02/22/2019

Matthew 12:42

 ⁴² The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

The greater the area of exposure the greater the opportunity for sin.

Jesus could have chosen any of the Old Testament heroes to compare Himself to, but He chose Solomon.  This is at least an encouragement to think that Solomon owned an excellent greatness above any other to which He may have made a comparison.

This excellence to which Jesus refers is that which the Queen of Sheba came to see, and that which we find described in I Kings 10:6-9.  We have no reason to take this excellent description by the Queen at anything less than face value.  The court of Solomon overwhelmed her to the point that the description by which she had made her journey was only half accurate.  And this wealth and wonder was a demonstration of God’s gracious love for Solomon.

It is statements such as this, which begins at his birth and continues throughout his reign, that cannot be squared with anything less than divine gracious election.  God loved Solomon.  God blessed Solomon.  Solomon did not consistently return God’s love.  But we don’t either.

What then was Solomon’s hope and ours?  “One greater than Solomon” is among us.