Good morning, welcome to the first Sunday in April. I pray the Lord finds you in good spirits.
Today we will continue reading 1 Kings, advancing through chapter 5.
A king’s request
We are now transitioning from David to Solomon. David had walked before the Lord and served with faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. (v3:6) The reward for this was God gave him a son to sit on his throne after him.
Solomon was young. He was making some mistakes, we all do. In verse 3:3, he was following the statutes as his father David had done. But, he was also sacrificing and burning incense in the high places. Which is idolatry.
There must have been something about this which bothered him.
I have had times when I was being active for the Lord, reading my Bible daily, serving in as many ministries as I had the capacity to do so. But I could still sense I was not “right” with the Lord.
Though I couldn’t put my finger on it, I knew the struggles I was facing daily resulted from me not being in step with God.
After careful examination and praying to God for guidance, I realized that while I was busy, I wasn’t engaged. I was going through the motions, but with half a heart. My service was an obligation, not a passion.
I have been on fire for the Lord. Blazing hot and eager to make a difference.
We can’t sustain that kind of heat. It will consume us. So we cool down, but, being honorable, we keep up with the commitment. Only without our hearts being in it, we are not effective.
I think Solomon may have felt that way.
So, when God offered him whatever he asked for, Solomon requested wisdom to guide his people. (v3:9)
The value of wisdom
Notice in verse 3:12, God does not give him a beautiful mind. God did not fill him with knowledge. He does not begin spouting off geometric equations like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. (1).
Knowledge alone has led to many of our current problems. We know the what, but not the why. From that, we figure out the how and believe the when is always now.
In truth, we know very little. Only after much trial and error do we realize our hypothesis was wrong.
Wisdom is knowing how and when to apply the how to solve the problems we encounter. It is seeking and doing God’s will in all areas. Waiting on His timing and trusting in His provision.
A smart man may think he has a better way. A wise man knows God’s way is always best. He made the universe and all that is in it. Only God can see across time, so He knows the outcomes before the test begins.
Anyone who thinks he is smarter than God is a fool. (see 1 Cor. 1:25, 1 Cor. 3:19).
So God does not give Solomon a clever mind. He gives him a discerning heart. All the wisdom in the world is useless if we don’t apply it with love (see 1 Cor. 13:1-3)
We have already seen that not all of David’s sons were following in his footsteps. Each may have inherited certain characteristics. Perhaps they were valiant warriors, of handsome, or persuasive.
Solomon had that heart, which caused him to ask for wisdom.
Therefore, God gives him wisdom and so much more.
Prosperity through peace
He displays that wisdom by judging with the heart in the case of the prostitutes who were fighting over the baby. (v3:16-26) But more so when he built his cabinet and surrounded himself with priests and spiritual advisors. (see v4:1-6)
Because he was seeking the Lord with all his heart, his people were living in prosperity. (v4:20). They could prosper because they had peace (v4:24).
Solomon used his wisdom to discern what was important. Though God gave him more wealth, fame and power than anyone in history, he focused on teaching. (v4:32)
He did not teach about economics and philosophy, but focused on biology. (v 4:33)
When he is guided to build the temple, he sets up trade agreements with leaders of nearby nations who have more resources and skilled labor than he did. Most nations are not blessed with all they will need.
This makes them form alliances and be co-dependent upon each other. Which helps them maintain peace.
When you are counting on your neighbor for food, you don’t withhold your oil from them. This would be foolish.
Modern applications
America is a much different situation.
Whereas the Middle East was a bunch of small kingdoms who had to rely upon each other. America is a group of states, which combined have all the resources they need.
But, no one state has it all.
You need the farmland states to provide food, but a state like Wyoming, Texas and Pennsylvania has the oil and coal. Some states have water, others have livestock. They all need each other.
That cooperation is based on respect for God and each other. When one tries to impose control over another, it weakens the whole.
We all need to apply the heart driven, God centered wisdom of Solomon to how we move forward as a nation.
Tomorrow we will read 1 Kings 6-7
- Vidor, King, Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Richard Thorpe, Norman Taurog, and Mervyn LeRoy. 1939. The Wizard of Oz. United States: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
