Friday, March 8, 2024
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom – 1 Kings 3:3-12 Submitted by Kay Crumley
Solomon was the son of King David, the man after God’s heart. David sinned and strayed from God, but he had a heart for God throughout his life. Solomon became King of Israel when David died succeeding him to the throne. In Chapter 2 we read that David charged Solomon to walk in obedience to the Lord and follow His commands. Many of us have been given directions by our parents or grandparents concerning how to conduct our lives. David spoke to Solomon his death bed giving him advice based on his own reign over Israel that lasted 40 years. He had experience in leading this nation and learned that success would only come by following the guidance of the Holy God. Solomon began his leadership by conforming to what David’s instruction, at least in part. He continued to make sacrifices to idols as stated in verse 3.
Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
Solomon loved the Lord and did follow His way as David had instructed him. He went the most important place to offer sacrifices to God. While he was there, God spoke to him directly in a dream. That is amazing to me. God communicates to us today through His Word, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and through fellow believers. But I have never had Him come to me in a dream directly. God had only one question for him, ‘What do you want me to give you?’ Solomon could have asked for anything, yet he asked for wisdom for leading God’s people. He recognized that was the thing he didn’t know how to do and that he would need help to rule over this nation.
His request wasn’t selfish but focused on the need to please God by being an effective leader of His people.
The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
God was pleased with Solomon’s request and granted it. He promised he would have what he asked. AND MORE, God assured him there would be not one as wise or discerning like him, ever. If you read further into the chapter, you’ll see that God also gave Solomon all the wealth and honor he could imagine as well as a long life.
The lesson is that God will answer our requests if those are in alignment with His purpose and plan for us. Jesus, speaking to His disciples just before He was arrested, gave this promise to them in John 14:13-14 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. He will grant our requests as long as they are to bring glory to God the Father through Jesus the Son. Requests that are for selfish gain will not be granted. Our purpose is to further His Kingdom by bringing others to know Him. We must be wise in our prayers and obedient in our actions. God’s promises are sure but they have to be accessed by obedience.
