A Glimpse of the Consummation: Solomon's Golden Age Text: 1 Kings 4:20-28
Introduction: Shadows and Substance
When we read the Old Testament, particularly a passage like the one before us, we are doing more than simply reading ancient history. We are looking at a photograph of a coming reality. The Old Testament is a picture book, full of shadows, types, and foreshadowings that all point to the substance, which is Christ. Solomon's kingdom, in all its material glory, is one of the clearest and most vivid of these pictures. It is a trailer for the blockbuster movie that is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our text today describes a golden age for Israel. Under Solomon, the promises made to Abraham about the number of his descendants and the extent of their land appear to be gloriously fulfilled. There is peace, prosperity, security, and joy. It is a picture of the Deuteronomic blessings poured out in full measure. God had told Israel in Deuteronomy that if they obeyed Him, they would be blessed in the city and blessed in the field, blessed in their children and their crops, and He would set them high above all nations. And here, it seems, is the historical apex of that promise. The people are as numerous as the sand on the seashore, eating, drinking, and being glad. It is a portrait of shalom.
But we must be careful. We are not to look at this picture and think that this is the final destination. This is a glorious rest stop, but it is not the end of the journey. Solomon's kingdom, for all its splendor, was flawed. Solomon himself would fall into idolatry, and the kingdom would be ripped in two after his death. This glorious peace was temporary. This abundance was fleeting. Why? Because it was a shadow, and shadows are by nature incomplete and transient. They are cast by something, or rather, someone, far greater.
This passage, therefore, serves two functions for us. First, it is a historical account of God's faithfulness to His covenant people. He keeps His promises. Second, and more importantly, it is a typological prophecy of a greater King and a greater kingdom. Every detail of Solomon's reign, its peace, its prosperity, its wisdom, and its dominion, is a pointer to the reign of Jesus. Solomon is the son of David, the prince of peace (for that is what his name means), but Christ is the greater Son of David, the ultimate Prince of Peace. If we read this text and only see Solomon, we are like men who stare at a signpost instead of traveling to the destination it indicates. We must see Christ here, for He is the substance of which Solomon is the shadow.
The Text
Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and being glad.
Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal, ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, one hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him. So Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. Solomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. And these deputies sustained King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking. They also brought barley and straw for the horses and swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to the legal judgment for him.
(1 Kings 4:20-28 LSB)
Covenant Fulfillment: Population and Party (v. 20)
We begin with the state of the people themselves.
"Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and being glad." (1 Kings 4:20)
The first thing the narrator wants us to see is the sheer number of people. They were "as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore." This language is not accidental. It is a direct echo of the promise God made to Abraham centuries before: "I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore" (Genesis 22:17). This is God's neon sign to Israel, and to us, saying, "See? I keep my word." The covenant promises are not empty rhetoric; they have historical, tangible fulfillment.
But it is not just their number that is significant; it is their disposition. They were "eating and drinking and being glad." This is a picture of shalom, of holistic well being. This is not the frantic, desperate hedonism of a pagan festival. This is the glad-hearted feasting of a people secure in the blessing of their God. They are not anxious about the harvest, nor are they fearful of invading armies. They are at peace, and so they celebrate. This is what Deuteronomic blessing looks like. God told them that if they disobeyed, they would eat their bread with anxiety, but if they obeyed, they would rejoice in all the good that He had given them. This gladness is a fruit of covenant faithfulness.
And this too is a type. What is the kingdom of God but a great feast? Jesus describes it as a wedding supper. In the New Jerusalem, the saints are gathered, a "great multitude which no one could number, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues" (Revelation 7:9), and they are feasting at the marriage supper of the Lamb. The gladness of Solomon's Israel is a foretaste of the eternal gladness of the people of God in the presence of their King.
Imperial Reach and Tribute (v. 21, 24)
Next, the text describes the scope of Solomon's dominion.
"Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt... For he had dominion over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the kings west of the River; and he had peace on all sides around about him." (1 Kings 4:21, 24)
The boundaries described here, from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt, represent the full extent of the land grant promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18). Under David's military conquests and Solomon's wise administration, this promise was realized. Foreign kings were not annihilated but were made tributaries. They "brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life." This was not a reign of terror, but a reign of wisdom that brought stability and peace to the entire region.
The key phrase is at the end of verse 24: "he had peace on all sides around about him." This is the fulfillment of the promise that God would give His people rest from their enemies (Deuteronomy 12:10). This peace was the necessary condition for the prosperity and joy described in the previous verse. You cannot feast with gladness if you are constantly looking over your shoulder for the next marauding army.
