The Foreshadowing of God’s Promises To Us That Were Fulfilled in Christ # 13

Solomon was also a ‘type’ of Christ 

Imprinted in Solomon, God was foreshadowing the promise of the abundant life for His people through Jesus Christ 

Solomon was about 30 years old when he became the 3rd King of Israel and reigned as King for 40 years from 971 BC – 931 BC and when he died, he was buried in Jerusalem the City of David 

1 Kings 11: 42-43; 2 Chronicles 9: 30 

Before Solomon was born, God told his father King David to name the child Solomon and said that during Solomon’s reign Israel would be at peace and quiet, 1 Chronicles 22: 9 ‘But, you will have a son, a man of peace and rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon, and I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king’ NCV 

When Solomon became King after David, Israel enjoyed a Golden Age of peace and quiet that lasted for the 40 years of Solomon’s reign  

1 Kings 4: 20 ‘The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They were very contented, with plenty to eat and drink.’ 

1 Kings 4: 25 ‘During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden.’ 

So, here’s a short description of Israel’s Golden Age during Solomon’s 40-year reign:  

Solomon ruled over Israel’s unprecedented border expansion 

1 Kings 4: 21 ‘Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River in the north to the land of the Philistines and the border of Egypt in the south. The conquered peoples of those lands sent tribute money to Solomon and continued to serve him throughout his lifetime.’ 

Early in his reign, Solomon asked God for wisdom and God gave it to him along with great riches 

1 Kings 4: 29 ‘God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore.’ 

1 Kings 4: 34 ‘And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon’ 

1 Kings 3: 13 ‘And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!’ 

C.F 2 Chronicles 9: 1-8 

Solomon also built the Temple in Jerusalem, palaces, and fortified cities 

2 Chronicles 8: 1-6 

Solomon also negotiated political alliances; he built ships, developed trading routes and brought great wealth into Israel 

2 Chronicles 9: 20b ‘silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!’ 

2 Chronicles 9: 27 ‘The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone.’   

C.F 2 Chronicles 9: 21  

Solomon also built up his army and weaponry providing for Israel’s peace and security 

1 Kings 10: 26; 2 Chronicles 9: 25  

Solomon also became a great theologian and was used by God to write the Book of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes & Psalm 72  

Solomon also had an unrivalled knowledge of the ‘natural world’, 1 Kings 4: 33 NOG ‘He described and classified trees—from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He described and classified animals, birds, reptiles and fish’ 

But of course, the great tragedy is that despite God’s great blessing on his life Solomon forgot God and after Solomon’s death all Israel suffered the consequences of Solomon’s sin - Israel’s Golden Age had come to an end and Israel descended into 3, 000 years of unspeakable tragedy 

1 Kings 11: 33 ‘Solomon has abandoned me’ 

This was God’s warning to Solomon and Israel 

1 Kings 9: 6-9 ‘But if you or your descendants abandon Me and disobey the commands and decrees I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor My name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations. And though this Temple is impressive now, all who pass by will be appalled and will gasp in horror. They will ask, ‘Why did the Lord do such terrible things to this land and to this Temple?’ “And the answer will be, ‘Because His people abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, and they worshiped other gods instead and bowed down to them. That is why the Lord has brought all these disasters on them.’” 

After Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam became the new King and immediately civil war broke out in Israel and the nation was divided into North and South – Rehoboam retained Judah in the South and Jeroboam claimed all the North which continued to be called Israel 

Then the people of God went further into idolatry and worshipped idols made of wood and stone  

Then the people were conquered in war by other nations and all their accumulated wealth was taken  

Then Israel was conquered by the Assyrians and dispersed among the nations 

Then Solomon’s Temple was destroyed, and the people of Judah were taken in exile to Babylon (between 587 B.C - 537 B.C)  

Later a small remnant of Judah returned to the Promised Land  

Then the walls of Jerusalem and the Temple were rebuilt but later they were destroyed again 

Then Israel rejected their Messiah Jesus Christ when He came to save them  

Then Israel was scattered throughout the World and ceased to exist as a nation 

And finally, Israel was hunted down like animals and slaughtered in their millions in what we call the Holocaust 

Israel’s restoration as a Nation reminds us of the 2nd part of God’s warning to Solomon and Israel, 1 Kings 11: 39 ‘Because of Solomon’s sin I will punish the descendants of David—though not forever.’ 

Now, back to the typology - Jesus likened Himself to Solomon the Christ ‘type’ when He said, Luke 11: 31 ‘Someone greater than Solomon is here’ 

Solomon reigned over his great Kingdom on earth, but it eventually came to an end after 40 years 

Whereas Jesus reigns over His eternal Kingdom which will never come to an end  

Isaiah 9:7a 'the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever’. 

Luke 1: 33b ‘His Kingdom will never end!’ 

Solomon was a great builder, but eventually everything he built was destroyed 

Whereas Jesus said, Matthew 16: 18b ‘I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.’ 

C.F 1 Corinthians 3: 9b; Ephesians 2: 21  

Solomon brought great wealth into Israel that was eventually lost, but Jesus said, John 10: 10b ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’ NASB, MEV 

Hebrews 10: 34b ‘better things (are) awaiting you in Heaven, things that (will) be yours forever.’ TLB 

Solomon brought peace and quiet to Israel that was eventually lost to civil war and conquering armies  

Whereas Jesus said, John 14: 27 ‘I’m leaving you peace. I’m giving you My peace. I don’t give you the kind of peace that the world gives. So don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid.’ GW, ICB 

C.F John 16: 33; Romans 5: 1; Romans 12: 18; Ephesians 2: 17-18; Colossians 3: 15 

And yes, Solomon was a great theologian, but Jesus is the Word of God 

‘In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. So, the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.’ 

John 1: 1, 4, 14 

Finally, 

In Solomon and his Golden Age, as magnificent as it was, it was just a foreshadowing of the promise of God in Christ of the abundant life for the believer  

2 Corinthians 1:20a ‘all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ’