can also grow over time. So let’s briefly consider each of these six. The first two are love and faithfulness. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” I love this imagery. Wear love and faithfulness like a necklace. Let them be inscribed on your heart like God inscribed the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone for Israel. Wherever you go and whatever you do, make sure you bring love and faithfulness with you. A mature adult is a loving and faithful person. Do you really love all people? Even people who look/think/act/vote differently than you? Jesus said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?” (Mt 5:46). We’re called to love even our enemies. But are you a faithful person, too? Can people rely on you? Do you follow through on your commitments? Are you trustworthy? If you are, other people will notice. Solomon says if you’re loving and faithful, then “you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” This reminds me of what Luke wrote about Jesus as he grew up. “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Lk 2:52). When Jesus was a child, he learned to be loving and faithful — he learned to be wise, and others noticed. The third example of how to be wise is to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” This is probably one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. Trust in the Lord. This is about faith. Have faith in the one who created you and sustains you and who saved you through his son, Jesus Christ. Trust in God more than you trust in yourself, and your understanding of how your life should go. Trust in God more than you trust in your understanding of the timing of your life. God has never done anything to break/betray your trust. He loves you and wants you to be part of his family. You can trust him. But also, God is infinitely wise and good, and you are not, so you’d better trust him! “…in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” He won’t lead you astray. Listen to Jesus’ call to “Follow me.” So, to love, faithfulness, and trust, the fourth example of wisdom is humility. “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” To be wise in your own eyes is a mark of pride. You think you’re wise. You trust your understanding of yourself, your life, and the world around you. If that’s the case, why would you need God? If you’re so wise, why would you need God’s word? But pride comes before a fall, which is why the Lord opposes the proud and gives favor to the humble. The Proverbs are clear: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Now, this doesn’t mean we are supposed to be afraid of God. Through the work of Christ, God is our Father in heaven who loves us dearly. His love casts out unhealthy fear. Instead, the fear of the Lord is a reverent awe of the grandeur who of God is. It’s the feeling you get when you’re standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon or you’re looking up into the night sky and see the billions of galaxies out in space. It’s the feeling you get when you realize how truly small you really are in this universe — a universe that God spoke into existence. But if God made all this, then how great is he? He is limitless in power and glory! There is no one like him! You are finite. You are small. You need to take naps sometimes, and that’s ok. But the moment you come to terms with the fact that God is God and you are not, that humble realization is the beginning of wisdom. “This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Do you know how much physical and emotional stress comes when you are wise in your own eyes? So much anxiety, anger, depression, and loneliness come from pride. But a wise person is loving, faithful, trusting of God, and humble. Fifth, “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” This is about your priorities, of giving your best to God first, and then learning to live on the rest. How many of us use our wealth and other resources to do what we want to do in life, and then kind of see how much we have left over for God? That’s so messed up! Think about what God was willing to give to us when we needed to be saved? He gave us his one and only Son, Jesus Christ. And Jesus was willing to give his own life for us by dying on the cross for our sins. God gave us his best when we needed him the most. The least we can do is learn to be generous people in return for God’s generosity to us! But also, the way God designed this world is that there is a principle of sowing and reaping. Again, this isn’t a guarantee, but generally speaking, you reap what you sow. If you are stingy or greedy in what you give and invest for God’s kingdom, you will not reap much of a harvest. I love what the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9, about sowing and reaping. If you learn to be generous in this way, Paul says, “You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and…your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Co 9:11). Wise people are generous people, toward God and others. Finally, sixth, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” Hebrews chapter 12 expands this proverb in such a helpful way. If you understand that by faith in Jesus Christ, God becomes our Father who loves us as his adopted children, then it helps us face anything in life, even the hard times of life. Because our Father hasn’t lost track of us. He is teaching us. And it’s especially in those hard times, the times of struggle and pain, that we can learn the most. So don’t rush too quickly through times of pain. Stop and ask yourself, is God teaching me anything in this moment/season? Am I learning to be more loving or faithful, more trusting or humble or generous? Probably! That would be the best thing for me. But this is so different than the wisdom of our world. All six of these examples of godly wisdom are foreign to the wisdom of the world. This is just a completely different way to live. However, there is a wonderful blessing for those who trust the Lord enough to become wise.
