1 Kings 3:12

Solomon's answer "pleased the Lord" (v. 10). The Lord grants Solomon what he asked, and is pleased to add what Solomon had not asked for. He gives him the first place in wisdom. He also gives him riches and honour, so that no king in his days would be like him. Solomon's humble dependence put him in first place, as it is written: "Whoever would be great among you must be your servant... whoever would be first among you must be slave of all." It was so with Christ: "even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

He asks the Lord for "an understanding heart," for hearing is the door to discernment and intelligence. To be wise, you must begin by listening to wisdom: "Blessed is the one who listens to me." All true service starts with hearing. Solomon did not know how to "go out or come in"; he could not learn this except by listening.

You only really learn the mind of God with the heart, not with the intellect... The heart listens. When it has received the lessons it needs, it becomes wise, able to discern between good and evil and to govern the people of God. The heart matters so much in service because no judgment can be according to God unless love is its starting point. We experience this in cases of discipline, in guiding souls, and in caring for saints and assemblies.

God appeared to him in the night with the wonderful message, "Ask what I shall give you." It was as though He placed all His resources at the disposal of faith. The young king prays for wisdom and knowledge so that he may care for the flock committed to him. It was a most remarkable prayer for one in his position. The Lord shows His pleasure in it by giving him far more than all he asked or thought.

Solomon did not ask for wisdom out of vanity or personal gain. He realised what a tremendous responsibility the Lord had entrusted to him, young and inexperienced as he was... May we too seek wisdom from above to function well in our daily tasks, family needs, and in the responsibilities God entrusts to us among His people! God will delight to honour such prayers. James 1:5-6 assures us that God is pleased to grant wisdom to all who ask Him in faith, with no doubting.

A brief look at the book shows that when God gave Solomon wisdom, it was wisdom from above. His own wisdom, great as it was, was not enough to guide him when he was directed by himself. So we find "the fear of the Lord" connected with wisdom.

In verse 14, as in all the books we are studying, the question of the king's responsibility is raised. "If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." Solomon could not meet this if. It led to his ruin and to the division of his kingdom.

Not one question brought to Jesus on earth puzzled Him. He is the true Solomon, the greater than Solomon, and His wisdom could meet and answer every hard question. Nor is it different now, for Christ, risen from the dead and glorified in heaven, "became to us wisdom from God" (1 Cor. 1:30). There is not a question the troubled, anxious sinner can bring to Him that He will not answer in wisdom and in grace.