Daily Devotional For Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Good morning and good day Southside! Following the Scripture suggested readings from the One Year Chronological Bible, we are going to look at a passage from 1 Kings 4, specifically, 1 Kings 4:24-25, 29-34:
“Solomon’s dominion extended over all the kingdoms west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah to Gaza. And there was peace on all his borders. (25) During the lifetime of Solomon, all of Judah and Israel lived in peace and safety. And from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, each family had its own home and garden . . . (29) God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. (30) In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. (31) He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite and the sons of Mahol—Heman, Calcol, and Darda. His fame spread throughout all the surrounding nations. (32) He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. (33) He could speak with authority about all kinds of plants, from the great cedar of Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows from cracks in a wall. He could also speak about animals, birds, small creatures, and fish. (34) And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon” (NLT).
Solomon’s kingdom was huge and extensive. As you can tell from this text, God kept His word to Solomon about making wealthy, powerful, influential and the most wise man ever to live. Here is a link to a map that shows Solomon’s Kingdom: Solomon's Kingdom. Now 1 Kings 4 is rather impressive of the extent of Solomon’s kingdom and rule. But if we read this chapter carefully, there are hints of the future decay of Solomon and the nation. Old Testament scholar Walter Bruggeman writes this:
“On the surface, Solomon’s narrative in 1 Kings seems to be a tale of boundless success, prestige, power, and wealth, all the things for which the king did not ask in 1 Kings 3 but that God gave him anyway. If we remember the outcome of the Solomon narrative in 1 Kings 11-12 and if we pay attention to the subtle detail of the text, however, we may notice, below the surface success, the rumblings of troublesome things to come” (Source: Walter Bruegemann, “1 & 2 Kings,” Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary, p. 71).
Some scholars see 1 Kings 1-3 as depicting an oppressive official bureaucracy by Solomon in how he taxed the people and governed. In my opinion, there are some minor credible points to be made to this accusation, but overall, 1 Kings 1-3 in a good mood. The point in the opening chapters of 1 Kings is that God kept His word to His servant David (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16) and to his son, Solomon, David’s successor.
As you read the Scripture above, you were given names. So, who were these people and what is their significance? Let’s look at them:
- Ethan the Ezrahite was a prominent biblical sage, musician, and the author of Psalm 89. Revered for his intellect, he was renowned as the second wisest man of his era, with only King Solomon surpassing his wisdom.
- Mahol – The Hebrew word [מָחוֹל] means “to dance,” suggesting a cultural or artistic significance, possibly indicating that Mahol or his descendants were known for their contributions to music, dance, or wisdom traditions.
- Heman – we know he is credited with writing Psalm 88.
- In the ancient Near Eastern context, wisdom was highly valued, and individuals known for their wisdom were often esteemed in society. This is why in yesterday’s reading, the Queen of Sheba personally trekked over 1,000 miles to come and see for herself Solomon’s wisdom, wealth, power and building projects – The Temple and his palace.
- The mention of Mahol in 1 Kings 4:31 places him and his sons among the ranks of the wise, suggesting that they were part of a tradition or school of thought that contributed to the intellectual and cultural life of Israel. The reference to Mahol's sons—Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda—further emphasizes the importance of familial or dynastic wisdom. These others mentioned – Etha, Heman, Calcol and Darda were known to be extremely wise, but not as wise as Solomon.
- These individuals are noted for their wisdom, and their mention alongside Solomon underscores the high regard in which they were held. The comparison serves to elevate Solomon's wisdom by placing it above even these esteemed wise figures. Scripture makes it clear that Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God (see Pr. 2:6-8) and theologically argues that all genuine wisdom is from the Lord. No one on this planet is ever wise in and of themselves. When we say to someone young, “You are wise beyond your years,” we are meaning that young person is very mature, has a lot of insight and judgment that most people their age and even some who are older adults do not possess.
- We do not know much about Calco and Darda, other than they were exceptionally wise. But all of these are mentioned in how short they came up to the wisdom God had given Solomon.
All of these have been long gone, their mentioning in Scripture is honorary. They assisted Solomon in providing opinions when asked. We have such contributors to our culture today as well who have been long gone, yet their names and their contributions still surface: Mark Twain, Robert Frost,and George Gershwin.
We read that Solomon composed over 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. Many of his proverbs have been recorded in the Book of Proverbs. Two of his psalms are in the Bible: Psalm 72 and Psalm 127. His greatest song is Song of Solomon in Scripture. Solomon was not only a poet, a songwriter, an artist, but he loved botany, biology and sciences. He knew both the fauna and flora of Israel. He writes in his works about nature, venomous snakes, ants, eagles and the turtledove for example. The amount of wisdom and knowledge that God gave Solomon made him a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. There was very little he did not know much about. This is why people from everywhere came to him for advice. The Old Testament makes it clear that much of Solomon’s wisdom had to do with understanding how God’s created order and creation worked.
Old Testament scholar Ralph Dale Dale Ralph Davis, writing on Solomon’s wisdom from God and how we should view the wisdom God gives us, write these words:
“Since God has left the fingerprints of His wisdom everywhere, since there is no place where God does not furnish us with raw materials for godly thinking, Christians should be seized with a rambunctious curiosity to ponder his works, both the majestic and the mundane. The task of wisdom is joyfully to describe and investigate all God’s works. We may not be Solomons in insight, but we can gratefully examine the same data” (Source: Ralph Dale Davis, The Wisdom and the Folly: An Exposition of the Book of First Kings, p. 50).
As you keep reading, the Bible reveals that Solomon was not wise in the relationships of money, sex, and power. These eventually bring him down and lead to the Davidic kingdom going through a civil war and splitting into 2 separate nations who could not stand each other. Now divided, their doom for both nations is only a matter of time. The Bible affirms that Jesus Christ, not Solomon, was the wisest man to ever live on this earth. Our Lord knew how to handle money, sex and power. And what people consider to be foolishness by Jesus – submitting to a death on the cross – with so much power as God, Scripture affirms and demonstrates the cross as the wisdom of God (see 1 Cor. 1:21-25). By the time Solomon comes to the end of his life, his life is a mirror of what the Apostle Paul writes in Roman 1:22.
Reflection Assignment: Do you ever consider yourself wise or wiser than others? If so, what is it you use to compare and make that judgment call? Is it biblical knowledge? Experience? Academic knowledge or book knowledge? Or is it just arrogance and pride? How often do you ask God for wisdom in even the everyday decisions you have to make?
Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 2:6-8, “For the Lord grants wisdom! From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding. (7) He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. (8) He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I have to admit that many times when I compare myself to others, I give myself a lot of credit for being wise or wiser. This is not being wise, but being prideful. I want You to grant me Your wisdom, not so that I can seem impressive to others, but so that Your Holy Spirit can guide me and give me Your wisdom to share with others spiritually. Thank You Jesus and I love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly