Solomon's Wise Request

King Solomon demonstrated great wisdom before he famously requested wisdom from God.  He would write in Proverbs 4:5-7:  "Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. ⁶ Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will keep you. ⁷ Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. and in all your getting, get understanding."  God is the only source of wisdom, and the Bible shows us how Jesus Christ has become wisdom for us through the Gospel.  Solomon's interaction with God who revealed Himself to Solomon reveals a parallel with the way Jesus directed His disciples to pray.

After Solomon offered a thousand sacrifices before the LORD in Gibeon, that night God appeared to Solomon and said, "Ask!  What shall I give you?"  If you were posed such a question, how might you respond?  I suspect our responses would be similar to rehearsed answers of what we would do if we "won the lottery" or if Aladdin's genie emerged from a bottle and gave us three wishes.  Many people are not content with the offer of one thing (or even three wishes!) but would try to secure the biggest and best possible haul by having more than what was offered.  How greedy and selfish we can be!  What strikes me is Solomon's initial thoughts did not concern himself:  on the forefront of his mind was who God was, what God had done, all God had promised, and His call upon Solomon's life.  It is only when we consider these things will our requests be aligned with God's will.

2 Chronicles 1:8-10 provides Solomon's answer:  "And Solomon said to God: "You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. ⁹ Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. ¹⁰ Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?"  Solomon acknowledged the almighty God's mercy towards his father David, and that God had promised to establish his father's throne forever.  He also acknowledged God's calling upon his life to be king and realised he was incapable to fulfil this calling without God's help.  For these reasons Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge to judge God's people.  Solomon would experience what apostle John explained in 1 John 5:14-15:  "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him."  Not only does God hear and answer our prayers according to His will, but He generously provides more than we can ask or think.

In His response, God mentioned many things Solomon could have asked for in 2 Chronicles 1:11-12:  "And God said to Solomon: "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life--but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king--¹² wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like."  Solomon did not ask for wisdom with the ulterior motive of hoping God would throw everything else in, but he prayed according to God's will to fulfil God's promise and calling upon His life.  When we receive Jesus as Saviour by faith who is wisdom for us (1 Cor. 1:30-31), He provides all we need that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).  To walk with Christ by faith is to walk in wisdom, and we ought to treasure Him more than all riches, wealth and honour in this world.

Jesus stood outside the door of the lukewarm church of Laodicea and knocked, and He has promised to come in a dine with all believers who open to Him.  Just because a couple is married doesn't mean they live in the same house, eat meals together, have deep conversations, sleep in the same room--or even like each other.  How tragic it would be for our relationship with God to be reduced to a utilitarian relationship, that we only identify as Christians because of what we can get from God, where there is little thought of God throughout the day, and we are more interested in seeing our plans or dreams fulfilled rather than His will for us revealed in Scripture.  Do we look forward to praying with joyful expectation as we seek the LORD and spend time with Him?  In our praying let us remember what God has done, all He has promised, and what He has called us to do and make our requests to see His will accomplished in and through us.