Wisdom, Peace, and Plenty

Chapter 4 shows the order and blessing of Solomon's early reign. He had a cabinet of officials: Azariah the priest, scribes, a recorder, Benaiah over the army, and officers over the household and the forced labor. Twelve district officers each supplied the palace for one month, so the work was shared across the land.

The writer shows that God's promises were coming true. The people were as many as the sand by the sea, just as God promised Abraham. They ate, drank, and rejoiced. Solomon's rule reached from the River to Philistia and the border of Egypt, and other kingdoms brought tribute. Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

Above all, God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore. He was wiser than Ethan, Heman, and the famous men of his day. He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered one thousand and five. He taught about trees, animals, birds, creeping things, and fish. All this wisdom came as a gift from God. In the New Testament, Paul says that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).