Solomon's Wisdom and Governing

A friend of mine called me this morning to share some fresh insight into the story of King Solomon’s request for wisdom. Early in Solomon’s reign, God appeared to him and asked, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”[1] Solomon responded as follows:

“Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?”[2]

God was pleased with Solomon’s request and said, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!”[3]

The thing that stood out to my friend were the words “so that” in Solomon’s request. Solomon didn’t just ask for wisdom over riches, which is the typical interpretation of the story. He asked for wisdom so that he could do something with it, i.e., properly govern God’s people.

Solomon’s heart was in the right place. He asked for a good thing so that he could better serve God and His people. It was an unselfish request. It’s amazing how many times I’ve read this story and not noticed this.

My pastor is fond of saying that three things are key: Christ, compassion, and community. My friend’s call is an example of the third thing. He was excited to call me, share his insight, and offer encouragement through it. I’m very thankful for that.   

Let’s all commit to examine our prayer requests and make sure they are aligned with serving God and those in our circle of influence. 

FOOTNOTES: [1] 1 Kings 3:1-5, NLT [2] 1 Kings 3:9, NLT [3] 1 Kings 3:11-13, NLT.