Sermon 1 Kings 3:5-12 Prayer for Wisdom

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches

Sermon 1 Kings 3:5-12 Prayer for Wisdom

July 27, 2014

1 Kings3:5-12 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous 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.

7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 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?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

As King David approached his final days his wife and closest advisers asked him to put his young son, Solomon, on the throne of Israel. With David's blessing Solomon was made king, and his mother, Bathsheba, had her throne placed at his right hand. Bathsheba was the power in Israel.

We first heard about Bathsheba when she appeared naked on her roof-top enticing the king to send for her. She then cheated on her husband, a military commander, by sleeping with King David. Her pregnancy was a scandal throughout Israel. Her baby died at birth. But her second son, Solomon, was now on the throne.

Bathsheba established priorities for her young son's reign. First, she wanted a political alliance with Egypt. And so she arranged for the daughter of Pharaoh to become her son's wife. She wanted her son and his new wife to live in luxury suitable for a king. Work was started on the palace. She also wanted to build a temple to house the ark of the Lord God of Israel which David had brought into the city. And she wanted to complete the wall around Jerusalem.

Bathsheba then took her son to Gibeon, a religious shrine to offer 1000 sacrifices. With this she thought Solomon was ready to be king, with her help. But God had something else in mind. God wasn't real happy about coming in third place behind a wedding and a palace. And why exactly was Solomon in Gibeon? And what god was he worshiping there? Shouldn't Solomon be in Jerusalem worshiping at the ark? Bathsheba was not guiding her son the way God wanted. So God took charge, went around the king's mother and spoke directly to the young king in a dream. We will get to this, but first let's pray.

I awake this day eager to receive divine instruction and to enact your word. As the day unfolds, may I step more deeply into your heavenly realm through loving you and serving your world. Amen.¹

Let's take a closer look at Solomon's dream

1 Kings 3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

God decided to talk directly with his new king. And God wanted the king to decide for himself what he wanted for his kingdom. His mother was not around. Her desire for political power and great wealth, was not an issue in this conversation. God just wanted to know what Solomon wanted from his God. Young Solomon had to think about this for a few minutes. To buy some time while he thinks he started talking about the relationship between God and his father.

6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous 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.

Solomon had figured out that everything he has was a gift from God. The kingdom he inherited was from God. His political power and great wealth came from God. Solomon and his father had been richly blessed by God in many ways. Solomon realized how much he has been blessed, but he has no idea what else to ask of God. Listen to what he said.

7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

I'm just a kid. I don't know what I'm doing. What am I suppose to do as king? As Solomon said these things he realized that he had an awesome responsibility. God had given him a huge kingdom, and Solomon had no idea what to do with it. And so he asked for the only thing that will help him. Here is his request.

9 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?"

What Solomon wanted was to be in constant contact with his God. He wanted God to tell him what to do. He wanted God to distinguish for him between right from wrong. He knew that to govern his kingdom he needed God, not his mother, at his right hand. God will be his principle adviser, not Bathsheba. God will give Solomon the wisdom he needs to govern his people.

This is true for us too. We need God to advise us on everything we do. We need God's wisdom as we make decisions. That is why before we make any major decision we must first take it to God in prayer. Our time in worship, prayer and Bible study gives us the wisdom we need to make important decisions. We need time with God every day to give us the wisdom we need to live our lives.

Let's go back to the scripture to see what God's reaction was to Solomon's request.

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”

Consider for a moment the content of your prayers. Do you pray for long lives? Do you pray for wealth? Or do you pray for wisdom to make right judgments? God is most pleased when you let him decide what is best for us. So don't pray by telling God what He should do for you. Rather pray that God will give you the wisdom you need to know what truly is best for you. And pray that God will give you what He knows you need.

After the dream Solomon woke up and realized the Gibeon was not where he was supposed to be. Here is what he did.

15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

Solomon's kingdom is off to a good start. His principle adviser is God. With this relationship Solomon will be able to make good decisions consistent with the will of God. Wouldn't this be a great way to live our lives too? Let's pray.

Father in heaven we pray for wisdom Show us how you created us to live our lives. Teach us right from wrong. Bless us with understand of your plan for our lives. We pray this in the name of the greatest gift of all, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press p97