11(1Kings 10)A Greater Than Solomon is Here
A. Turn to Matthew 12:42
§ Jesus was facing, on a certain day, some enemies.
§ They were scribes and Pharisees. They had questioned him. They had castigated him.
§ They were saying, give us a sign. Prove yourself. And the Lord said a remarkable thing to them.
§ Matthew 12:42 “The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.”
§ Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest man the world had ever known, and Jesus says if you only knew – a greater than Solomon is here.
§ The Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia?) came all the way to Jerusalem to sit and learn from Solomon, and Jesus says if you don’t get right with me, she will rise in judgment and condemn you – a greater than Solomon is here.
B. Imagine their reaction!
§ Why you are a peasant prophet, Solomon was mighty and magnificent.
§ You were born to a carpenter, Solomon to a King; you born in a stable, Solomon in a palace.
§ You were born in little Bethlehem, Solomon in the capital.
§ You have just a seamless garment, Solomon a kingly robe.
§ Solomon had thousands of servants, drank from gold vessels – you get a drink from a harlot, without even anything to draw water with.
§ Solomon was rich – you are a peasant. Solomon had armies – you have a few fishermen.
§ Solomon built great cities – you build chairs and huts.
§ Solomon ate with the Queen of Sheba, you eat with publicans and sinners.
§ Solomon: 1400 chariots, 1200 horsemen, 40,000 horse stalls – you’re lucky to have a donkey.
§ And you have the nerve the audacity to say a greater than Solomon is here?'
I. The Wisdom of Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-3)
§ She said, I'll bring every conundrum, every enigma, every question, every riddle i 'll find out just how intelligent he is.
§ To know how much wisdom he had, all you have to do is read the Book of Proverbs.
§ This man had an incredible mind. For example he knew all about creation.
§ 1 Kings 4:33 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.
§ Here was a man who knew biology. He knew all of these things. He knew botany.
§ But, everything he that he knew about creation, Jesus in his wisdom had created.
§ All things were made by Jesus, and without him was not anything made that was made.
§ Solomon knew about fish – Jesus caused fish to swim into a net that nearly broke.
§ Solomon knew about hydrology and wind cycles, but the lord Jesus Christ spoke to the winds.
§ We've got some learned people here today. Thank God for your knowledge.
§ But I want to tell you that at a greater than you is here! His name is Jesus!
§ If you know all about biology and the study of life, and you don't know Jesus, the giver of life; you’re still ignorant.
§ If you all about botany and the study of flowers and you don't know Jesus; sharon's sweetest rose, my dear friend you're still ignorant.
§ If you know all about geology and the ages of stones, and you don't know Jesus, the rock of ages, my dear friend, i want to tell you - you still have so much to learn.
§ Solomon knew all of that and he said, 'all of this is just vanity to me.'
§ There is one who's mind is greater than all and his name is Jesus.
§ Jesus is greater than Solomon in wisdom but i'll tell you something else she saw.
II. The Works of Solomon (1 Kings 10:4)
§ Not only did she see the wisdom of Solomon, she saw the works of Solomon.
A. Solomon built a great palace. (4)
§ It was an incredible building. If you want to read about that house, put this in your margin right by that verse, 1 Kings 7:2-12. Read about it. It defies description.
§ But Jesus Christ has prepared a better house. You read there in the gospel of John 14.
§ In my father's house. Dear friend, there is glory there is joy.
B. Solomon set a great table. (5)
§ Not only did she see the palace he lived in, he set a table, so magnificent, scrumptious, delectable.
§ But Jesus said, "A greater than Solomon is here."
§ Solomon could set that table, but he couldn't feed 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves.
§ Something else Solomon couldn't do. Solomon could not turn plain water into sparkling wine.
§ Something else that he couldn't do. He could never have satisfied the hunger in this heart.
§ Only Jesus can do that, with the bread of life & the water of life - a greater that Solomon is here.
C. Solomon erected a great temple (5)
§ "He went up into the house of the lord."
§ Solomon built a temple that was beyond compare.
§ Some of the men who worked on this building are here today (thank you)
§ But when Solomon's temple was built, it took a 183600 workers; labored 7.5 years.
§ The temple faced the east. When the sun came up, the face of that temple was plated with gold.
§ Josephus said it stood on the temple mount like a mountain of snow. Glorious, beautiful temple.
§ But are you listening to me? "A greater than Solomon is here."
§ The bible says, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy ghost…?"
§ Solomon built a temple for the people, but Jesus has a people for his temple. Jesus lives in us.
§ What Solomon built is gone. And this building, it's only a matter of time and it will be rubble.
§ But what Jesus Christ has done in me will be leaping & dancing, praising God for all eternity.
§ We are the temple that Jesus has built. I'll tell you friend, "a greater than Solomon is here."
