“When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon…it took her breath away.” I KG 10:4-5

When David raised Solomon to succeed him to the throne, he knew what his most critical asset would be, so he grilled it into him from his youth. Not mincing words, he exhorted him:
“Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget my words or turn from them…
Wisdom is supreme! So acquire wisdom.
And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding!” PR 4:5,7

Therefore, when the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him, “What shall I give you?”, he knew exactly what to ask for. I’d love to think that I wouldn’t ask for wealth or power or fame. How about you?

Truth is, God’s impartation of supernatural wisdom to Solomon was not a historical one-off. The Father is quite willing to do it again, and again, and again. That he gifted Solomon with this depths of understanding merely shows that God can, and will; it also shows He waits for those who will pursue it lock, stock, and barrel, in the same way Solomon was reared to. The testimony of Solomon’s wisdom is not meant to enamor us; rather, it is meant to stir us—to make us hungry, vigilant, tenacious.

The liberal outpouring of wisdom is also on God’s End Time Agenda (ETA). If it was not so, he would not have spoken of a day when He would “turn the hearts of the…disobedient to the wisdom of the just” (LK 1:17), an omen He places alongside of the Last Days turning of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God. These are striking words. The wisdom that God is about to release to His people will be so attractive, so compelling, that even rebellious people will be cranked open like a can. If self-absorbed, power-struck men in the mold of King Nebuchadnezzar could be convicted to “praise and honor Him who lives forever” (Dan 4:34) due to Daniel’s ability to unlock mysteries, so shall people we consider the least likely candidates in our day bow the knee to Jesus, the Fountain of wisdom. If the mighty Pharaoh could promote Joseph to the role of Prime Minister after witnessing the Spirit of God on full display in his wise counsel, so shall God raise up Spirit-empowered people like unto Joseph to solve complex and destructive crises which inflict our world in these dark times.

When Sheba heard about the wisdom of Solomon, it’s estimated she walked two thousand miles, laden with gold, spices, and other gifts to present to the son of David in return for nuggets of wisdom she could absorb sitting at his feet. Scripture says, what she heard and saw took her breath away. Beloved, these are all prophetic pictures of what God has prepared for us in this generation. How many Queen Shebas are desperate to acquire the kind of answers we are uniquely anointed to give? So you know what I say? Let’s get wisdom! It’s supreme! Whatever we may acquire in this hour, let us press in, and get understanding.

In our schools, workplaces, and communities, in times of emergencies and conflict, may we—the people of God—access pure, heaven-born wisdom, and lead the hearts of a crooked, perverse, and confused generation back to the Lord our God. Amen.

Does the Bible address the issue of bullies and mobs such as we are seeing on full display in our day? Was there ever a time when these two evil forces worked in tandem to strike targets who would not conform to their demands?

This morning I read the story of Naboth from 1 Kings 21. We know very little about Naboth, though we know he was a responsible farmer whose vineyard must have been something to behold. Oh yes, we also know that he had the misfortune of being the neighbor of the wicked king Ahab, who cast his greedy eyes on his vineyard often enough to decide he wanted it for himself.

Naboth would not deal. Yes, vineyards require a lot of work. From planting your vineyard until you are able to get your first bottles of wine, it is a four to five year wait on average. The Father compares Himself to a Vinedresser as a way to illustrate the personal attention that a man in this profession gives to each and every plant, each and every branch, in order that they might bear as much fruit as possible.

But more than the vineyard, it is that plot of land for which Naboth was willing to contend at all cost. Ahab had offered him good money, and an even better vineyard (if you can believe him). But Ahab was an unprincipled rascal. A man with his complete lack of moral background could never understand the real reason why Naboth would not even consider to give up his piece of land. For the last and most important thing we know about Naboth is based upon the only words that scripture ascribe to him. 1 Kings 21:3 says:

“But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!’”

It took a lot of courage to stand up to this bully, Ahab! I suppose most would have just thrown in the towel, content to be a conformer and a coward. Bullies, after all, almost always get their way. If pressure doesn’t work, they threaten. If threatening doesn’t yield results, they resort to violence. Sound familiar?

Indeed, Ahab did resort to violence. Since he could not get his way through legal channels, he rounded up a mob. He gets some of the “men of his city” (v. 21:11), a few of them leaders, and then either pays off or convinces “scoundrels” to bear false witness against Naboth, saying he had “blasphemed God and the king!” (v. 21:13) By this time the core of committed rabble rousers has incited a crowd into blind rage. Stones are lifted and hurled at this innocent and righteous man, burying him under a large pile and silencing his voice of dissent forever.

Or did it?

You may be wondering why—given the fact that Ahab reigned as king in Israel for twenty-two years—such a random story was selected and highlighted by the Holy Spirit out of all the treachery that may have been alluded to from Ahab’s life? I believe it is because God loved Naboth, and wanted this act of courage in the face of bullies and the mob to be remembered from generation to generation.