Proverbs 3:13–20 (NIV), “13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. 19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; 20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.” This is God’s word. In the Proverbs, here and in chapters 8-9, wisdom is personified as a virtuous woman. Wisdom calls. She is a blessing. She offers so many rewards, and all her paths are peace. Our Big idea today is this: After the love of God, nothing in all the world is more helpful for life than the wisdom of God. You need wisdom. There are so many big decisions you need to make in life, decisions for your identity and behavior, at work and home, and everywhere in between. Last week, we asked what would be the most helpful thing for your life to ask from God. The answer is wisdom! Get wisdom! If you need wisdom, God has promised to give it to you; all you have to do is ask. But nowhere is the wisdom of God seen more than in the man, Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, wisdom isn’t just personified; it’s embodied in Christ, who is the very wisdom of God (1Co 1:24). In him all the fullness of God dwells. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. And all the blessings of God, the blessings of the wise, are found in him. After the love of God, nothing in all the world is more helpful for life than the wisdom of God. Let us pray.
Solomon Asks for Wisdom (Solomon): At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to King Solomon and asked him what he wanted. (What would YOU ask for?) Solomon asked for wisdom to administer justice for God’s people. God was so pleased with this that he graciously gave Solomon far more than he could ask or imagine. The grace of God is seen throughout the Bible because this is who God is. Recorded on Oct 19, 2025, on 1 Kings 3:1-28 by Pastor David Parks.
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
This fall, 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. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon was chosen by God to receive the throne from his father, David, who had been the most powerful and successful king of Israel up to that point. And David had big expectations for his son, especially around the plans David had made to build a new, permanent temple for Yahweh, the creator and the one true and living God. There was some drama with Solomon’s brother, Adonijah, and his attempt to steal the throne. But he failed, the conspirators had been dealt with, justice had been done, and now Solomon was firmly established as the King of Israel. We’ve been asking, “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? Would he reign according to justice and righteousness? What would his legacy be?” Well, today, we get to see the start of an answer to these big questions. And it’s a great start. But before we jump back into Solomon’s story, let’s think about another story, the tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp. Now, the Disney movie, Aladdin, came out when I was a kid, and believe me, it was a big deal. It’s funny how often one of the lines from the genie, of course brilliantly voiced by Robin Williams, pops into my head to this day. But the tagline of the movie was, “Imagine if you had three wishes, three hopes, three dreams, and they could all come true?” Pretty fun. Why do we like stories like this? Because we all have wishes! We all have things that we believe that, if we had them, our lives would significantly improve, or maybe we’d finally be happy. I remember talking with my friends when I was young about what we would wish for. You can’t wish for more wishes, right? But what would you wish for? The only things Aladdin wanted were to be rich and famous and marry the princess. That’s all! But how about you? If you found a magic lamp and a genie popped out with Robin Williams’ voice, what would you wish for? Health, wealth, success in your career, fame, a girlfriend…what? Well, genies aren’t real, but God is, and when he appeared to Solomon, God invited Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted. What would you ask for? What do you think would be the most helpful thing that could significantly improve your life? What do you think would make you happy? Let’s jump back into the story. If you have your Bible/app, please open to 1 Kings 3:1. We’ll cover the whole chapter today, but we’ll unpack it as we go.
