Sermon – “The Conclusion of the Whole Matter”

3 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem. ² Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. ³ And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.

⁴ Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

⁶ And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. ⁷ Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. ⁹ Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

¹⁰ The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. ¹¹ Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, ¹² behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. ¹³ And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. ¹⁴ So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

²⁶ Solomon had forty^[h] thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. ²⁷ And these governors, each man in his month, provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. ²⁸ They also brought barley and straw to the proper place, for the horses and steeds, each man according to his charge.

²⁹ And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. ³⁰ Thus Solomon’s wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. ³² He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. ³³ Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. ³⁴ And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

we do thank you and praise you so much for your presence in our lives. Father God we thank you that your demonstrated your love towards us and if you allowed your own son to come to die in our place to take our sins upon himself. Father the. We don’t deserve that the father. That’s how great your love is we thank you for. While our pray that your spirit will God would just have complete control of this service. But also upon our lives. While the May we glorify you or let every word be spoken. Me to be from your throne room father let her bring you glory and honor. While or just a humble myself before you and I pray that we would all humble ourselves before you. That would be. Be faithful to you Father faithful and all of our ways. In Jesus’ name amen. As I said there I realize I’m going to have my work cut out for me this morning. Because I’m going to have my work cut out trying to hold your attention is out a room was coming up from downstairs. Because it’s snowing good already. So I do have my work cut out I’m going to have to. Maybe I’ll be loud and now. Maybe not the conclusion of the whole matter is a title my sermon today but you won’t hear that really too I get to the end. As I bring my sermon to a conclusion. First Kings Chapter three verses one through fourteen. To have your Bibles want to read along us fine but it will be on the screen also to hear the word of the Lord. Now Solomon. Made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married Pharaoh’s daughter. Then he brought her to the City of David. Until he had finished building his own house and the House of the Lord. And the wall around Jerusalem. Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places. Because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days and Solomon love the Lord. He took after his father David didn’t he love the Lord. Walking in the statutes of his father David. Except that he sacrifice and burn incense at the high places. Now the king went to give be in to sacrifice their for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings will not alter at giving in the Lord appeared to Solomon a dream by night. And God said. Ask what shall I give you. God didn’t put any limits on that he just said to Solomon What shall I give you think of this Solomon could have asked for anything. And Solomon said. You have shown great mercy to your servant David. My father because he walked before you in truth in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with you. You have continued this great kindness for him. And you have given him a son to sit on His throne. As it is this day. Now Lord my God you have made your servant king instead of my father David. But I am a little child I do not know how to go out or to come in and your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen a great people too numerous to be numbered are counted therefore give to your servant an understanding hard to judge your people that I may discern between good and evil for who is able to judge this great people of yours. The speech please the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him. Because you have asked this thing. And have not ask for a long life for yourself. He could have said Father all that I might live to be a hundred fifty but he didn’t. He says nor how do you ask. Riches for yourself. Nor have you asked the life of your enemies. That’s impressive. Because how many today would say father. I pray that you send a disease among those ISIS people that you would not hold stone fall down out of haven’t destroyed them. But he didn’t even ask for that that is enemies would be destroyed. But have asked for yourself. Understanding to discern justice. Behold ob done according to your words. See I have given you a wise and understanding hard. So that there has not been any one like you before you. Nor shall any like you will rise after you. And I have also given you what you have not ask. Both riches and on are so that there shall not be any one like you among the Kings. All your days. So if you walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments as your father David walked. Then I will lengthen your days. He got what he did not ask for I will lengthen your days. If you will walk in my ways to keep my stats you to my commandments. As your father David did. Amen he got out his blessings to the hearing and reading of