Who was King Solomon? What do we know about him and why would we care about knowing it? Over the next couple of weeks we will answer those questions. We will explore His wisdom, his wealth, his influence around the world and his legacy. King Solomon wrote three books of the Bible. The Song of Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes, and the book of Proverbs. His main story is found in 1 Kings and 1st and 2nd Chronicles. You probably don’t spend much time in those books during your bible study. Other Old Testament books that mention Solomon are 2nd Samuel, Jeremiah and Nehemiah, In the New Testament, he is mentioned in Matthew, Luke and Acts. His name keeps coming up, because he’s an important guy. Let’s begin our study by looking at the most famous passage about Solomon. 1 Kings 3:5 “5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
How would you like that? What would you do if God came to you in a dream as asked you what you wanted Him to give you? There are no restrictions, you can have what ever your heart desires. And that’s the catch...whatever your heart desires. What does your heart desire? Is your heart set on money? Is your heart set on fame? What your heart is set on will reveal who you really are on the inside. It’s not just the person we see on Sunday mornings, but the real you. What does your heart desire today? The desire of Solomon’s heart is what God wanted to investigate. 1 Kings 3:6 “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. The first thing Solomon did was to acknowledge how God had loved his dad...and how his dad had served God. That’s a curious thing for Solomon to say after being asked what he wanted to receive from God. He is setting the stage for his request. 1 Kings 3:7-9 “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?”
Wisdom and understanding to discern between good and evil, so he could govern Israel, that is what he asked for. He asked for something that would help others, not just himself. But, where did we recently hear about another time that someone was looking for knowledge about good and evil? Last week Andy taught about how Satan told Eve that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her like God. Eve followed through with Satan’s deception. So how could it be right for Solomon to ask for wisdom concerning good and evil and at the same time it be wrong for Eve to desire the same thing? It’s because of what I just talked about a minute ago. The problem with Eve was the desire of her heart. The desire of her heart was to be like God, not to just have knowledge of good and evil. Pride and selfish desire is what was driving her motives to desire the knowledge of good and evil. But Solomon is very different. Solomon laid out the desire of his heart before he asked God for anything. And the desire of his heart was help in leading God’s people. He asked in humility and gratitude for who God is and what He had already done. His heart was in a right position to receive from God. That was a pretty amazing thing for a king to ask for. Especially a king as young as Solomon. He calls himself a “little child”, but he was probably about 20 years old when he became king. Still that is very young to be the king of a nation. Can you imaging what you would have asked for if you were in his position at 20 years old.
Where did he get the idea that wisdom and understand was what he needed more than anything else that God could give him? He got the idea from his father. His dad was King David and his mother was Bathsheba. You remember that story don’t you? King David slept with Bathsheba while her husband was away with the army fighting a war. She got pregnant, so David had her husband set up to be killed in battle. Then he could take her as his wife. Not David’s most shining moment as a king. David made mistakes in his time as the king of Israel, so he, better than anyone else knew what was the most important thing for a king to have as he ruled over a kingdom. It was Solomon’s father King David who taught him to seek wisdom. He tells us this in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 4:3-9 “3 When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love her, and she will guard you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. 8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 9 She will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.” Solomon did not forget the words of his father when he became king. Fathers, do you know the impact you are supposed to have on your children? Since it’s father’s day, let me ask you... Do you really understand the weight of responsibility that rests on your shoulders to train your children in the ways of God?
Do you recognize the responsibility that you have to lead your entire family spiritually? The bible says to “train up a child in the way He should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Do you know where that is found? It’s in the 22nd chapter of Proverbs, verse 6. And who wrote Proverbs? Thats right, Solomon. What do you think he was remembering when he wrote that? It was the words and instruction of his father King David. In a kingdom the King owns everything and everybody. Are you leading your family with the understanding that they belong to the King. You will be held responsible for how you care for the King’s property. The weight of that should make you ask God for the same thing Solomon asked for...wisdom. So, Solomon follows the directions of his father David. When God says, “What do you want me to give you?” He asks God for wisdom and understanding to know the difference between good and evil...in order to lead God’s people, the nation of Israel. Here is God’s response. 1 Kings 3:10-14 “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. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
God was so pleased with this request, that He promised Solomon not just wisdom, but riches and honor as well. And He followed through on His promise. 1 Kings 4:29-34 “29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.” Solomon was famous for his wisdom. Is wisdom something you desire? Do you ever wish you had some of the wisdom of Solomon? Well, did you know that God says you can have it. All you have to do is ask. James 1:5 “5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” That is an awesome promise God has given us. Have you ever tried it? Have you ever asked God for wisdom? Did you get it? No? Why not? Have you been in a tough situation and asked God for wisdom, but you still didn’t know what to do? God said all you have to do is ask and you would have it. Did He though? He said to ask and He would give it...but wait, there is a “but.” We don’t have to look very far to find it. It is in the very next verse of James 1. In verse 6 it says “But let him ask in faith.”