Indeed, I see people caving and cowering all the time to the lunacy that is being advocated across our nation in this hour. Have you asked yourself, what if my restaurant was surrounded by an angry mob demanding me to raise my fist? What would I do? How about all those 280 pound muscle-ripped athletes, how could it be that they plow down the opposing team’s players but have, in just a matter of months, found fear in the face of the Almighty Twitter? I cannot help but wonder, where are the Naboth’s?!

Naboth was not just courageous. We have to see the parallel to our day of what he was taking a stand for: the inheritance of my fathers. This, friends, was a battle that was worth fighting. Naboth not only considered his own loss; he was going to stick his neck out because this land was not his alone. His ancestors had taken possession of it at great cost, and loss of life. Blood had been spilt. And if that was not enough, Naboth’s acknowledgement that it would be forbidden by God Himself reveals yet another thing about him that we would be foolish to overlook: Naboth feared the Lord His God. It is Jehovah, after all, Who had determined the boundaries of each tribe in Israel. The land was not just nice, it was holy.

Ahab the bully thought that he had silenced this man who had dared to defy him. The mob surely imagined Naboth’s voice would never be heard again buried under their rocks of judgment. But they were all wrong. Naboth is still speaking today, and I am hearing his voice loud and clear. Don’t give in to their threats, and don’t shrink back when they come at you with violence. For God Himself will honor the man who will never surrender the ground, the traditions and sacrifices, that have been bequeathed to us by our fathers. Yes, Naboth’s voice can still be heard; I can hear him say, “The Lord forbid that we should give over the inheritance, history, traditions, and values of our great land to bullies and an angry mob”.

“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” Acts 13:22

I can think of no greater epitaph than to be known as a man after God’s own heart. This was God’s accolade of David, not just man’s. Wow! There are many reasons why David fits this description, but the one I would like to share with you is this: David lived by a Code of Honor. Let me explain.

Perhaps the first thing that came to your mind was the fact that David had refused to exact retribution on King Saul. After all, this is the very person who had attempted to skewer him with a spear and who had relentlessly pursued David in order to snuff out his life. David felt horrible just for cutting off the skirt of Saul’s robe! Because of honor, he dared not stretch forth his hand against God’s anointed.

Or perhaps you thought of 1 Samuel 30 when David’s family and all his possessions had been taken away by the marauding Amelikites. David’s men found a sickly Egyptian slave in the field as they were in hot pursuit. These same men knew David honored outcasts, for he had taken them into his cave when they were a mess (in debt, in distress, and discontented, 1 Sam 22:2) and had turned them into true warriors. So they “brought him to David” (v.11). David took the time to stop for this foreigner, giving an unvalued man bread, water, a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. What was David’s reward for showing this slave honor? The Egyptian showed David the way so that he was able to recover every member of his family and his army’s as well, not to mention all that had been plundered.

The story continues. David originally had 600 soldiers, but 200 of them were too exhausted to fight. The 400 strong ones felt justified in demanding full rights to the spoil. They had, after all, risked their lives while the others probably had a grand picnic and a nice long snooze. David would hear none of it. The strong and the weak would share alike in the spoils. Sounds to me like the same spirit which inspired the Apostle Paul to write these poignant words about the Body of Christ:

“Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think are less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor.” 1 Cor 12:22,23

David, like Paul, knew that showing honor to everyone is the heart of God.

This morning I read two successive stories from David’s life that magnify his honoring ethic. In 2 Samuel 9, David woke up one day, then probably after a sweet time of worship in the presence of God, decided he wanted to show the kindness of God to a survivor from the household of Saul. Remember, this is the man who had sought David like a flea and hunted for him like a partridge (1 Sam 26:21). He found one. Mephibosheth was crippled. He had been five years old when he father and grandfather had died in battle on the same day. This was also when the accident that left him disabled occurred—his nurse dropping him as they fled upon hearing the crushing news. So what does David do to this one at a time when disabled people were stigmatized, and kept secret? He brought Mephibosheth to the palace and gave him a permanent seat at his own table, next to the princes and princesses of the Kingdom. David showered him with honor.

Even the rulers of rival nations could qualify as objects of honor in David’s eyes. In the next chapter, 2 Samuel 10, David recalls a time when the King of Ammon had been gracious to him. So he sends an entourage to show kindness to his son Hanum after his dad died. Though the show of honor was repelled, David did not show honor only when honor was appreciated, rewarded, or returned. He honored because he was a man after God’s own heart. It was natural, spontaneous for David. I pray it would be so for me!

Beloved, we live at a time and in an hour when honor is under pernicious attack. Honor for our institutions, honor for our leaders, honor for our traditions and for our laws. Honor is a part of the everlasting song of heaven (Rev 4:11). Honor is the way of the Kingdom. Let it be the code by which we, His subjects, live our lives and bring Him glory…and honor. Amen.