Monday, December 31, 2018

The Wisdom of Solomon

Monday, December 31, 2018

That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want?  Ask, and I will give it to you!”  Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you.  And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne.  “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around.  And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted!  Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.  For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”  The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom.  So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!  And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame!  No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!  And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.”  

1 Kings 3:5-14(NLT)

Many years ago I knew a man who was fond of this aphorism about wisdom:
There are those who know – and they know they know; they’re ok.
There are those who don’t know – and they know they don’t know; they’re ok.
There are those who know – and they don’t know they know; they’re ok.
But those who don’t know – and don’t know they don’t know; they’re dangerous!
The name Solomon is synonymous with wisdom.  It is obvious that God had blessed the young man with wisdom even before he asked for an understanding heart, because Solomon knew he didn’t know everything! 
This passage of Solomon’s beginnings as a king is a typical genie-in-a-bottle tale; except the Lord God is no genie…He is Jehovah, the Almighty, Who grants what He will, to whom He will.  In this case, carrying through on His covenant with David and Israel, God is willing to grant Solomon whatever the young king requests.  You get ONE wish, Sol…what do you want?  Remarkably, with a chip that big to be cashed, this young man asks for understanding to govern well, and do a good job of it for the sake of God’s kingdom.  He could have asked for long life, riches, or a whole list of personal perks; but this (already) wise young man requests wisdom so he can please God and bless the people. 
You’re familiar with the saying about giving a man a fish or teaching a man to fish?  If you simply give a handout, the person will be satisfied for a day; tomorrow he’ll be begging again!  But if you teach a man how to fish, you’ve fed him for a lifetime.  As a young man Solomon already understood the value of wisdom.  He knew, for instance, that riches, looks, health, relationships, power, and all things material can fade away, die, or be taken away as quickly as they appear.  Wisdom to make right choices, however, is priceless and will endure.  Solomon chose wisdom to choose wisely.
So, here we have a young king without much life experience, full of vigor and a promising future.  He understands that the best thing he could do, despite his position as king, being on top of the considerable inherited heap of the kingdom his father David established, is humble himself before God, and beg for a right and balanced heart. 
Would that Washington DC were populated by Solomon’s descendants!
For You Today
Tomorrow the calendar moves from 2018 to 2019.  It’s common to set some resolutions to live better, lose a little weight, and/or be a little different in the new year. 
Maybe God hasn’t appeared to you in a dream lately to ask you what you want, but perhaps before that personal resolutions list is carved in stone, you would do well to go to Him and ask for an understanding heart.  It might make the rest of the process, and the new year, run a whole lot better.
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.                                                                                                                      

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[1] Title Image:  Wikimedia Commons

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