1 Kings 3:1–4 (NIV), “1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. 3 Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” We’ve said that King Solomon was a complex man, and we see that here. Right off the bat, after moving to secure his kingdom from the internal threat of his own brother, he moves to secure his kingdom from external threats by forming an alliance with one of the large neighboring kingdoms of Egypt. What Solomon did would’ve been considered wise in the eyes of the world, although marrying an Egyptian princess does kind of sound like the plot to Aladdin, too. But marrying a foreign princess back in those days bound the two kingdoms together in trade and in defense if they were attacked. Maybe Solomon thought the princess was attractive, too, but this was most likely a political move, not one motivated by love or a shared faith in God. I wonder what she thought of her new husband and his kingdom and his God? The narrator doesn’t say. I’m sure she knew this was a smart political move for her people as well. Israel was wealthy and powerful. They would’ve been a good ally for Egypt, too. But would marriages like this be wise for Solomon in the long run? It might’ve been the worldly wisdom of his day, but would this be helpful for him spiritually? We’ll see. Nevertheless, Solomon brought his new bride back home to the City of David, which was the city of Jerusalem. Now, the narrator says the people were still sacrificing at the high places because the temple wasn’t finished yet. This, too, is complex because high places were where pagan sacrifices were made. All the false gods and goddesses (idols) of the surrounding peoples of Canaan were worshiped at places like these. The height of the high places made people feel closer to the gods. Sacrifices were made there; either animal or human sacrifices were offered to appease the gods. The parties at the high places could get completely out of control. Sexual immorality was often included as part of their worship. These were evil places, which is why they were universally condemned in the Old Testament. God had explicitly told Moses that the Israelites were to demolish the high places when they entered the Promised Land, but they didn’t. So a valid question might be, was King Solomon going to Gibeon to offer sacrifices in worship of these idols? The answer is no, but it’s a little vague in this text. To be fair, this was a weird time in Israel’s history. A temple for the one true and living God was coming; they had the plans and the provisions to build it, but it had not yet been built. But also, according to the account of this story in 2 Chronicles 1, Solomon had all his most important officials go to Gibeon to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, not the false gods of the high places. They went to Gibeon not because it was a high place, but because the Tent of Meeting, also called the Tabernacle, the place of worship for Israel before the temple, along with the bronze altar of the Tabernacle, were there. We can certainly question the wisdom of putting the Tabernacle in the place of pagan worship, but someone thought it was a good idea. The author of 1 Kings shows their discomfort with this scene by saying that Solomon did show his love for the Lord, except that he allowed these high places to be used for worship. It was complicated. Right worship, wrong place. Anyways, Solomon had this royal entourage make the journey about 6 miles north of Jerusalem to Gibeon, and the king held nothing back in his worship. He offered a thousand burnt offerings to God, which was an almost unimaginable amount of wealth at the time. But what would God have to say about all this? Would God accept the generous offerings of King Solomon at this, the most important of the pagan high places?
1 Kings 3:5-15 (NIV), “5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.” Ok! So God not only accepted this right expression of worship from King Solomon, even though it was at the wrong place, but he goes so much further than I’d expect. “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Can you imagine? We started by asking, “What do you think would be the most helpful thing that could significantly improve your life?” and “What do you think would make you happy?” Solomon’s answer was wisdom. He desperately needed wisdom, but he was humble enough to ask for it. He tells us why he needed wisdom. He was just a young man when he became the king. His father had said that he was young and inexperienced, which is why he made so many plans to try to help his son before he died. But Solomon knew that! We don’t know exactly how old Solomon was here, but he felt like he didn’t know how to carry out his duties. He didn’t know where to go or how to lead the people there. And the people of Israel, in all their peace and prosperity, were multiplying rapidly. The people of Israel were as numerous as the stars in the sky. But imagine being the king of a people like that. Solomon wasn’t sure he could do it! He was insecure and probably very anxious. So when God asked him what he wanted (and by the way, questions from God always reveal the heart), Solomon humbly asked for help. He didn’t presume that God would grant him whatever he wanted. But he trusted in God’s goodness to provide what he needed. So Solomon asked for wisdom/discernment; literally, he asked the Lord for a listening heart. But so he could listen to whom, exactly? That Solomon might be able to listen to and obey the word of the Lord. This is what his father, David, had encouraged him to do: to be biblically faithful. But also, as the king, he needed to truly listen to the needs of God’s people in order to judge their most difficult cases. Solomon rightly understood that the people of Israel were not his people; they were God’s people. So he saw himself as a steward of God’s kingdom, a leadership principle we all should pay attention to. At work, the people who report to you or that you are responsible for are not first, your people. At home, if you have kids or grandkids, they are not first, your kids or grandkids. They are the Lord’s. This is his world, not yours. This is a perspective that helps in leadership. Solomon knew this, and so, as a steward of God’s people, as one who had been entrusted with the high honor of leadership, Solomon was most concerned that he could rule according to justice. But to do this, he needed God’s help. He needed godly wisdom, not just worldly wisdom. But what did God think of this request? The Lord was so pleased with it, he gave Solomon what he asked for and what he could’ve asked for, including more wealth and honor than any other king on the planet. When Solomon woke up from his dream, he went back to Jerusalem with his whole entourage and offered more burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the ark of the covenant, which contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments. In other words, he immediately demonstrated his commitment to listen to and obey God’s word. Instead of at a pagan high place, he moved his worship to a better place, to the place that eventually would be the temple of the living God. Chapter 3 ends with an example of King Solomon’s famous wisdom to administer justice.
