Text: 1 Kings 1:32-40
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
King Solomon.
Just the mention of his name 3000 years after his life and death calls to mind power, wisdom, riches, and strength. Solomon was king of
As is the case with all of David’s sons, Solomon gives us a glimpse of the future Messiah, the final and eternal King of Israel.
In our text, Solomon is being crowned at the behest of his own father, King David. He rides on the royal mule of David to a place called Gihon – which is on the outskirts of
But in spite of King Solomon’s grandeur, his wisdom, his glorious rule, his mighty
But Solomon’s greatest contribution to mankind and to the Church is not his greatness as a judge or glory as a general. His greatness is in his reflection of Christ. Solomon is yet another son of David who is a type, a pattern, a preview of the New and Greater Son of David to come.
For Jesus is too a Son of David, and yet he is the Son of David. He too is anointed, for the word “Christ” itself is Greek for “the anointed one.” Jesus is declared to be King by His Father – One greater than David, and that is God himself. And Jesus is indeed anointed by the priests and prophets, that is to say, by the prophetic Word of God and by all of the sacrifices and shed blood that pointed forward to the covenant of Christ’s blood shed on the cross and given to us to drink – “for the remission of sins.”
And mirroring Solomon’s entrance into the
And just as Solomon’s Temple was destroyed (just as Jesus said it would), so too would the Temple of the body of Jesus fall – and yet, unlike Solomon’s seemingly indestructible Temple, the New and Greater Temple of our Lord’s body was to be divinely rebuilt in three days: as Jesus rises again in glory. And when Jesus rises, the ground does split open, as tombs burst, and once-dead saints rise and walk around.
Unlike Solomon’s
For as Solomon was a man of power, riches, wisdom, and strength, the Church prays to Jesus, in the words of the Book of Revelation and of our liturgy, praising him for his power, riches, wisdom, and strength, “and honor, and glory, and blessing are his.” In the case of Solomon, his wealth was fleeting. It contributed to his downfall. But to our Lord, his wealth, his ownership of all things, only proclaims his divinity. And he doesn’t cling to his wealth, but rather empties himself, taking the form of a servant, and giving us everything that belongs to him – including his very life.
For even wise Solomon had his follies. But
So what appears to be foolishness – Jesus riding a donkey to his certain execution, Jesus refusing to defend himself at his trial, Jesus submitting to death on the cross – is even greater than all of the wisdom of Solomon put together. For this apparent foolishness is the ultimate wisdom, it is God’s plan to conquer sin, death, and the devil, and to restore paradise.
Solomon was made a king at the edge of
The New and Greater Solomon is not bedecked in royal jewels, except for the ruby red scars on his hands and feet. Our New and Greater Solomon doesn’t wear a golden diadem, but rather a thorny crown. Jesus doesn’t merely rule a Jewish empire in
And while Solomon adulterated the faith through his many wives, Jesus has but one bride: the Church. And he is no adulterer. He keeps his vow of faithfulness to his bride, and never falls short of true worship of his Father and the carrying out of his Father’s will. He is the only begotten Son of the Father, the only faithful Son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the very Son of God, the I AM in the flesh.
And the will of His Father is that He take up His eternal throne in
And all of us who have been forgiven of our sins, washed in the waters of paradise, made temples of the Holy Spirit through the body and blood of Jesus, we who praise our King with shouts of “Love Live the King!” will be there for eternity.
The Seed of the woman has indeed crushed the serpent’s head. And to the One whose throne is greater than David’s, the One greater than Solomon, the “One greater than the
“Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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