1 Kings 3:4-13
4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
Prayer: O Lord, grant us wisdom to fear, love, and trust in you above all things. Amen.
True Wisdom
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
Solomon is known as the wisest man to ever live. Scripture states, “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt” (I Kings 4:29–30). The book of James states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave it to him.
Yet, even before God gave Solomon wisdom, he demonstrated that he was already wise. Our text begins by noting, “And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” What was Solomon doing as the new king of Israel? Was he out enjoying the pleasures of his kingdom? Buying new chariots, starting wars, or throwing a great party? No. He was worshipping the true God. He was offering up his livestock as burnt offerings to the Lord. This is very counterintuitive when it comes to the world. Why not seek to satisfy your own needs? Why waste all the best of your cattle as burnt offerings—at least don’t use the best of the best! That’s how we naturally think. We think it’s wise to serve ourselves first, take care of our own needs, and look out for number one. But that is not wisdom—it’s selfishness and unbelief.
I. Disowns the World
Solomon had been handed the kingdom by his father, David. God had chosen Solomon to be the next king (I Chronicles 28:5). When his father died, Solomon was faced with many responsibilities. He would lead the nation from which the Savior of the world would come. He would oversee the building of the temple. He had to follow God’s ways faithfully. God placed Solomon in this position and the Lord expected much from his king. As Solomon began this great new role, he found the Lord ready to help.
After Solomon brought his offerings to the Lord, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon responds by showing his humility. He sees himself as a servant of God, undeserving of the Lord’s kindness. His success, as was his father’s, was the result of the Lord steadfast love and mercy. He knew the great privilege and responsibility he had as the ruler of Israel. And so, he prayed that God would give him wisdom and understanding as he governed this great people.
If we were one of Solomon’s counselors and didn’t know how this account ended, we probably would have been shocked to hear Solomon’s request to God’s great offer. If we were his financial advisor, we would have accused him of insanity for not asking for an endless supply of money. If we were his military commander, we would have been furious that he had not asked for military help! If we were the head of agriculture and livestock, we would have wondered what he was thinking! We would have said or at least thought, “Are you crazy!”
You and I are not in a position like Solomon’s. We aren’t ruling over kingdoms or governing millions of people. Yet, we are stewards over what God has given us. And whether we realize it or not, we have precious things in our possessions. I’m not just talking about your money, home, property, and vehicles—although they are important things we steward. Consider yourself—you are an eternal soul. Consider those God may have put in your care—like your child, spouse, or parent.
When God told Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you,” he was testing him. What would be Solomon’s greatest concern? Would it be money, prestige, or long life? What we pray for often reveals our priorities. Of course, we should and can pray for all things. However, we often fail or forget to pray for what is most important. When is the last time you prayed to God for wisdom and faithfulness to Christ? When is the last time that you prayed for wisdom in how to lead your spouse, child, or friend to God who alone can save us for all eternity. It is probably easier to remember the last time we prayed for a problem to go away, for the stock market to improve, for our coworker to be easier to work with, or for our life to be more peaceful.
Solomon asked that God help him carry out the office that had been entrusted to him. He prayed for an understanding heart as he led God’s people. He prayed for wisdom. True wisdom realizes the transitory nature of this world. This world will not last forever. The richest nations fall, the best militaries are defeated, even the strong eventually face death.
You and I are inundated with advice. From how to best prepare for retirement, care for our body, eat the right foods, parent the right way, choose the right profession, purchase the right things—you name it. These things are not bad to think about—but they are not the most important. Solomon serves as a wonderful example of what we should pray for. It’s not the things in this fleeting world. It’s for wisdom, which God alone can give.
II. Relies on God
So, what is wisdom? It’s wisdom to fear, love, and trust in God above all things. Solomon would later write, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10); “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
To fear God means to realize who he is—that he is almighty, holy, and righteous. We are sinners, who are weak, unholy, and unrighteous. On our own, we have no right to stand before him. We are sinners, who have sinned against him and who have often chosen things which cannot save or help us. But the same Lord who could condemn, sent his only begotten Son to save us. It’s because of his great love and mercy, compassion and care, that we can trust in him with all our heart, and lean not on our own understanding.
