The Wisdom of Solomon
Posted on August 31, 2010 by Kris
Filed Under OT History, What I'm Studying... | 1 Comment |
In 1 Kings 3:5-15, Solomon was given the opportunity to ask God for anything that he wanted. Most men would have requested some selfish thing: long life, exorbitant amounts of money, women, fame, etc. But, as we all know, Solomon asked for wisdom. The thought struck me as I was studying this passage today, that Solomon must have already had a modicum of wisdom to ask for such a gift from God. Even this request was completely unselfish in that he asked for wisdom to be able judge the people of God and to discern between good and evil (1 Kings 3:9). This shows that Solomon already had a strong desire to serve God faithfully. He would strive to use this God given talent in service to Jehovah!
In James 1:5, James tells us that if we lack wisdom, we should ask God for it. Which of us would be so bold and arrogant as to declare that we have enough wisdom? When we ask God for wisdom, we must be like Solomon. We must be dedicated to faithful service, devoted to using our talents for the Lord. We should already be working to show our dedication to Him before we ask for anything! We also must ask out of selfless reasons, rather than from selfishness. God promised to give Solomon many blessings that he did not ask for because He was pleased with Solomon’s choice (1 Kings 3:12-14). Surely if Solomon had been acting out of selfishness God would not have so graciously rewarded him. Nor will God reward people today who ask for His blessings from their own selfish desires. Finally, we need to have some amount of wisdom to be able to ask God for wisdom. Like Solomon, we all have room for improvement, but we need to be working on a solid foundation on which God can build. We often focus on the miraculous and/or providential aspect of Solomon’s wisdom, but we should not overlook the foundation that had already been laid! Through his training, by his father David no doubt, Solomon had the wisdom to know what he lacked, and the wisdom to know who could help him fill that void. Are we wise enough to see our own failures? Are we wise enough to ask God for His help?
Solomon serves as a great object lesson for us. We learn what wisdom is, and learn what it means to apply that wisdom in our lives. It is a wonderful blessing for us that God has recorded so much of Solomon’s wisdom for us, so that we can benefit from his endeavors.
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Kris,
I really enjoyed this article you wrote. How uplifitng these thoughts are for all of us. I pray for wisdom to know how to handle my own life. I pray for wisdom to know how to influence others to follow the Lord. Yes, we can learn from Solomon’s wisdom today and that will help us to be better people. One of the jewels of wisdom he taught was Prov. 22:6 and I am trying to live by that.