Apes and Peacocks
1 Kings 10:22 For the king had at sea a navy of Tharshish with the navy of Hiram: once in three years came the navy of Tharshish, bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.
Intro: This is one of the most unusual messages I’ve ever preached with one of the most unusual titles I’ve ever used.
This verse is in the Bible for a reason.
Several weeks ago, I preached “Enlarge My Coasts”.
The points of that message were Enlarge my Reach, my Responsibilities, my Resistance, and my Reward.
I read this verse in that fourth point and brought out that Solomon had to leave his own coasts to get the rewards.
I preached about the cedars from Lebanon, the almug trees from Southern Arabia, and the apes and peacocks.
I knew there was something there, and I couldn’t get it off my mind.
Why would God tell us that Solomon had APES AND PEACOCKS?
We get it why he would have gold, silver and ivory. That is not that unusual.
But APES AND PEACOCKS? What in the world???
What could possibly be the application from with these verses?
Apes are EXCITING. There was never a dull moment with apes in the place!
Peacocks are EXQUISITE. The beauty that they add when they spread out that magnificent tail. Wow!
Having APES AND PEACOCKS is a picture of the EXOTIC; the EXCEPTIONAL; the EXTRAORDINARY.
ILLUSTRATION: Nearly 20 years ago, I wrote the book The Exceptional Man.
I have had a desire for the exceptional and the extraordinary for most of my life.
I cannot imagine living a life without APES AND PEACOCKS!
APES AND PEACOCKS represent several things to me:
A. Unimaginable Relationships
I’m not calling people APES AND PEACOCKS!
· Converts – the joy of seeing people saved that you never thought imaginable.
· Companions – meeting people with similar interests and desires.
· Colleagues - Solomon had a navy and partnered with the navy of Hiram.
His PURSUITS allowed him to develop PARTNERSHIPS.
God forges amazing friendships and relationships in ministry.
He lets you meet the choice servants of God.
NOTE: Joseph was a dreamer. And notice how many other dreamers he encountered in his life!
B. Unexpected Rewards
Enjoying the blessings of God that you never thought possible.
Watching God pour out blessings and joys that you never thought you would see.
C. Unprecedented Results
Seeing God use you to do things that blow your mind.
To see unimaginable fruit being added to your account.
To watch your children grow up and become used of God.
A lot of people may not be interested in having APES AND PEACOCKS, but I am!
Why would you want that, some may say.
Why would you NOT?? is what I say!
If God has it to give, and it is available, why wouldn’t you want to experience all that God has?
There is a backstory on this verse that is not given in Scripture, but it is very real.
Every Christian that has experienced the joys of discovering APES AND PEACOCKS has a story.
How you got here. What God had done to bring you to this place in your life.
Many Christians have never experienced what I’m talking about.
They’ve only looked at and watched others experience them.
The process is often overlooked.
I began to think through this whole process. And there was a process.
APES AND PEACOCKS didn’t just miraculously appear in Solomon’s courtyard.
This verse has a process that we must look at and recognize to fully appreciate why God put it here.
I believe when we just pause and think about this verse, it will make sense why more people live sub-par.
I. The Exposure that was Provoking – Something made Solomon want APES AND PEACOCKS.
· Lamentations 3:51 Mine eye affecteth mine heart…
Maybe he read it about them.
Maybe he saw some at a bazaar or street market.
Maybe he heard stories about these exotic animals.
Regardless, once he heard about them, he couldn’t live without them.
Something made Solomon say, “I want some APES AND PEACOCKS at my house!”
It is my prayer that God will open the eyes of His people to see what they are missing out on.
There is so much more to what we are seeing and experiencing.
Churches are satisfied with the mundane; the norm; the status quo.
We have not even begun to see what is out there.
Jesus knew that. That is why He commanded the church to LIFT UP YOUR EYES AND LOOK!!!
Once you see the potential; the possibilities, it will affect you.
· John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
Satan knows the power of this experience.
Why do you think he took Jesus up onto a mountain?
· Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Satan knew the power of SEEING.
SEEING affects the heart.
He thought if he could show Jesus the kingdoms of the world that he could get him to fall.
