Video

1st Kings Four

1. Solomon imitated his father David, in organizing his kingdom with clear delegated responsibilities (1st Kgs. 4:1-6).
2. The description of Solomon’s reign is an overall thumbnail sketch.  Many of the events referred to must have happened after a number of years pass by.
   1. Solomon designated twelve deputies (district governors) to administer local areas, and to provide for the king’s administrative expenses (1st Kgs. 4:7-19,26-28).
   2. Israel enjoyed temporal-life prosperity (a good economy) during Solomon’s reign (1st Kgs. 4:20,25).
   3. Solomon ruled over a vast territory from the Euphrates to Egypt (1st Kgs. 4:21,24), exacting tribute from the lands beyond the territory of Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) (1st Kgs. 4:25).
3. Solomon’s wisdom appears to be oriented towards temporal-life matters (1st Kgs. 4:29-34).
   1. His wisdom is compared to other examples of human wisdom (1st Kgs. 4:30-31).
   2. He spoke 3,000 proverbs (1st Kgs. 4:32a).  The Book of Proverbs, and the Book of Ecclesiastes only record a few hundred of these 3,000 proverbs.
   3. He wrote 1,005 songs (1st Kgs. 4:32b).  Psalm 72 & 127, and Song of Solomon are the only songs recorded in Scripture.
   4. His wisdom included botany and zoology (1st Kgs. 4:33).
   5. His wisdom was esteemed by other kinds throughout the earth (1st Kgs. 4:34).

Psalm Seventy-Two

1. A note on authorship:
   1. The prescript to Psalm 72 ascribes this psalm to (or for) Solomon.
   2. The last verse credits the psalm as the last of David’s prayers.
   3. Verse 1 includes both the king, and the king’s son.
   4. Psalm 72 is most likely David’s prayer for Solomon while David was on his death bed (1st Kgs. 2:1-4), and was put to music by Solomon after David’s death.
2. David’s prayer is for Solomon to rule with God’s righteousness (Ps. 72:1-4).
3. David’s prayer is for Solomon’s subjects to fear the Lord (Ps. 72:5-7).
4. David’s prayer is for Solomon’s enemies to bow before him in service (Ps. 72:8-11).
5. David’s prophetic prayer goes beyond Solomon to foretell the greater Son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ (Ps. 72:12-19).

Psalm One Hundred Twenty-Seven

1. Psalm 127 is Solomon’s contribution to the Psalms of Ascents (Ps. 120-134).
2. Solomon recognized that every effort apart from the work of the Lord is a wasted effort (Ps. 127:1-2).
   1. Spiritual life (the house, i.e. temple).
   2. Public life (the city).
   3. Private life (career, work).
3. A blessed family life is the greatest temporal-life blessing we can enjoy (Ps. 127:3-5).