His Holy Word. You know Solomon here. Whenever God posed this question to him he’s this in the beginning stages of his reign as king. And you know oftentimes you’ll people will tell you when you’re redistrict years you know you find a verse that really jumps out at you but you really should read a few verses before and least a few verses after why I’m going to say here to get a good grasp on Solomon on his wisdom and on his reign. Read a couple or few chapters before and a few chapters after really to give a great understanding of all that this entails. Solomon’s path to the throne did not come easily it did not come without a little controversy or little family strife. If you read earlier trapper’s which is only the third chapter if you read the first couple you’ll find that his father David had become. He’d become ill. He was well advanced in years. Is what the Scripture says. And he was unable to keep warm. Because of his illness. So he was very near death and ate the servants kept they would pile blankets on top of King David to try to keep him warm but that did not help. So they decided to Munson cells. We need to find a young beautiful Virgine to come in and care for the king to wait on him but also to lay with the king to keep him warm. That’s all she was to do is keep him warm. So they found a young beautiful servant to try to keep him warm. But here’s the thing. Solomon had an elder brother. His older brother Adam Najah. The son of hug if he too saw that his father was near death. He saw that the end was near. And he conspired in his mind that I am going to exult myself as king. He also conferred with Joab King David’s military advisor and Jill Aba greed to help him in is Concord his quest to become king. He also met with Avatar the priest who two agreed to help out and so all these things were already. They were set in motion. Out of Nigeria. Had horsemen and had men run before him to declare unself King. So all these sayings were already taken place. So what happened attorneys things around. While I’m sure that most of you know that when God is in control. He will intercede. To make sure that things happen the way he planned for things to happen. That’s whenever God. Prompted the faithful prophet Nathan to step in. So Nathan went and spoke with bus Sheba solemn as solemn as mother and informed her about what Adam Nigel was doing. And he says. You need to go and speak with David. Because David proclaimed that Solomon your son would be king. After you. So you need to go speak with David and let him know what added knowledge is doing. So she did she went before the king she bow before him. And she told him what out analogy was doing and she said did you not say that my son Solomon would be King after he says yes I did. And Nathan also command to confirm what Betsy Bill was telling David. So then the king made a decree. Told them exactly what to do to make Solomon King. And at the king’s order. It was done because what the King said. Stood. So out of Niger then he when he found out the King David said a Solomon was going to be king he came in fell down before Solomon and asked Solomon to have it he may have peace in let him live. Solomon was known as. I’m not going to get this word right. Shake I’m Michael. Haha dumb. Which means. Wisest of all. Man. Solomon was wisest of all men. The Bible tells us that kings from all over the world. Came to hear his wisdom which included not only Torah wisdom. But wisdom in secular knowledge and in science. That’s how great his wisdom was Solomon’s rain was kind of a pinnacle. In Jewish history. Kids if you don’t know what pinnacle is it’s a high place. Solomon’s rain was. The height for Jewish history. The entire Jewish nation or Israel is relates Israelite nation. Was united. Because you know oftentimes they were divided you have the Northern key then kingdom in a southern kingdom. But during Solomons reign they reunited. The neighbors around. Israel did not bother them. They had peace on every side. They were not a war of course we realize it. One of the reasons they weren’t at war is because Solomon took the wives of the kings around them or took as wives daughters of the kings around them. So many the kings around him was his father in law. But not only did these other nations all around them not come in war against them. They can to listen to Solomon. To hear of his wisdom. He was able to teach them. You know that it was God’s intent that the nation of Israel would not just. He did not just set them apart. As a special people. He set them apart that he that they would reveal him to the other nations. That was their true goal. That they would reveal God to the other nations that it no other nations would see their faithfulness. Then they would turn to God. But too often a nation of Israel allowed the other nations to influence them. Instead of them influence in the other nations. So in a sense. During Solomon’s rain that’s why is the pinnacle. Because all these other nations. The leaders coming to Israel to Solomon. To learn from them to learn from him. So that’s why it’s the pinnacle of Israel’s history. There were in a sense. The light to the other nations have any of you ever had a time in your life. When you made a decision that turned out to be the. The pinnacle of your life. You know decision were you that you look back upon and say wow that was the best thing that I ever did or that was the best decision that I ever made. Men. You might be saying yes to marry that wonderful wife I have the best decision I ever made or of my. Some might say without. That was a great sis’s never made that job that I’ve taken. Has turned out to be a wonderful decision. But I only hope that you say. The greatest decision I ever