Solomon Asks for Wisdom

“Give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil.” — 1 Kings 3:9

When King David grew old and died, his son Solomon became king. Solomon was young, and he loved the Lord.

One night, at a place called Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream. “Ask for whatever you want,” God said, “and I will give it to you.”

What would you ask for? Solomon could have asked for anything in the world.

“You were very kind to my father David,” Solomon said, “and now You have made me king in his place. But I am only like a little child. I don’t know how to lead. And here I am, in charge of all Your people, so many people that they can’t be counted. So please give me an understanding heart, so that I can lead Your people well and tell the difference between right and wrong. For who could rule this great people of Yours?”

God was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.

“Because you asked for wisdom,” God said, “and not for a long life or riches for yourself, or for your enemies to die, I will give you what you asked for. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, wiser than anyone before you or after you. And I will also give you what you didn’t ask for: riches and honour, more than any other king. And if you obey Me, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”

Then Solomon woke up. It had been a dream. But it was true.

Soon Solomon had to use his new wisdom. Two women came to him with a baby. They lived in the same house, and each of them had had a baby boy, just three days apart. But one night, one of the babies died.

“She swapped the babies while I was asleep!” said the first woman. “She took my son, and put her dead baby next to me. But when I looked at him in the morning, I could see it wasn’t my baby!”

“No!” said the other woman. “The living one is my son, and the dead one is yours!”

They argued and argued in front of the king. How could anyone know who was telling the truth?

“Bring me a sword,” said King Solomon. So they brought a sword. “Cut the living baby in two,” said the king, “and give half to one woman and half to the other.”

The real mother was filled with love for her son. “Please, my lord!” she cried. “Give her the baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other woman said, “Neither of us shall have him. Cut him in two!”

Then Solomon said, “Give the baby to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She is his mother.”

Solomon never meant to hurt the baby. He knew a real mother would rather give her baby away than see him hurt. When all Israel heard about it, they were amazed, because they saw that God had given Solomon wisdom to do what was right.

Looking ahead to Jesus: Jesus said that “One greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:42). Jesus is wiser than Solomon, because He is God’s own wisdom. When we need wisdom, we can ask Him.

Read it in your Bible: 1 Kings 3

Dear God, please give me wisdom to know what is right and to do it. Thank you that you love to give wisdom to people who ask. Amen.