Jesus was greater than solomon

JESUS WAS GREATER THAN SOLOMON
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 11:31 31
The Queen of the South will rise at the
judgment with the peopleof this generationand
condemn them, for she came from the ends of the
earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom;and now
something greater than Solomonis here.
A GREATER THAN SOLOMON NO. 1600
A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD’S-DAYEVENING, FEBRUARY6,
1881, BYC. H. SPURGEON,AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,
NEWINGTON.
“Behold, a greaterthan Solomon is here.” Luke 11:31.
OUR first thought is that no mere man would have saidthis concerning
himself unless he had been altogethereatenup with vanity, for Solomonwas,
among the Jews, the very ideal of greatnessand wisdom. It would be an
instance of the utmost self-conceitif any mere man were to say of himself—“A
greaterthan Solomonis here.” Any personwho was really greaterand wiser
than Solomonwould be the lastman to claim such pre-eminence. A wise man
would never think it; a prudent man would never say it! The Lord Jesus
Christ, if we regardHim as a mere man, would never have uttered such an

expression, for a more modest, self-forgetting man was never found in our
entire race. View it on the supposition that the Christ of Nazarethwas a mere
man, and I say that His whole conduct was totally different from the spirit
which would have suggestedan utterance like this—“A greaterthan Solomon
is here.” When men compare themselves with one another it is not wise, and
Christ was wise—itis not humble—and Christ was humble. He would not
have spokenthus if there had not been cause and reasonin His infinitely
glorious nature. It was because the divinity within Him must speak out. For
God to say that He is greaterthan all His creatures is no boast, for what are
they in His sight? All worlds are but sparks from the anvil of His
omnipotence! Space, time, eternity—all these are as nothing before Him, and
for Him to compare or even to contrastHimself with one of His own creatures
is supreme condescension, letHim word the comparisonhow He may! It was
the divine within our Lord which made Him say and not even then with a view
to exalt Himself, but with a view to point the moral that He was trying to
bring before the people—“Agreaterthan Solomonis here.” He did as goodas
say, “The queen of the south came from a distance to hear the wisdom of
Solomon, but you refuse to hear Me. She gave attention to a man, but you will
not regardyour God. You will not listen to the incarnate deity who tells you
words of infinite, infallible wisdom.” Our Lord Jesus is aiming at His hearers’
goodand where the motive is so disinterestedthere remains no room for
criticism. He tells them that He is greaterthan Solomon to convince them of
the greatnessoftheir crime in refusing to listen to the messages oflove with
which His lips were loaded. Foreigners come from afar to Solomonbut, I, says
Jesus, have come to your door and brought infinite wisdom into your very
gates, and yet you refuse Me. Therefore the queen of the south shall rise up in
judgment againstyou, for, in rejecting Me, you rejecta greaterthan Solomon.
The secondthought that comes to one’s mind is this—notice the self-
consciousnessofthe Lord Jesus Christ. He knows who He is and what He is,
and He is not lowly in spirit because He is ignorant of His own greatness.He
was meek and lowly in heart—“Servus servorum,” as the Latins were known
to call Him, “Servantof servants,” but all the while He knew that He was Rex
Regum, or King of Kings. He takes a toweland He washes His disciples’feet
and all the while He knows that He is their Masterand their Lord. He
associateswithpublicans, and harlots and dwells with the common people—

and all the while He knows that He is the only-begotten of the Father! He sits
as a child in the temple listening to and asking questions of the rabbis. He
stands among His disciples as though He were one of them, conversing with
the ignorant and foolish of the day, seeking their good—andHe knows that
He is not one of them—He knows that He has nothing to learn from them. He
knows that He is able to teachsenates and to instruct kings and philosophers,
for He is greaterthan Solomon. He wears a peasant’s garband has nowhere
to lay His head and He knows that whateverthe lowliness ofHis condition, He
is greaterthan Solomon!He lets us perceive that He knows it, that all may
understand the love which
2 A GreaterThan Solomon Sermon#1600
2 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. Volume 27
brought Him down so low. It is grand humility on Christ’s part that He
condescends to be our servant, our Savior—whenHe is so greatthat the
greatestofmen are as nothing before Him! “He counted it not robbery to be
equal with God.” Mark that. And yet “He made Himself of no reputation.”
Some people do not know their own worth, and so when they stoopto a lowly
office it is no stoopto their minds, for they do not know their own abilities.
They do not know to what they are equal. But Christ did know—He knew all
about His own deity, His own wisdom and greatness as man. I admire,
therefore, the clearunderstanding which sparkles in His deep humiliation like
a gem in a dark mine. He is not one who stoops downaccording to the old
rhyme— “As needs be must who cannotsit upright,” but He is one who comes
down wittingly from His throne of glory, marking eachstep and fully
estimating the descentwhich He is making. The costof our redemption was
known to Him and He endured the cross, despising the shame. Watts well
sings— “This was compassionlike a God, That when the Saviorknew The
price of pardon was His blood, His pity never withdrew.” Brethren, if our
Savior, Himself, said that He was greaterthan Solomon, you and I must fully
believe it, enthusiastically admit it, and prepare to proclaim it! If others will
not acknowledgeit, let us be the more prompt to confess it. If He Himself had
to say, before they would acknowledgeit, “A greaterthan Solomonis here,”
let it not be necessarythat the saying should be repeated, but let us all confess

that He is, indeed, greaterthan Solomon! Let us go home with this resolve in
our minds, that we will speak greaterthings of Christ than we have done!
That we will try to love Him more, serve Him better and make Him in our
own estimation and in the world’s, greaterthan He has everbeen. Oh for a
glorious high throne to setHim on and a crown of stars to place upon His
head! Oh to bring nations to His feet! I know my words cannot honor Him
according to His merits—I wish they could. I am quite sure to fail in my own
judgment when telling out His excellence. Indeed, I grow less and less satisfied
with my thoughts and language concerning Him. He is too glorious for my
feeble language to describe Him. If I could speak with the tongues of men and
of angels, I could not speak worthily of Him. If I could borrow all the
harmonies of heaven and enlist every harp and song of the glorified, yet were
not the music sweetenoughfor His praises!Our glorious Redeemeris ever-
blessed—letus bless Him! He is to be extolled above the highestheavens—let
us sound forth His praises!Oh for a well-tuned harp! May the Spirit of God
help both heart and lips to extol Him at this hour! First, then, we shall try to
draw a parallel betweenJesus and Solomon. Secondly, we will break away
from all comparisons and show where there cannot be any parallel between
Christ and Solomonat all. I. First, then, BETWEEN CHRIST AND
SOLOMON there are some points of likeness. Whenthe Savior Himself gives
us a comparison, it is a clearproof that a likeness was originally intended by
the Holy Spirit, and therefore we may say without hesitationthat Solomon
was meant to be a type of Christ. I am not going into detail, nor am I about to
refine upon small matters, but I shall give you five points in which Solomon
was conspicuouslylike Christ, and in which our Lord was greaterthan
Solomon. O for help in the greattask before me! And, first, in wisdom.
Whenever you talked about Solomonto a Jew, his eyes beganto flash with
exultation. His blood leaped in his veins with national pride. Solomon—that
name brought to mind the proudest time of David’s dynasty, the age of gold!
Solomon, the magnificent, why, surely, his name crowns Jewishhistory with
glory and the brightest beam of that glory is his wisdom! In the east, and I
think I may say in the west, it still remains a proverb, “To be as wise as
Solomon.” No modern philosopher or learned monarch has ever divided the
fame of the Son of David, whose name abides as the synonym of wisdom. Of
no man since could it be said as of him, “And all the kings of the earth sought

the presence ofSolomon, to hear his wisdom, that God had put in his heart.”
He intermeddled with all knowledge and was a masterin all sciences. He was
a naturalist—“And he spoke of trees, from the cedartrees that are in
Lebanon even unto the hyssopthat springs out of the wall. He spoke, also, of
beasts and of fowl and of creeping things and of fishes.” He was an engineer
and architect, for he wrote, “I made greatworks. I built houses. I planted
vineyards—I made gardens and orchards and I planted trees in
Sermon #1600 AGreaterThan Solomon3
Volume 27 Tell someone todayhow much you love Jesus Christ. 3
them of all kind of fruits. I made pools of water, to waterthe woodthat brings
forth trees.” He was one who understood the science ofgovernment—
politician of the highest order. He was everything; in fact God gave Him
wisdom and largenessofheart, says the Scripture, like the sand of the sea.
“And Solomon’s wisdom excelledthe wisdom of all the children of the east
country, and all the wisdom of Egypt, for he was wiserthan all men; than
Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol.
And his fame was in all nations round about.” Yes, but our Saviorknows
infinitely more than Solomon! I want you, tonight, to come to Him just as the
Queen of Sheba came to Solomon, only for weightierreasons. You do not need
to learn anything concerning architecture or navigation, agriculture or
anatomy. You only need to know how you shall be built up a spiritual house
and how you shall cross those dangerous seas whichlie betweenthis land and
the CelestialCity! Well, you may come to Jesus and He will teachyou all that
you need to know, for all wisdom is in Christ! Our divine Savior knows things
past and presentand future—the secrets ofGod are with Him. He knows the
inmost heart of God, for no one knows the Father exceptthe Son, and He to
whom the Son shall revealHim. To Him it is given to take the book of
prophetic decree and loose the seven seals!Come, then, to Christ Jesus if you
want to know the mind of God, for it is written that He “is made unto us
wisdom.” Solomonmight have wisdom, but he could not be wisdom to others.
Christ Jesus is that to the fullest! In the multifarious knowledge whichHe
possesses—the universalknowledge whichis storedup in Him—there is
enough for your guidance and instruction even to the end of life, however

intricate and overshadowedyour path may be. Solomonproved his wisdom,
in part, by his remarkable inventions. We cannottell what Solomondid not
know. At any rate, no man knows, atthis present moment, how those huge
stones which have lately been discovered—whichwere the basis of the ascent
by which Solomonwent up to the house of the Lord—were everput into their
places. Manyof the stones of Solomon’s masonry are so enormous that
scarcelycouldany modern machinery move them! And without the slightest
cement they are put togetherso exactly that the blade of a knife could not be
inserted betweenthem! It is marvelous how the thing was done. How such
greatstones were brought from their original bed in the quarry—how the
whole building of the temple was executed—nobodyknows. The castings in
brass and silver are scarcelyless remarkable.No doubt many inventions have
passedawayfrom the knowledge ofmodern times, inventions as remarkable
as those of our own age. We are a setof savages thatare beginning to learn
something, but Solomonknew and invented things which we shall, perhaps,
rediscoverin 500 years time. By vehement exertion this boastful 19th Century,
wretchedcentury as it is, will crawltowards the wisdom which Solomon
possessedages ago! Yet is Jesus greaterthan Solomon! As for inventions,
Solomonis no inventor at all compared with Him who said, “Deliverhim from
going down into the pit, for I have found a ransom.” O Savior, did You find
out the way of our salvation? Did You bring into the world and carry out and
execute the way by which hell should be closed, and heaven, once barred,
should be setwide open? Then, indeed, are You wiser than Solomon!You are
the deviserof salvation, the architectof the Church, the author and finisher of
our faith! Solomonhas left us some very valuable books—the Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, andthe matchless Song. But, oh, the words of Solomonfall far
short of the words of Jesus Christ, for they are spirit and life! The powerof
the words of Jesus is infinitely greaterthan all the deep sayings of the Sage.
Proverbial wisdom cannotmatch His sayings, nor can “The Preacher” rival
His sermons!Even the divine Song, itself, would remain without a meaning—
an allegorynever to be explained—if it were not that Christ, Himself, is the
sum and substance ofit! Solomonmay sing of Christ, but Christ is the
substance of the song! He is greaterthan Solomonin His teachings, forHis
wisdom is from above, and leads men up to heaven! Blessedare they that sit at
His feet! Again, Solomonshowedhis wisdomin difficult judgments. You

know how he settled the question betweenthe two women concerning the
child—many other puzzles Solomon solvedand many other knots Solomon
was able to untie. He was a greatruler and governor—a man wise in politics,
in socialeconomyand in commerce—wise inall human respects. Buta greater
than Solomonis present where Christ is! There is no difficulty which Christ
cannot remove, no knot which He cannot untie, and no question which He
cannot answer. You may bring your hard questions to Him, and He will
answerthem! And if you have any difficulty on your heart tonight, do but
resortto the Lord Jesus Christ in
prayer and searchHis Word, and you shall hear a voice as from the sacred
oracle which shall lead you in the path of safety. My point at this time,
especiallyas we are coming to the Communion Table, is this—I want you that
love the Lord Jesus Christto believe in His infinite wisdom and come to Him
for direction. I fear that when you are in trouble, you half suppose that the
greatkeeperof Israelmust have made a mistake. You get into such an
intricate path that you say, “Surely my Shepherd has not guided me right.”
Neverthink so!When you are poor and needy, still say, “This, my poverty,
was ordained by a greaterthan Solomon.” What if you seem to be deprived of
every comfort and you are brought into a strange and solitaryway where you
find no city to dwell in? Yet a guide is near, and that guide is not foolish—a
greaterthan Solomonis here! I think I look, tonight, into a great furnace. It
is so fierce that I cannot bear to gaze into its terrible blaze for fear my eyes
should utterly fail me and lose the power of sight through the glare of that
tremendous flame. I turn aside, for the fury of its flame overpowers me. But
when I am strengthenedto look again, I see ingots of silver refining in the
white heat and I note that the heat is tempered to the last degree of nicety. I
watchthe process to the end and I say, as I behold those ingots brought out all
clearand pure, refined from all dross and ready for the heavenly treasury,
“Behold, a greaterthan Solomon was in that furnace work!” So you will find
it, O sufferer! Infinite wisdom is in your lot. Come, poor c, do not begin to
interfere with your Savior’s better judgment, but let Him order all things. Do

not let your little, “Know,” everrise up againstthe greatknowledge ofyour
dear Redeemer!Think of this when you wade in deep waters and comfortably
whisper to yourself—“A greaterthan Solomon is here.” I have not time to
enlarge, and therefore I would have you notice, next, that our Lord Jesus
Christ is greaterthan Solomon in wealth. This was one of the things for which
Solomonwas noted. He had greattreasures—he “made goldto be as stones,
and as for silver it was little accounted of,” so rich did he become! He had
multitudes of servants. I think He had 60,000 hewersin the mountains hewing
out stones and wood, so numerous were the workmen he employed. His court
was magnificent to the lastdegree. When you read of the food that was
prepared to feedthe court and of the statelyway in which everything was
arrangedfrom the stables of the horses upwards to the ivory throne, you feel,
like the queen of Sheba, utterly astonished, and say, “The half was not told
me!” But, oh, when you consider all the wealthof Solomon, what poor stuff it
is compared with the riches that are treasuredup in Christ Jesus!Beloved, He
who died upon the cross andwas indebted to a friend for a grave—He who
was stripped, even, to the last rag before He died—He who possessedno
wealth but that of sorrow and sympathy, yet had about Him the power to
make many rich and He has made multitudes rich—rich to all the intents of
everlasting bliss! And, therefore, He must be rich Himself! Is He not rich who
enriches millions? Why, our Lord Jesus Christ, even by a word, comforted
those that were bowed down. When He stretched out His hand He healedthe
sick with a touch! There was a wealth about His every movement! He was a
full man; full of all that man could desire to be full of! And now, seeing that
He has died and risen again, there is in Him a wealth of pardoning love, a
wealth of saving power, a wealth of intercessorymight before the Father’s
throne—a wealthof all things by which He enriches the sons of men and shall
enrich them to all eternity! I want this truth of Godto come home to you! I
want you to recognize the riches of Christ, you that are His people and, in
addition, to remember the truth of our hymn— “Since Christ is rich can I be
poor? What can I need besides?” Iwish we could learn to reckonwhat we
are by what Christ is. An old man said, “I am very old. I have lost my only
son. I am penniless, and worstof all, I am blind. But,” he added, “This does
not matter, for Christ is not infirm! Christ is not aged!Christ has all riches,
and He is not blind! And Christ is mine and I have all things in Him.” Could

you not get hold of that somehow, brothers and sisters? Will not the Holy
Spirit teach you the art of appropriating the Lord Jesus and all that He is and
has? If Christ is your representative, why then, you are rich in Him! Go to
Him to be enriched! Suppose I were to meet a woman and I knew her husband
to be a very wealthyman and that he loved her very much? And suppose she
were to say to me, “I am dreadfully poor. I do not know where to get raiment
and food”? “Oh,” I would think, “this womanis out of her mind! If she has
such a husband, surely she has only to go to him for all that she needs! And
what if nothing is invested in her name? It is in his name and they are one and
he will deny her nothing.” I would say to her, “My goodwoman, you must not
talk in that fash
ion, or I will tell your husband on you.” Well, I think that I shall have to say
the same to you who are so very poor and castdown and yet are married to
Jesus Christ! I shall have to tell your Husband on you, that you bring such
complaints againstHim, for all things are yours, for you are Christ’s and
Christ is God’s!I say to you, “lift up the hands that hang down and confirm
the feeble knees”—usethe knees ofprayer and the hands of faith, and your
estate will well content you. Do not think that you are married to Rehoboam
who will beat you with scorpions, for you are joined to a greaterthan
Solomon!Do not fancy that your heavenly Bridegroomis a beggar—allthe
wealth of eternity and infinity is His—how can you say that you are poor
while all that He has is yours? Now thirdly, but very briefly. There was one
point about Solomonin which every Israelite rejoiced, namely, that he was the
prince of peace. His name signifies peace. His father, David, was a great
warrior, but Solomonhad not to carry on war. His powerwas such that no
one dared to venture upon a conflict with so greatand potent a monarch.
Every man throughout Israel satunder his vine and fig tree and no man was
afraid. No trumpet of invader was heard in the land. Those were halcyon days
for Israelwhen Solomonreigned! Ah, but in that matter, too, a greaterthan
Solomonis here—for Solomoncould not give his subjects peace of mind. He
could not bestow upon them rest of heart. He could not ease them of their

burden of guilt, or draw the arrow of conviction from their breast and heal its
smart. But I preachto you tonight that blessedMan of Sorrows who has
workedout our redemption and who is greaterthan Solomonin His peace-
giving power! Oh, come and trust Him! Then shall your “peace be as a river
and your righteousness like the waves ofthe sea.” Am I addressing one of
God’s people who is sorelytroubled, tumbled up and down in his thoughts?
Brother or sister, do not think that you must wait a week ortwo before you
can recoveryour peace!You can become restful in a moment, for, “He is our
peace”—evenJesus, Himself, and He alone! And, oh, if you will but take Him
at once, laying hold upon Him by the hands of faith as your Savior, this man
shall be your peace even when the Assyrian shall come into the land! There is
no peace like the peace which Jesus gives—itis like a river—deep, profound,
renewed, always flowing, overflowing, increasing and widening into an ocean
of bliss. “The peace ofGod, which passes allunderstanding, shall keepyour
heart and mind, through Jesus Christ.” Oh, come to Him! Come to Him at
this moment! Do not remain an hour awayfrom your Noah, or rest, for with
Him in the ark, your weary wings shall be tired no longer!You shall be safe
and restful the moment you return to Him! The fruit of the Spirit is JOY. I
want you to get that joy and to enter into this peace!Blessedcombination, joy
and peace!Peace, peace—there is music in the very word! Get it from Him
who is the Word and whose voice canstill a storm into a calm! A greaterthan
Solomonis here to give you that peace!Beatthe swordof your inward
warfare into the plow-share of holy service. No longer sound an alarm, but
blow the trumpet of peace in this the day of peace. A fourth thing for which
Solomonwas noted was his greatworks. Solomonbuilt the temple which was
one of the Seven Wonders of the World in its time. A very marvelous building
it must have been, but I will not stop to describe it, for time fails us. In
addition to this he erectedfor himself palaces, constructedfortifications and
made aqueducts and greatpools to bring streams from the mountains to the
various towns. He also founded Palmyra and Baalbec—those cities ofthe
desert—to facilitate his commerce with India, Arabia and other remote
regions. He was a marvelous man! Earth has not seenhis like. And yet a
greaterthan Solomonis here, for Christ has brought the living waterfrom the
throne of God right down to thirsty men, being Himself the eternal aqueduct
through which the heavenly current streams!Christ has built fortresses and