1 Kings 3:16–28 (NIV), “16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.” 22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” 27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” This is God’s word. Chapter 3 started with two messy examples of the worldly wisdom of Solomon’s early reign. And I do believe he had good motives for each situation: first, to secure the kingdom from external threats with his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter, and second, to worship the Lord with all his sacrifices at Gibeon. But even with good motives, his execution was questionable at best. There would’ve been other ways to forge an alliance with Egypt than marriage. And the ark of the covenant would’ve been a much better place to worship God than the most important of all the pagan high places at Gibeon. So, isn’t it surprising, shocking even, that God would treat Solomon in such a gracious way when he appeared to him in the dream? That God would meet Solomon at Gibeon at all is shocking to me. It would be like God showing up and speaking to you at a former temple for Satan. But God knew Solomon’s heart, imperfect as it was. And he had demonstrated great kindness to David. The Hebrew word translated as “kindness” is hesed, and it’s often used to describe the covenant love of God. God loved David, and he reiterated his love for Solomon here as well. What wonderful news for the young and inexperienced king! The Lord would be with him, too. He would help him with his calling. And he would give him so much more than the listening heart he had asked for. But what does this reveal about who God is? Think about it. The Lord was willing to meet Solomon where he was at, even though it wasn’t where he should’ve been. God was willing to pursue him and speak to him, so that he could have a relationship with him. And then, God offered him an incredible gift of grace, far more than anything Solomon had wished for. God lavished his grace on him! This is who God is. “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve,” (Ps 103:8–10). Isn’t that incredible?? God is a God of grace, giving undeserved favor to imperfect people (people like us). But a relationship with the Lord, even one formed by his grace, brought some conditions. Solomon needed to listen and obey God’s word. But with God’s gracious gift, Solomon would be able to govern according to righteousness and justice. He would be able to become a wise and godly king. His legacy could be testimony to the grace of God. But would it? Next week, we’ll consider some of the proverbs of Solomon that came after God blessed him with wisdom, and our need to build a life on the wisdom of God. But for now, I’d like to draw your attention back to the character of our gracious God. Did you know this is what God is like? Did you know that this is who God is? He is a God of grace. Isn’t that good news? He isn’t a God who demands perfection, then gleefully pounces when you fall short. Do you feel inadequate or insecure about your ability to do your calling in life? Are you feeling like maybe you’re in Gibeon when you should be in Jerusalem? Like maybe your heart is in the right place, but your mind, body, money, or relationships are not? Do you have a past with some serious brokenness in it, and wonder if God could do anything with a person like you? Look again at this text. The Lord was willing to meet Solomon where he was at, he will meet you wherever you’re at. God was willing to pursue/speak to/forgive/renew Solomon, so that he could have a relationship with him. And he wants a relationship with you, too. But then, God offered Solomon an incredible gift of grace, far more than anything he could ever ask or imagine. Will he not do that for you, too? He is the same God of grace. But, friends, this is a pattern. We see this pattern of God’s saving grace again and again in the Scriptures. But nowhere do we see this more clearly than in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But God knew we couldn’t save ourselves from sin and death. He knew we were lost without him. So Jesus Christ met us where we were at, lived for us, died for us, and rose again from the dead, breaking the power of sin and death forever by sheer grace. Now, all we have to do is receive his saving grace by faith. “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve,” (Ps 103:8–10). Next week, we’ll consider the value of God’s wisdom in more depth. But for today, Solomon didn’t find a genie and a magic lamp; he found a real God who is a gracious God. That is who God is. Praise the Lord! Let us pray.
