Discovering Hidden Treasures of Wisdom in Christ

Right. Do we have a PowerPoint? We do. Now, if you're looking at that slide and panicking, are we going to go through One King's chapters 1 to 10 and 2 Chronicles 1 to 9?

The answer is no, we're not. Don't worry about that. Well, this is the last of our family services this morning, and so things are just slightly different.

It's also the last meteorological day of summer, though we're told. What a glorious golden summer it's been, and that leads us into our thought about the age of gold as set out in the life of Solomon. I've got here a 1909 half sovereign. Now, apparently, if that was Australian, and you're only able to tell by some absolute minute thing, it would be worth a fortune, but I'm certain it isn't.

But this is a gold coin. It's not worth a great deal, really, probably worth just the weight of gold than it is, which is not much, being a small... It's a reminder of how valuable gold has been throughout history, really, since it was first sort of found and smelted and so on and so forth. So, what we're going to do, I'm going to go through a sort of film strip which covers most of the early part of the life of Solomon, but I want to bring a powerful application out of it.

So, we'll be skimming through quite quickly if all goes well. Yeah, okay, let's go then. Well, for 40 years, King David had ruled over Israel, and when the time came for him to die, he called his son Solomon to his bedside, and he gave the rule of his kingdom over to him.

Now, this was a very heavy task for the young prince. After all, Israel was now a great nation. But his father reminded him that the Lord would give him wisdom and understanding to do that.

David said to him, there is much work for you to do, my son, but above all, don't forget to walk in God's ways and obey his commandments. And so, it was a very happy day when Solomon was proclaimed a king throughout the land, trumpets blew, people shouted, and Solomon was officially installed as king.

Now, one night, as we read, the Lord actually appeared to Solomon and put this incredible question. That was, ask what I shall give you. Ask anything and I'll give it to you was the promise that God gave to him. From our reading, we know what Solomon's answer was. It was not an answer that, think of a question like that put to you, ask for anything and I'll give it to you. But Solomon, we know, asked for wisdom and he didn't hesitate to ask for it.

He asked for wisdom to rule the nation and his people wisely. He wanted to be an upright king like his father, David, but he didn't know how to rule that nation properly, so he asked God to give him the wisdom to do that. And God was very pleased that Solomon asked for wisdom rather than money or long life or power or prestige, all those sort of things. And so he granted Solomon this great wisdom and this great understanding and he also granted him great wealth that would come to the land as well.

And Solomon realised that God had truly spoken to him. He says this, happy is the man who finds wisdom and understanding. And very soon Solomon's wisdom was going to be put to the test. Now we come to this famous story of the two ladies.

In the past, there have been some film strips produced on this which. realised that God had truly spoken to him. He says this, happy is the man who finds wisdom and understanding. And very soon, Solomon's wisdom was going to be put to the test. Now we come to this famous story of the two ladies.

In the past, there have been some film strips produced on this, which 20, 30 years ago, you wouldn't really worry about showing, but today you sort of think, hmm, pictures of soldiers holding babies upside down with swords and things. So those sort of things have gone out of the way.

But let's just see how Solomon sorted this matter out. Here are two women standing before him, quarrelling, crying, upset, and so on, and one was just holding a baby in her arms. And the other woman pointed to her, this woman has taken my child, she said. She rolled on her own son in the night and smothered him, and then he took my child and put the dead child beside me. That's the story. The other woman said, well, that just isn't true. The child is mine and the dead one is hers. It's a lie.

It's not true. Not true at all. No, the child is mine, says the other woman. So you've got there quite a problem to try and sort out who's the baby.

So how does Solomon deal with this? Well, I imagine he looked at both of them and as he was just looking at them, being the king, presumably at some point they stopped arguing and were waiting for the king to give some sort of answer.

And you can imagine, can't we, that everything in the court going really quiet, waiting to see what the king, the wise king, would say. And what he says takes most people by surprise. He says, bring me a sword, he demanded. Women, all the people, looked at him in surprise and quickly a soldier sprang forward with this sword. And then the king said, well, this can be simply sorted. Just divide the child in half. One can have one half and the other can have the other half. And then he watched, obviously, very closely for the reaction of the mothers who were there.