munitions of defense behind which His children stand secure againstthe
wrath of hell! And He has founded and is daily finishing a wondrous temple,
His church, of which His people are the living stones, fashioned, polished,
rendered beautiful—a temple which God, Himself, shall inhabit, for He
“dwells not in temples made with hands, that is to say, of this building”— but
He dwells in a temple which He, Himself, does build, of which Christ is
architectand builder, foundation, and chief cornerstone!And Jesus builds for
eternity, an everlasting temple and, when all visible things pass awayand the
very ruins of Solomon’s temple and Solomon’s aqueduct are scarcelyto be
discerned, what a sight will be seenin that New Jerusalem! The 12 courses of
its foundations are of precious stones!Its walls dressedwith rare diamonds!
Its streets are paved with gold and its glory surpasses thatof the sun! I am but
talking figures, poor figures,
too, for the glory of the City of God is spiritual and where shall I find words
with which to depict it? There, where the Lamb, Himself, is the light and the
Lord God, Himself, does dwell there—the whole edifice, the entire New
Jerusalem—shallbe to the praise and the glory of His grace who gave Jesus
Christ to be the builder of the house of His glory, of which I hope we shall
form a part forever and ever! Now, if Christ does such greatworks, I want
you to come to Him that He may work in you the work of God! That is the
point. Come and trust Him at once!Trust Him to build you up. Come and
trust Him to bring the living water to your lips. Come and trust Him to make
you a temple of the living God! Come, dear child of God, if you have great
works to do, come and ask for the power of Christ with which to perform
them! Come, you that would leave some memorial to the honor of the divine
name—come to Him to teachand strengthenyou! He is the wise master
builder—come and be workers togetherwith Christ. Baptize your weakness
into His infinite strength and you shall be strong in the Lord and in the power
of His might. God help you to do it! Once more I draw the parallel upon the
fifth point and I have done with it. Solomonwas greatas to dominion. The
kingdom of the Jews was neveranything like the size before or after that

Solomonmade it. It appears to have extended from the river of Egypt right
across the wilderness far up to the PersianGulf. We can scarcelytell how far
Solomon’s dominions reached. They are said to have been “from sea to sea
and from the river even unto the ends of the earth.” By one mode or another,
he managed to bring various kings into subjection to him and he was the
greatestmonarchthat ever swayedthe scepterof Judah. But it is now all
gone. Poor, feeble Rehoboam, dropped from his foolish hands the reins his
father held. The kingdom was torn in pieces, the tributary princes found their
liberty and the palmy days of Israelwere over. On the contrary, our Lord
Jesus Christ, at this moment has dominion over all things! God has setHim
over all the works of His hands. Yes, shout it out among the heathen that the
Lord reigns! The feetthat were nailed to the tree are setupon the necks ofHis
enemies!The hands that bore the nails sway, at this moment, the scepterof all
worlds—Jesusis King of kings and Lord of lords! Hallelujah! Let universal
sovereigntybe ascribedto the Son of Man—to Him who was “despisedand
rejectedof men, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Tellall, you
saints, for your owncomfort! The Lord reigns!Let the earth rejoice!Let the
multitude of the isles be glad! Everything that happens in providence is still
under His sway, and the time is coming when a moral and spiritual kingdom
will be set up by Him which shall encompass the whole world! It does not
look like it, does it? All these centuries have passedawayand little progress
has been made. Ah, but He comes—andwhenHe comes, orbefore He comes
He shall overturn, overturn, overturn—for it is His right and God will give it
to Him. And, as surely as God lives, unto Him shall every man bow the knee,
“and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christis Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.” Do not be afraid! Do not measure difficulties, much less tremble
at them! What is faith made for but to believe that which seems impossible?
To expect universal dominion for Christ when everything goes wellis but the
expectationof reason!But to expectit when everything goes ill is the triumph
of Abrahamic confidence!Look upon the GreatMountain and say, “Who are
you, O GreatMountain? Before the true Zerubbabel you shall become a
plain.” In the blackestmidnight, when the ebony darkness stands thick and
hard as granite before you, believe that at the mystic touch of Christ, the
whole of it shall pass away—andat the brightness of His rising the eternal
light shall dawn, never to be quenched! This is to actthe part of a believer and

I ask you to actthat part and believe to the fullest in Christ the omnipotent!
Why this stinted faith in an almighty arm? What a fidget we are in and what a
worry seizes us if a little delay arises!Everything has to be done in the next 10
minutes or we count our Lord to be late! Is this part of wisdom? The Eternal
has infinite leisure—who are we that we should hastenHim?— “His purposes
will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour.” A day is long to us, but a thousand
years to Him are but as the twinkling of a star! Oh, rest in the Lord and wait
patiently for Him, for the time shall come when the God of Israel shall put to
rout His adversaries andthe Christ of the cross shallbe the Christ of the
crown! We shall one day hear it said; the great Shepherd reigns and His
unsuffering kingdom now has come. Then rocks and hills and vales and
islands of the sea shall all be vocalwith the one song, “Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive honor and glory and powerand dominion and might
forever and ever!”
Thus I have tried to draw the parallel, but I pray you to see the Lord Jesus
for yourself and know whether I have spokenthe truth about Him. You have
heard the report. Now, like the queen of Sheba, go and see for yourself! Get to
Christ! As to His dominion—come under His swayand acknowledgeHis
scepter!Go and trust your King! Love your King! Praise your King! Delight
in your King! How courtiers delight to be summoned to court! How gladthey
are to see the queen’s face. How pleasedthey are if she gives them but a kindly
word! Surely, their fortune is made, or at leasttheir hopes are raisedand
their spirits lifted up. Shall we not sun ourselves in the presence ofthe blessed
and only potentate? Let us come into the presence ofour King tonight, or else
let us sit here and weep!Let us come to His table to feed upon Him. Let us live
on His word. Let us delight in His love and we shall surely say, “A greater
than Solomonis here.” II. I shall not detain you longer than a minute or two
while I remark that we must rise beyond all parallels if we would reach the
height of this great argument, for BETWEEN CHRIST AND SOLOMON
THERE IS MUCH MORE CONTRAST THAN COMPARISON—much
more difference than likeness. In His nature, the Lord Jesus is greaterthan

Solomon. Alas, poor Solomon!The strongestman that ever lived, namely
Samson, was the weakestofmen—and the wisestman that everlived was,
perhaps, the greatest—certainlythe most conspicuous fool!How different is
our Lord! There is no infirmity in Christ, no folly in the incarnate God. The
backsliding of Solomonfinds no parallel in Jesus, in whom the prince of this
world found nothing, though he searchedHim through and through. Our
Lord is greaterthan Solomonbecause He is not mere man. He is Man, perfect
Man, Man to the utmost of manhood, sin excepted!But still, He is more and
infinitely more, than man. “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily.” He is God, Himself. “The Word was God.” Goddwells in Him and
He, Himself, is God! As in nature He was infinitely superior to Solomonand
not to be compared with him for a moment, so was He in character. Look at
Christ and Solomonfor a minute as to real greatness ofcharacterand you can
hardly see Solomonwith a microscope—while Christrises grandly before you,
growing every moment till He fills the whole horizon of your admiration!
Principally let me note the point of self-sacrifice. Jesus lived entirely for other
people. He had never a thought about Himself. Solomonwas, to a great extent,
wise unto himself, rich unto himself, strong unto himself, and you see in those
greatpalaces and in all their arrangements that he seeks his own pleasure,
honor and emolument. And, alas, that seeking ofpleasure leads him into sin,
and that sin into a still greaterone!Solomon, wonderful as he is, only compels
you to admire him for his greatness, but you cannot admire him for his
goodness.You see nothing that makes you love him—you rather tremble
before him than feel gladdened by him. Oh, but look at Christ! He does not
have a thought for Himself. He lives for others! How grandly magnificent He
is in disinterested love. “He loved His church and gave Himself for it.” He
pours out His heart’s blood for the goodof men, and therefore dear friends, at
this moment our blessedLord is infinitely superior to Solomonin His
influence. Solomonhas little or no influence today. Even in his own time he
never commanded the influence that Christ had in His deepesthumiliation! I
do not hear of any that were willing to die for Solomon—certainlynobody
would do so now. But how perpetually is enthusiasm kindled in ten thousand
breasts for Christ! They say that if there were stakes againin Smithfield we
should not find men to burn on them for Christ. I tell you, it is not so! The
Lord Jesus Christ has, at this moment, a remnant according to the electionof

