UNIVERSAL FLOURISHING?
Opening Prayer
Holy Spirit, fill me to overflowing with your fruit and use me to bless others I meet today.
Read 1 KINGS 4:20–34
Solomon’s Daily Provisions
20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. 21 And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
22 Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors[a] of the finest flour and sixty cors[b] of meal, 23 ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl. 24 For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides. 25 During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, everyone under their own vine and under their own fig tree.
26 Solomon had four[c] thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.[d]
27 The district governors, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king’s table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. 28 They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.
Solomon’s Wisdom
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.[e]
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 5 1/2 tons or about 5 metric tons
- 1 Kings 4:22 That is, probably about 11 tons or about 10 metric tons
- 1 Kings 4:26 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 2 Chron. 9:25); Hebrew forty
- 1 Kings 4:26 Or charioteers
- 1 Kings 4:34 In Hebrew texts 4:21-34 is numbered 5:1-14.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What do you picture when you hear a society is flourishing? Is it possible for every sector in society to be flourishing at the same time? How might we work toward a ‘flourishing’ in our own land?What a great time to be alive! Our nation is flourishing. Never before in our history have our borders extended so far, and our people been so settled—settled enough for every family to be able to invest in long-term agricultural projects, like vineyards and fig orchards, without the worry of war destroying everything.
It is also a great time for careers—there are openings in the civil service and provincial administration department. The cavalry need ostlers, grooms, and charioteers. The royal kitchens are employing chefs of all kinds to prepare the mountain of food needed daily to provide for all those being fed in the royal palace. Meanwhile, the king himself has taken on a multitude of scribes to record his numerous songs, proverbs, and observations of the kingdom’s fauna and flora.
Although everything, and everyone, seems to be thriving everywhere you look at this time, I did have occasion to pause and reflect when I met Adoniram in court. Apparently, he is the minister for forced labor and slavery (1 Kings 4:6). I wonder what all that is about?’
Apply
Choose one brand that you buy regularly, and investigate how they treat their employees and the environment. How can your buying choices encourage universal flourishing?
Closing prayer
Lord God, in whatever positions you place me, help me to relate with the heart of my Savior, ever mindful of the needs of others.
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