“glory” was the path to failure. The allure of material grandeur of places of worship, of great political structures and economic power through trade, and of this being achieved through pragmatic wisdom, continues today.
A New Testament perspective is evident in its explicit references to Solomon. Matthew 6:29, “not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these,” is part of 6:19–34 commencing “do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth” and warning that “you cannot serve both God and money”; rather God supplies what is needed and so our priority is to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” The parallel comparison in Luke 12:27 is in a block (12:13–34) which commences with the parable of the rich fool, and goes on to enjoin “sell your possessions and give to the poor,” concluding “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Solomon’s glory becomes warning, with the implication that in the end he was a “rich fool.”
Other references to Solomon in the Gospels are in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:6–7), pointing to Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise concerning the Davidic king, reinforced by the statement that the “Queen of the South” came to “listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42; Luke 11:31). The only other New Testament mention of Solomon is in Stephen’s provocative retelling of the history of God’s people: his inclusion of Solomon’s building the temple is immediately followed by “however, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands” (Acts 7:47–48). In saying “made by human hands,” Stephen may be deliberately echoing the LXX’s derogative description of idol worship,32 as well as the quoted words of Jesus, “I will destroy this temple made by human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands” (Mark 14:58).33
The New Testament endorses features of the Kings narrative: the primacy of wholehearted following of God’s ways, the dangerous allure of wealth and desire for security and status symbols, and the secondary position of places of worship and associated ritual. How often are these aspects of Solomon referred to in preaching? New Testament allusions direct us to pay attention to the Solomon narrative and so reflect on the complexities of decisions to be made in everyday life and to see clearly the temptations to misuse God’s good gifts, turning aside after counterfeit gods.
Early in his reign Solomon is commended for his “love” of God (1 Kgs 3:3) and for his answer to God’s question, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (3:5), but later “all he had desired to do” (9:1) is related to royal buildings and “he held fast to them (foreign women) in love” (11:2). A thousand years later Christ says to his disciples, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matt 7:7), significantly in the context of the Sermon on the Mount which contrasts the priorities of Solomon (6:29), a reminder of ways in which Solomon misused the generous gifts of God. How will Christ’s followers respond to that generous offer today? We are promised all that we need so that our “good works” lead others to “glorify your Father in heaven” (5:16).34
Blessing to Other Nations
Apart from Solomon, Jesus refers to only two incidents from 1 and 2 Kings, both telling of blessing to someone outside God’s people: Elijah and provision for a widow in Zarephath, and Elisha and the healing of Naaman.35 These reminders were a scandal to the hearers in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:25–30): behavior and attitudes that are commended by God often are controversial and unwelcome.
God’s Grace in Unexpected Places
Elijah boldly confronts King Ahab, but the first person to whom God tells Elijah to “go” is not the king but a non-Israelite widow (1 Kgs 17:1, 8–9). The God who had “directed the ravens to supply you with food there” (v. 4) now “directed a widow there to supply you with food” (v. 9). Here is a claim to sovereignty outside the land and his people—“Zarephath in the region of Sidon” is the home not only of Jezebel but of her god!—and a widow outside of Israel will learn to her life-continuing gain that indeed “the Lord your God lives” (v. 12). Far away from centers of power and wealth she will be the first to affirm that “the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth” (v. 24).
Jesus’s introduction, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24), shows that he has more in view than simply pointing to God’s grace to gentiles, although that aspect is important. The widow is an example of an “outsider,” someone on the fringe, who, when given opportunity to respond to God’s gracious saving provision, believes and lives, whereas “insiders” are not willing to believe or have a compromised faith and may be critical when “outsiders” are welcomed. How ready is the church today to see God graciously at work in people outside certain boundaries and perhaps to see that as a challenge to our own actions and attitudes? Konkel36 tells of Lamin Sanneh, an Islamic scholar, originally from Gambia, who became a follower of Christ but met suspicion and skepticism from various churches. He persevered because “Jesus was for real in spite of the prevarications of the church” and from 1989 until his death in 2019 was Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale Divinity School. The story of the widow of Zarephath encourages us to open our eyes and hearts to God’s grace in unexpected people and places, and to allow their response to challenge our own.
Here is also a story where the person of God does not come with all the resources but rather depends on help from the “outsider.” A striking comparison is Jesus asking for a drink of water from the woman at the well in Samaria, and she too, an “outsider,” became the first to see that he could be the Messiah and told others (John 4:7, 25–29).37
Naaman is Also a Human Being Like Us
The story of Naaman and his cleansing from a skin disease (2 Kgs 5) is familiar and Christians have seen many analogies with the gospel of Jesus Christ and cleansing from sin. Is this the main reason for the story being here? A number of features aid reflection on varying responses of God’s people in living amongst the nations.
From the start it challenges self-centered (or rather God’s people-centered) attitudes. It opens with simple, but unexpected, statements: “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram” (2 Kgs 5:1). How might an Israelite receive these words? “Here is an archenemy. It can’t be true that the Lord gave Aram victory; God is supposed to give us victory.” Yet the narrator asserts God’s sovereignty and freedom to act on the side of Aram against Israel and continues to praise Naaman, “he was a valiant soldier” but he “had leprosy” (one of a number of possible skin diseases). An Israelite could give three reasons for detesting Naaman: a foreigner, head of the army that has defeated them, and a leper. Further, as a result of raids, a captured Israelite girl is now servant of Naaman’s wife. An Israelite might hope and pray for the freeing of the slave girl through the defeat of Aram. The narrator sees differently.
First, we read of the captive girl, a person on the fringe, seemingly insignificant as a member of God’s people. Yet here shines an example of concern for the enemy that leads ultimately to his full participation in communal life. Surprising inversions of human expectations continue: an Aramean king is genuinely and generously open to the possibility of an Israelite prophet healing, while the king of Israel is fearfully concerned for his own security. Next we read how Elisha is not overawed by the importance and possible generosity of this foreign army commander, simply sending a message as to the way to wholeness. He later refuses a very large gift of thanks, sending Naaman away “in peace” (v. 19).
We might expect the story to end there, but the narrator turns to Gehazi, Elisha’s assistant. The principle that a laborer is worthy of their hire is biblical (Matt 10:10; 1 Tim 5:18), and prophets relied upon the gifts of people (e.g., 1 Sam 9:8). Like Paul much later (1 Thess 2:9), Elijah however knows that claiming personal rights and material advantage is not as important as seeing people grow in faith in the life-giving God. Gehazi thinks otherwise. He sees an opportunity to live much more comfortably. He may well
