Have you ever been asked by someone, what do you want for your birthday, but you had no clue how to answer them? I imagine that Solomon had to feel something like that when God came to him in a vision and said, Solomon, what do you want me to do for you? How did Solomon answer this question? 1 Kings 3:8-9 says, “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
Solomon’s answer to God’s question was, please give me wisdom. Solomon was already showing wisdom by recognizing who God was and who he was. Solomon further showed wisdom is acknowledging that the nation of Israel belonged to God. These were not Solomon’s people, they were God’s. Solomon didn’t try to hide his inabilities, rather he acknowledged them to God. Because Solomon focused on pleasing God by serving others, God blessed Solomon in many personal ways.
When we look for the Christ-connection in this text, I believe we can see it in two specific ways. First, Solomon realized he needed God’s wisdom. A verse that surprises many people is found in Luke 2:40, “And the Child (Jesus) grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” Then in Luke 2:52 it says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” This is often hard for us to wrap our minds around, because Jesus is God, and therefore He was all-knowing. Yet, in two verses we see that Jesus grew in wisdom. While Jesus retained all His attributes as God, He voluntarily chose not to use all of His attributes during His earthly life. By doing this, Jesus is showing how He can understand what you and I go through on a daily basis. But He is also giving us an example of how we should live our life. The second Christ-connection is seen in Solomon’s request. Solomon could have asked for any number of personal blessings. God even acknowledges this in 1 Kings 3:11. Yet, Solomon wanted to please God, and he wanted serve God’s people by ruling rightly. We see Jesus speak often of how He came to reveal God the Father and to carry out God the Father’s plan. Then, in Mark 10:45 Jesus says, “For the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve; and to give His life as a ransom for many.” So, what are some practical helps we can take from this text?
- Recognize your inabilities. We live in a world that values strength physically as well as mentally. We are always looking for the next great leader. As a result, leaders often try to hide their inadequacies in leading. Solomon not only didn’t try to hide them, he acknowledged them. He was young, he was inexperienced, and he had no idea how to lead a nation. Yet, this was an opportunity for God to reveal His strength through Solomon’s weakness.
- Remember we are a steward. Everything we have, including any influence we have on others is given to us by God. We don’t own anything. Rather, it is on loan to us from God, and we are expected to use what we have been given in a way that glorifies God. Jesus told several parables about being a wise steward. It would have been easy for the power to go to Solomon’s head, and pride to swell up in him. However, he says on multiple occasions that the nation of Israel doesn’t belong to him, they are God’s people.
- Reach out for God’s help. When we read Solomon’s request in 1 Kings 3, we can see how he wrote Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” When Solomon would be taking to his children about how to honor God, he wasn’t telling them theory, he was sharing exactly what he had done in his life. This goes back to the first point of acknowledging our inadequacies. We can only know what is right in front of us. At best, we can guess at what might be coming down the road. Sometimes, they are educated guesses based on the past as well as thinking of how a decision could play out. However, only God knows for certain how something is going to turn out. The prophet Isaiah said that God knows the end from the beginning. Therefore, if we want to be discerning and truly know what is the best decision not only for right now, but also down the road, we need to go to the One who sees the future the way you and I see today. The awesome promise we have from God is this, if we lack wisdom and ask Him for it, He will give it to us. So, go ahead and ask the Lord what’s right, not just for right now, but also for down the road in your life, and for your eternity.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin