[Biblemat] S) DO ELDERS NEED THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON?

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
files.  Use to the glory of God.

DO ELDERS NEED THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON?

     The wisdom of Solomon is proverbial, and with good reas-
on.  Beside his natural endowment, God gave him a special
dispensation in response to his request (2 Kgs. 3:12).  Wis-
dom was evident in his building projects, in the arrangement
of his government, and in his remarkable literary composit-
ions.  As result of one brilliant solution to a problem, "All Isra-
el heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, and 
they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to 
administer justice" (2 Kgs. 3:28).  "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" (1 Kgs. 4:
34).

     What elder has not wished for the wisdom of Solomon?
And what congregation has not desired leadership possess-
ing such wisdom?

     To younger people especially, elders often seem too reluct-
ant to act and too indecisive to lead.  They feel a need for 
those who are successful in business, education or govern-
ment, hoping that such organizational and administrative skills can 
accomplish the same kind of success that Israel en-
joyed as result of Solomon's wisdom.  The result may indeed
be a growing and widely acclaimed congregation whose build-
ing, budget, program and staff are the talk of the brotherhood
But administrative skill and divine wisdom are not the same,
and the former if exercised exclusively will produce a church
like one to whom the Lord said, "You have a name that you
are alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1).

Solomon's Rule: -- Solomon's kingdom, while appearing succ-
essful on the outside, was dying on the inside.  With all of his
wisdom, Solomon was not wise in his administration of God's
kingdom.  He substituted his own wisdom for the wisdom of
God.  God had anticipated that His people would demand a
king and had stated some things that kings should avoid.  Sol-
omon did precisely wht God had forbidden (Deut. 17:14-20).

     "He shall not multiply horses..." (vs. 16).  Solomon had 
forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots..." (1 Kgs. 4:
26).

     "Nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses..." (vs. 
16).  "And Solomon had horses imported from
Egypt adn Keveh..." (1 Kgs. 10;28).

     "Neither shall he multiply wives for himself..." (vs. 17).  "But King 
Solomon loved many foreign women...And he had
seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concu-
bines..." (1 Kgs. 11:1-3).

     "Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself"
(vs. 16).  "The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly
was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, besides what
the traveling merchants and traders brought.  And all the kings of Arabia and 
governors of the country brought gold
and silver to Solomon" (2 Chron. 9:13,14).

Outward Success But Internal Disintegration: -- Solomon's disregard for God's 
prohibitions gage his kingdom an appear-
ance of strength.  The horses and chariots provided an impre-
ssive army and the seven hundred wives represented valuab-
le alliances with neighboring kings.  His wealth made possible
the building programs for which he is still remembered.

     While diplomatically wise, however, his actions were spirit-
ually foolish.  To please those foreign wives he "went after
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the
abomination of the Ammonites..." and he "built a high place
for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east
of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the people
of Ammon" (1 Kgs. 11:5,7).  "So the Lord became angry with
Solomon" (1 Kgs. 11:9) and raised up adversaries against him.  After his 
death, the nation divided when ten tribes reject-
ed his son as their king because he refused to lighten the load that Solomon 
had placed upon them.  Succeeding kings
were influenced by the idolatry that he introduced, and the
high places he built were a stumbling block to future generat-
ions.

Wise Elders: -- The Lord's church does indeed need wise eld-
ers.  But they need to be wise because they have "known the
Holy Scriptures that are able to make them wise..." (2 Tim. 3:
15).  They need to be wise with "the wisdom that is from above (that is) 
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to 
yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and with-
out hypocrisy" (Jas. 3:17).  They need the wisdom that belongs to "those who 
are of full age, that is, those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both
good and evil" (Heb. 5:14).

     If Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, he eventually realized the
folly of his early life and concluded with this counsel: "Fear
God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty
of man" (Eccl. 12:13).  This is the wisdom needed by those
who lead God's people.   ---- Sewell Hall in Biblical Insights,
Vol. 6, No. 11, Nov. 2006.   </HTML>
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