James 1:6-8 “6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” If you ask but don’t do it in faith, you are double minded. Double minded means that you believe two opposite things to be true at the same time. You say you believe that God will give you wisdom, but you don’t really have faith that He will. If you don’t ask in faith you shouldn’t expect to receive anything. God says you are unstable like a wave on the sea being pushed around by the wind. So how do we ask in faith? What creates faith? What turns your belief that God will honor His promise into faith that God will honor His promise? It’s action. You have to put action behind your belief for it to become faith. Do you want the wisdom of Solomon? You must do something. What is the action you need to take in order to receive the wisdom that God has promised to give you? You have to read the book of Proverbs. God had Solomon write his wisdom down...so you could have it also. Ask God for wisdom and understanding, then read Proverbs...and put the principals found there into action. Proverbs is an entire book full of kingdom keys. When I say that generosity is the key to financial freedom, where do you think I got that from? I didn’t just make it up. It is in Proverbs. Proverbs 11:24 “24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” If you need wisdom with your finances, Just ask God for wisdom, read what He told Solomon about the subject ...and then do it.
That is asking in faith. If you don’t ask in faith you are wasting your time, because you won’t get anything. Now notice I didn’t say if you want finances, just ask God...I said if you need wisdom about your finances...ask God for that wisdom. Here’s another kingdom principal. If you give to the poor, God will pay you back. Where do you think that’s found? That is found in Proverbs. Proverbs 19:17 “17 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” God says that you haven’t actually given anything away. All you did was lend it to Him...and He will repay you. Do you think God is in heaven saying, “well, I know that Randall gave money to that poor guy I sent to the church, but I’m kind of tapped out right now. That’s why I needed Randall to give him something.” No, of course not. God will never run out of resources. He is just testing your motives and the desires of your heart. Are you generous toward the poor? God is waiting to see and is standing by ready to repay you for that generosity. The wisdom found in Proverbs covers all the topics. Here is a test, for you to know if you are acting foolishly. Proverbs 20:3 “It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.” Are you constantly in arguments with people? Is everyone else wrong and you have to always be right? If so, you are acting foolishly. Proverbs 26:11 “11 Like a dog that returns to its vomit, a fool does the same foolish things again and again.”
Are you constantly doing the same things, ending up in the same situations and causing yourself the same problems over and over? If so, you are acting foolishly. Doing the same thing over and over is a cycle and it will keep going around until you decide to stop it. It’s not just a season of your life if it keeps happening. The difference between a season and a cycle is that a season will end when God decides, but a cycle will only end when you decide. Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Do you hate being corrected? Can you accept biblical counsel? If not, you are acting foolishly. These are just a few of the verses that describe the actions of a fool. If you see yourself doing these things don’t be surprised if other believers begin to put into practice what Proverbs says we are to do with you. Here is what we are supposed to do with those acting foolishly. Proverbs 26:1 “Just as snow should not fall in summer, nor rain at harvest time, so people should not honor a fool.” It is wrong for the church to honor your foolish behavior. Proverbs 26:4-5 “ There is no good way to answer fools when they say something stupid. If you answer them, then you, too, will look like a fool. If you don’t answer them, they will think they are smart.” It is impossible to respond to foolishness and not look like a fool yourself, so just ignore their behavior when they want to argue and stir up trouble. Do not engage with them.
But there is hope for the foolish. As we read in James, all you have to do is ask for wisdom, in faith. God is faithful to answer. Proverbs 2:1-5 “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” Put these words of King Solomon into action in your life and you will become wise before God. Men, will you begin the process by asking God for wisdom to help you lead your family? He has entrusted you with their spiritual care, so the responsibility is now on you.
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