And the first woman said, well, that's OK. The child would neither be mine or hers. But the true mother, of course, threw herself at Solomon's feet and Solomon immediately knew that he had the answer he was looking for.

For this woman said, well, rather you gave her the child than the child to be killed. So Solomon immediately knew by then that this was the true mother.

So he said to her, give her the child. For he knew that he was, she was the true mother. Now, that particular example is in the Bible, given as a clear example of Solomon's great wisdom, which is why it's sort of recorded in such detail.

And he was, at the beginning of his reign, a just ruler and the people of his kingdom were generally very happy. Now, he had come to the throne after his father, who had made Israel into a great empire.

And so during this time, the country flourished massively. Now, we know that Solomon built the temple.

There are so many drawings of this temple, we're not entirely certain. But he also built courts, he built palaces, and his fame spread far and wide.

Really, going into that temple must have been an extraordinary experience, because the whole of the interior of that temple was covered in gold, including the floor. So imagine yourself walking into a building which was just gold in every direction that you looked.

It must have been quite astonishing and quite striking. Now, we're told that his fame spread throughout the world.

And in a distant court of Sheba, which you think is probably somewhere, southern Arabia, news had reached the Queen of Sheba of all these stories, all this amazing wealth, all these things that were going on in Israel. So she decided to go and see for herself, and travelled thousands of miles to get to meet Solomon, which she did.

She bought a massive amount of gold and spices and things for the king as well. And on arrival, she comes to the king's great court, a magnificent court it was, and she wanted to ask Solomon many questions. Now, when you read the account of this, it's written in a very positive way, in the way the Queen of Sheba spoke to him, the conversations that they had.

Solomon showed her the temple, and also, obviously, his palace as well. And she was really quite. and she wanted to ask Solomon many questions. Now, when you read the account of this, it's written in a very positive way, in the way the Queen of Sheba spoke to him, the conversations that they had.

Solomon showed her the temple, and also, obviously, his palace as well. And she was really quite struck, really, by the immensity of what she was seeing, and she also noticed that the people were really happy, because that is recorded, and she said, happy are your servants that hear your wisdom. Now, archaeologically, we don't really know exactly where Sheba was exactly, we don't really know anything about the Queen of Sheba, but we do know that the Lord Jesus believed that she was a historical figure, because he refers to her in his teaching.

And many commentators think that this actual incident you could draw as a high point of the Old Testament, the highest point. Israel at its wealthiest, its greatest, its most powerful, ruled by a wise ruler, and so on and so forth, a high point. It's only after that point when the Queen of Sheba goes back home that things change. And we're not going to go, we haven't got the time to go into that today, but Solomon knew, and he knew, that wealth and earthly possessions would not last forever, because he said in Proverbs, riches make themselves wings. He was no fool, though he became very foolish, as we knew. He knew that the magnificent temple built by hundreds of thousands of workers would not stand there forever, that his great palace with the jewel court and the ivory throne, all these things would one day pass away. And we know that the glory of Solomon has long departed. Archaeologically, there is virtually nothing left.

Some things have been found, some sort of we think are his stables down at Megiddo, and it is true that as time goes by, more little things are being found. Otherwise, it has all gone. And it's not really surprising that it has all gone when you look at the history of Israel following Solomon's reign, right through the time of the Lord Jesus to after that time too, the destructions that came to that line. But I suppose it's true to say that Solomon's wisdom has far outlasted him, because he wrote many of those thoughts of wisdom down in the book of Proverbs.

We just look at three simple little things. This looks a bit twee, but it's true. He that has friends must show himself friendly, is a proverb, and it's absolutely true. You could say that's why you haven't got a lot of friends, but you must show yourself friendly if you're going to have friends. Another one, a wise son, he is his father's instruction, listens to his parents for their guidance and so on. And this is a good name. A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, it says in one of the Proverbs. So that brings us to the end of that presentation.

So if we could hibernate that now for the moment, we'll go back to a couple of things right at the end. So how do we get these treasures of wisdom and great understanding?

Well, there's a very simple answer, and let's go to Colossians chapter 2, page 1183. Just a few verses from chapter 2. Now Paul is writing to Christians at Colossae, and he says this, I want you to know how hard I am contending for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.

My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Well, how do we discover these treasures?

