A Wise King

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0:00Now, before I preach, I'd like to provide us some context. Is my voice clear? Is it clear? Okay. That's probably the most important thing, in my opinion. So the great King David has just, he's passed away, he died. And the covenant that God made with this King David, however, remained. And God's promise to establish an eternal kingdom through the offspring of David would be kept. And if we look, when we are to look in 2 Samuel chapter 23, verses 3 to 5, King David describes the character of his successor, of the next king.

0:57He says, When he rules justly, he will, over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. King David was a very poetic man. And that was in 2 Samuel 3, or 23. Now, when we get to 1 Kings chapter 3, in the first half, verses 1 through 15, which I won't be reading today, but to provide more context, we learn that God offers Solomon, that he'd give him whatever he asks for.

1:46And Solomon, before he makes his request known to God, Solomon begins with a prayer of adoration. He humbles himself and reminds God of his steadfast love and his goodness. And then, he asks for an understanding mind to govern people between good and evil. That is in verse 9 of 1 Kings 3. I believe I might... So far, so good. So far, we like this man. And God likes this man. God is so pleased with Solomon's petition that he gives him additional things that he doesn't even ask for.

2:40God gives Solomon... Not only he gives him the wisdom that he asks for, but he gives him riches and honor. He gives him a lot of money and a lot of popularity. And so, I believe that those were the means that Solomon needed to begin his kingly ministry. Those three means. Wisdom, riches, and honor. Now, I will read from 1 Kings. That was the context. I appreciate you listening to the context. Let's read now. I'll read 1 Kings 3, 16 through 28. Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

3:32The one woman said, Oh, my Lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth, and we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house. Only we, too, were in the house. And this woman's son died in the night because she lay on him. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me while your servant slept and laid him at her breast and laid her dead son at my breast.

4:16When I arose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he wasn't. He was not the child that I had born. But the other woman said, No, the living child is mine and the dead child is yours. And the first said, No, the dead child is yours and the living child is mine. Thus they spoke before the king. Then the king said, Okay, well, the one says, This is my son that is alive and your son's dead.

4:57And the other says, No, no, but your son's dead and my son is the living one. And the king said, Well, bring me a sword. A sword was brought before the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two and give half to the one and half to the other. Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, Because her heart yearned for her son, Oh, my lord, give her the living child and by no means put him to death. But the other said, He shall be neither mine nor yours.

5:38Divide him. Then the king answered and said, Give the living child to the first woman and by no means put him to death. She is his mother. And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered. And they stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Would it be okay if I pray first? Our gracious Father, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for being our rock, being our refuge.

6:29We adore you for you created all things. You created and provided for all of our needs. In and of every season, you are always with us. And, Lord, as I preach, I pray alongside my family at All Saints, as we pray for new creation regularly, we thank you for this church that is like a city on top of a hill, a light for all the others to see their good works so that they may point all to Christ and that our Father, and that our Father would be glorified.

7:25And, Lord, we give you all the glory and honor and praise now. I pray in Jesus' name. So the Holy Spirit, through this text, illuminates this broad point that the people of God need a wise king. We really do need a wise king. One reason we need a wise king is because the people of God have real and actual concerns. Second reason we need a wise king is because we, the people of God, regard highly solid answers. And lastly, the people of God need a wise king because we need consistency in our lives, and we need that forever.

8:28Okay. So, one, the people of God, we do need a wise king because our concerns are real and actual. I'm going to list a few. Let me know if, does any of these ring a bell? One, how do I tell my parents something that they told me not to do? Two, is gambling a good way to make a living? Three, which school do we send our children to? And, four, how do I fire an employee who I regret hiring? And, fifth one, a concern is to wear makeup or to not wear makeup.

9:20Some of us might be hearing these concerns for the very first time, or possibly the hundredth time. And, inside, we may be scoffing or laughing at them, like, really, is that a concern? And, they are. They are. Sadly, our concerns are dismissed or overlooked. We have been told that our concerns are too small or too shameful. We grow up hearing that. Not all of us, some of us have grown up hearing that. And, I want us to, I want to remind us here this morning, just because it has happened doesn't mean that it's okay.

10:08It isn't really, it is not okay. We are all learning and growing. We might know someone who, whenever we start to tell them our concerns, somehow this man or woman knows everything we're about to say. He or she cuts us off and finishes the rest of our sentences. And, that is also an actual concern. And, the people of God are truly and really burdened by some concerns that are heavy. And, they take a toll on, they take a toll on our health, and they take a toll on our relationships.

10:48And, my friends, who neglect or ignore your own concerns, this is what separates us, some of us, from these prostitutes. The women, in this story, approach a king with their concerns. And, that's what separates some of us from them. We, some of us are not approaching anyone with our concerns. And, despite the prostitutes' occupation, yes, their occupation is sinful. And, yes, their children were conceived in a sinful act. And, yet, they still seek wisdom.

11:43They visit a counselor. They visit a mediator. And, for us here, thinking, but these women sell their bodies. They could use the wisdom. May I? Anytime we've had a tiny, even the tiniest lustful thought, or slipped the most unchaste, perverse, or impure word, speech, or performed an immoral act with someone else, or by ourselves, we, too, were acting like prostitutes. Whenever we corrupt our bodies, whenever we corrupt ourselves to unworthy purposes, that is, by definition, prostitution.

