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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 11 September 2025:
1 Kings 4:1 — King Solomon was king over all Israel.
This brief statement is weighty in its significance. Solomon, though young, now fully reigns over the united kingdom of Israel. It is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David that his son would sit upon the throne after him (2 Samuel 7:12–13). Here we see God’s faithfulness in establishing Solomon, not only as king but as king “over all Israel,” emphasizing unity. Yet this unity is fragile, as later history shows. Leadership is both a privilege and a responsibility; it requires wisdom to maintain the blessings of God. Just as Solomon’s throne foreshadows Christ’s eternal reign, so also his position reminds us that all leadership is a stewardship given by God (Romans 13:1; John 19:11).
1 Kings 4:2-6 — And these were his high officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah the sons of Shisha were secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the army; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan was priest and king’s friend; Ahishar was in charge of the palace; and Adoniram the son of Abda was in charge of the forced labor.
Here we see the organization of Solomon’s government. Each official is carefully named, reminding us that God is a God of order, not confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33), and God sees every person within His kingdom as equally valuable, though varied in responsibilities. Leadership requires structure, delegation, and the right placement of gifted people in their roles. Solomon’s wisdom was not only spiritual but administrative; he understood the importance of surrounding himself with capable and faithful men. This reflects how Christ built His kingdom by choosing disciples and giving them responsibilities (Mark 3:13–15). It also teaches us that we are not called to bear burdens alone; God intends for us to serve within the body of Christ, each member fulfilling its function for the good of all (1 Corinthians 12:12–27).
1 Kings 4:7-19 — Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had to make provision for one month in the year…
The twelve officers represent a system of provision and accountability, ensuring that the king and his household were supplied. This organization highlights both the scope of Solomon’s reign and the prosperity of the land. Each district contributed its share, and no single region was overburdened. God’s wisdom in leadership includes fairness and foresight. Just as Joseph in Egypt organized storage during years of plenty to provide during famine (Genesis 41:33–36), so Solomon wisely ordered his kingdom for stability and prosperity. This principle applies to our own lives as stewards of God’s resources: planning, discipline, and shared responsibility honor God and bring blessing.
1 Kings 4:20 — Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.
This is a direct fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Abraham (Genesis 22:17). The nation was numerous, prosperous, and at peace. Eating, drinking, and rejoicing demonstrate the blessings of covenant life when the people walk under godly leadership. This points us forward to the messianic banquet where Christ will gather His redeemed to eat and drink in His kingdom (Luke 22:30; Revelation 19:9). Yet we must also see the caution: such abundance can easily become an idol if the people forget the Lord who gave it (Deuteronomy 8:10–14). True joy is only secure when rooted in God Himself, not merely in material blessing.
1 Kings 4:21 — Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
“Roughly one thousand years before Solomon ascended the throne of Israel in about 970 BC, God called Abram, later Abraham, out of Ur, promising to make of him a great nation, to give him a good land, and to bless all the families of the earth through him (Gen. 12:1–3). It took centuries for Abraham’s descendants to grow into a great nation and to possess the promised land of Canaan, but God was working to fulfill His promises. Under Solomon, the fulfillment of God’s word to Abraham reached a high point.
We learn this in today’s passage, which summarizes the glory of Solomon’s reign. First, we read that ‘Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea’ (1 Kings 4:20). The Lord made this very promise to Abraham, and it was accomplished in Solomon’s day (Gen. 22:17). Second, 1 Kings 4:21 reveals the vast expanse of land Solomon’s kingdom controlled. Noteworthy here is that the boundaries described in today’s passage essentially match the scope of land promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:18–21. In the days of Solomon, the people enjoyed the land inheritance promised to Abraham.
Finally, 1 Kings 4:34 explains that the people of all nations and the kings of all the earth came to Solomon to hear his wisdom. This is a fulfillment of the promise that Israel would bless the whole world (Gen. 12:1–3). In Solomon’s day, the world benefited from wisdom in Israel when it came to hear the wise teachings and sayings that the God of Israel gave to Israel’s king. Today’s passage tells us that Solomon spoke thousands of proverbs and had a keen interest in the natural world, both of which are evidenced in the fact that several of the proverbs of Solomon are based on observations of the created order (e.g., Prov. 6:6–8). Also, much (if not all) of the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon is attributed to Solomon (although the tradition that Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon as a young man, Proverbs as a middle-aged man, and Ecclesiastes as an old man may be nothing more than a pious legend).
Solomon’s reign was an era in which God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled in a spectacular fashion, but there are clues in today’s narrative that this was not the ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises. First Kings 4:26–28 reports that Solomon had provisions for thousands of horses, a clear violation of Deuteronomy 17:16. Solomon was a good king, not a perfect one. Only One greater than Solomon could consummate the promise to Abraham (Luke 11:31).
At Christ’s return, the promise to Abraham will be finally and fully consummated. Until then, God continues to fulfill His pledge to the patriarch. Abraham’s true children, the church, are as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and their number continues to grow. Moreover, the nations are being blessed as Abraham’s children preach the gospel. Let us be grateful that God is keeping His promise, and may we be used of Him to bless the world.” (Ligonier Ministries)
1 Kings 4:22-23 — Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed cattle, a hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl.