To trust in God means that we don’t trust in ourselves. When we are faced with a problem, concern, or worry we don’t lean on ourselves. We lean on God. He has shown steadfast love to us in the past and he will continue it into the future. It means to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, knowing that all other things will be added unto us.
So often, when we are faced with a problem our first reaction is trying to get rid of it. It’s not to lean on God. It’s to remove the issue or try to relieve it. But it could be that God does not intend to remove it from us. He might be using it for our betterment. He might be using it to teach us to trust in him—to lean on him. God wants us to seek him first and not be worried about what we will eat and drink or what we will wear.
But if we are going to rely on God—for our every need and concern, well then, we will want to know whether he is reliable. If we can trust him. And it is here, that Solomon helps us again. Solomon teaches us how to properly pray, just as Jesus taught his disciples. In an even greater way, Solomon points us to Jesus. Yet, Jesus is even greater than Solomon. When Solomon had the opportunity to serve himself with the power God had given, he didn’t. Instead, he sought to serve his people. In an even greater and grander way, our Lord Jesus used his power not for himself—but for us. He humbled himself so that he might save us. He was born in a manger, suffered unjustly, went through the valley of hell and climbed the mountain of Golgotha, to pay for our sins. There was nothing God wouldn’t do to save us. Jesus shed his holy innocent blood, not just for those who would believe in him, but for all people. So that anyone who calls upon him will be saved.
The Lord has proved himself to be reliable. He has accomplished what we needed and more. Not only has our good God granted us salvation in Christ Jesus through the forgiveness of sins that he won for us on the cross, but He also cares and supplies all our daily needs as well. We are surrounded by God’s gracious care—through the people, tools, and opportunities that He gives to take care of us. A recent example in my own life was when we welcomed Martha Marie. As I mentioned before, Elise’s labor went fast! I loaded her in the car and we raced (within reason) to Veterans Memorial Hospital. I found the closest parking spot and rushed to the other side to open the door and help my wife out of the car. Before I knew it, a kind lady from the hospital came out with a wheelchair to rush my wife inside. We later wondered how she knew that we needed help so quick—it seemed like a Godsend that she was right there. Someone joked, “She probably saw the look on your face!” When we got inside, we were quickly surrounded by wonderful help. We arrived at the hospital at 2:05PM and by 2:16PM we had a baby! My wife’s prayer for a short delivery was heard!
My wife joked later that if the hospital worker had not come out with the wheelchair to rush her inside, we probably wouldn’t have made it to the room. Thankfully, we did! I tell this story to show just one of the ways that God helps, cares, and blesses us. He put these hospital workers, nurses, and doctors in the right place with the right abilities to care for us. God always uses means to help his people. Sometimes God uses people. Sometimes he uses things—like the ark which saved Noah and his family. We are certainly thankful for a hospital close by filled with wonderful workers inside!
You and I are surrounded by God’s goodness and care. We have a God who cares for all our needs—great and small. He planned our salvation before the foundation of the world. Yet, He even cares about ensuring that there were people to help my family in a time of need. “Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good!”
To put your trust in God will sometimes make you look foolish to this world. Solomon’s advisors probably would have asked for something else. Isn’t there something more practical you could have asked for? When we see the large crowds in our Gospel lesson following Jesus into the wilderness for three days without properly planning what they would eat, we even might consider them foolish. But they were truly wise. They wanted to hear God’s word. They had the words of eternal life. Their souls found rest, and Jesus provided for their other needs as well.
This morning, we had the affirmation of baptism for Martha. Two weeks ago, water was poured on her head and words were spoken. This is something that might look small and trivial. Yet, in the waters of Baptism, she was set apart and made one of God’s people. Her sins were washed away, and she was given the robe of Christ’s righteousness and holiness. The same is true for each one of us. In baptism, our sins were given to Jesus and he gave us his perfect life. For our sins he died, so that we might have the free gift of God which is “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
True wisdom is to realize the fleeting nature of this world and to put our trust in God alone who can save us. While God wants us to work and care for the things he has given, he wants us to be concerned about the one thing needful. The Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. There are many things that we can be worried and troubled by—but only one thing is needful. If you know and remember this, then you have wisdom. The world might say otherwise. But don’t listen to fools. Listen to Jesus! Amen.