12:43And so, because we've all committed this, what makes some of us different from the prostitutes is that some of us are really not truly seeking wisdom for the concerns we have. We'll eat when we're hungry. We'll drink when we're thirsty. But we won't seek wisdom when we're concerned. We've become so proud and wise in our own eyes.

13:17And this is what the Holy Spirit wants to remind the people of God this morning. We possess real and actual concerns, practically, financially, spiritually, emotionally. They're all Korean. They all end with Lee. So, people of God, please share your concerns. Seek wisdom. James chapter 1, verse 5, tells us, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. And see, the prostitutes approached a king who received the wisdom of God with their concerns.

14:13And before I move on, I want to add one last sub-point. Our concerns are not too low. Even if they are low, they're not too low. Solomon wasn't too good. King Solomon wasn't too mighty and high or too busy or too positive vibes only for the prostitutes. He met with them. And the people of God then can grow an increase in expectation for more love from a wiser and a better king who will meet with us, hear our defenses, and he won't interrupt us. And because we have concerns, real and actual ones, we need a wise king.

15:06And the second point I'd like to make is how highly we, the people of God, appreciate solid, concrete answers. One of the prostitutes in this story represents the people of God. She highly regarded God's wisdom inside of King Solomon. Why? Why do God's people highly regard solid answers?

15:41Because life is challenging enough without sound teachings. And it is, I believe it's, and I don't know about us, it's reasonable for us to want or prefer solid answers. And think about the questions I asked earlier. How do I tell my parents that I did something they told me not to do? Answer, with fear and trembling and with confidence that they love you. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 4. Is gambling a good way to earn money? Answer, if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

16:272 Thessalonians chapter 3. What kind of school do we send our children to? Follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4, 19. Or, so that we may no longer be children tossed and fro by the waves and carried out by every wind of doctrine, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. Ephesians 4. How do I fire an employee who I regret hiring? Answer, let your words be gracious and seasoned with salt. Colossians 4, 6.

17:15Proverbs 15, 1. A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Make up or no make up. Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. And then circumstantially, if you need to, if you want to wear your makeup on, please put on makeup.

17:43Life is proved and is proving to be increasingly challenging as answers become floppier and flimsier. We live in a society when we're texting someone and asking, are you home? And we're getting responses like, no, I'm at peace. It's clever, but it's so confusing. When we settle to accept lesser, cheaper, or subpar answers for the concerns, the actual and real concerns that we hold, oftentimes we feel unfulfilled and disappointed. What kind of judge, what kind of judge would declare a man half guilty or half innocent or semi-innocent?

18:45What would benefit a prospective candidate applying for a job with an iffy background check? A verdict must be firm, solid, or the man may never get a job or he may always get a job.

19:07Husbands, when we did get down on one knee and asked, would you marry me, it drew and it compelled a solid, I will or no, I won't answer. Anyone old enough here to have gone on a date or asked someone to a school dance, yes or no, right? We would have appreciated that concrete answer and only to say that couples can start the wedding planning process couples can begin planning dates or, you know, many other occasions so forth with more assurance and competence.

19:57And when I say that we prefer and appreciate solid answers, I'm not only, I'm not saying that they have to be black and white, but I am saying that they must be nuanced nuanced and clear. You know, I walked across the Belle Isle, the bridge that connects, you know, that goes over the James River at Belle Isle and from the top of the bridge I could see the floor of the James River. We get to see the nuances of the floor of the river very clearly. That was the illustration that why we appreciate such clarity and nuance because it indicates something is well thought out and well crafted, carefully crafted.

20:49It is hard to deny the beauty of diamonds sparkling under the right light, right? and in the palace of the king here, only one of the prostitutes came in wanting to leave with this diamond of truth and justice. She sought the wisdom of God and she received as her reward the living child, not so much the other prostitute. And so the wisdom of God led to a relationship being restored. There is clearly an illustration of consummation in this picture, a restoration.

21:38And the wisdom of God, whether you're blue-collar, white-collar, poor, rich, educated, or uneducated, old or young, the people of God, we appreciate solid, concrete truths. Proverbs 8, chapter 8, verse 11 tells us, for wisdom is better than jewels and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. Wisdom. And the third and last point is this.

22:20The people of God need a wise king who will remain consistent and that he will remain consistent forever. I am going to go ahead, but when we read beyond 1 Kings chapter 3 from chapters 4 through 10, we will be shown the extent of Solomon's kingship, power, his powerful kingship. Solomon had hired 12 officers to serve him and his family, one officer per month of the year. Solomon's ruling attached, not attached, it stretched from the Euphrates to the Philistines to the border of Egypt, and men from all over came to listen to Solomon teach on, at the time it was important, birds and reptiles and trees, and Solomon was very powerful enough to hire tens of thousands stone cutters and what they were called burden bearers to build the temple, and he employed thousands of officers.

