Seek First the Kingdom - Part 5

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
- The Garden of Eden
- The Wilderness
- The Promised Land
- The Kingdom of Solomon   (Part - 5)
- The Days of the Apostles
(7) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(8) Attributes of the Kingdom
- Prosperity and Joy
- Peace
- Righteousness
- Holiness
- Knowledge of the LORD
(9) The Millenium Kingdom
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom

PATTERNS OF THE KINGDOM: The Kingdom of Solomon

“He had peace on all sides around about him. So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” (1 Kings 4:24-25)

The time of Solomon is a time of peace and is seen in scripture to foreshadow the time of the Messiah’s earthly kingdom, “In His (a righteous Branch) days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely,” (Jer 23:6).   The name Solomon (“Shlomo”) is derived from the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom.”   The phrase “every man under his vine and his fig tree,” is seen by the rabbis as a metaphor for the prosperity, blessing, and peace that accompanies the kingdom. Micah connects the fig tree to the coming of the kingdom saying,

“They will hammer their swords into plowshares And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they train for war. 4 Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid,” (Mic 4:3-4)

Sitting under the fig tree was seen by the prophets as a time of personal and national peace that is brought about through the removal of iniquity by “My servant the Branch.” Zechariah wrote of this time saying,

"‘Behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch’…declares the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.’ ‘In that day,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’” (Zech 3:8-10)

We see this concept of “sitting under the fig tree” in the New Testament when Jesus called Nathanael to be a disciple. “‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,’” (John 1:48). The statement of Jesus results in Nathanel alluding to the kingdom of God, “You are the Son of God; the King of Israel,” (John 1:49).

The fig tree was a picture of the kingdom and is used in scripture to foreshadow the return of the kingdom, “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near,” (Luke 21:31). Since the fig tree is seen in the context of the physical land of Israel, both in Solomon’s kingdom and the ministry of Jesus, the reappearance of the land of Israel announces the season for the coming of the kingdom.

The days of Solomon were a time of unprecedented understanding and wisdom. In the days of Solomon, “All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart,” (1 Kings 10:24). In the words of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, “How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom,” (1 Kings 10:8). The days of Solomon foreshadowed the days of the coming kingdom spoken by Isaiah about Jerusalem, “All the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths,” (Is 2:2-3). The teacher will be Jesus and the world will come to know the ways of the LORD. 

Jesus alluded to the days of Solomon saying, “The Queen of the South…came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is hear,” (Luke 11:31). It was not just royalty that had access to Solomon, but “your servants who stand before you.” Even two women who were harlots were able to come and stand in the presence of the king in the famous story of Solomon’s wisdom, (1 Kings 3:16-28). The deficiency of Solomon’s kingdom was not its inability to influence the world, but that Solomon let the world of his wives influence him to build high places to foreign gods that would ultimately result in the downfall of Judah.

During the time of Solomon’s reign, the nation of Israel possessed great wealth, “All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were gold…None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon,” (1 Kings 10:21). Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. Ships brought wealth to nation from other countries, “They brought…articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mule… year by year,” (1 Kings 10:25). So it shall also be in the days of the coming kingdom.

“The abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. 6 ‘A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD…11 ‘Your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, With their kings led in procession…16 ‘You will also suck the milk of nations And suck the breast of kings; Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 "Instead of bronze I will bring gold, And instead of iron I will bring silver, And instead of wood, bronze, And instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your administrators And righteousness your overseers." (Isa 60:5-17)

The bringing of “gold and frankincense” by the wise men to Jesus (Matt 2:11), may have been in response to the prophecy of Isaiah and a testimony that the magi believed Jesus would bring about the fulfillment of the kingdom. How do we know that the time Isaiah speaks of is the Millennial Kingdom, because his prophecy is followed by the words mirror those of John,

“No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over.  Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever…The smallest one will become a clan, and the least one a mighty nation. I, the LORD will hasten it in its time.” (Isa 60:19-22)(Rev 21:23).

The rabbis saw the latter part of this Isaiah passage as speaking of the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of His kingdom prophesized elsewhere in scripture. They noted the seeming contradiction between the kingdom coming “in its time,” while at the same time, the LORD “will hasten it.”

“Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi asked, ‘It is written (Isa 60:22) “in its time” and is written, “I will hasten it”’. He answered, ‘If they merit it, I will hasten it (HASHEM will bring the promised redeemer before the appointed time). But if they do not merit it, he will nevertheless come at the appointed time.’”

Jesus and the apostles appeared to have different interpretations of Isaiah 60:22. Peter seemed to hold a position that the date of Jesus’ return could be brought about sooner by the righteous deeds of the saints. “What sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,” (2 Peter 3:11-12).

On the other hand, Jesus appeared to indicate to the apostles that the future day of His return associated with the kingdom was fixed by God, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority,” (Acts 1:7). If the time is fixed, how did Jesus understand “hasten it in its time”? Maybe Jesus explained the phrase this way concerning the coming tribulation, “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matt 24:22).  Maybe "hasten" will mean to "cut short" and will be an act of grace and mercy not dependant on the actions of man.

(to be continued - Scott)