The Wisdom of Christ and His Word
Jul 25, 2019
The reign of Solomon is a prophetic type of the reign of Christ in His role as the Prince of Peace. Solomon’s name means “peaceable,” from shalom, “peace.” Though the last half of Solomon’s reign was evil, the first part was good.
In 2 Chronicles 1:7 it says,
7 In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”
Solomon’ response is given in verse 10,
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can rule this great people of Thine?
God commended him for his request, because Solomon’s priorities were good. He knew what was important. 2 Chronicles 1:11, 12 says,
11 And God said to Solomon, “Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth, or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people, over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed, nor those who will come after you.”
Solomon’s wisdom was so abundant that word spread to all parts of the earth. So we read in 2 Chronicles 9:22, 23,
22 So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 23 And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
The kings of the earth were not conquered and forced by any military power but by Solomon’s wisdom. Secular historians tell us that this was just propaganda that Solomon’s scribes were attributing to him. They are unimpressed because the scribes of other nations, in similar manner, had flattered many kings throughout history. But Scripture does not flatter anyone. Whoever wrote the Chronicles recorded Solomon’s later foolishness as well.
The Queen of Sheba
The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s wisdom and came to see for herself (2 Chronoicles 9:1, 5, 6, 7). She is a type of the kingdoms who will yet desire to learn the law of God, as prophesied in Isaiah 2:2, 3,
2 Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain [kingdom] of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from [New] Jerusalem.
Isaiah tells us that “the law will go forth from Zion,” which is how the people will learn “His ways.” In other words, if we want to know “His ways,” we need to study the law, which is the foundational revelation of the Word of God as a whole.
This is what the queen of Sheba wanted to hear. This is what all the kings of the earth wanted to hear. All were impressed, not only with the knowledge of the law but its wisdom. Many who study the law fail to comprehend its wisdom. They do not truly understand it, mostly because they do not approach it through the New Covenant, nor do they see it through Jesus’ eyes. But if we truly understand it, we will be given wisdom.
Peaceful Kingdom Growth
We are not told specifically that Solomon was given understanding of the law, but all of the types and shadows point to this, especially in the prophecy of Isaiah above. We see this also in the ministry of Jesus, who impressed the rabbis in the temple when He was just twelve years old (Luke 2:46, 47). The reign of Christ in the Tabernacles Age will manifest this wisdom in a greater way to all nations. His Kingdom will increase and encompass other nations, not because of military conquest but because the kings of the earth will recognize His wisdom.
So Daniel 2:35 says that the “stone” (Christ and His Kingdom) will grow into “a great mountain” until it “filled the whole earth.” His Kingdom will not immediately fill the whole earth. It will be a process, because He will draw the nations by His love and wisdom, rather than by military conquest. Nations will be drawn by love, not driven by fear.
Recall that King David was not allowed to build the temple, because he had “shed much blood and have waged great wars” (1 Chronicles 22:8). God had helped David to subdue his enemies, for that was his particular calling, but Solomon was a prince of peace. Building “a house of prayer for all the peoples” (Isaiah 56:7) required a prince of peace, not a man of war. David’s calling was nationalistic, whereas Solomon’s was international, or global. The nation had to be secured and defended first before the Kingdom could be extended internationally.
True Wisdom
Paul says that the wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes, even as the wisdom of God appears foolish to men (1 Corinthians 1:20-25). The difference is that men seek wisdom through the carnal mind (“man,” or self-identity), whereas the wisdom of God can be found only through the inner spiritual “man” (1 Corinthians 2:14, 15).
For this reason, even if men know that wisdom comes from the study of Scripture, they still cannot receive wisdom apart from the revelation imparted by the Holy Spirit to one’s spirit. The Greek philosophers sought wisdom through the power of the soul, which they believed to be immortal and sacred, but the soul, Paul says, cannot comprehend the things of the Spirit of God. The Jews sought wisdom through the law, but, as with the Greeks, they sought it with the carnal mind and thereby stumbled over the cross (1 Corinthians 1:23).
If the Jews had understood divine logic (logos), they would have seen the wisdom of God in the story of Moses, who sweetened the bitter waters by casting a tree into the pool (Exodus 15:25). If they understood divine logic, they would have seen the same wisdom portrayed in the prophets, for Elijah cast a stick into the Jordan River to recover the lost axe head (2 Kings 6:6).
In both cases, the wood represented the logic of the cross, which made no sense to the carnal mind but made perfect sense to the spiritual mind/self which knows the deep things of God. Having this understanding tells us how to make the bitter heart sweet and how to recover and restore the iron kingdom to its true Owner.
Studying the law with the carnal mind or by hearing the Talmudic interpretations of rabbis who reject the Mediator of the New Covenant cannot impart the true wisdom of God. One may certainly learn from everyone, but one must go beyond their level of understanding to experience the deep things of God.
Nonetheless, Deuteronomy 4:5-8 says,
5 See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 6 So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of all these peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 For what great nation is there that has a God so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? 8 Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?
Solomon asked for wisdom and understanding; God opened his spiritual eyes to know the revelation of the law. When the word got out, the queen of Sheba came, along with all the kings of the earth, for they were drawn by that wisdom. This prophesied of things to come in our own time, for when the Spirit of God is poured out, our eyes will be opened to understand the wisdom in the law. We will come to know Him in ways that we never saw before.
Like Moses, we will know His ways, not merely His acts (Psalm 103:7). Many have seen the mighty acts of God without understanding His ways. In fact, that has been a major problem not only throughout Israel’s history but throughout Church history. We see it in every revival, where the people focus on the miraculous works of God but have no revelation of His law, which reveals His nature and plan to subdue and restore all things.
The Greatest Revival
The greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit in history is looming on the horizon even now. If the Spirit does not reverse the Church’s doctrine of antinomianism (rejection of the law), it will lack the wisdom to know God and to teach the nations of His ways. Even prior to that outpouring, God has already opened the heart and eyes of those who do not reject any portion of the Word. Whatever word we reject we become blinded in that area, and this can be reversed only through prayer and repentance. The revelation of the law has never been grasped by more than a remnant throughout history. But that is about to change, for that is one of the main purposes of this coming revival.
The nations have sought for true wisdom for thousands of years but have not found much of it because they looked in all the wrong places. Christ is our wisdom, and by eating His flesh and drinking His blood, we too may absorb His word, manifest His wisdom, and obtain immortal life with all of its blessings (John 6:53). You become what you eat (absorb). When the nations see the nature of Christ manifested in you, they will want to know how this happened, for whether they realize it or not, this is “the desire of all nations” (Haggai 2:7 KJV).
You may then point to Jesus Christ and the word that reveals His nature. That word is the gospel, which is His flesh.
The Hebrew word for “flesh” is basar. It has a double meaning, for it also means “good tidings, good news”—that is, the GOSPEL.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1320&t=KJV
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=H1319&t=KJV
To hear the gospel of Christ and to believe it, then, is to eat His flesh and become what you eat. You are then changed into His image, and when you teach from your being and your personal experience, rather than just from head knowledge, others are transformed as well.
So let us prepare ourselves to teach all nations when they come to learn of His ways. They will be attracted by the wisdom of God, as depicted in the wisdom of Solomon. By these means, the New Covenant promise will be fulfilled, “they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” (Jeremiah 31:34).