Solomon’s Throne Established (Solomon): After his father David’s death, Solomon moved to establish his kingdom. Adonijah, Solomon’s brother; Abiathar the priest; Joab the military commander; and Shimei all needed justice brought to bear on their actions. Would Solomon do what was easy or what was right? Would he overreact or judge justly? The King of God’s kingdom reflects God’s character. Recorded on Oct 12, 2025, on 1 Kings 2:13-46 by Pastor Nate Huber.
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.
David’s Charge to Solomon (Solomon): Before his death, King David gave his son, Solomon, one last charge. What did he say in those final moments? David said to be strong and act like a man by being Biblically faithful. But would Solomon learn to be a righteous king? Can anyone be truly righteous? A right belief in God’s word leads to a right understanding of how to live in God’s world. Recorded on Oct 5, 2025, on 1 Kings 2:1-12 by Pastor David Parks.
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
This fall, 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. And we’re only a few weeks into this series, so if you’ve missed any of the sermons so far, you can always watch or listen to the podcast online if you’d like. But we’ve said that Solomon’s 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. However, before he could take the crown, a potential rival emerged from within his own family, Solomon’s brother, Adonijah. Last week, we saw that David’s response was successful. Solomon was made the next king, and his first act as the king was to extend mercy to the slippery self-appointed Serpent King. Today, we come to the end of the historic life of King David. Throughout this series, we’re asking, “How would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy?” Well, we’re about to find out. But before his death, David gives Solomon one last charge. Let me ask you this: if you knew you only had a few weeks or even a few days left to live, what would you want to tell your kids/friends/spouse? If you were David, what would you tell your son before you died? I’ll tell you what, as a pastor, I’ve been with a number of people in their final moments, at their bedside, surrounded by loved ones. These are sacred moments. Very often, love is expressed, grief is shared, forgiveness is offered, Scripture is read, prayers are said, and plans are made for what will happen next. Have you ever experienced that? Well, today, we’ll step into a scene like this and see what David’s final words were to his son. Would the young man listen to his father? Would he learn to be a righteous king? Let’s jump in. If you have your Bible/app, please open to 1 Kings 2:1.
1 Kings 2:1–4 (NIV), “1 When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’” So it’s clear to me from passages like this that David read his Bible a lot. Now, at this time in history, David didn’t have a Bible in the format that we have today, because not everything had happened by this point in history that God wanted to record in his word. There would still be almost a thousand years before the time of Jesus. But at this time, David had the Torah, or the first five books in our Bibles, which contain the Law of Moses as well as the historical record from creation down to the exodus of Israel out of Egypt. David also had the books of Joshua, Judges, Job, Samuel, and some of the Psalms. Isn’t that interesting? If that’s all the Bible you had, would you be able to know who God was and what he was like? Yes, you could. David certainly had. Even before the fullness of the gospel was revealed in Christ, many faithful men and women loved God and trusted him for salvation. David had been one of those faithful people. He had been careful to observe what the Lord required and walk in obedience to him, to not merely listen to the word, but to do what it says (James 1:22). We know this from his story, but even from his statement here, it’s clear that the scriptures had embedded themselves into David’s heart and mind. We know this because what David says before his death is almost exactly what Moses said to the Israelites before his death (Dt 4). And it’s almost exactly what Joshua said to the Israelites before his death (Jos 23). David had read passages like these over and over; he had meditated on them to the point where, when it was time for him to face the end of his life, he literally thought Biblically about it. God’s word had worked its way so deeply into his thinking that it shaped how he faced everything in life, including his own death. Oh, that the same could be said of us! Do you read God’s word often enough, do you meditate on the Scriptures long enough, that they work themselves into your heart and mind, shaping and transforming you over time? This is what, at the very end of his life, and maybe even on his own deathbed, David wanted to remind his son. In this sacred final moment, David wanted Solomon to have the kind of relationship with God and his word that he had enjoyed. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” meaning I’m about to die, son. “So be strong [and] act like a man,” But what does that mean? What did strength and masculinity mean for the mighty King David? He meant to be Biblically faithful. Be strong and act like a man by walking in obedience to God, and keeping his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Isn’t that interesting? If someone today said to be strong and act like a man, would you think they meant to read the Bible and do what it says? Probably not. Our culture would have all sorts of other nonsense to say about that, because our culture is desperately confused about what it means to be masculine or feminine. It doesn’t mean wearing blue or pink or following any other silly gender stereotypes. And it certainly isn’t something we can define or change however/whenever we want. We were created, we are creatures, so our Creator gets to define us and declare his will for what we do. But David knew what was at stake. “Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.” In other words, Biblical faithfulness was the key to his success. David never let what other people said about him define him as a man. God defined him and declared his will for his life, and this led to victory after victory, to peace and prosperity. Now, it’s always a good idea to do the right thing, to obey God’s word and follow God’s way. It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing. But this was especially for Solomon. God would not tolerate an ungodly and disobedient king like King Saul had been, at least not for very long. As the king goes, so goes the kingdom. This is why, here at the end of his life, David was hanging on to the promise of God that we looked at last week from 2 Samuel 7. If Solomon were to be Biblically faithful as David had been, and “If [Solomon’s] descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before [the Lord] with all their heart and soul, [their family would] never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.” No wonder David was thinking about this at the end of his life. Biblical faithfulness was the most important message David could’ve given. But this wasn’t the only advice David gave his son. Let’s continue.
1 Kings 2:5-9 (NIV), “5 “Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. 7 “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom. 8 “And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9 But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.” Ok! If you’re anything like me, you’re thinking, “Isn’t this the plot to the Godfather movies?” This reminds me of when the son, Michael Corleone, was preparing to take over the family business from his aging father, Vito Corleone. And Michael needed to be prepared for who would come for him after his father was gone. Michael needed to take out his enemies before they took him out. (Isn’t that what you were thinking? Maybe that’s just me.) But David wasn’t a mob boss. And Solomon wasn’t taking over an organized crime family. (Although it does kind of have the same feel.) So what’s going on here? Wasn’t David just talking about being careful to do the right things according to God’s word? Now he’s talking about going after Joab and Shimei? It sounds like David wants Solomon to tie up some loose ends for him. Well, David was a brilliant military and political leader. He had been surrounded by mighty men most of his life, men who could’ve tried to take his throne, and some who had tried (unsuccessfully). So David certainly knew where the threats and the vulnerabilities lay for Solomon…but I don’t think that’s what was happening here. Now, did David have mixed motives? It’s possible. But I think this was more about doing what was right than getting revenge. See what you think. First, David warned Solomon about Joab, the commander of David’s army. And Joab was a dangerous man. He was very powerful, having at least some of the army loyal to his leadership. But he had shown that he wasn’t always loyal to David, having ignored David’s direct command not to kill his son, Absalom, and, most recently, supporting Adonijah’s failed coup. Joab was a major threat to Solomon, but David never mentioned his disloyalty. He did mention Joab’s crimes of murdering Abner and Amasa. We don’t have time to get into the drama around those situations, but Joab should not have killed them. Their blood was still on his hands. Justice still needed to be done. Second, David was concerned that Solomon should continue to show kindness and hospitality to the family of Barzillai of Gilead, who supported him when David was on the run from his son, Absalom. Finally, we have Shimei, who had cursed David during the rebellion of Absalom. Barzillai had blessed David, but Shimei had cursed him, and David was the Lord’s anointed. Now, what’s the big deal with that? Well, when King Saul was hunting David before David finally became the king, David had several opportunities to kill Saul, but he refused to lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed king. Even though Saul was evil and was actively trying to murder him, David still respected the office of the king because it was the Lord’s, not his. So David isn’t telling Solomon to get even with Shimei because he had insulted him. This wasn’t an ego thing for David; this was about respecting the Lord and his anointed. So these three situations weren’t about David getting revenge. This was about doing what was right/just. Now, we’ll see how all this plays out next week. But now, we come to the end of David’s story.