The problem with the church today is they are looking at the wrong things!!
They are watching the wrong people.
They are filling their eyes, their hearts and their minds with the wrong things.
Solomon wanted APES AND PEACOCKS because he had apparently, somehow been exposed to them.
That’s what got you started if you think back.
With the eye of faith, God showed you the possibilities.
PERSONAL ILLUSTRATION: I used to read biographies and autobiographies of great men of God.
I wanted that!! I wanted that life – that relationship with God.
I wanted that influence – that kind of impact on the world.
Some read those stories and say, “That’s neat.”
I say, “I want that in my life!”
God is no respecter of persons!
II. The Expectation what was Pressing
Nobody else was interested in experiencing the joys of having APES AND PEACOCKS, but Solomon was.
Solomon didn’t want to go to the zoo to see somebody else’s APES AND PEACOCKS.
· He wanted them at HIS HOUSE!
· He didn’t want to enjoy somebody else’s APES AND PEACOCKS; he wanted it for himself.
· He wanted his kids to grow up around things that nobody else had.
· He wanted his home to have things that nobody else’s home had.
· He wanted it. He needed it. He couldn’t sleep without it.
· His home; his courts; his life would not be full without APES AND PEACOCKS.
· His life, as amazing as it was, was not complete without APES AND PEACOCKS.
· His kingdom was so amazing that the Queen of Sheba was blown away by it all.
1 Kings 10
· 23 So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.
· 24 And all the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
Yet, Solomon wanted more.
He wanted to experience the blessings and joys of APES AND PEACOCKS.
Paul prayed for the saints at Ephesus to get in on something that was beyond their comprehension.
Ephesians 3
· 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
· 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
· 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
APPLICATION: The day will come when you hear about something or someone or someplace that changes you forever.
You read a book.
You saw pictures, heard a testimony, listened to a message; saw a family, met a Christian that inspired you.
God used that to plant a seed of desire in your soul.
Most people would have just walked away and forgot about it, but you didn’t.
You couldn’t. Your life had been forever changed by what you saw, what you heard, what you discovered.
Something was out there – potential was there, and you couldn’t live without knowing it.
You could never be satisfied ever again with not having it; not knowing it; not doing it.
You wanted more. You wanted it all. You wanted everything that God had to offer.
No longer would you be satisfied with the average; the mundane; the status quo; the first principles of the oracles of God.
You wanted to move on. Grow. Flourish. Bear fruit. Have influence with God and man.
You wanted to be a 100-fold Christian.
You were tired of the milk; you got a craving for the meat; the weightier things of God.
You were not like the men of Israel that stood in the door of their tents watching God talk to Moses face to face.
You were like Joshua that stayed behind to enjoy the residue of something that nobody else wanted.
There was more to the Christian life; the abundant life that Jesus talked about, and YOU WANTED IT MORE THAN ANYTHING!
III. The Expedition that was Planned
A. Required an Investigation
Solomon wanted APES AND PEACOCKS. He couldn’t order them off of Amazon!
He had to find out where they were, and make plans to go get them.
He had to ask questions. Do research. Talk to people that knew more about them than he did.
He had to put in some effort to know where to get them.
APPLICATION: If you want APES AND PEACOCKS, they are not just going to magically appear on your front porch.
You have got to go where they are.
If you want it, you have to go to where it is.
You can’t have APES AND PEACOCKS sitting on the church pew for the next 40 years watching everybody else.
Once you’ve decided that you can’t live without APES AND PEACOCKS, you’re going to have to put forth some effort.
If you want APES AND PEACOCKS, you have got to go where they are and find them and bring them back.
· They are probably not going to hunt you down and come ring your doorbell.
· They are not just going to come to you on the street.
· They are not going to just show up at your breakfast table.
Having them will require knowing what you want and where to get it.
That will require a plan, a strategy and some willingness to move outside your comfort zone.
You’ve got to get up, find out where they are, and go get them.
You want God to bless your ministry and your life?
You’re going to have to get ready for it.
B. Required an Investment
If you want APES AND PEACOCKS, it’s going to cost you!
