The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 85

the dust'' (ver. 9), for" we see not yet all things put under Him," but we know that all power is giYen to Him in heaven and in earth (Matt. xxvili. 18) and that "the kingdoms of this world " shall " become the kingdoms of our Lord ;nd of his Christ" (Rev. xi. 15). 2. Its duration. Solomon's was a long reign and would have been much longer (eh. iii. 14) had he been faithful. But He who' shall possess" the throne of his father David"" shall reign over the house of Jacob/or e~~r, and of his kingdom th~re s~all be no end" (Luke i. 32, 88 ; cf. Dan. ii. 44; Yu. 14, 27; Psa. cxlv. 13 ; Micah 1v. 7). III. THE SUBJECTS. 1. Their number. They were" many,"" as the sand which is by the sea in multitude.'' Compare Dan. vii. 10, '' ten thousand times ten thou- sand stood before him," and Rev. v. 11; vii. 9, "a great multitude which no man could number." 2. Their character. Solomon's sway extended over Gentiles as well as Jews (vers. 21, 24). A foreshadowing of the inclusion of Gentiles in the kingdom of Christ. In the one fold, two flocks (John x. 16). Compare Acts :xx,i. 23 ; xxviii 28; Rom. xi 15 ; Ephes. iii. 6 ; ii. 14, &c. There are three particulars, however, in which the subjects of oru· Lord will differ from those of Solomon. (1) There will be no bondage, no forced labour, none to bear burdens. (2) The free labonr of love will require no rest (eh. v. 14). •The servants who serve Him "rest not day and night'' (Rev. iv. 8), yet keep perpetual sabbath (Heh. iv. 9.) (3) All shall be holy. No Jeroboam shall "lift up his hand" against the Lord. He shall be all and in all. IV. THE REIGN. 1. It was peaceful (ver. 24; cf. eh. v. 4 and 1 Chron.xxii. 9), In Messiah's reign they shall" beat their swords into ploughshares," &c. (Isa. ii. 4). Into His court" neither foe entereth nor friend departeth." He is the King and Prince of Peace (Heh. vii. 2). 2. It was joyous and prosperous. "Eating and drinking and making merry.'' "Ibi festivitas sine fine" (Augustine). And AthanasillS speaks TWV ayiwv 1<a, TWV ayy,~wv ad iopTa,OVTWV, The vine and the fig. tree may remind us of the tree of life with its twelve manner of fruits ; the security (ver. 25) of the pillars in the temple of God (Rev. iii. 12). "In his days Israel shall dwell safely" (Jer. xxiii. 6; cf. Isa. xi. 6-9). That golden age lasted" all the days of Solomon" (ver. 23). That which is to come shall be coeternal with the endless life of the s,Jn of God (Heb. vii. 16; John xiv. 19; Psa. xvi. 11). Ver. 31.-" 'J:he greatest, wisest, meam,est of mam,kind." It is a spirited and glowing description which the historian here gives of Solomon's wisdom. We may believe that it was not without a pardonable pride that he recounted the rich endowments and the widespread fame of Israel's greatest monarch. But it is really one of the saddest chapters in the whole of Scripture-and one of the most instruc- tive. Manifold as were his gifts, marvellous as was his wisdom, they did not preserve him from falling. It is a strange, shuddering contrast, the record of his singular powers and faculties (eh. iv. 29-34), and the story of his shameful end (eh. xi.1-14) How came it to pass that a man so highly gifted and blessed of God made such complete shipwreck of faith and good conscience ; that over the grave of the very greatest and wisest of men must be written, " Fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen from his high estate" ? Let us consider (1) The character of his wisdom; and (2) The causes of his fall. As to (1), observe- !. IT WAS UNPRECEDENTED AND HAS SINCE BEEN UNEQUALLED. The sages of Hebrew antiquity, the shrewd Arabians, the sagacious Egyptians, he has eclipsed them all. "Wiser than all men," such was the judgment of his contemporaries. And such is also the verdict of posterity. At the present day, among Jews, Chris- tians, and Mohammedans, no fame equals his. Among the wise men of the world Solomon stands facile princeps. II. IT WAS PRODIGIOUS. To the writer it seemed inexhaustible, illimitable. He can only compare it to "the sand that is on the sea shore;" and he could hardly use a more forcible illustration of its boundless and infinite extent. III. IT WAS VARIED AND COMPREHENSIVE. It was both scientific and sententious. He was at once philosopher and poet. Nothing was too great and nothing too small for him. It is seldom that a man excels in more than one or two branches of CH, IV, 20-34.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 79