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What did Solomon ask God for?
In 1 Kings 3, God told Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted. So Solomon asked for wisdom to lead the Lord’s people, and God made him the wisest man in the Bible. In today’s chapters we will specifically focus on Solomon’s wisdom and how we can get that same kind of wisdom too if we just ask.
David and Solomon Strengthened the Kingdom of Israel
Both David and Solomon are examples of how God transforms our desires into a story for His glory.
- David reigned through war and Solomon reigned in peace.
- David was called to battle for the land and Solomon was called to build on the land.
- David had a heart for the Lord and Solomon had wisdom from the Lord.
Solomon’s reign will be the focus of the next nine chapters starting with the very first verse of 1 Kings 3 as Solomon marries an Egyptian Princess. Was this also the start of a spiritual downfall?
Some commentaries say it was not a transgression of the law to marry an Egyptian. Only marrying Canaanite women was prohibited. Certainly, Deuteronomy 7 lists the Canaanites specifically when prohibiting intermarriage. But the spirit of the law was to prevent the Israelites from being introduced to the idol worship of foreign gods.
Many commentaries assume this foreign wife must have converted and confessed her faith in the God of Israel. After all, the marriage took place in the first year of Solomon’s reign when he was still faithfully adhering to the Lord. It would be unlikely that he would have married an idol worshiper during that period of his reign.
Additionally, there is no trace of Egyptian idolatry in Israel in the time of Solomon. And in 1 Kings 11:1-2 the daughter of Pharaoh is expressly set apart where the other wives are condemned.
A Dangerous Precedent
Maybe in her homeland the Egyptian princess heard the stories of God’s deliverance of the Israelites and she believed He was the one true God. She wouldn’t be the first. Rahab and Ruth were both grafted in.
However, the marriage set a bad precedent. Other nations probably wanted the same alliance and paraded all types of beautiful women in front of Solomon.
Like David before him, Solomon, the wisest man in the Bible, gave into temptation. In the upcoming chapters, we’ll witness the spiritual catastrophe this led to for Israel.
Never underestimate the power and influence of a spouse. For good or bad, they have a huge impact on your spiritual life.
Foreign Wives and Forgotten Wisdom
Solomon married the Egyptian princess for political reasons. For an alliance. Was that necessary? No.
The only alliance the Israelites ever needed was a re-alliance of God. By thinking he needed an alliance, Solomon was demonstrating a lack of trust in God.
Either the Egyptian wife never had a son or she was Solomon’s second wife, because in 1 Kings 14 we learn that Solomon passed the throne to Rehoboam whose mother was an Ammonite. Also a foreigner.
If he married Rehoboam before the Egyptian, did she also renounce idolatry? Or had Solomon already begun collecting wives? And not just any wives. Foreign wives. Wives who did not believe in God, which was prohibited in the Laws of Moses, specifically in Deuteronomy 17:17.
Either at this point in his story or in the future, Solomon’s wisdom is not applied to a comprehensive knowledge of God’s word about wives. And if that doesn’t make you wonder, what’s coming in verses 2-3 of 1 Kings will.
The Night God Spoke to Solomon in 1 Kings 3
Solomon showed that he loved the Lord by obeying his father’s instructions. Except that he offered sacrifices on the high places.
High places were local cult places of worship, often on a flat rock with an altar or place of sacrifice. Most high places were rustic and contained idols, Asherah poles, or altars dedicated to other gods.
Israelites were expressly forbidden to use such places to worship God. They were to worship in the Tabernacle and sacrifice on the special altars within the Tabernacle.
The Tabernacle had been erected at Shiloh then moved to Gibeon. When the Philistines stole it, the Ark and the Tabernacle were separated.
The Israelites recovered the Ark and it was stored in Abinadab’s house before being moved to Obed-Edom’s house. When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6, he erected another tent as a place for the Ark.
The bottom line is, Solomon could have sacrificed right there in Jerusalem. But apparently he liked variety and took his sacrifices on the road. The tolerance for high places began in Solomon’s reign and led to idol worship.
In verses 4-5 of 1 Kings, the Tabernacle was at Gibeon, so Solomon sacrificing there was appropriate. It was in the right place, and the priests would have been there to make the sacrifice. And it’s at Gibeon that God appears to Solomon and tells him to ask for what he wants. Solomon answers in what is called the prayer for wisdom.
Solomon Asked for Wisdom in 1 Kings 3
In verses 6-9, Solomon begins his prayer with praise for what God has done in the past. He speaks of the kindness God showed David and the hesed or undeserved mercy and favor. And he talks about the hesed of God to give him David’s throne.
Next Solmon speaks of his own inadequacy. He is as a child among so many, these people who are the fruition of God’s promise to Abraham, a people too numerous to count. In this overflow of a heart anxious for God’s people, Solomon asks God for wisdom and a discerning heart so he can lead the people between right and wrong. And as a result, he becomes the wisest man in the Bible.
God Wants Us to Ask
Solomon asked for wisdom. Wouldn’t that be a great prayer for every parent to send up? “God, give me a discerning heart to train up your children and to distinguish between right and wrong.” Or how about every manager at work? “God, give me a discerning heart to manage your employees and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
The word ask is used six times in 1 Kings 3 for a reason. Like Solomon, God wants us to ask! The apostle John encourages us to ask too in 1 John 5:14-15. If we ask for anything that is within God’s will, He hears and we will have it.