It cost BLOOD AND TREASURE to have what nobody else has.
Let’s be honest. If APES AND PEACOCKS were free, more people would have them.
But they are not free. They are expensive.
You want God to expand your coasts? You’ve got to build a navy! (Or buy one.)
People used to make fun of Michael Jackson for having a zoo in his backyard.
I always thought it was fascinating.
It takes sacrifice and it takes financial preparation to enjoy the APES AND PEACOCKS.
Let’s just be honest – most people are just not prepared to pay the price.
They will spend money on a lot of things, but APES AND PEACOCKS are not on the top of their list.
The average Christian will spend more money on carnal pleasures than they will on raising godly children.
IV. The Exploration that was Painful – They had to be hunted down and caught.
A. It’s Painful because of the Trouble
If you think that you can just take your navy, sail to the foreign shores and find APES AND PEACOCKS waiting on the dock, think again!
I cannot begin to imagine the amount of effort that went into finding, catching and transporting these animals.
We read this verse and just blow by the years of blood, sweat and tears that goes into having APES AND PEACOCKS.
You’ve got to get up, leave the house, go out and hunt.
Many days come home empty handed.
Many weeks do nothing but work and labor with nothing to show for it.
Can you imagine coming back to Solomon’s house after six months empty-handed?
Can you imagine that conversation?
“But King Solomon, it’s hard!”
“But Your Majesty, we looked everywhere!”
“But Your Highness, we got tired of looking and just quit.”
I believe he would have said:
“After all that money we spent, you came back empty handed?”
“After I expressed to you how my life would not be the same without them, you quit?”
“If they were easy to find, everybody would have APES AND PEACOCKS!!”
God help us not quit before we find what we started out to find!
God help us not to load up and go home emptyhanded!
It’s work! It’s hard! It’s difficult! But it’s worth it!!
B. It’s Painful because of the Time
Here’s what I believe: Most people get disinterested at the thought of the “every three years.”
They want a good marriage, but they are not willing to put in the time and effort.
Young people want a good spouse, but they are not willing to wait on the one God has for them.
This “instant gratification” mindset has ruined this generation.
· Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
V. The Experience that was Priceless
Can you imagine the excitement in the air when they told Solomon that his navy was spotted on the horizon?
Can you picture the thrill and the anticipation that was represented on that dock when Hiram’s navy came home?
They had been gone for three years, but the people back home were waiting with anticipation.
They were about to witness the joys of having APES AND PEACOCKS!
When they started offloading those crates, I can picture the people crowing around for a glimpse.
I can see them leaning forward trying to see – just allow their faith to become sight.
They brought those APES AND PEACOCKS to Solomon’s house.
Can you imagine the excitement?
Can you imagine the courts and the palace with those exotic, exquisite peacocks walking around?
ILLUSTRATION: That’s what we all do when we read our missionary’s prayer letters.
We prayed. We have supported you. We have sacrificed so they could go win souls and start churches.
We have filled out faith promise cards.
We did all that to finance the three-year voyage on the navy ships to go get APES AND PEACOCKS.
When the devil tells you that the abundant Christian life is a lie, don’t listen to him!
When the world tells you that what they have to offer is better than what God has, don’t listen to them!
When the devil tells you that it’s a waste of time, that’s a lie!
When you feel like quitting, you can’t. Not without APES AND PEACOCKS!
When the testimonies of God’s goodness start to trickle in, we rejoice!
When the stories of God answering prayers, we celebrate with you.
When we see God blessing you and watch you experience new heights in your walk with God, we get excited!
When you go find and bring in APES AND PEACOCKS, your life is enriched.
Our lives are enriched. Our church is enriched.
You cannot put a price tag on the life that God has for those that wait and follow God.
· 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Conclusion: Some will live their whole life and not give two cents about having APES AND PEACOCKS.
But once you’ve decided that you can’t live without them, it will forever change your life.
Adam named them.
He could have been satisfied to simply know they existed and know their names.
But God wasn’t.
God did something awesome.
God gave man dominion over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
· Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
You want APES AND PEACOCKS?
Go get them! Go find them, and bring them in.
God said you could!