But again, we must lift our eyes. Solomon's dominion, as vast as it was, was a small patch of land in the ancient Near East. It is a type of a far greater dominion. After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus declared, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). He is the true King over all kings. Psalm 72, a psalm for Solomon, says, "May he have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." This was only partially fulfilled in Solomon, but it will be completely fulfilled in Christ. The nations brought tribute to Solomon, but one day, "the kings of the earth" will bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:24). The temporary, regional peace of Solomon's day points to the final, global peace of Christ's kingdom, when the earth "will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).
Lavish Provision and Royal Abundance (v. 22-23, 26-28)
The text then gives us a startling inventory of the daily provisions for Solomon's court.
"And Solomon’s provision for one day was thirty kors of fine flour and sixty kors of meal, ten fat oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, one hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl." (1 Kings 4:22-23)
The numbers are staggering. A "kor" was a significant measure, and this amount of food could feed thousands of people daily. This was not just about sustenance; this was about lavish, overflowing abundance. The king's table was a symbol of the wealth and blessing of the entire kingdom. This bounty was sustained by an efficient administrative system, with twelve deputies providing for the court, each for one month of the year, ensuring that "they left nothing lacking" (v. 27).
This section also mentions Solomon's military might: "40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen" (v. 26). In the ancient world, chariots were the equivalent of tanks, the cutting edge of military technology. This was a superpower's arsenal. But notice the context. This military strength is mentioned in the midst of a description of profound peace. The strength is the guarantor of the peace. A strong defense prevents war.
This picture of overwhelming abundance points us, of course, to the one who provides the ultimate feast. Jesus fed the 5,000 with a few loaves and fish, with twelve baskets left over, a sign of His own superabundant provision. He is the Bread of Life, and He invites us to a table where there is more than enough. In Him, nothing is lacking. The King's table is always full, and His provision is inexhaustible. He is the one who gives to His people not just life, but life "abundantly" (John 10:10).
The Vine and Fig Tree Security (v. 25)
Finally, the passage summarizes this golden age with a beautiful and enduring image.
"So Judah and Israel lived in security, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon." (1 Kings 4:25)
This is perhaps the most famous summary of peace and prosperity in the entire Old Testament. "From Dan even to Beersheba" means the entire length of the promised land. "Every man under his vine and his fig tree" is a potent symbol. It speaks of private property, of economic stability, and of personal security. A man could sit outside on his own land, enjoying the fruit of his labor, without fear of thieves or foreign invaders. It is a picture of a free and prosperous society, where the common man reaps the benefits of a just and stable government.
This image became the prophetic ideal for the messianic age. The prophet Micah, looking forward to the reign of the Messiah, says, "And they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one will make them afraid" (Micah 4:4). The peace of Solomon's day was a temporary, earthly realization of this ideal. But it was a fragile peace, dependent on a fallible king.
The ultimate fulfillment of this promise is found only in the kingdom of Christ. True security, true and lasting peace, is not found in a political system or a strong military, but in submission to the Prince of Peace. He is our vine, and in Him we find our rest and security. The peace that Solomon provided for a few decades to one nation, Christ provides for eternity to a people from every nation.
Conclusion: The Greater Solomon is Here
The reign of Solomon was Israel's peak. It was a glorious preview, a trailer of coming attractions. It demonstrated that God's promises of blessing for obedience are real, tangible, and historical. When God's people walk in His ways, He pours out a blessing that is material, cultural, and spiritual. We should not spiritualize these blessings away into some ethereal fog. God is interested in our joy, our security, and our prosperity.
However, the story of Solomon is also a warning. This peak was followed by a steep decline. Solomon's heart was turned away by his foreign wives, and the kingdom fractured under the folly of his son. The shadow faded. Why? Because Solomon, for all his wisdom, was still a sinner. He was not the ultimate King.
When the Pharisees tested Jesus, He told them, "The queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here" (Matthew 12:42). Jesus is the greater Solomon. He is the perfectly wise King who will never fail. His kingdom will never be divided. His peace will never end.
The blessings described in 1 Kings 4 are not just a nostalgic look at a bygone era. They are a promise of what is to come as the gospel of the kingdom advances throughout the world. The postmillennial hope is not that we are trying to "build the kingdom" ourselves, but that the King is building His kingdom through the triumphant advance of His gospel. As nations are discipled, they will begin to experience a greater, more lasting version of the peace and prosperity that Israel knew under Solomon. We are called to live as citizens of this coming kingdom now. We are to pursue the kind of faithfulness that brings this kind of blessing, not for our own glory, but for the glory of the greater Solomon, our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belongs all dominion and honor and power, forever and ever. Amen.