Well, I'm sure we've all got bits and pieces of evidence of our wisdom and knowledge. For those who are getting their exam results this summer, that's another sort of indication of wisdom and knowledge that is eventually produced on a piece of paper. I've brought... yeah. system and knowledge. Yeah. Well, how do we discover these treasures?

Well, I'm sure we've all got bits and pieces of evidence of our wisdom and knowledge. For those who are getting their exam results this summer, that's another sort of indication of wisdom and knowledge that is eventually produced on a piece of paper. I've brought this. This is my certificate from the University of Oxford as a Bachelor of Education given on the 15th day of November 1975. Actually, it's interesting because when you look at the certificate, it has been torn off a roll like that, but it's evidence of sort of a completion of work, though I don't think I did very well. In fact, I think I probably scraped through it anyway, but it's a sort of evidence of wisdom and knowledge on various certificates and so on. So, you know, do we need these to get the true wisdom and knowledge?

And actually, of course, actually, no, we don't. I mean, they're useful to have, but we don't actually need them to the sense of what we need, what Paul is saying here. So how do we get?

Well, in fact, from that opening paragraph, the answer to that question is basically love. Let me demonstrate why.

I mean, the Colossians had never seen Paul. They'd never seen him. The church was established by Epaphras, we think, but he was very concerned that the believers, that they should be united together in that church. And though this message is God's mystery, as he says, it was previously hidden through the ages, even hidden from someone like Solomon, it has now been revealed, this great mystery, this great wisdom and knowledge. In Romans 16, where Paul again says, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God. It is Jesus who has brought the treasures of wisdom and understanding. And the word hidden here doesn't actually mean sort of concealed away. It means sort of deposited and sort of stored up.

But for Paul, it is love which will bind the Colossians together so that they would gain full understanding and knowledge. They come to love each other. So when Paul states that in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, this suggests that Jesus is not just a source of wisdom, but he is the very centre of it.

I mean, you know, through life we learn, don't we, so many amazing, vital, beautiful things all through our lives. But verse three reminds us that ultimate truth and understanding and wisdom are found in him, not in these bits of paper or anything.

They are found in him. And this is calling us to look to Christ for guidance and as the fountain of wisdom in every area of our lives. So I suppose we could ask one more question.

Do we get the treasures of wisdom by actually searching for them? Do we need to search for them? And I suppose the answer to that one depends on what direction we look. I mean, in our daily lives, we seek advice, don't we, from many sources, more sources than you could even think of in this day and age. Advice, books, people help us, friends, family, and so on. Now, these can be all very helpful, but it is well to remember that no one can offer us guidance as perfect as that which comes from Jesus.

And let's remind ourselves again of what God said to Solomon in that Chronicles reading, because he said, "... since this is your heart's desire, and you have not asked for wealth and possessions and honour or the death of your enemies, and since you've not asked for a long life, but you've asked for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I've made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you." A direct gift from God to Solomon. And wisdom and knowledge is a direct gift to us, but it is found through the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Solomon realised, as he stated in Proverbs chapter 3, that wisdom is more profitable than gold, and gold here would represent all the earthly treasures.

Think of all the things that you and I have and possess, but wisdom is more profitable, it says in Proverbs 3. And it's God's wisdom that keeps us from a life of disobedience, praying for wisdom, lines, if you like, our hearts up and minds up with the living God. And our lives. profitable than gold, and gold here would represent all the earthly treasures. Think of all the things that you and I have and possess, but wisdom is more profitable, it says in Proverbs 3. And it's God's wisdom that keeps us from a life of disobedience. Praying for wisdom lines, if you like, our hearts up and minds up with the living God. And our lives are filled, aren't they, and challenged daily by our priorities. I think this is a really, really big thing for Christians today.

True wisdom is setting the Lord's priorities as our priorities, for he is the one in whom, it says in that reading, are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Pray that our hearts would be centered on God and not on the fleeting things of this world. Solomon's wealth was fleeting, and as we've said, it is no more, it's all gone.

Archaeology has not even found one ounce of it anywhere. But Jesus said, didn't he, seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added?