His grace who would fling themselves into a pit of fire for Him—and rejoice to
do it! “Who shall separate us”—evenus poor pigmies—“from the love of God
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?” “Oh,” says one, “I do not think I could
suffer martyrdom!” You are not yet called to do so, my brother, and God does
not give you strength to do it before the need arises. But you will have
strength enough if ever it comes your lot to die for Jesus. Did you hear of the
martyr who the night before he was to be burnt, sat opposite the fire, and
taking his shoes off, he held his feet close to the flame till he beganto feel the
burning of them? He drew them back and said, “I see God does not give me
powerto bear such suffering as I put upon myself, but I have, none the less, no
doubt,” he said, “that I shall very well stand the stake tomorrow morning, and
burn quick to the death for Christ without starting back.” And so he did, for
he was noticed never to stir at all while the flames were consuming him.
There is a greatdeal of difference betweenyour strength, today, and what
your strength would be if you were calledto some tremendous work or
suffering. My Lord and Masterlet me tell you, wakes more enthusiasm in
human breasts at this moment than any other name in the universe! Napoleon
once said, “I founded a kingdom upon force and it will pass away. But Christ
founded a kingdom upon love and it will last foreverand ever.” And so it will.
Blot out the name of Christ from the hearts of His people? Strike the sun from
the firmament and quench the stars! And when you have achievedthat easy
task, yet have you not begun to remove the glory of the indwelling Christ from
the hearts of His people! Some of us delight to think that we bear in our body
the marks of the Lord Jesus. “Where?” asks one. I answer, it is all over us.
We have been buried into His name and we belong to Him in spirit, soul and
body. That watermark which denotes that we are His can never be takenout
of us! We are dead with Him, wherein we were buried with Him and are risen
againwith Him! And there is nothing at this moment that stirs our soul like
the name of Jesus!Speak for yourselves!Is it not so? Have you never heard of
one who lay dying, his mind wandering and his wife said to him, “My Dear, do
you not know me?” He shook his head and they brought near his favorite

child. “Do you not know me?” He shook his head. One whispered, “Do you
know the Lord Jesus Christ?” and he said, “He is all my salvationand all my
desire.” Oh, blessedname! Blessedname! Some years ago I was awayfrom
this place for a little rest, and I was thinking to myself, “Now I wonder
whether I really respond to the power of the gospelas I should like to do? I
will go and hear a sermon and see.” I would like to sit down with you in the
pews, sometimes, and hear somebodyelse preach—noteverybody, mark
you—for when I hear a goodmany, I want to be doing it myself. I gettired of
them if they do not glow and burn. But that morning I thought I would drop
into a place of worship such as there might be in the little town. A poor, plain
man, a countryman, began preaching about Jesus Christ. He praisedmy
Masterin very humble language, but he praisedHim most sincerely. Oh, and
the tears beganto flow. I soonlaid the dust all round me where I sat, and I
thought, “Blessthe Lord! I do love Him!” It only needs somebody else to play
the harp insteadof me, and my soul is ready to dance to the heavenly tune!
Only let the music be Christ’s sweet, dear, precious name, and my heart leaps
at the sound! Oh, my brothers and sisters, sound out the praises of Jesus
Christ! Sound out that precious name! There is none like it under heaven to
stir my heart! I hope you can all say the same. I know you can if you love Him,
for all renewedhearts are enamored of the sweetLord Jesus. “Agreaterthan
Solomonis here.” Solomonhas no powerover your hearts, but Jesus has. His
influence is infinitely greater;His power to bless is infinitely greater;and so
let us magnify and adore Him with all our hearts. Oh, that all loved Him!
Alas that so many do not! What strange monsters!Why, if you do not love
Christ, what are you? You hearts of stone, will you not break? If His dying
love does not break them, what will? If you cannotsee the beauties of Jesus,
what can you see? Youblind bats! O you that know not the music of His
name, you are deaf! O you that do not rejoice in Him, you are dead! What are
you, that you are sparedthrough the pleading of His love, and yet do not love
Him? God have mercy upon you, and bring you to delight yourselves in Christ
and trust Him! As for us who do trust Him, we mean to love Him and delight
in Him more and more, world without end! Amen.

BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Christ And Solomon
Luke 11:31, 32
W. Clarkson It is one of the strong arguments in favor of our Lord's Divinity that, while there
was that about him which made him free to claim for himself the attribute of meekness (Matthew
11:29), and which saved him from the charge of immodesty, yet was there in him a wonderful
and wholly exceptional consciousness of greatness. On appealing to his own consciousness, he
found himself anterior in existence to Abraham (John 8:58); greater (of more consequence to the
nation) than the very temple itself, that object of boundless veneration (Matthew 12:6); living in
heaven even while dwelling on the earth (John 3:13); associated in the most intimate way
possible and (to us) inconceivable with the Divine Father (John 5:19; John 6:46; John 10:30);
wiser and worthier than the "wise man" himself (text). It may not be surprising that One claiming
to be a Prophet should believe himself to be superior in worth and work to Jonah; for there was
nothing remarkably great either in the moral character or in the professional course of that erratic
prophet. But in respect to Solomon? It may be said that only One who could claim to be highest
among the highest was entitled to say, "I am greater than he." But the actual superiority of Christ
to Solomon is apparent enough if we consider -
I. THE DIGNITY OF HIS PERSON. The Son of David was great, as such; but nothing in
comparison with the Son of God. The King of Israel was great, as such; but nothing when
compared with the Prince of peace, with him "who sitteth on the throne" of heaven.
II. THE CHARACTER OF THE WISDOM. Solomon was very learned in the knowledge of his
age (1 Kings 4:29-34); he was also very skilled in the intellectual conflicts of his time (1 Kings
10.); he had, moreover, a very keen discernment of the ways and wants and weaknesses of
human nature (Proverbs). And he had (what Jesus Christ had not) an acquaintance, gained by his
own experience, of the hollowness of earthly greatness, of the pitiful consequences of human
folly. But the wisdom of Christ was the wisdom of God. For such he had, and such indeed he
was. He was "the Truth" (John 14:6); he was "the Wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30). He
knew and taught mankind, as Solomon could not do, the nature and the will of God (Luke
10:22); the capacities and the possibilities of man (John 2:25); the way home to God (John 14:6);
the secret of spiritual triumph (Matthew 10:39); the glory and the shame awaiting the faithful and
the unfaithful in the future (Matthew 25.).
III. THE BEAUTY AND EXCELLENCY OF HIS LIFE. Beginning admirably (1 Kings 3:5),
and continuing well for a season, Solomon gave way to dangerous luxury, to selfish and exacting
legislation, and at last to moral corruption (1 Kings 11:1-10). The surpassing beauty of the
character of Jesus Christ became more manifest as his life continued, and it culminated in a
supreme act of self-sacrifice which is the crowning glory of his life.
IV. THE GLORY OF HIS CAREER. Solomon's career began in brilliance, it remained bright for
many years; but its light waned as his character declined, and it was concluded in sombre
shadows. The career of Jesus Christ began in lowliest obscurity, it continued in struggle and in
sorrow for a while; but it has risen into the light, it becomes ever more blessed as his influence

grows ever wider and deeper; it will not be complete until all the kingdoms of the earth are in
subjection to his holy will.
1. Are we wise in the wisdom of Christ?
2. Are we the subjects of his benignant rule? - C.
Biblical Illustrator
A greater than Solomon is here.
Luke 11:31, 32
Christ's superiority to Solomon
B. Beddome, M. A.The superiority of Christ to Solomon may be traced in the following
particulars.
1. In His origin. Solomon was indeed of honourable descent, being of the princely tribe of Judah,
and of the family of David, who was one of the most illustrious monarchs that ever filled the
throne of Israel. No one could claim a higher pedigree than Solomon, or receive a crown from
the hands of a more honourable ancestor. Yet Jesus was David's greater Son, and to Him the pre-
eminence belonged. With respect to His human nature, He was a rod from the stem of Jesse, and
a branch growing out of his roots. With respect to His Divine nature, He is the eternal, co-
existent, and co-equal Son of God, in a way mysterious and unknown.
2. In personal qualifications Christ obtains the pre-eminence, especially in that for which
Solomon was so highly celebrated. Solomon with all his wisdom was weak and fallible, and
liable to the greatest folly; but the Lord Jesus is wisdom itself, wisdom in the very abstract. He
was liable to no mistake, to no error, either in judgment or in practice. He was the pattern of all
excellence, and of all perfection. Even His enemies were astonished at His doctrine, and testified
that never man spake like this Man. In two things especially He excelled all other teachers; He
had the most perfect comprehension of His subject, and the power of making it effectually
understood, not merely by outward instruction, but by internal illumination.
3. Christ exceeded Solomon in the purity of His life and the general excellence of His character.
4. Solomon sustained the two-fold office of prophet and king, and in both these Christ has the
pre-eminence.
5. Christ exceeded Solomon in the mighty works which He performed as well as in His general
character and dignity.
6. In the present glory which these illustrious personages possess, there can be no doubt which of
them obtains the pre-eminence. Though Solomon was a partaker of Divine grace, and is now an
inheritor of the invisible glory, it can bespeak no want of charity to suppose that his inconstancy

and backslidings in religion have in some degree tarnished the lustre of his celestial diadem; but
be it ever so bright and splendid, it falls infinitely short of that which is placed on the Redeemer's
head, as the reward of His obedience unto death.(1) Let us contemplate the character of our Lord
and Saviour with astonishment and delight, for a greater than Solomon is here. Let us consider
the apostle and high priest of our profession, withdrawing our thoughts from every other object,
and fixing them intensely upon Him.(2) As no object is so amiable and attractive, let us view the
Saviour till our hearts are inflamed with love.(3) Let us view the Saviour by faith, saying with
the prophet, "I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation."(4) View His
condescension with astonishment and love, that one so much greater than Solomon should have
humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross, that He might raise us to dignity and
honour.
(B. Beddome, M. A.)
A greater than Solomon
C. H. Spurgeon.Our first thought is that no mere man would have said this concerning himself
unless he had been altogether eaten up with vanity; for Solomon was among the Jews the very
ideal of greatness and wisdom. The second thought that comes to one's mind is this: Notice the
self-consciousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows who He is, and what He is, and He is not
lowly in spirit because He is ignorant of His own greatness. He was meek and lowly in heart —
"Servus servorum," as the Latins were wont to call Him, "Servant of servants," but all the while
He knew that He was Rex regum, or King of kings.
I. BETWEEN CHRIST AND SOLOMON THERE ARE SOME POINTS OF LIKENESS.
1. And, first, in wisdom. He intermeddled with all knowledge, and was a master in all sciences.
He was a naturalist; an engineer and architect; a politician, &c. He was everything, in fact. God
gave Him wisdom and largeness of heart, says the Scripture, like the sand of the sea: "and
Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the
wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; and his fame was in all nations round about."
Yes; but our Saviour knows infinitely more than Solomon. I want you to-night to come to Him
just as the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon, only for weightier reasons. You do not want to
learn anything concerning architecture or navigation, agriculture or anatomy. You want to know
only how you shall be built up a spiritual house, and how you shall cross those dangerous seas
which lie between this land and the celestial city. Well, you may come to Jesus, and He will
teach you all that you need to know, for all wisdom is in Christ.
2. Observe, next, that our Lord Jesus Christ is greater than Solomon in wealth. This was one of
the things for which Solomon was noted. He had great treasures: he "made gold to be as stones,
and as for silver it was little accounted of," so rich did he become. But, oh, when you consider all
the wealth of Solomon, what poor stuff it is compared with the riches that are treasured up in
Christ Jesus.
3. There was one point about Solomon in which every Israelite rejoiced, namely, that he was the
prince of peace. His name signifies peace. His father, David, was a great warrior, but Solomon
had not to carry on war. Those were halcyon days for Israel when Solomon reigned. Ah, but in
that matter a greater than Solomon is here; for Solomon could not give his subjects peace of
mind, he could not bestow upon them rest of heart, he could not ease them of their burden of
guilt, or draw the arrow of conviction from their breast and heal its smart.

