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‘[Solomon] was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite – wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations’ – 1 Kings 4:31

It is written that; All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

‘All Scripture‘ includes even the names of people and places and their meanings…

As Jesus said, ‘For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.’

Everything in the Bible is written for our instruction and training…

It’s with that in mind that I want to examine what seems like a passing comment in the book of 1 Kings.

Ethan, Heman, Kalkol and Darda are casually mentioned as four examples of men who display unusual wisdom, but are, nonetheless, not quite as wise as Solomon himself…

Whereas lots is written and known about the wisdom of Solomon…in comparison, little is known about these 4 wise sages…so then, why does the Bible mention them?

In this article I’m contemplating the names of these four wise men as Four Standards of Wisdom that Solomon was measured against…and thus can act as a kind of litmus test, measuring rod or plumb-line to measure ourselves against…

Even though we don’t know much about these four men, we have their names to go on, and as we have seen in previous articles, in Hebraic thought, names are profoundly important

So let’s turn to these Four Standards of Wisdom to whom King Solomon is favourably compared; namely Ethan, Heman, Kalkol and Darda

ETHAN

Ethan means ‘Firm’; to be strong and optimistic, solid, enduring, permanent.

It is essential that we stand firm in our faith. The apostle Paul exhorts us to ‘be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.’

James, the brother of Jesus tells us that if we need wisdom, we should ask God for it. But if we do ask, we must ask in faith and remain firm, not wavering back and forth in doubt. This then is one standard of wisdom Godly leaders would do well to abide by.

HEMAN

Heman means ‘Faithful’. When Jesus comes to inspect our work, to those who have invested well what they have been given he will say, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant’. Faithfulness is a quality Jesus looks for. Are we faithfully stewarding that which God has given us? As Jesus said, ‘If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones.’

Jesus looks for leaders who are both firm in faith and faithful to that which they are given

KALKOL

Kalkol means ‘Maintain’.

In some missional circles, ‘maintain’ can be almost akin to a dirty word, however, it’s important that we maintain those things entrusted to us by God. In the apostle Paul’s letter to Titus he encourages him to exhort believers to ‘maintain good works’ and goes on to say, ‘our people must also learn to maintain good works, to meet the urgent needs of others, so that they will not be unfruitful or unproductive’

DARDA

Darda means ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ or ‘the Generation of Knowledge’ but can also be spelled as Dara which means ‘Compassion’

When Jesus saw the crowds, ‘he was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep without a shepherd’

Jesus still views the crowds in this way and is moved with compassion. He calls us to partner with him by praying for, and sending out workers into the harvest

Leadership in Missional Communities is thus a balancing act between maintenance and mission, between pastoral stability or oversight and apostolic impetus

MAHOL

Ethan, Heman, Kalkol and Darda were all sons of Mahol. Mahol means ‘dance’, so in that sense they were ‘sons of the dance’. A wise person who displays these Four Standards of Wisdom is one who enacts the dance or interplay between being firm and faithful, maintaining stability whilst also being moved with compassion

Interestingly, in 1 Chronicles 2:6 there are Five Sons listed as opposed to the four already mentioned above; ‘The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Kalkol and Darda’

Zimri is a son in this list but is missing from the designation as being a wise man in the 1 Kings 4:31 passage! Zimri means ‘my music’ or ‘my praise’.

Here the sons are also described as the sons of Zerah, rather than the sons of Mahol.

Zerah means ‘to arise; dawn’, ‘shining’ and ‘brilliance’

It’s interesting to note that the two names missing from the accolade of wise men in 1 Kings 4:31 are names that coincide with the very attributes that caused Satan to fall. Like Zimri; Satan was an outstanding musician but coveted the praise that belonged to God. And like Zerah he shone with brilliance as the son of the morning or dawn but his pride led to his downfall.

Zerah and Zimri offer standards of wisdom that God does not want us to emulate, which is perhaps why their names are omitted from the four wise sons listed in 1 Kings 4:31

Rather, wise leadership is a dance (Mahol), an interplay between being firm (Ethan) and faithful (Heman), maintaining (Kalkol) whilst being moved with compassion (Darda)

SOLOMON

Solomon means ‘Man of Peace’. His wisdom surpassed the four. In searching for Persons of Peace, we are looking for those whom God has prepared to display these 4 Standards of Wisdom.

Solomon asked for an understanding heart of wisdom to lead God’s people

The heart is made up of four chambers. The two upper chambers are called the atria or entry hall and the lower two are known as ventricles. The atria are the receiving stations, whilst the ventricles are the shipping stations of the heart. The conduction system is the hearts built in pacemaker which sets the heart rate and allows the upper and lower chambers to communicate with each other in a coordinated fashion

Sounds like a dance

Likewise the heart of a wise leader co-ordinates between the upper chambers of faith & faithfulness and the lower chambers of maintenance & mission

Leaders who remain firm in faith & faithful in service; able to Maintain the Community while also being Moved with Compassion to continually extend outwards for the sake of the lost, are truly wise!

This is the divine dance; the sacred heart of wise leadership