The abundance described here is staggering. It reveals the prosperity of Solomon’s kingdom but also the magnitude of responsibility upon him. To provide for so many required immense organization and resources. This daily provision reminds us of God’s own daily provision for His people, whether manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:4) or the daily bread for which Jesus taught us to pray (Matthew 6:11). True wisdom recognizes that all provision flows from God, not human wealth. Without gratitude, abundance turns to vanity.
1 Kings 4:24-25 — For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates… and he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.
Peace and safety under Solomon point to the covenant blessings promised in Leviticus 26:4–6. “Every man under his vine and fig tree” is a biblical image of security, prosperity, and rest. It foreshadows the peace of Christ’s kingdom, where He Himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). This kind of flourishing is not the absence of conflict only, but the presence of God’s shalom — wholeness, harmony, and blessing. Such peace is ultimately found in Christ, not in any earthly ruler.
1 Kings 4:26-28 — Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen…. And those officers supplied provisions… each in his month.
Here we see both strength and a subtle warning. The vast number of horses reflects Solomon’s power, yet Deuteronomy 17:16 explicitly warned kings not to acquire great numbers of horses, especially from Egypt. Though the kingdom is flourishing, the seeds of decline are already present. Prosperity can quickly turn to pride if not kept in submission to God. This passage is a sober reminder that blessings must be held with humility and obedience, lest they become snares.
1 Kings 4:29-31 — And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore… so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
God can take you beyond your natural powers and abilities. He can empower you with “supernatural” (beyond natural) abilities for His glory.
This is the true center of Solomon’s greatness: not his wealth, not his military, but the wisdom God gave him. Wisdom here is described as immeasurable, like the sand on the seashore, echoing the covenant language of promise to Abraham. His wisdom surpassed that of the nations, showing that true wisdom comes not from human tradition but from God (Job 28:28; James 1:5). Christ Himself is the greater Solomon, in whom are hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).
1 Kings 4:32-34 — He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. He spoke of trees… of beasts… of birds… of reptiles… of fish. And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.
Solomon’s wisdom extended beyond law and governance into creation itself. He studied and spoke of plants, animals, and the natural world, showing that true wisdom encompasses every sphere of life. Knowledge of creation should lead to worship of the Creator (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20). The nations coming to hear Solomon foreshadow the Gentiles coming to Christ, the true Wisdom of God, whose words bring eternal life (John 6:68). Solomon’s fame drew kings, but Christ draws all peoples to Himself (John 12:32).
Solomon had a unique opportunity to glorify God before all nations. Unfortunately, as we will read, he compromised his witness and was ultimately more influenced by them than an influence.
The history of God’s people reveals both the greatness of God’s gifts and the frailty of the human heart. Moses was called the humblest man on earth, yet even he failed at Meribah when anger overcame obedience, and he struck the rock twice instead of honoring God with reverence (Numbers 20:10–12). David was a man after God’s own heart, yet in a moment of passion and deceit he became guilty of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11). Solomon, endowed with wisdom beyond any other, could not keep his heart from compromise, and his divided devotion led to a divided kingdom (1 Kings 11:4, 11). Peter, bold enough to step out of the boat to walk on water and to draw a sword in Christ’s defense, still crumbled before the question of a servant girl, denying his Lord three times (Matthew 26:69–75).
These accounts remind us that no matter how gifted, faithful, or courageous we may be, we are never sufficient in ourselves. We are saved by grace into eternal life, and we must live by grace every moment of every day. There are no “grace graduates.” Apart from Christ, the true Vine, we can do nothing (John 15:5). To abide in Him is to draw our very life from Him continually, moment by moment, as branches depending entirely on the sap of the root. Without this connection, we wither, drift, and fall. With it, we bear fruit that glorifies God and blesses others.
Scripture calls us to this constant posture of dependence. We are told to meditate on God’s Word day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2), to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18), to sing with gratitude in our hearts to God (Colossians 3:16), and to discipline our minds to dwell on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:4–8). This is not a call to legalism but to life in the Spirit, for in Him alone we are free from condemnation even when we fail (Romans 8:1). Repentance, therefore, is not a one-time act but a continual turning back to God, learning and growing in grace without fear, being transformed degree by degree into Christ’s likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18), until the day we see Him face to face.
We were never designed to operate independently of God but to live as receptacles and conduits of His Spirit. His power is made perfect in weakness, His strength displayed in our reliance (2 Corinthians 12:9). The lesson of Moses, David, Solomon, and Peter is that our greatest danger is not our weakness but our pride in thinking we can stand on our own. The way forward is to cling to Christ, for He alone is able to keep us from stumbling and present us blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy (Jude 24).
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 11 September 2025: Pray today not only for wisdom in your greatest decisions but for wisdom to live faithfully in the daily details of life. Remember that challenges and responsibilities are not interruptions to God’s blessing but the very means by which He grows you in Christlike character. Seek to be faithful in both the little and the great, using your gifts to serve others, steward resources well, and reflect Christ’s wisdom in a broken world.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 