Solomon asks for something that pleases God. It is according to God’s will and he receives it. What if we asked for the right things? Like wisdom. The apostle James specifically encourages us to ask for wisdom in James 1:5-6.
The Wisest Man in the Bible
In verses 10-15, God is pleased. He tells Solomon to ask and Solomon asks. And not only does he ask, he believes God will grant him wisdom. As a result, Solomon becomes the wisest man in the Bible, and he gets a chance to prove it in our very next story about the baby swapping in verses 16-28. Solomon uses his wisdom to give the mother justice.
What a brilliant move! The proof of this story is all Solomon needs for word to get out that he has a God-given gift of wisdom. He asked God to give him a discerning heart to govern His people between right and wrong, and this proves to all Israel that Solomon is very wise in everything, including the hearts of people and what motivates them.
Wisdom in a leader is a blessing for a country. It builds trust, security, and peace of mind. Now the people can relax because a wise leader will ensure justice and prosperity for the nation.
Solomon’s Political Wisdom: 1 Kings 4
In 1 Kings 4:1-19, Solomon uses his political wisdom to create the structure for the nation’s government. The author lays out this governmental structure in two lists.
First, we get a list of those holding cabinet positions such as priests, secretaries, and commanders in the state department. Then we get a list of twelve district officers who have the responsibility to provide for the court one month every year.
In 1 Kings 4:20-21, the people are prospering as a result of such Godly wisdom. They grow in both numbers and in land, and so does the grandeur of Solomon’s court.
With this, the author is reporting the state of the union brought about by Solomon’s wisdom, but he is also painting a picture of a larger overarching story. The story of how God keeps his covenant promises to Israel. And the language in chapter four of Kings mirrors the language of God’s promises to Abraham way back in Genesis.
In Genesis 22:17-18, God promised Abraham his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore. In Genesis 15:18, God promised He would give Abraham’s descendants the land of Canaan.
Fun Fact
George Washington once referenced 1 Kings 4:22-28 when addressing a Hebrew congregation. Hear more about that in this week’s Bible Book Club Podcast Episode.
A Nation at Rest Under Solomon’s Wisdom
During Solomon’s reign, he provided structure and security for the country. The people could relax and find joy in the knowledge their leader had the God-given gift of wisdom to figure it all out.
The chaos and fear of war disappeared and life became ordered and prosperous. The order brought security to the tribes as each district had the equal opportunity to sit with the king for the month they provided food for the court and their horses.
It’s interesting to note that the wisest man in the Bible had a joyful desire to explore and learn about God’s world in 1 Kings 4:29-34. From plants to animals, architecture to poetry, he pondered it all with wonder and joy. It poured out of him in writing through Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.
What if that were the goal for attaining wisdom today? To ponder with wonder and joy.
Solomon’s Wisdom Applied to the World
Solomon’s impressive wisdom was a blessing to the nation and a light to the world. It made Israel into a great nation, and the world heard about it.
As a result, Israel became a light to the world. Nations came to listen to Solomon’s God-given wisdom. The world began to know about Solomon’s God.
This brings us back to David. Remember our first great story of David in 2 Samuel 17? It was the story of David and Goliath, and David says the whole world will know there is a God in Israel.
David was God’s first example of a king worthy of following, because he had a heart for the Lord. Solomon inherited that heart which desired to please God and added a desire for wisdom so he could apply that heart to the people.
Both are amazing examples of what God can do through those who love Him. But both were imperfect. They were only a shadow of the Perfect King. The One in whom are hidden all the treasures of Godly wisdom. The One truly wise king who the Apostle Paul wrote about to the believers at Colossae in Colossians 2:2-3.
This is our goal at the Bible Book Club. We study, write, record, edit, and publish so your heart may be encouraged and your understanding complete. And most of all so you may know Christ, because it is only in Him that you will find all the treasures of wisdom.
Listen to this episodes of the Bible Book Club Podcast here.
Themes of this podcast:
Starting with 1 Kings 3, the focus of the next 9 chapters will be Solomon’s reign. David reigned through war. Solomon reigned in peace. David was called to battle for the land.Solomon was called to build on the land. David had a heart for the Lord. Solomon had wisdom from the Lord. Both are examples to us of how God transforms our desires into a story for His glory.
The focus of this episode is Solomon’s wisdom. How and where does one attain wisdom? First, you have to ask for it.
In today’s episode of 1 Kings 3, we hear:
The apostle John encourages us to ask…
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
If we ask for anything that is in His will, he hears, and we will have it. Solomon asked for something that pleased God, it was according to his will and Solomon received it. What if we asked for the right things, like wisdom? The apostle James encourages us to ask for wisdom specifically…
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
Solomon asked for wisdom and believed God would grant it. And Solomon became the wisest man who ever lived.
Scene 1: Solomon Asks for Wisdom
Scene 2: Solomon’s Wisdom is Tested
In Scene 3: Solomon’s Wisdom Applied to the Nation
Scene 4: Solomon’s Wisdom Applied to the World
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