23:36Solomon had a lot going on for him. We can, it's pretty undeniable, it's unprecedented, and that fact alone makes what I'm about to tell us even sadder. The opening words of 1 Kings chapter 11 are Solomon, now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh, and then there's a list of the woman he loved. And the Lord had said to the people of Israel, you shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.

24:27Solomon clung to these women in love. He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and his wives turned away his heart. We can read further on to see that Solomon stopped following the Lord. another disappointing story of an amazing prospect. He wound up becoming an inconsistent king and held office for such a short time.

25:14The means of riches, honor, and wisdom did not satisfy Solomon, nor did they save Solomon. And that is why Solomon can't satisfy God, nor can he satisfy God's people. And it's surprising because I think that this really, it's hard to grasp, it just doesn't make sense. How could a lot of money not satisfy or save somebody or wealth or riches or honor.

25:59And I am here to tell us here, friends, we still need a king and those of us who are concerned and acknowledged that we have a need for a king will receive your reward. Like the mother who goes home with her son, so too will the people of take home the living child.

26:32This child grows up to say that he is greater than Solomon, as we read in Matthew chapter 12. He is a greater king, a king who will remain intact, remain consistent. A king, he'll be a king to us, he'll be faithful to us, he'll be faithful to his work, he'll be faithful to his ministry, he'll be faithful to his people, he's a king who will not fail, a king who will be perfect in every season, under all circumstances, a king who will persevere in the face of persecution, a king who will give up his riches, he will give up his own riches, and his own honor to save his people, a king who will fulfill the description of his heavenly father, a king who will never die, and yes, a king who will never be voted out of office.

27:40In the movie Titanic, when one of the captains turns the lifeboat around at the very end to search for more survivors, he yells out over the Atlantic Ocean, over the lifeless, floating bodies, is anybody out there, there, can anyone hear me? I don't know if you remember that scene, but I do still clearly, is anybody out there, can he hear us? And the answer is King Solomon's wisdom, King Solomon's failures, they point us all to call upon and trust in another son of David, his name is Jesus, Jesus calls us to come to him, to take refuge in him, and to put our concerns and anxieties on him.

28:36He is safe. We are told that by faith our guilt for disobeying his father is pardoned. Jesus, who knew no sin, yet he becomes like a naked adulterer. by taking on our corruption, my corruption. Why? Because to be accepted by his father, we must be robed with the righteousness of Christ. Jesus goes from becoming like a prostitute to becoming a sure substitute. he dies in our place. How so? Well, Christ was nailed on a tree. He was crucified and then buried and continued under the power of death for a time, three days to be exact, and he fulfills the office of a king in his estate of humiliation before rising from the grave on the third day and ascending up to heaven, Christ now sits at the right hand of his father.

29:57He is now fulfilling the office of a king in his estate of exaltation. Friends, this is the good news for us. I hope we can breathe a sigh of relief, a sigh of gratitude. we can finally and seriously trust in a king who we need. And indeed, he is greater than Solomon, greater than Solomon because Jesus could take the complete wrath of his father, which Solomon nor you nor I can ever do.

30:43And then Jesus is greater because he can not only take the complete wrath of God, but he can give the people of God the assurance of pardon by forgiving our sins.

30:59Solomon, you nor I cannot forgive each other's sin. We can forgive one another in Christ, but we can't take away the guilt eternally. The appropriate response, therefore, to this good news, there's only one appropriate response. And it is to leave today with this child, to trust in this child, to take home Jesus with you. It is to receive him by faith alone. And God discerns every heart in this room. He understands all of us here, what we are here for, but God knows our greatest need and he fulfills it.

31:46in the Shorter Catechisms Westminster, effectual calling is the work of God's spirit, whereby he convincing us of our sin and misery. He convinces us first of our sin and misery. He enlightens our minds in the knowledge of Christ. And then he renews our wills. He does persuade us and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. And it is by grace truly, as we read earlier, it is by grace we are saved through faith in the wisdom of God who Paul calls Christ.

32:41And so this morning or afternoon we may leave with more concerns, we have concerns, but that only tells us that we are satisfied with the answers we currently hold and I'm encouraging all of us, nudging us to trust in Christ and seek him as the wisdom we need, the wise king we need. And friends from this text, we saw that the people of God truly need a wise king. The people of God have real concerns, people of God highly regard and appreciate solid concrete truths, sound teaching, and ultimately, ultimately, we need Jesus, a wise king who is consistent and eternal.

33:40Let's pray. Our Father, you are, you showed us that Christ is the power and the wisdom of God. And I pray that we'd all acknowledge that and be enabled and persuaded to embrace Christ freely offered to us in the life, death, the story, the good news of the life, death, and resurrection ascension and promise to return to judge us all on the last day.

34:39God, would the good news be so good to us now? And if anyone doesn't know Christ, I pray that you'd call them now and that you'd call them by name and draw near to him or her so that he or she may appropriately respond with a concrete, solid yes. And for us who already have been following you for so long, may this be another wonderful, refreshing reminder that we need to come to you as our mediator and to seek wisdom that is more precious than jewels because we have received a union with Christ forever by faith in him.

35:35And thank you, Lord, for all of this. I pray in Jesus' name.