made was to follow Jesus. Because that’s the best decision I ever made. There’s lots of little ones. But nothing compares with that war passage today reveals the best decision to Solomon ever made. Whenever God said to him What shall I give you how many would have asked for riches. How many would have asked for the long life. But not Solomon. Therefore give to your servant. An understanding heart. To judge your people that I may discern between good and evil. Proves able to judge this great people viewers. What an awesome thing to ask. We can ask the same thing. Nor give me an understanding heart nor to help me to reveal your love to others. Help me know what I need to know to share your love. Give me understanding. You know God did and did indeed bless Solomon. Because of his humble unselfish request. It is said of him that his wisdom was more glorious. Then all of his wealth. His wisdom was more glorious than his wealth. He compose more than three thousand Proverbs. Proverbs twenty seven one says Do not boast about tomorrow. For you do not do not know what a day may bring forth. That’s just one proverb. One little bit of wisdom. Walk could we but why should we boast about tomorrow we don’t know what tomorrow will bring said Lord help me. For today. When I know you’ll take care of tomorrow. He wrote one hundred and are not one hundred one thousand and five songs. Most of which have been lost. Whenever I was much younger. Young father. Much younger. Here. She’s care I got that look. I began to work with a a gentleman named Len. I work with him at the railroad but he an OS door to doing carpentry work together. Some of heard some of the story. But there were many things that we did. We would do an article work we would do a lot of plumbing work. We would do. Concrete work. We would lay blocks. We would frame things we would do roofs we would just dual wide assortment of different things and Glenn was kind of a jokester and. He liked to kid kid around. So he would often call me a jack of all trades but an expert at nine. And that’s true. I do have you know even today with our automobiles. I don’t consider my ex. Myself an expert out I’m. There are some things that I’ll tackle I’ll do but there’s other things that I’m taken at the cousin rip because that’s too big a job for me to see if I was an expert at it I’d be able to do it all. So I am not an expert at it. Glenn’s right. So that may be true of myself. But it is not true of King Solomon. He was an expert at many things. I could probably go out on a limb and say he was an expert at all things. First Kings four twenty nine through thirty three says. And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding. What’s exceedingly mean. Abundant overflowing. A bounding understanding. But he also gave him a says and largeness of heart. Like the same and on the sea shore. Wow. Law. Miss of hard. I think that could be one of the most important things we could ask for an arduous of heart burst thirty. The Solomons wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the east. And all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men. Then Ethan the as a right. Then hot. He called Call. And guard the sons of my whole. And his fame was in all the surrounding nations. He spoke. Three thousand proverbs and songs were one thousand and five. He also spoke of trees from the cedar trees of Lebannon even to the his SOP that springs out of the wall. He spoke also of animals. Of birds of creeping things. And a fish. So he could be considered an arbor. An arborist. That is an expert. Concerning tree. Sed he was a zoo ologists. Because he was an expert on animals. He was a botanist a plan expert. We know that he definitely was an architect. Look at the temple. The temple was the crowning achievement of Solomon’s rain. That temple was built and not one. Sound of a hammer chisel was heard at the site of the temple. Every stone was caught off site and brought in and fit perfectly. It is said of the temple. You know that it was all stone outside but it is said inside not a stone was seen. Because it was all covered. Floor. Floor. Wall ceiling. Yeah I got that backwards and it was covered from top to bottom with wood now with my little bit a carpenter expertise. Today I know this hard to fasten stuff to stone and concrete. I wonder what did he use. He didn’t have liquid nail. But he was an expert at it. Not only that he could probably be considered a psychiatry or psychologist because we kind of spoke of this and saddest call but I had it down here early in his reign. Two women came before King Solomon. Two women who live together two harlots. But the child a child. Just a few days apart. And one woman. She roll over and lay on her child at night. And that child died. So when she realized her child was dead she gets up and she places her dead child in the bosom of the other woman and takes her alive child. KATES it. Well when the woman woke up in the morning and sees the dead child after C. examines it she knew that it wasn’t her child. So here are the two women come before King Solomon. One is saying that. Tell me what happened it. Her child died in the middle of the night and she switched children and the other woman says no the live one is mind the dead one is yours and back and forth they went in the wisdom of Solomon he said. Bring me a sword. Bring me a sordid I might cut this child into and give one half to one and one half to the other. Will we know what happen to woman whose was truly the mother the child says no. Give her the child. Why because she did up the child. The other woman didn’t. She love the child so he knew. How heart worked. He was a psychologist or psychiatrist whichever you want to look at he was an expert at all things Solomon did not have this great wisdom just to impress others either. It says he spoke of. He shared the knowledge God gave them. He shared it with others. That’s what we’re to do with the knowledge we have share with others. Not concerning his wealth. First Kings four twenty six and twenty through twenty eight. Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. And these governors each man and his mom provided food for the king. For King Solomon in for all who came to King Solomon’s table. There was no lack in their supply. They also brought barley and strong to the proper place for the horses and steeds. Each man according to his charge and then his provisions. These are for one day one day’s provision. Verse twenty two twenty three. Now Psalms provision for one day. Was thirty Corps a fine flower. That is approximately sixty six gallons of fine flour. Every day sixty cores of meal. Which is about one hundred thirty two gallons of meal. Twenty three. Wait a minute. That was my first number ten ten. Fadden. See I can mess up. Ten Fadden ox. Twenty ox from the pasture so that is thirty. Ox. Daily. One hundred sheep. Besides deer gazelle Roebuck’s and fatten file. And this is just provision for Solomon’s house. Were should call it a palace. For one day. That’s not for the entire kingdom that is for his palace. For one day. Thirty oxen of course now we got to remember how many Wasn’t concubines he had. And that’s a lot of little ones been running around. Plus all the visitors of a come. We have the power. That’s a lot of provisions. Psalm with all of his resources had opportunity to test. Various ways to seek happiness didn’t eat. He had great wealth. Therefore if he saw any thing that is eyes desired he could say I want that and it was his. No question about it. He had great power. He commanded it. It would happen. He could do anything he wanted to do. He could test to see if things brought him pleasure. He could he could there was nothing. That would be withheld from him he could seek and find pleasure anywhere he wanted. But if we turn to the Book of Ecclesiastes it deals with the purpose of life. We deal. It deals with what he found out after seeking all these things. It seeks to answer the question. What should man do. During his time. Under the sun. What should man do during his time when to serve. Solomon tested it all. So after Solomon tested all these things. He realize what the true purpose of man’s life when Earth was he pleads he asked these Chapter twelve years as a through fourteen. He says Vanity of vanities says a preacher. All is vanity. And moreover because the preacher was wise. He still taught. The people knowledge yes he pondered saw it all and said in a word or many Proverbs. The preacher sought to find acceptable words. And what was written was upright. Words of truth. The words of the wise or like goads in the words of us of scholars or like well driven nails. Given by one shepherd. And further my son. Be admonished by these of making many books there is no end and much study is worth some to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep His commandments for this is man’s all. There is the answer to the conclusion of it all fear God and keep His commandments for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment including every secret thing whether good or evil. I found a little sorts of seeking wisdom. Let every student. Be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God in Jesus Christ which is eternal life. John seventeen three. And therefore to lay Christ at the bottom. As the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing the Lord. Only give us wisdom that everyone says seriously said himself by prayer in secret to seek it of him to seek it of God. And I had made a note to read a passage that actually they used in Sabbath’s Little’s Sabbath school this morning. James Chapter one verses five and six. If any of you lacks wisdom. Let him ask of God who gives to all liberally. And without reproach. And it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea. Driven in tossed by the wind friend you know just looking at Solomon’s life. God intended for us to enjoy his creation. You know. Building things. Is a good thing. Studying books is a wonderful thing writing books. Is a wonderful thing to do all the things that we set our mind to do can be a good thing. It can big. Good things. Building a temple. Could be a good thing. Seeking our careers. Can be a good thing. But the conclusion of the matter is we don’t put these things ahead of God. That is the conclusion that’s what he’s saying here is God you’re all. Is God you’re all. Or have you made these things these things that you seek after you’re all that is the conclusion. Make sure that that what you seek after earnestly is that relationship with God seek him. That is the conclusion of the whole matter. And that’s my per today that he is your all. That is doming the main question is Gary. Preached on one time the main thing to main thing. And keep in the main thing the main thing is that God is our all that he is what we earn Asli seek after and desire that we walk in His ways that we fear God. And keep His commandments. Because if we fear him. We love him. If we fear him. We will walk in His ways. We will keep His commandments. To search your hearts. Have you let the things of the world. Come between you and God. If you have I pray that you will ask God to forgive you. I’ve done it myself. I’ve let the things of the world come between me and God of times. But ask God to forgive you and he is faithful and just to forgive you. Lay before him today in Seek wisdom see Gunder standing. Because he will give it. He will give it a man.