III. The Worship of Solomon (10:5)
A. The word ascent here may be translated burnt offering.
§ When Solomon went to worship, dare not come into the presence of God w/o an offering in his hand.
§ Let me tell you the kind of offering he made: read 2 Chronicles 7:5 (20K bulls, 120K sheep)
B. But all of that blood on Jewish altars slain can never wash away sin.
§ Hebrews 10:4, 12.
§ Solomon may have made a great sacrifice, but he never made a sacrifice that would compare with that one day on dark Calvary.
§ I tell you that, "a greater that Solomon is here." Thank you lord Jesus for what you've done.
IV. The Wealth of Solomon (10:7)
A. Probably there was never ever a king as wealthy as king Solomon.
§ Oh king Tut, I've seen what King Tut did, but what King Tut did would shrivel in comparison
§ And yet Jesus, speaking of all of the wealth of Solomon, "a greater than Solomon is here."
§ You know why? Solomon had gold and silver, but the bible says
§ Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.
§ Psalm 50:10 For every beast of the forest is Mine, And the cattle on a thousand hills.
§ The gold, silver, the rubies, the diamonds, and every star belongs to the lord Jesus Christ.
B. Queen of Sheba brings expensive gifts to Solomon (10:10)
§ But: while the Queen of Sheba gave gifts to Solomon, Jesus has people who give him their lives.
§ I have given my life to Jesus. I want to tell you that Jesus is more than all this world to me.
§ Love so amazing so divine demands my life my soul my all. Jesus is worth it.
V. The Workers of Solomon (10:8)
A. Queen sees the happy faces of his workers.
§ She gets around and sees everybody that day, and they look so happy.
§ Everybody is up.
§ How would you like to serve in the court of the wealthiest and the wised king that ever lived?
§ But my dear friend, "a greater than Solomon is here."
B. The workers of the Lord Jesus Christ
§ The workers who built this bldg; workers who win souls; workers in choir, workers in orchestra.
§ Not only are there people who live for Jesus, but in this bldg are people who would die for Him.
§ Solomon’s workers may have found happiness, but Jesus gives joy unspeakable and full of glory.
§ Jesus' workers are greater in number. Millions worldwide. Greater in joy, greater in sacrifice.
§ Thank God for it.
VI. The Worth of Solomon (10:9)
A. She said only one way to explain it – God is with Solomon.
§ What a throne it was that he set upon.
§ You want to see a description of that throne – v, 18ff
§ Nobody had ever seen a throne like the throne that Solomon sat on.
B. Have you thought about the throne that our Jesus sets upon? (Hebrews 1:7)
§ Who is Jesus? He's not another man, dear friend! He sits upon the throne of Godhood.
C. But, not only that, He sits upon the throne of grace. (Hebrews 4)
§ And you'd better be grateful that it is.
§ I've been to that throne room, this morning.
§ It's wonderful to be in that throne room, because we come boldly, right to the throne of grace.
D. Not only a throne of Godhood and a throne of grace, friend, it's a throne of glory.
§ Rev 5:11.
§ Solomon had a great throne, but the throne of Jesus is greater. Amen!
Conclusion
§ A greater than Solomon s here.
§ His name is Jesus, there's never been another like Him; none can compare with him.
§ Praise God, what a Savior we have today, what a glorious Jesus we have to worship today!
A. Near Camden, SC; there was a fire in a school house.
§ 70 precious little children died in that fire. It just broke out and burned all over that school house.
§ The parents gathered, the firemen gathered to try to put out the fire. But it was a raging inferno.
§ There was one man who saw his son there in the flames. The boy saw his daddy.
§ The boy stretched out is hand in those flames and said, "daddy, daddy, get me out of here daddy, daddy can't you save me? Daddy!" The father started to go into the flames, but strong arms held him back. It was impossible, it was a raging inferno! "Daddy, can't you save me? Daddy, can't you save me?" but, they held him back! 1t was impossible. And he watched that little child die. That night when he tried to sleep, all he could see was the face of his son in those flames, saying, "Daddy, can't you save me?" And his daddy had to say, "son, daddy can't save you!"
§ We live in a sin cursed hell bent world. We live in a world that's in deep trouble. And our world reaches out to science and says, "Science, can't you save me?" and if science would be honest, science would say, "I can tell you how far it is to the sun, but i can't tell you how far God can remove our sins from us."
§ We stretch out our hands to education, and we say education, "can't you save us?" and education would have to say, "I'm sorry, I can improve your mind, but I have no answer to the sin problem!"
§ You can look every place you want to look, but there's only one who can save us.
§ And his name is Jesus. Say his name with me, Jesus! Say it again! Jesus, say it again! Jesus.
§ As long as I live, as long as God gives me breath, as long as there's a pulpit, as long as this house is here, we're going to preach Jesus! Jesus! - "A greater than Solomon is here.”