To Encourage You

1 Kings 4:20-25 “Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 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 . . . For he had dominion over all the region west of the Euphrates from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kings 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.”

What’s the ideal situation in life? What do most people want out of it? I suppose if we were to put it into words, we couldn’t do better than the description of Solomon’s kingdom in the passage above. It was a time of unprecedented prosperity, not only for the king but also for everyone who lived under his rule. Notice that it said that the people all “ate and drank and were happy.” Isn’t that something we all want? Then we are told that Solomon’s kingdom was one which “had peace on all sides around him.” What could be better than that? And then this, it was a world in which everyone “lived in safety,” and in which “every man (lived) under his vine and under his fig tree.” In other words, everyone had personal property. They had something they could call their own. It was as close to an ideal world that one could think of. Again, doesn’t this describe what everyone more or less wants?

So what do we have, by comparison? Well, I suppose you could say that in America today, everyone “eats and drinks.” For the most part, relatively few are going hungry. But are we happy? As we see the world seemingly spinning out of control with the events in Ukraine and the Middle East, are we all at peace? Or are we wondering what comes next as we see this madness unfold before our very eyes. As we watch helplessly as the gas prices, food prices, vehicle prices, and the prices of everything else slowly but surely climb, are we happy about it? Do we feel a sense of safety as the world leaders hint at nuclear war? Are things just like we want them? Again, are we happy with things as they are? And if not, what are we doing about it? What’s the solution to the problems of our world? Do we have any good answers?

Well, many are seeking political solutions. Things would be so much better, they think, if we could just get our political way. The problem is with the Republicans some say, so as soon as the Democrats gain control of everything, all things will be well. Meanwhile the Republicans think that since the power is now theirs, all that needs changed is the wrongheaded policies that the Democrats put in place when they held more sway. The wrangling is never ending. And it won’t end until we get our own way! Don’t you agree? If things would just be managed like we think best, the problems with Ukraine, China, the economy, identity politics, racism, crime, etc., would just go away – or at least get so much better. Oh, to be in a kingdom like Solomon’s. Isn’t that what we all think?

But you know what? The Bible speaks of an even better way than Solomon’s, for it tells us of an even better King. It tells us of a “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). It tells us about a King Who alone is the King of kings that is wiser than Solomon, richer than Solomon, more powerful than Solomon, indeed Who is greater than Solomon in every way, and infinitely so. And to be in His kingdom is to be in a greater kingdom than Solomon’s, with benefits that are far greater than any that were available to those who lived under Solomon’s reign. It’s a reality that we can experience at this very moment, but it is only possible in one Way. We only enter this kingdom by this kingdom first entering us. It’s the realization of the truth that Jesus proclaimed, i.e., “the kingdom of God in in the midst of you.” It was in the midst of the Jews to whom Jesus spoke in the first century, and it’s in the midst of those to whom these same words speak today. For you see, the King is here, for He is omnipresent. And His kingdom is here for all who will submit to Him as their King. It is with that submission, that humbling of ourselves at His feet, that confession that we are sinners estranged from His kingdom because of our sin, and the trust that His death on the cross is the only answer for that sin, that the peace of living in His kingdom will ever come to us. It’s a peace, a prosperity, a joy, a provision of all things we will ever need in the midst of a world that provides anything but these things. It’s only as we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, (that) all these (other) things (all those things that we have been seeking instead of him) will (ever) be added to (us)” (Matthew 6:33).  It’s only as we enter this kingdom that our life can be truly transformed so that we can experience the reality of those like the apostle Paul who could say (from prison, by the way), “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).

The kingdom of God: it’s such a wonderful thing. It is greater than the kingdom of Solomon as heaven is greater than the earth. So, are you in this kingdom, this kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36)? Have you submitted your life to this greatest King? Without this you will never know the peace that surpasses all that the kingdoms of this world can ever provide to us, and a peace that endures, not just in this present world, but for all eternity in the presence of the King of kings.