4. A fourth thing for which Solomon was noted was his great works. Solomon built the temple,
which was one of the seven wonders of the world in its time. A very marvellous building it must
have been. In addition to this he erected for himself palaces, constructed fortfications, and made
aqueducts and great pools to bring streams from the mountains to the various towns. He also
founded Palmyra and Baalbec — those cities of the desert — to facilitate his commerce with
India, Arabia, and other remote regions. He was a marvellous man. And yet a greater than
Solomon is here, for Christ has brought the living water from the throne of God right down to
thirsty men, being Himself the eternal aqueduct through which the heavenly current streams.
Christ has built fortresses and munitions of defence, behind which His children stand secure
against the wrath of hell; and He has founded and is daily finishing a wondrous temple, His
Church, of which His people are the living stones, and which God Himself shall inhabit.
5. Solomon was great as to dominion. He managed to bring various kings into subjection to him,
and he was the greatest monarch that ever swayed the sceptre of Judah. It has all gone now. Poor,
feeble Rehoboam dropped from his foolish hands the reins his father held. The kingdom was rent
in pieces, the tributary princes found their liberty, and the palmy days of Israel were over. On the
contrary, our Lord Jesus Christ at this moment has dominion over all things. God has set Him
over all the works of His hands.
II. BETWEEN CHRIST AND SOLOMON THERE IS MUCH MORE CONTRAST THAN
COMPARISON — much more difference than likeness.
1. In His nature the Lord Jesus is greater than Solomon.
2. In His character.
3. In His influence.
4. In His power to bless.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
A privileged nation judged by the heathenMr. Johnstone observes that "When Japan was recently
revolutionised, the inhabitants adopted Occidental customs, and many of them — chiefly their
style of dress, social manners, and form of government — were taken from England. It was
thought by those in authority in Japan that it would be well to look into the English religion, and
see if it were better, and tended to the moral advancement of those professing it. A deputation
was sent for that purpose, and beginning at London, set itself to study the Christian religion. I
know not where they went to, nor from what standpoint they viewed it; but their report was
unfavourable. They said that never in Japan had they seen such sin, such open licentiousness,
drunkenness, selfishness, unkindness, and lack of sympathy as they had witnessed among the
professed Christians of England, and they would advise that they adhere to their own religion,
which was as good, if not better, than the Christian. Such was their report, after witnessing the
life of the people of nominally Christian England.
END OF BIBLEHUB RESOURCES

A Greater than Solomon Is Here
By Mamatha
- November 22, 2018
256
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Flivingroomtheology.com%2Fa-
greater-than-solomon-is-
here%2Fhttps://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=A+Greater+than+Solomon+Is+Here&url=https%3
A%2F%2Flivingroomtheology.com%2Fa-greater-than-solomon-is-
here%2F&via=Living+Room+Theology+-
+A+place+to+share+life+with+Jesus.https://plus.google.com/share?url=https://livingroomtheolo
gy.com/a-greater-than-solomon-is-
here/https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://livingroomtheology.com/a-greater-than-
solomon-is-
here/&media=&description=A+Greater+than+Solomon+Is+Herewhatsapp://send?text=A
Greater than Solomon Is Here %0A%0A https://livingroomtheology.com/a-greater-than-
solomon-is-here/
l "
In Matthew 12:42, Jesus said, “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.”
In this passage of scripture, Jesus was referring to the queen of Sheba who came to Solomon
because she had heard of his fame regarding the name of the Lord. She wanted to test the
wisdom of Solomon with hard questions.
But, 1 Kings 10:3-4 says, “And Solomon answered all hear questions; there was nothing hidden
from the king that he could not explain to hear. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the
wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials,
and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he
offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.” Solomon took the breath away
from the queen of Sheba because of his wisdom. The queen saw Solomon’s wisdom, the house
he had built, etc.
But, Jesus says a greater than Solomon is here in reference to himself. If Jesus is greater than
Solomon, then what is the wisdom, the house that he built, the food of his table, the seating of his
officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings
in reference to Jesus?
THE QUEEN OFSHEBA
There are actually two words for the name sheba in Hebrew. The one used here for the queen of
Sheba means man. So, in 1 Kings 10, we see the queen as representative of man and Solomon as
representative of Jesus.
Man hears about Jesus and his fame. So, man comes to Jesus with all of his hard questions to test
him. We certainly see this in the gospels, as pharisees, scribes, elders, and lawyers were always

trying to trick Jesus with their questions. And, man still does this today with Jesus, trying to use
our natural intelligence to stump Jesus.
But, just like Solomon, Jesus is able to answer all of questions. Hebrews 4:13 says that no
creature, nothing created, and everything was created by Jesus, is hidden from the sight of Jesus.
Everything is exposed before him. Jesus knows and can explain everything.
A GREATER WISDOM
The queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon. But, Jesus said that one wiser than Solomon
is here. Jesus was referring to himself.
Solomon was the wisest man to ever live, but he was still just a man. 1 Kings 4:29-30 says, “And
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the
sane on the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the
east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”
But, Jesus had even greater wisdom than Solomon. In 1 Corinthians 1:25, Paul said that “the
foolishness of God is wiser than men.” Even God’s foolishness is wiser than Solomon. So, in 1
Corinthians 1:24, when Paul said that Christ is “the wisdom of God,” then we know that Jesus’
wisdom is far greater than Solomon’s. Not, only is Jesus the wisdom of God, but Jesus “became
to us the wisdom from God,” according to 1 Corinthians 1:30.
In Colossians 2:2-3, Paul said that he struggled so that we would “reach all the riches of full
assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ in whom are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Solomon may have been wise, but Jesus is
greater because he was God’s mystery that contained all the treasures of wisdom, which only
began to be revealed after his crucifixion.
A GREATER HOUSETHATHEHAD BUILT
Solomon built a temple for the Lord. But, Jesus is building an even greater house for God than
Solomon built.
Hebrews 3:6 says, “Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house.”
And, 1 Peter 2:5 says, “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.”
As God’s house, we are his temple. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that
you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Jesus is building the greater house,
the greater temple, that is the church.
But, what is one of the purposes of the church?
The greater house that Jesus is building is to make known the one greater than Solomon, Jesus,
who has greater wisdom than Solomon.
Ephesians 3:8-11 says, “To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone
what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through
the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities
in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
So, we are the greater house that Jesus is building to make known the manifold wisdom of God,
Jesus.

A GREATER FOOD OFHIS TABLE
Bread was the food that was on the table in Solomon’s table. But, Jesus is the bread of life.
John 6:48-50 says, “I am the bread of life. your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they
died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am
the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
Jesus’ body, his flesh, is the bread that was broken when he laid down his life for us on the cross.
This is how we know love. But, in John 14:12, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever
believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these he will do, because I
am going to the Father.” The great works that we do encompass loving as Jesus loved. Therefore,
1 John 4:10-11 says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another.” So, by loving as Jesus loved, laying down our lives, we can do greater works and
become the food on his table.
However, in Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes from the mouth of God.” Christ spoke the words of God from his mouth. And, we are to
preach Christ so that others can hear and come to faith. Further, Colossians 1:28 says, “Him we
proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present
everyone mature in Christ.” And, Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”
So, we are the greater food on Jesus’ table when we love as he loved and proclaim him who is
the wisdom of God.
A GREATER SEATING OFHIS OFFICIALS
Solomon arranged the seating of his officials in a way that showed his wisdom to the queen of
Sheba. But, Jesus has an even greater seating of his servants.
In 1 Kings 10:5, the Hebrew word for officials is translated servants almost 90 percent of the
time. And, the next most likely translation is slaves.
1 Peter 2:16 says, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,
but living as servants of God.” We are to be servants of Jesus. Also, Paul says in Romans 6:18,
19 that we have become slaves of righteousness and in Romans 6:22 that we have become slaves
of God.
So, as servants and slaves of Jesus and God, where is our greater seating?
Ephesians 2:6 says that God “seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 3:1-2 says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the the things that are
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are
above, not on things that are on the earth.”
Remember, Christ is the wisdom of God. We are seated with wisdom, and we set our minds on
Christ, the wisdom from above. Therefore, James 3:13, 17 says, “Who is wise and understanding
among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom…But the
wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good
fruits, impartial and sincere.”

