"Ask for whatever it is you want me to give you."
" Solomon answered, ' You have shown great kindness to your servant, my Father David, because he was faithful to you and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. Now, Lord, my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father, but I am just a mere child who does not know how to carry out my responsibilities. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?' "- 1 kings 3: 6-9
What we have here is the beginning of King Solomon's reign as king of Israel. David has been laid to rest with his father's and God comes to Solomon in a dream telling him He will give whatever he asks because of the faithfulness of David. Instead of asking to the stronger or have endless riches and glory, he asks God for one very important trait that a lot of people are lacking. Wisdom. The ability to know what is right an what is wrong. Now, let me clarify something for a moment. Back in the garden of Eden, the serpent is able to get Adam and Eve to eat the fruit because they would be like God, knowing good and evil. Since those days, its is clear to see what is good and what is not. What Solomon is asking for is not just knowledge, but the discernment to know what to do about it. Because he asked for such a humbling request, God said that he would give him the wise and discerning heart, but on top of that, he would give him riches and power, so much so that there had never been one as great before him, nor would there be after. As amazing as this sounds as we read it, we tend to skip over the terms and conditions of this promise from God. Here is what it says, " And if you walk with me and keep my decrees and commands as your Father David did, I will give you a long life." Sounds easy enough right. Follow God as David did and things will go well for you. Now you need to understand some background to this scenario. David was credited as a man after God's own heart. Not to say he never sinned, because we are given several accounts in scripture were he messed up big time.What we know is that after every slip up, David confessed of his sins and didn't grovel in his own self pity. Anyway, because of this character trait, God promised David that his son who sat on the throne would have peace as long as he was alive. How cool is that? Right. "Hey, King. Your father was so awesome and faithful to me, As long as you live, your life will be pretty easy. no war in your time, no trouble. Just continue following me and things will all work out." So, Solomon is given this wisdom and it is tested almost immediately. Two young mothers come before the king with a conflict. Solomon resolves the issue without any trouble and his wisdom is then spread throughout the region. For the first couple years of his kingship, everything seems to be going great. Solomon commissions the building of the Temple that was prayed over and planned out by David years prior. Solomon's wealth is increasing as is his wisdom continuing to spread. Kings and queens from all over the land come to his palace to ask him questions and be amazed at the magnitude of his splendor. Unfortunately, we see pretty early on that Solomon is not really sticking to his his side of the agreement. He begins acquiring wives from the surrounding regions and if you know anything about the culture and the law of the day, that was a big no-no. In order to build the Temple in all of its glory, he induced slave labor of his own people so that God's house of worship could become a place to show off his accomplishments. Because of his numerous wives, idol worship was taking place in his home, instead of worship to God alone. All these things and many others like them took Solomon down a path of depression and destruction and completely away from God's plan. Back in Sunday school, we were always taught that Solomon was this great King who lead his people, but we miss the fact that he is only faithful for appearance, for instance, dedicating the Temple in front of the nation. Solomon had everything he could have ever wanted, but at the end of his life, he calls it all "vanity, as if grasping for the wind" Ecclesiastes 2
I am not a "rich" man, at least not in any sense that the world understands. I don't have infinite wisdom and a heart that discerns all right from wrong. What I do have, however, is the knowledge that God is for me, and God is with me always. I have a family that loves me and the "riches" that don't come from how much money is in my bank account. Even with all of his wealth, Solomon missed the riches right in front of him. I would rather come to the end of my life, a poor man who has nothing but God and his family, then a rich man who has nothing but material possessions.
"I don't want to gain the whole world, and lose my soul"- Tobymac, Lose my Soul
"And what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"- Mark 8:36
Don't lose sight of what God has given you in order to show the world your accomplishments, instead thank God for what he has given you and use those things for his glory.
Adam Semple- A Young Man Beyond Sunday School
