«　WEEK 4　DAY 1　»

　　1 Kings 4:20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude...

　　24-25 For [Solomon] had dominion... over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel dwelt securely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba, throughout all Solomon’s days.

　　First Kings 9 and 10 portray the highest peak of Solomon’s glory among the nations. Solomon was glorified in the kingdom of Israel with the splendor of that kingdom. This is a prefigure of Christ in the millennium. (1 Kings 9:1, footnote 1)

　　Christ, as the Son of David, as the King, is more than Solomon the king. Solomon built the temple of God and spoke the word of wisdom. To him the Gentile queen came (1 Kings 6:2; 10:1-8). This too was a type of Christ, who is building the church, making it the temple of God, and is speaking the word of wisdom. To Him the Gentile seekers turn. (Matt. 12:42, footnote 1)

　　In 1 Kings 4:20—5:18 we have an account of Solomon’s prosperity under the rich blessing of God. Solomon’s splendid kingdom was a type of Christ’s kingdom in the millennium. During the millennium all the nations will come to Christ.

　　His people Judah and Israel were increasing and enjoying a life of peace, riches, and pleasure. Verse 20 of chapter 4 tells us that Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is by the sea in multitude, eating, drinking, and rejoicing. Verse 25 goes on to say that throughout Solomon’s days Judah and Israel dwelt securely, “every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan to Beer-sheba.”

　　Solomon’s dominion extended from the great river Euphrates to the land of the Philistines (at the seashore of the Mediterranean) and to the border of Egypt as the fulfillment of the promise of God to His elect Israel (Gen. 15:18; Exo. 23:31; Deut. 11:24), and all the nations brought tribute to him (1 Kings 4:21, 24). This was a positive factor for the people to regard Solomon and accept him.

　　[Yet] no matter how much God did for Solomon and how much He gave him, Solomon did not have God Himself wrought into him. But we have God in Christ wrought into us that we might be the same as God in life and in nature. We may not have what Solomon had outwardly as a type, but within us there is a reality—the very God in Christ who has wrought Himself into our being. We may regard ourselves as insignificant, but we have God in Christ wrought into us. As those who have been born of God to be God’s children, God’s kind, members of God’s family, we have become God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead).

　　We, the believers in Christ, are the greatest people in the universe. We have received God into us, and He is continuously working Himself into our constitution to make us God in life and in nature (but not in the Godhead). According to Romans 5:17, we reign in the life which we have received. To be today’s overcomers we must reign as kings in life. If we do not, we will lose the top portion of the enjoyment of Christ and will be chastised by the Lord in the coming age. We all have to mature sooner or later. If we mature in this age, we will reign as kings in life in this age and will be the co-kings with Christ in the next age to rule over the nations. We need to keep this in mind as we consider what is revealed in 1 Kings 9—11 regarding the reign of Solomon.

　　Jehovah accepted Solomon’s prayer [8:22-53] and promised him that He would establish his throne forever (9:1-9). Here we see that it was God who made Solomon prosperous. Solomon’s enjoyment of the God-given good land reached the highest level through his God-given gift [of wisdom]. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, pp. 21-22, 24-25, 43, 47)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Kings, msg. 7