So, as the greater seating of his servants, we are in the wisdom from above, Jesus, to show our
works in the meekness of wisdom.
A GREATER ATTENDANCE OFHIS SERVANTS
This greater than is very similar to the previous one as it is still talking about the servants of
Jesus. We saw above that we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places. But, Ephesians 2:22,
“In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”
So, it’s from this place that we walk in the Spirit. Colossians 4:5 says, “Walk in wisdom toward
outsiders, making the best use of the time.”
Therefore, we are the greater attendance of his servants that walk wisdom toward outsiders.
We can continue to see that we are the greater clothing, bearing the righteousness of Christ, the
greater cupbearers, sharing in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings exemplified by his drinking
from the cup in the garden, and the greater burnt offerings, offerings our bodies as a living
sacrifice to show what is the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God.
As the queen of Sheba had her breath taken away, in other words her questions stopped, by
Solomon’s wisdom that she saw in all these things, so to do men and women stop their questions
when the Jesus, the wisdom of God, the greater than Solomon, is displayed in us who a greater
than all the things that displayed Solomon’s wisdom.
A greater than solomon is here
Matthew 12:42; i kings 10:1-5
Take you bibles and turn with me to matthew 12 and look with me in verse 42. Because i want to
continue in theme of what we have been doing, and that is to give honor to our dear savior, for
who's glory and in who's name this house has been built. Now the lord jesus was facing, on a
certain day, some enemies. They were scribes and pharisees. They had questioned him. They had
castigated him. They had interrogated him. They had picked at him. They were saying, give us a
sign. Prove yourself to us. And the lord said a remarkable thing to them, in matthew 12 and verse
42, look at it. The lord said, "the queen of the south shall rise in judgement with this generation,
and shall condemn it; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of
solomon, and behold a greater than solomon ts here." now, solomon was the greatest builder
isreal had ever known. And dwelt with more wealth and more power and more affluence and
more presttge, than any other ruler. Now here was the lord jesus, a peasant prophet. And the lord
jesus was saying to them, if you only knew ha ha ha, a greater than solomon is right here in your
midst. And the queen of sheba, why she came all the way from the uttermost part of the earth.
Bible scholars believe that was somewhere around ethiopia. She came all the way to jerusalem to
learn of the wisdom of solomon. And jesus said, if you don't get right with me, hara, she's gonna
rise up in the judgement and condemn you because a greater than solomon is here. Now, can you
imagine what must have gone through thelr minds, when he said that? Haha! They said, 'why
solomon was a king's son, you're but a peasant's son, a carpenter's son. Solomon was born in a
palace. You were born in a stable. Solomon was born in mighty magnificent jerusalem. You
were born in little bethlehem. Why solomon had thousands of servants. You don't have any.

Solomon wore his kingly robe. You have just a seamless garment. Why solomon drank from
vessels of gold. Hahaha! You have to get a drink from a harlot woman. You didn't even have
anything to draw water out of the well with. Solomon was rich. You are a peasant and a pauper.
Solomon had armies. You have a few stragglers following you around. Solomon built great
cities. You're a carpenter. You build plows and chairs. Solomon lived in a palace. You don't have
anywhere to lay you head. Why solomon had fourteen hundred chariots, twelve-hundred
horsemen, forty-thousand stall of horses, and when solomon rode forth he rode in comfort. You
ride a donkey, if you're not walking. Why solomon ate with the queen of sheba and you eat with
publicans and sinners. And you have the nerve the audacity to say a greater than solomon is
here?' friend i want to tell you six ways, very quickly, that jesus is greater than solomon. Now if
you want to find the story of the visit of the queen of sheba, turn with me to i kings 10 in the
bible. I kings 10, and i want you to see what the queen of sheba saw when she came to meet
solomon. The very first thing she saw was the wisdom of solomon, but the wisdom of jesus is
greater. Now watch this, i kings 10:1, "and when the queen of sheba heard of the fame of
solomon, concerning the name of the lord, she came to prove him with hard questions." she said,
i'll bring every cunnundrum, every enigma, every question, every riddle i 'll find out just how
intelligent he is."and she came to jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bear spices
and very much cold and precious stones. And when she was come to solomon she communed
with him of all that was in her heart. And solomon told her all her questions. There was not
anything hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of sheba had seen all
solomon's wisdom..." and so forth. She saw his wisdom. Why the bible tells us in i kings 4:31,
"...that solomon was wiser than all men..." he had incredible wisdom. To know how much
wisdom solomon had, all you have to do is read the book of proverbs. One of 14y favorite books
in the bible. That was written primarily by solomon. Did you know it is said that solomon had
memorized three thousand proverbs and choir he had memorized fifteen-hundred songs. This
man had an incredible mind. For example he knew all about creation. I kings 4:33, the bible says,
"he spoke of trees from the cedar tree that is in lebanon, even unto the hyssop that springeth out
of the wall. He spoke of beasts and of foul, creeping things and of the fishes." i mean here was a
man, who knew biology. He knew all of these things. He knew botany. Hahaha! But oh my dear
friend, everything he that he knew about creation, jesus in his wisdom had created. All things
were made by jesus, and without him was not anything made that was made. Solomon knew
about all of the ways of the fish that verse tells us. He knew about fishing, but the lord jesus on a
certain day caused some fish to swim in a net. There was so many fish in that net that he almost
two boats. Why solomon knew all about hydrology and the wind cycles, but the lord jesus christ
spoke to the winds and calmed the storms and made that raging sea like a moonlit pond on a on a
uh mill pond in a spring evening. Listen, the lord jesus is so much greater than solomon in
wisdom. You know what solomon said about all of his wisdom after a while? Solomon looked
back on all that he knew and he said in ecclesiastes i and verse 17, "and i gave my heart to know
wisdom and behold, it's all vexation of spirit." it's all just splendid nothingness. Solomon said it
could not satisfy. Solomon knew dear friend, that you can have a full head and still have an
empty heart. He said it's just it's just vexation. It's just vanity. "all of this that i know.." because
let me tell you something friend, the man that really knows, knows that he doesn't know. Did you
know that? The man that really knows, knows that he doesn't know! The more a han learns, the
more he discovers what he doesn't know. Who was the most brilliant man of all time. Well,
you"d say einstein said in 1955, before he died? He said i feel like a man chained; if i could only
be free from the shackles of my intellectual smallness, then i could understand the universe in

which i live. Mr. Einstein, the answer to the universe tn which you live is the one who made it,
the lord jesus christ. And the bible says, "the wisdom of god is in christ" and the bible says in i
corinthians 1:30, "that of him are ye in christ jesus, who is made unto us wisdom" and ephesians
1:8, "he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom" now, we've got some learned people here today.
We have some doctors and some philosophers and some scientists, and thank god for your
wisdom. Thank god for your knowledge, but i want to tell you that at a greater than you is here!
His name is jesus! And if you know all about biology and the study of life, and you don't know
jesus, the giver of life; you"re still ignorant. If you all about botany and the study of flowers and
you don't know jesus; sharon's sweetest rose, my dear friend you're still ignorant. If you know all
about geology and the ages of stones, and you don't know jesus, the rock of ages, my dear friend,
i want to tell you - you still have so much to learn. Solomon knew all of that and he said, 'all of
this is just vanity to me.' that there is one who's mind is greater than all and his name is jesus, and
he says to you, with the wisdom that really counts,"if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of god
and it shall be given him liberally." oh my df-ar friend, jesus is greater than solomon in wisdom
but i'll tell you something else she saw. Not only did she see the wisdom of solomon, she saw the
works of solomon. She saw his workmanship. Continue to read. Look if you will in verse 4, "and
when the queen of sheba had seen all solomon's and and the house that he had built,..." you see
that in verse 4? He built a house. Now this speaks of his palace. It was an incredible building. If
you want to read about that house, put this in your margin right by that verse, i kings 7:2-12.
Read about it. It defies description. I want all you architects to read that. Solomon built a home.
He prepared a house, but i want to tell you my dear savior, the lord jesus christ has prepared a
better house. You read there in the gospel of john 14:1, jesus said, "let not your heart be troubled,
you believe in god, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions, if it were not so
i would've told you. I go and prepare a place for you, and if i go prepare a place for you, i will
come again and receive you unto myself, that where i am there you may be also." in my father's
house. Dear friend, there is glory there is joy. But not only had solomon built a house, but
solomon had also set a table. Look if you will in verse 5, "and the meat of his table and the
sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cup bearers!
Oh she saw this, not only did she see the palace that he lived in. Oh oh, he set a table, so
magnificent, so scrumptious, so delectable; but jesus said, "greater than solomon is here." my
dear friend, solomon could set that table, but i tell you something solomon couldn't do. Solomon
couldn't feed five-thousand with two fish and five loaves. I'll tell you something else solomon
couldn't do. Solomon could not turn plain water into sparkling wine. And i'll tell you something
else that he couldn't do. Even if he could have, dear friend he could never have satisfied the
hunger in this heart. Only jesus could do that! With the bread if life. And the water of life. "a
greater that solomon is here." and not only dear friend, did she see the palace that he built, not
only did she see that table that he set. Oh, but she saw the temple that he had erected. Look if you
will again in verse five. Look at it! And the bible says, "he went up into the house of the lord."
now, solomon built a temple that was beyond compare. Now you think, you men, some of the
men worked building are here today and thank you gentlemen; but i want to tell you when
solomon's temple was built, it took a hundred and eighty three thousand six hundred workers.
They labored for seven and a half years. King david had gathered gold, silver, brass and precious
stones, and god himself was the architect; i chronicles 28 and verse 12 says that god himself gave
the plans for that temple. The temple faced the east. It set there on mount uh mount moriah and
when the sun would come up over the mount of olives, the entire face of that temple was plated
with gold. Josephues said it stood there on the mount of the temple mount it stood there like a

mountain of snow. That glorious, beautiful temple. Do you know when they dedicated that
temple, dear friend? They had a seven day feast. Four thousand ushers served. There were four
thousand in the orchestra, a great choir of levites were singing. And the bible says, "the glory of
god filled the temple..." but are you listening to me? "a greater than solomon is here." the bible
says, "what, know ye not trat your body ts the temple of the holy ghost, which you have of god?"
solomon built a temple for the people, but jesus has a people for his temple. Jesus lives in us.
What solomon built is gone. And this building, it's only a matter of time and it will be rubble.
But i'll tell you what jesus christ has done in me will be leaping and danctng and praising god for
all eternity. We are the temple of god, the temple that jesus has built. I'll tell you friend, "a
greater than solomon is here." i thank god for it. I'll tell you a third thing tiiat she saw. Not only
did she see the wisdom of solomon, and not only did she see the workmanship of solomon, but
she saw the worship of solomon. Look if you will in the last part of verse five. The bible says,
"she saw the ascent, by while he went up into the tiouse of the lord." now, the word ascent here
may be translated, burnt offering. Because when solomon went to worship god, he dare not come
into the presence of god without an offering in his hand. Let me tell you the kind of an offering
that he made, when he dedicated the temple. Ii chronicles 7:5, "and king solomon offered a
sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen. Think of it twenty-two thousand oxen, that' would be
like burning twenty-two thousand cadillacs today."and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep, so
the king and all the people dedicated the house of the lord." but my dear friend, all of that blood
on jewish altars slain can never wash away sin. Listen to hebrews 10:4, "for it ts not possible,
that the blood of bulls and goat should take away sins." then listen to hebrews 10:12, "but thts
man jesus, after he hath offereth one sacrifice of sins forever, set sown at the right hand of god."
solomon may have made a gate great sacrifice, but my dear friend, he never made a sacrifice that
would compare with uthat one trat day on dark calvary. When the lord jesus laid out his precious
blood for you and for me, and i tell you that, "a greater that solomon is here," in worship, thank
you lord jesus for what you've done. Not all the blood of beast on jewish altar, slain could give
the conscious peace or wash away that stain. But thank god the blood of jesus christ, god's son
cleanseth us hallelujah from all sin, every stain, every blur, every blent, uh every blemish ts
gone; whiter tran snow in the blood of jesus. I'll tell you a fourth thing that she saw. Not only dld
she see his wisdom, not only did she see his work, not only did she see his worship, but i'll tell
you what else she saw. She saw his wealth. Look if you will in verse 7, chapter 10:7, she said,
"when i heard of all of this,..." but then in verse seven she says, "...however, i believed not the
words until i came and my eyes had seen it and behold, the half was never told me. Thy wisdom
and prosperity exceedeth the fame which i heard." now she saw his wealth, his prosperity.
Probably there was never ever a king as wealthy as king solomon. Ha ha ha! Oh king tutt, t've
seen what klng tutt did, but i want to tell you dear friend that old king tutt and what he did would
ur would shrivel in comparison to what uh solomon did. And yet jesus, speaking of all of the
wealth of solomon, ha ra! Said listen, "a greater than solomon is here." and do you know why?
Why solomon had gold and silver, but the bible says in psalms 24:21, "the earth is the lord's. The
earth is the lord's. And the fullness thereof."all of the cattle on a thousand hills, and the gold and
silver, and the rubies and the diamonds, and every star belongs to the lord jesus christ. Incredibly
wealthy. Now verse 10 tells us that the queen of sheba, ... Just came and she began to unload
gifts on solomon. And she gave him silver and she gave him gold and she gave him spices, she
gave him this and that. Incredible gtfts, but let me tell you about the lord jesus christ. Dear
friend, while the queen of sheba gave gifts to solomon, jesus ras people who give him their lives.
I mean i have given my life to jesus. I want to tell you dear friend that jesus is more than all this

world to me, and i iiave given him my life and my all and want to give more and more, day by
day, to the lord jesus christ. And i want to say with the hymnist, love so amazing so divine
demands my life my soul my all. Jesus is worth it. When solomon died he didn't leave me
anything. But i'm an heir of god, and a joint heir with the lord jesus christ. I want to mention a
fifth thing, tliat uh the queen of sheba saw when she came. Not only did she see the wealth of
solomon, she saw his workers. Look if you will in verse 8 of this chapter. She gets around and
she everybody that day, and they look so happy. There are smiles on every fage. Everybody is
up. And this is what she says, "happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, that hear thou wisdom." why she said, 'solomon, these people that work
for you, they're so happy.' and that must have been true. How would you like to serve in the court
of the wealthtest and the wised king that ever lived? But my dear frtend, "a greater than solomon
is here." because of the workers of the lord jesus christ,the workers who built this building, the
workers who win souls, the workers in the choir, the workers in the orchestra; not only are there
people who would live for jesus, but dear friend this building is for the people who would die for
the lord jesus christ. They have given him all, and you talk about joy, the workers of solomon
may have found happiness, but jesus gives joy unspeakable and full of glory. I thank god i know
the lord jesus christ. I thank god i've been saved. I thank god i can serve him; that i have a
purpose in life, that ts steadfast and sure. Thank you lord jesus. Jesus' workers are greater that
number. There are millions around the world. Greater in joy, greater in sacrifice. Thank god for
it. Now, let me just tell you the last thing that makes jesus greater than solomon. Not only are his
workers greater, but my dear friend his worth - his worth is greater. His worthiness. Look of you
will in chapter 10 verse 9. "the queen of sheba looked and she saw everything..." she says there's
only way to explain it, "...god is upon you.." and she said, " ..blessed be the lord thy god, 'which
delighteth in thee to set thee on the throne of israel. Because the lord loved israel forever,
therefore made he thee king to do judgement and justice." what a throne it was that he set upon
our oh dear friend, you want to see a description of that throne, just go on to verse 18. Look at it.
"moreover the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with the best gold. The throne
had six steps and the top of the throne was round behind. And there were stays on either side on
the place of the seat. And two lions stood before the stays and twelve lions stood there on the one
side and on the other, upon the six steps. There was not the like made in any kingdom." nobody
had ever seen a throne like the throne trat solomon sat on. My friend, one more time i want to tell
you that jesus is greater. If god said that solomon was worthy to set upon such a throne, have you
thought about the throne that our lord jesus sets upon. My dear friend, jesus is enthroned in the
glory right now. Hebrews 1:7 speaks of the lord jesus, and it says, "thou throne oh god is forever
and ever." who is jesus? He's not another man, dear friend! He is god! He sits upon the throne of
godhood. But, not onyl does he sit upon the throne of godhood, he sits upon the throne of grace.
Hebrews chapter 4 says, "...let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
help." oh, thank god, the throne room is a throne of grace. And you'd better be grateful that it is.
And by the way, i've been tn that throne room, this morning. Raha! It's wonderful to be in that
throne room, because we come boldly, right to the throne of grace. I could not walk up to
solomon's throne , for one of those lions would get me. Hahahaha! I want you to know that i
have come into the throne room, because it's a throne of grace, with arms wide open. Not only a
throne of godhood and a throne of grace, friend, it's a throne of glory. Didn't your heart thrill
when the choir sang 'the king is coming'.? Oh listen, take your bibles and turn with me to
revelation 5, i want you to see what that throne is like. Look with me in verse 11, "and i beheld
and i heard the voice of many angels round about the throne ... 11 now friend this is the throne

that's greater that solomon's throne. "the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the
beast, and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, thousands of
thousands saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessings and every creature in heaven and on
the earth and under the earth and such as on the sea, and all that in them are i heard saying
blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the
lamb forever and ever." solomon had a great throne, but may i tell you that the throne of jesus is
greater. Haamen! Hallelujah "a greater than solomon s here". Listen to mf,. Not only is it greater
that solomon is here", a greater than anybody is here! And not only is a greater than anybody
here, a greater than everybody put together is here. His name is jesus, there's never been another
like the lord jesus none can compare with him, among the sons of men. Hallelujah, praise god,
what a savior we have today, what a glorious jesus we have to worship today! I'll tell you this
story and i'll be finished. Dr. Lee, the former great pastor of this church, said that near camden,
south carolina; there was a fire in a school house. Seventy precious little children died in that
fire. It just broke out and burned all over that school house. The parents gathered, the firemen
gathered to try to put out the fire. But it was a raging inferno. There was one man who saw his
son there in the flames. That little boy, behind a barrier of flames, saw his daddy's face, the
daddy saw the boy, the boy stretched out is hand in those flames and said, "daddy, daddy, get me
out of here daddy, daddy can't you save me? Daddy!" the father started to go into the flames, but
strong arms held him back. It was impossible, it was a raging inferno! He said, "daddy, can't you
save me? Daddy, can't you save me?" but, they held him back! 1t was impossible. And he
watched that little child wither like that flower would wither if you put an acetylene torch on it.
That night when he tried to sleep, all he could see was the face of his son in those flames, saying,
"daddy, can't you save me?" all he could here was the voice of that little boy, "daddy, can't you
save me?" and his daddy had to say, "son, daddy can't save you!" now we live in a sin cursed hell
bent world. We live in a world that's in deep trouble. And our world reaches out it's rods to
science and says, "science, can't you save me?" and if science would be honest, science would
say i am getting you into deeper trouble because the more learn the deeper we sink and we're
afraid of own inventions today!" science would say," i can tell you how far it is to the sun, but i
can't tell you how far god can remove our sins from us." we stretch out our hands to education,
and we say education, "can't you save us?" and education would have to say, "i'm sorry, i can
improve your mind, but i have no power to for you soul. I have no answer to the sin problem!"
we might look at sociology and culture. We say to sociology and culture, "can't you save us?
Can't you save us?" and sociology and culture could say, "all i can do is to try to make this world
a better place to go to hell from. That's all i can do." oh my dear friend, you can look every place
you want to look, but i'm going to tell you something, and you listen to this preacher this
morning. There's only one who can save us. And his name ts jesus. Say his name with me, jesus!
Say it again! Jesus, say it again! Jesus.friend, as long as i live, ... As long as god gives me a
breath, as long as there's a pulpit there, as long as this house is here, we're going to preach jesus!
Jesus! "a greater than solomon is here. He's what it's all about. He's what it's for. And friend,
what ever else you may know, if you don't know jesus, you've missed it all! Jesus saves! Jesus
saves! We welcome you jesus and "a greater than solomon is here" let us pray.
https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/49008-11(1kings-10)a-greater-than-solomon-is-here

Something GreaterThan SolomonIs Here
Shawn Jeffries
09/17/17 - Jesus
Solomon is one of the more intriguing people to study in the Bible. He was born to King David
through Bathsheba. Since he was a man of peace, once he became king, God would use him to
build His temple (1 Chronicles 22:8-10). He was a very wise man. In fact, Solomon’s wisdom
was so great that people from all over the world would come and ask him difficult questions (1
Kings 10). A great example of his wise judgment is found in 1 Kings 3:16-28.
Solomon was also an extremely wealthy man (2 Chronicles 1:17). He had much gold, silver, and
many palaces, and chariots. He also had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Unfortunately, it would
many of his wives who would lead him away from God (1 Kings 11:3-6).
Solomon is said to have told over 3,000 proverbs. A proverb is a wise saying or precept. Many of
them are found in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is a great book with much practical wisdom
that can help people of any generation. It contains wisdom about parenting (Prov. 13:24; Prov.
19:18), avoiding debt (Prov. 22:7), how to pick good friends (Prov. 17:17), the dangers of
alcohol (Prov. 23:29-35), and host of other things. When reading Proverbs, it is always important
to remember that the source of Solomon’s great wisdom was God. Like all of the other great
Bible writers, the things written by Solomon in the Proverbs were written under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
While Solomon was indeed a great man who did much good in the cause of God, it is important
to note that “something greater than Solomon is here.”
These words were spoken by Jesus in Matthew 12:42 to the scribes and Pharisees while rebuking
them for rejecting His wonderful work. With this statement, Jesus is expressing frustration
because the Queen of the South traveled a great distance to hear Solomon’s great wisdom, but
they had the Messiah right there in front of them and they constantly rejected Him. The Queen of
the South knew there was something special about Solomon. Many of the scribes and Pharisees
intentionally failed to see that in Jesus.
What makes Jesus “greater than Solomon?”
• Solomon was wise, but Jesus is the source from which all wisdom flows. He was the full
embodiment of God’s word (John 1:1). He contained perfect knowledge of the will of
God because He came from God.
• Solomon was a man of peace, but Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). He is the
source of peace between God and men (Romans 5:10). He is the King over a spiritual
kingdom that doesn’t fight with guns and swords, but with the “the gospel of peace”
(Ephesians 6:15).
• Solomon was led away from God through his many wives, but Jesus always remained
true and faithful to God. He was perfectly holy and sinless (1 Peter 2:21-22). He was
determined to do the will of God no matter what obstacles came His way (Matthew 4:1-
11; 26:39).

Unfortunately, many of the religious leaders in the first century failed to see the contrasts that
existed between Jesus and Solomon. What about you? Do you see them? If so, will you allow
them to change your life?
It would be a shame if we read and applied the teaching of Proverbs but rejected the words of the
gospel because with Jesus, “something greater than Solomon is here.”
“Something Greater Than Solomon Is Here.”
A Greater than Solomon is here now
Preached on Friday, 6th March 1964 at the Soul's Harbor Temple in Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. (1
hour and 26 minutes)
1 Let us remain standing just for a moment, while we read the Word of the Lord. You who
would like to turn to the Scripture reading tonight, turn to Matthew 12, beginning with the 38th
verse.
And there, then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would
seek a sign from thee.
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and an adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;
and there shall be no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a
greater than Solomon is here.
2 Let us bow our heads. With our heads and hearts bowed in His Presence, is there a request in
here tonight, that you'd like to be remembered in prayer? If so, just raise your hands and signify
by that, "God, hear my request." Now, pray silently while we go to prayer.
3 Our heavenly Father, we are deeming this one of the most grandest privileges that we have this
side of glory, is to meet in the congregation of the people who believe in You, that where we can
expect Your Presence, because it's according to Your promise. You said, "Where there are two or
three gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst. And if they can agree upon any certain
thing, and ask, they shall receive it." Lord, the greatest thing that we could agree upon tonight,
that You would just meet with us, that we might behold Your Presence, sense It in our spirits,
and know that You're here. And in Your Presence, we feel that we can pour out our hearts in
supplication. And as we meditate upon Thee, may we feel this great sense of the answer of our
prayers, as we are asking now in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. You may be seated.
4 I want to take the subject, the Lord willing, with some Scriptures I have written out here, for
just a few moments before we go to prayer for the sick, upon the subject of: "A Greater Than
Solomon Is Here Now."

5 We find in our beginning of the Scripture tonight, where our text is found, that Jesus was
disputing with the Pharisees. He was rebuking them, because that they had not understood Him.
A Man, that the theologians that had been trained, looking forward for the time of His appearing,
and then when He arrived, they misunderstood Him and had called Him a devil. They said that
the ministry He had was of the Devil, because He could discern the thoughts that were in their
hearts, and by this they thought Him to be some kind of a--of a witch doctor or some like a
fortuneteller; and anyone knows that's evil spirits. And then, to call the work of God an evil spirit
was blasphemy.
And He had told them He would forgive them for it, because the Holy Spirit had not come as yet
to tender up their hearts and to--to make them in condition so that they would understand God.
They were hearts was far away from God. And all they know was cold theology of the law, and
they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. But He said, "When the Holy Spirit has come and does
the same thing, to speak against That, it's never forgiven in this world nor the world to come."
7 And I was thinking as I was reading this this afternoon, and meditating upon it, of how that--
that they, one of them here, come to Him in a roundabout way, and asked Him, said, "Master, we
would see a sign from Thee." In other words, the Jews were always to--taught to believe signs.
The Jews seek signs always, and the Greeks wisdom. And we find that these Jews was relying
upon a sign.
Now, what a--a very witness against this Pharisee, that him supposingly knowing the Scriptures,
that the sign of the Messiah, Jesus had already performed it, and His eyes were so darkened that
he didn't recognize it. Jesus had... Jesus had given him the true Scriptural Messianic sign that
was promised in the Scripture. But he was looking for some other kind of a sign.
9 And how true that stands with teachers of today, and people of today. They can see something
that is solid and in the Scripture, promised by God for the day. And then they can see that, but
yet they are looking forward to something; they want to see something else, and not taking the
sign of the time.
He told them once, said, "You can discern the skies when it's lowering, red. You'll say, when it's
lowering and red, 'tomorrow will be foul weather,' and so forth." But said, "You can discern the--
the signs in the skies, but the signs of the time, you don't understand. For truly the Scripture had
said that this Messiah would be a prophet.
11 We know that God's way of doing things was always sending a prophet to a-vindicate His
message: never has failed. Never will fail. God cannot change His way. What His first decision
is, it must ever remain that way. What He says is true.
God never did deal in great groups. He always deals with an individual. That's how He's taken a
people out of the Gentiles for His Name: just an individual, one here and there for His Name. He
deals with an individual, not by groups.
13 And we find that the reason they believed this, that a prophet must be a identified witness of
God. For when he said anything, and it come to pass; and he said again, and it come to pass; and
whatever he said, God vindicated to be true, then He said, "Hear him, for I am with him."
Now we find that Moses, who they claimed to believe in, had told them that, "The Lord your
God shall raise up a prophet liken unto me, and to him the people must hear. And all that didn't
believe this prophet would be cut off from the people."
We find that to be true. "He came to His own; His own received Him not. But as many as did
receive Him, to them gave him the power--gave them the power to become sons of God."

16 How we find these Pharisees looking right, and Sadducees, upon exactly what the promise of
God said that He would do. And there they was still seeking a sign, not knowing that that was the
true Messianic sign that He was to give.
Philip understood it, when He told him where he was the day before. He understood that was the
Messiah, said, "Thou art the Christ, and You're the King of Israel." And so he--he recognized
that because he was given to that. He was...
Jesus said, "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him. And all the Father has given
Me will come to Me." No matter how much we try to get in any other way, it's got to be God.
"It's not him that willeth, or him that runneth; it's God that showeth mercy." God is the One that
does the choosing. "You haven't chose Me," said Jesus, "I chose you."
19 And now we find that the antichrist, in the last day will deceive all that dwells upon the earth,
whose names were not written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world.
Your name was put in God's Book before the Lamb was slain. When His program was laid out,
the whole thing, you were recognized in that program because you got Eternal Life. The word
eternal, never did begin and neither can it end, and you are an attribute of God's thinking before
the world was ever created. That's the only way you can have Eternal Life. And that Life, that He
was thinking of you, is in you now. There's no way to separate it. It's in there to stay.
20 Notice now, these Pharisees, yet being religious teachers, great scholars of theology, and
studied the Book day and night, failed to see that Messianic sign, and was here trying to ask Him
for a sign.
That I might further the thing, to let you know that God always gives signs. Because He's
supernatural, He always deals with people through signs, Scriptural signs.
In the Old Testament, when they had a--a question, someone dreamed a dream, and there was
no--no prophet there, they took him down to the temple, where they had what they called the
Urim Thummim. You Bible teachers understand what I mean. It was the--the breastplate that
Aaron wore, that had the twelve stones that represented the twelve tribes of Israel. They hung
that up on a post; and then when this prophet, or this dreamer, or whatever it was, told his vision
or his dream, regardless of how real it seemed, if them supernatural lights didn't come up,
making the Urim Thummim on that breastplate, it was rejected. God refused it.
23 There must be a supernatural sign from God to vindicate. No matter how real, how deep it
was in theology, how great it sounded, it still--if God's supernatural sign didn't vindicate it, it
wasn't so, to the Jew.
Now, the Old Testament, the Aaron's plate was done away, with the old covenant.
But in the New Covenant, God still remains with the Urim Thummim. That is, if a prophet,
dreamer, theologian, or whatever it is, speaks something that's contrary to the Word, and God
don't echo it back through the Word, I'll let it alone, for It's God's Urim Thummim. And I believe
it with all my heart, that It's God's Word.
26 And God is His own Word. "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the
Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us." He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. He still... God don't need any interpreter.
We interpret; we say, "This, there... This is that, and this is that," and so forth. God don't need an
interpreter. He's His own Interpreter. God don't need us to interpret His Word. The Bible, It's
written, and It said It's of no private interpretation. God said in the beginning, "Let there be
light," and there was light. That's the interpretation of it. God said, "A virgin shall conceive," and
she did. That's the interpretation of It. It doesn't need anybody to interpret.

Jesus was greater than solomon

Jesus was greater than solomon

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was greater than solomon

Similar to Jesus was greater than solomon (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was greater than solomon