Imagine being in a dream where God tells you to choose whatever I have to give you, and you get whatever you want. Riches upon riches, longevity, victory over all enemies. What would you choose?
A newly anointed king, Solomon, was asked the same question and the answer he gave not only surprised everyone, but changed his future, and the future of his country forever. The young king chose wisely and so became the wisest of all kings, even being remembered to this day every time someone makes a wise choice!
A Contested Crown
Solomon was not the heir apparent. As David grew older and frailer, one of his sons, Adonijah, decided that it was time to start preparing to take the throne. He invited his friends to a feast. However, both Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba, the wife of David, came to the old king and told him about Adonijah's plans. David ordered that Solomon must be anointed king and proclaimed at once. Solomon rode on David's horse to the spring at Gihon, where the priests blew trumpets and proclaimed him king.
When the noise reached Adonijah's banquet, his guests fled in terror, leaving him to face the music, so to speak. Solomon was proclaimed king, and so the new young king took over this great kingdom his father David had built and ruled for many years. It was a huge burden to carry, for this young man was given the charge to rule the most influential kingdom in the region, a rich and powerful country. The pressure must have been incredibly high on Solomon, considering his father was such a giant of the Bible.
A Young King's Heavy Burden
Though Solomon loved the Lord, he found it hard to carry all of this on his shoulders. He didn't know what to do to rule this great nation. He was just an inexperienced boy, yet he was to become the leader of God's chosen people. It would have been intimidating for anyone who had to take on the position in his place, which was to have an incredibly daunting task for the young king.
Solomon had gone up to Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord because that was the most important place to sacrifice offerings to Him. He had killed a thousand sacrifices to the Lord that day! While he was asleep at nightfall, the Lord appeared to young Solomon in a dream and promised to give him whatever he wanted. The Lord asked him to state his desires so that He could grant them.
The Answer that Earned God's Blessing
Young Solomon's reply is one of the most quoted Bible verses because of its sheer humility. He started by saying that the Lord had shown incredible kindness to his father and to him by making him king, and that he was just a little child and did not know how he could rule such a great nation. He pointed out that the nation was extremely large, and he did not know how he could rule over it. Solomon then asked the Lord to give him wisdom, so that he could do his job correctly.
He said, "Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong." He asked the Lord to grant him wisdom and knowledge to rule Israel wisely. Have a look at the things young King Solomon did not ask for! He did not ask for riches and material things, even though he was a king! He did not ask for long life either, even if he was given eternal life. He did not even ask for the deaths of his enemies, although they were many. Solomon asked for one simple and amazing thing, the wisdom to make his people better. It truly is an unbelievable answer, a selfless answer, and the reason why young Solomon became a great king.
At Gibeon, after a thousand offerings, the young king fell asleep and God appeared to him in a dream: 'Ask for whatever you want me to give you.' Solomon's answer would echo for three thousand years.
More than You Asked For
God was very happy with Solomon's answer to his question. Because you have asked for this, and have not asked for long life or wealth or the death of your enemies, but have asked for discernment in judgment, I will give you the wisdom, and understanding which you have asked for. However, God did not leave there at that. He also asked to give him the riches and honor, so that in the years to come, no king would rival him. Moreover, since he had asked to walk in his father's footsteps, the Lord promised to grant him a long life.
Isn't it amazing how God blessed the young king with all that he had asked for, and then even more? By asking for long life and riches, Solomon was able to gain incredible wealth and respect from his people. It was his unselfishness that made him a great king. This is one of the most important lessons we can learn from the story of young Solomon and his choice to ask for wisdom. We may not all be kings or queens, but we can all choose to think more about other people than ourselves, and in doing so, gain much more than we ever dreamed possible.
Wisdom on Trial: the Two Mothers
Soon enough, this young king got a chance to prove that he was truly wise with a famous case he was faced with. One day, two women came to Solomon with a terrible argument. Both of them lived together in the same house, and each of them had a baby. However, one of the babies had died overnight. The two women couldn't come to an agreement, so they came before Solomon, each claiming that the living baby belonged to them. The poor mother with the dead child was trying to prove that the living child was hers and that the other child had somehow taken her own child. However, there were no witnesses to this, and there was no proof at all that either of the women had said. They simply stood there in tears, each one trying to prove that the baby belonged to them.
God-given wisdom was about to get its first trial. Solomon ordered for a sword, telling the women that since he could not decide who belonged to whom, he would cut the living child into two. One of the women was okay with this and said that she wanted the child to be divided, while the other one started to scream in horror, telling him that she would rather the king take the child and give it to the other woman than to cut him into halves. Solomon instantly knew who the real mother was, and he gave the child to her. Everyone was stunned at the king's decision, saying that the wisdom of God was with him. The whole land of Israel had heard about the case, and the news spread quickly throughout the kingdom.
Two women. One baby. No witnesses. Solomon called for a sword — and the true mother's love revealed itself the moment he raised it. All Israel heard the verdict and knew the wisdom of God was with their king.
Israel's Golden Age
The wisdom which had been granted to the young king, Solomon, was to bring Israel to its golden age. No other king in Israel's history matched the power, fame, or splendor of Solomon. The young king wrote thousands of proverbs and songs as well as great wisdom teachings that have been passed down to this day. The book of Proverbs is even attributed to his name. Many knew of the king's great knowledge of nature, and people from far away came just to see what this great king looked like. However, there was also a woman who had traveled from afar with gifts for the young monarch. The queen of Sheba had come to test Solomon with difficult questions. After seeing his great wisdom, his splendorous palace, and his beautiful city, she was left speechless, her heart full of amazement at what she saw. The queen said that the things that she had heard about the young king were only a fraction of the truth.
During the reign of Solomon, Israel became significantly wealthy and prosperous. Trade made the kingdom incredibly rich, and the city of Jerusalem was a renowned city in the ancient world. However, we must remember that all this great splendor and riches came from the wisdom gifted to a humble young king who asked for the Lord's guidance. It is a great lesson that teaches us what was most important to Solomon, and by extension, what he thought was most important for all of God's chosen people. By asking for the wisdom to do his job to the best of his ability, Solomon gained everything else in abundance.
The Queen of Sheba traveled from the far south to test Solomon with hard questions. She found his wisdom, his palace, and his city greater than anything she had heard — and she had heard a great deal.
Why the Wisdom of Solomon Still Matters Today
This story of young Solomon is one of the most beautiful stories about choosing what is important to us and what we value. Given the chance to have anything in the world, Solomon chose wisdom and asked for it, knowing that with it he would be able to rule his people better and lead them. And so, because he chose to put other people before himself and think of them rather than his own needs and desires, he gained immense wealth and even greater fame. The story also serves as a touching reminder that we should value wisdom and put other people first in our lives, for by doing so, we will reap greater rewards.
To this day, the name of Solomon is closely linked with wisdom. Every time someone makes an especially smart move, we say that they have used the wisdom of Solomon. This name has been carried through the ages, living even today, 3,000 years after the young king asked God for the wisdom to rule his people. Solomon would grow up to build the great temple, write thousands of proverbs and songs, and rule this great and wealthy kingdom for many years. But it all started with one simple request made by a young king in a dream.