That puts that big priority about all the things around us to one side, because Jesus urges us to seek him first. Then all these things will be added. True wisdom is to look to Jesus as the only place where these treasures of wisdom are available. For through him we find forgiveness and a relationship with our creator restored. Understanding the treasure of wisdom and knowledge that we find in Christ opens our eyes to the very depths of the Lord's character. It shows us that he is a loving savior, doesn't it? It shows us that it is he who brings us forgiveness, and we know that we don't deserve it. We don't deserve that forgiveness, and yet it is through our loving savior that he brings that forgiveness.

Now we can find out more about these hidden treasures. We do that by strengthening our relationship in him through prayer, through studying the Bible, and I want to emphasise studying the Bible. We've had a reminder of how to restart where we study the Bible. Maybe if you're not being involved in that as yet but feel you ought to, come and study his word together as a priority. Then again, have a word with Mark. So we can strengthen this relationship through prayer, through studying the Bible and serving him as the priority in our lives above all other things because so many other things come into our lives as a priority, don't they?

We need to serve the Lord Jesus as our priority. Now can we go back just for a couple of things to finish?

Okay, let's move that on to that. Now as I was finishing this, I suddenly thought of people's priorities and I thought of a very good example of one.

Now back in 1896, there was something called the Klondike Gold Rush. You've probably heard of it. There's a map of Alaska and Canada just below up there. And when gold was discovered and they eventually got out in 1897, there was an absolute rush to go and get this gold because they were told people are picking great nuggets out of rivers and so on and so forth. And it's reckoned that 100,000 people went into the Klondike up to Dawson to try and get that gold. And there are a few photographs and I think this is the most telling one. This is the Tulloch Pass and you had to actually go up it to get into Dawson. So if you were taking your digging stuff and your supplies and your food, you had to take it up that pass in the snow.

After all, Dawson is only a few miles just outside the Arctic Circle. The desire to get gold meant that some people went up and down that path two or three times because they couldn't carry everything all at once just to get the gold, just to get to Dawson. In fact, I was reading a sort of, I suppose it was a travel leaflet trying to encourage people to go to Dawson today, probably historically. And it has all these sort of pluses, but it doesn't really mention about what people went through to go and get the gold and the thousands of people who actually never got there either. They just basically just froze to death in the winters up there and so on. In fact, thousands of people actually died to get or thought they might get to the gold. But there was a complete one-centered priority above anything else.

And the fixation was to get gold, no matter what you put yourself through and so on. But again, how much. in the winters up there and so on.

In fact, thousands of people actually died to get, or thought they might get, to the gold. But there was a complete one-centred priority above anything else.

And the fixation was to get gold, no matter what you put yourself through and so on. But again, how much more important it is that we diligently search for these treasures of wisdom and understanding.

And as the verses remind us, that is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if you're sitting here today and you're not sure on your own heart whether you have come to trust in him as your Lord and Saviour, well, there's a good verse to think about.

Because it is in him that we find all the treasures of wisdom and understanding. It is in him that we find our true salvation. It is in him that we know we can be rescued from eternal death and brought into the glorious hope of eternal life. These are all the treasures that are bound up in the name of our dear Saviour and Lord. And if you feel, I don't really know and feel that, then I would urge you to make it a matter of prayer to come to him. For if you earnestly seek him, he will not turn you away, but will embrace you and gather you to himself. He is a great Saviour, isn't he? When you think of all the glorious, wonderful treasures on earth, they are nothing in comparison to the treasures and the wisdom that are found, knowledge, are found within our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Father, we do need your help with our priorities. All of us, Lord, we know that we can be so easily sidetracked with so many things in this world and in this life. But Lord, we pray you will help us to make you our priority, to make you the centre of our lives, that we might truly seek those wonderful hidden treasures, may truly seek that wisdom and knowledge that is found in the Son of God.

Help us all to do that, Lord, day by day. You may help us to walk with you strongly and confidently day by day. Help us to do that, Lord, we pray, in and through our Saviour's name. Amen. Right, well we got there. It's stressful, isn't it, when things aren't working? They're all working now. Well, let's close by singing a hymn.

This hymn is a perfect fit for these verses. I doubt if we've sung it before. It's one of Christopher Idol's hymns, and it speaks very powerfully of the true wisdom. There are various tunes to this. None of them would be known by everyone here, but some will be known by some, so we will, I'm sure, pick it up. So let's play through the tune we chose, and then after that's done, we'll stand and sing this lovely, lovely hymn.