#DailyDevotion Will You Be Wiser Than King Solomon?
1 Kings 310The LORD was pleased that Solomon asked for this. 11“You asked for this,” God answered, “and you didn’t ask for a long life or riches or the death of your enemies, but you asked to be able to understand how to be just in giving judgment. 12I’m going to do what you ask. I’m giving you such intelligence and understanding that no one before you or after you will be like you. 13But I’m also giving you what you didn’t ask for — riches and honor, so that no other king will be like you as long as you live. 14And if you live according to My ways and keep My rules and commandments as your father did, then I will also give you a long life.” 15 Solomon woke up. It had been a dream. He went into Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the LORD’s covenant and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he gave a dinner for all his household.
The LORD was pleased with Solomon’s answer. He tells us why, “but you asked to be able to understand how to be just in giving judgment.” He didn’t ask for wealth, long life or the death of his enemies, something we would probably ask for. If the LORD asked us the same question would be sincerely answer similarly, sincerely? You may tell yourself, “I know what Solomon did and what he got, so I’m going to do the same thing.” But the LORD would see through your hypocrisy and know you are shamming humility and wisdom. It is the world’s wisdom that thinks this way.
Solomon, being a young man, yet wise in his own time knew he didn’t know how to rule a kingdom. So he asked for what was needed to be a good king. The LORD was impressed and granted Solomon’s prayer. He would be given such intelligence and wisdom as the world had ever seen or heard. On top of that, the LORD promised to give Solomon everything he didn’t ask for, riches and honor. If Solomon lived the way his father David did, he would even give him a long life. Well all these things came to pass. Solomon in all his glory surpassed everyone else who ever lived and ruled in all these ways.
Yet, with all his wisdom and intelligence, Solomon did not live as the LORD would have him live. He had many foreign wives and concubines. He built temples for the false gods of these women and he worshipped their false gods. If you read his book of Ecclesiastes you will see that ultimately he found out what was truly important was not all this stuff but fearing God and enjoying your work.
You and I can be wiser than Solomon. We don’t have to experience everything he had experienced to come up with the same conclusion. We start off with putting our faith in Jesus who is the Wisdom and Knowledge of God. Jesus through the free gift of the forgiveness of sins gives us his Holy Spirit that we may know and fear God properly. The greatest wisdom we can have which surpasses Solomon is looking into the face of Jesus and knowing the Father’s attitude toward us. Wisdom in Christ is knowing everything that is God’s is ours in Christ Jesus and trusting him to gives us such things as he knows we need them when we need them. We can be wiser than Solomon by only trusting the Triune God for all good things and to live out our lives with love and faith in Jesus.
Heavenly Father, you gave wisdom to Solomon which surpassed all men. Give us your Holy Spirit that we may be wise in Christ and fear, love and trust in you above all things. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.