When all is well with the world

1 Kings 4 has a beautifully poetic quality. It’s bursting with happiness and prosperity and security and optimism. It’s what it feels like when all is well with the world.

The descendants of those wandering Israelites, set free all that time ago from slavery in Egypt, have found a home. A good home. The people of Israel have faced disasters and battles and suffering and hardship in their journey and history – and now there is peace. Now there is prosperity. Now all is well.

David’s son Solomon is blessed. Therefore his people are blessed. He is brilliant and wise and wealthy. He is building an empire of plenty.

He has a government in place – officials and governors (one of whom is Ben-Hur but not the Ben-Hur of Charlton Heston fame) keeping the peace and maintaining the establishment.

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy.  1 Kings 4:20

And as I said, Solomon had plenty –

Solomon’s daily provisions were thirty cors of the finest flour and sixty cors of meal, 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.  1 Kings 4:22-23

This was a time of peace, a time where every man could live a comfortable life in his own home with his own land –

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.  1 Kings 4:25

Solomon’s wisdom was legendary – people came from all over the globe to hear him talk about ‘plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls, and animals and birds, reptiles and fish (v33).

And Solomon’s wisdom came from his God –

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.  1 Kings 4:29

He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite…I didn’t know Ethan was a Biblical name, did you?

And Solomon’s creativity was prolific too (his father’s son) –

He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.  1 Kings 4:32

Isn’t this great? The golden years….a reign of peace and plenty….just what Israel deserved……

However, mixed in among these positive reports are some disturbing verses. Yes most people are happy but what about the slaves, the exploited, the poor? What slaves, I hear you cry?

Well, look at the role of Adoniram son of Abda – the was the official in charge of forced labour. Forced labour? How can there be forced labour? The Israelites have been set free from all that. Their story is full of the atrocities of slavery – how could they even contemplate a kingdom built on forced labour?

And what about the role of the district governors? They are to each bring provisions to the king – where from? the people of course.

Solomon had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. v7

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.  v21

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. v27

This to me seems wide open to exploitation – taking form the poor to give to the rich – the stuff of Robin Hood or The Hunger Games……Solomon clearly has far more than he can possibly need – is that true of all his ‘subjects’?

And finally –

Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses.  1 Kings 4:26

Why does Solomon need so many chariot horses in a time of peace? Chariots are for going into battle on. Why is he amassing a fleet of chariots if all is well?

I wonder if like me, you have been drawing parallels with the Western world here.

I can’t help thinking about how privileged we are in Western society…..

…and what effect does it have on other people to maintain our standard of living?

…and on the planet?

….and why don’t we seem to care, as long as all is well in our world?

….and what lengths are we prepared to go to defend what is ours (rightfully or not)?

Well, of course, it is right to recognise all that we have, to count our blessings, to enjoy life, to have an attitude of gratitude – but an attitude of entitlement is not right in my view. We don’t deserve anything more than anyone else in the world.

Plenty is not a basic human right.

I find it hard working in retail sometime – seeing all the clothes and other items people buy that they clearly don’t need….they just fancy a change, a boost and it’s a real bargain….and why not, right? they deserve a treat, they’ve worked for it…..but what about those working all over the world in exploitative conditions to bring us these treats at affordable prices?

This sounds like I’m having a real downer on spoiling yourself……not really, I just think it’s all about balance…and there is no balance in the world between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots……..

We all crave for more, more, more….and now is the time to be content with enough and show the world how that is living life to the full…..

Just some food for thought – let’s see how Solomon’s story pans out…….