1 Kings 2:10–12 (NIV), “10 Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11 He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.” This is God’s word. As it says in 1 Chronicles, “[David] died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth and honor. His son Solomon succeeded him as king.” (1 Ch 29:28). So the king was dead. Long live King Solomon, the Lord’s anointed. Now, we’ll have to see, not just next week, but for the next few months of our series, whether or not Solomon would listen to his father’s advice. Would he make Biblical faithfulness his first priority? Would he obey God’s word and follow God’s way? Would Solomon deal with everyone (friend and enemy alike) according to justice and righteousness? But what about us? Will we learn to live like this? Obviously not as a king or queen, but will we learn to obey God’s word and follow God’s way? Will we deal with the people in our lives according to what is just and right? In the weeks ahead, we’ll consider the themes of justice and wisdom in more depth. But today, let’s zoom in on one of the great themes of the whole Bible, that we see here, that of righteousness. Well, we’ve already seen that the righteous life starts with Biblical faithfulness. Do you believe that God’s word defines you and directs your life? Do you believe that you are under the authority of God’s word or that you can pick and choose what you want to obey/reject? I like what the Bible says about caring for the poor or turning the other cheek, but I don’t like what it says about sexuality or hell and judgment. But you can’t do that unless your word has more authority than God’s word. Here’s why this matters so much; here’s why, on his deathbed, this was the most important thing David could share with his son: A right belief in God’s word leads to a right understanding of how to live in God’s world. Right belief leads to right living. Very simply, righteousness means to think/speak/do what is right, but (and here’s the kicker), what is right as defined by God’s word, not your word. Righteousness means you think what is true, you speak the truth in love, you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and you love your neighbor as yourself. That is what’s right. Can you imagine if the whole world lived that way? It would be a whole world of love! It would literally be heaven. Now, is it a good thing to try to live a righteous life? Of course! But if you’ve ever tried to do this for more than five minutes, you’ll realize something that might come as a shock. We can’t do it. Try as we might, we always fail. Even the godly King David failed to be perfectly righteous. No matter how wise Solomon would become, he still failed to be perfectly righteous. This is a real problem because, according to God’s word, only the righteous will live. Now, most of us are fairly good most of the time (provided we don’t get too stressed out, hungry, frustrated, or anxious). But do we always think/speak/do what is right? No. And the wages of sin (in other words, what unrighteousness deserves) is death. But here’s the good news of the gospel: the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ro 6:23). You see, God had promised he would send a truly righteous king. After David and Solomon’s time, each generation of kings seemed to be worse than the last. There were a few good ones in there, but for the most part, it was just a mess until God’s people were finally sent into exile. But in Jeremiah 23, the Lord gave his people a gracious promise. Jeremiah 23:5 (NIV), “The days are coming…when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” Despite the failure of the kings, a different kind of king was coming. One who would be perfectly righteous. The gospel is the story of this king. Through whom “the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,” (Ro 1:17). Jesus was the only truly righteous man who ever lived. He lived a life without sin, so he never deserved to die. But then he chose to die on the cross for the sins of the world. Jesus traded his righteousness for our sin through his substitutionary death. He paid the price we could never pay. But then he rose alive, breaking the power of sin and death forever. So when we believe this good news, we fulfill one of the promises of God: The righteous will live by faith. Would Solomon learn to live according to righteousness? And would he trust the Lord when he failed to be perfectly righteous? (Will we learn these things?) It all starts with God’s word. Because a right belief in God’s word leads to a right understanding of how to live in God’s world. But when we fall short, we must not forget that we have a righteous savior, one who is not only the Lord’s anointed but who is himself, the Lord of Glory. And his name is Jesus. Friends, if this were my last moment, if this were my bedside, I’d want to tell you about him, too. No one is greater. No one is better. You can trust him. He will never lead you astray. The righteous life, and a right understanding of how to live in God’s world, is found in him. Let us pray.
