1 Kings 3:1-28


Wisdom is a wonderful gift of God that He shares with His children.  It is a gift that He loves to give and is pleased when we desire it.  Often times the problem with wisdom is that we all think that we have it.  Every person is wise in his own eyes and thinks that his way and perspective is the best way.  The truth is that God’s way is the best way and true wisdom is found in being able to discern the way that the Lord would have us to go.  It is also important to remember that wisdom is only as good as our dedication to following and obeying what we have discerned to be the path of God.  True wisdom will not only give us the ability to discern what is right but the desire and the discipline to do what is right.

SOLOMON DESIRES WISDOM: God appears to Solomon in a dream and asks him to choose whatever he would like.  Solomon recognizes his own limitations and the enormity of the job that has fallen to him as king and simply asks for wisdom to be able to lead the nation with discernment and wisdom.  He wants to know the will of God and be able to lead the people in accordance with the will of God.  His request demonstrates his confidence and trust in the Lord as well as his own humility in recognizing that he needed wisdom from God; that his own knowledge was not enough.  God is so pleased with Solomon’s request that He grants not only the request that he seeks but He grants riches and peace to him as well and even the potential for long life if Solomon is faithful.  Truly the desire of our Heart should be to know God above all else so that we might have the ability to discern His will and live our lives according to His wisdom and not our own.

SOLOMON DEMONSTRATES WISDOM: Solomon demonstrates the wisdom that God granted to him in judging between the two women who were fighting over a child.  Since there was no DNA test available to determine the real mother; Solomon uses a test of the heart.  He commands that the living child be cut it two and divided between the two women.  The true mother would rather he child live with someone else than to see her child killed.  Solomon is aware of this and so was able to tell who the mother was because of his insight into human nature.  True wisdom knows God but is also well aware of and has the ability to know the nature of man.  We must ask the Lord to help us be able to discern our own sinfulness so that we will be aware of how we need to apply His wisdom in our lives.

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