The greatness of the king’s dominion does not mean that he would have no time for giving individual attention to the needs of his subjects. He was to be accessible to all and to have depth of concern for them. Verses 12 through 14 of Psalm 72 tell us: “For he will deliver the poor one crying for help, also the afflicted one and whoever has no helper.

During Solomon’s reign, the subjects did have access to the throne for judgment. This is clear from the fact that two prostitutes were able to come before him with their case, and heard a just decision pronounced on that very day. (1 Ki. 3:16-27) How different he was from the Persian kings of a later period! Not even a queen could come uninvited before her husband without jeopardizing her life. (Esther 4:11) On earth, the one greater than Solomon, Jesus Christ, repeatedly demonstrated his active concern for humankind. When he saw the crowds, “he felt pity for them, because they were skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt. 9:36) Why, he even gave up his life for humankind.​—Matt. 20:28.