3:3 Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places.
3:4 The king went to
3:5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you."
3:6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today.
3:7 And now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
3:8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted.
3:9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?"
There were three men stranded on an island. They had been there for a very long time, when one morning a magic lamp washed upon the shore.
The men saw it and picked it up. The men rubbed the lamp and a genie popped appeared. After the genie rose up he granted the men one wish each.
The first man thought about his wish and made it count. After thinking the man finally said, "I wish I were back at home." Then poof, he disappeared.
The second man thought long and hard about his wish. Finally the man said, "I wish I were at home with my family." Then poof, he vanished.
The last wish went to the last man on the island. He looked around and felt very lonely. It took a while to think of a good wish and finally an idea came into his mind.
The third man said, "I wish that I could be with my two best friends," and poof, the two other men appeared on the island again.
It is easy, these days, to think about what it would be like be to change our lives in an instant. Television producers realize this. They make show after show where some person’s life is transformed in a ridiculously short period of time: Extreme Home Makover, What Not to Wear, and Pimp My Ride, literally dozens of other shows all center on one theme – rapid transformation.
Imagine that, a chance to instantly change your life in whatever way you want. It makes you think, if you were given one chance to change your life forever – what would you do? Where would you even begin? Would you start small - maybe master a Biblical language or two? Perhaps line up enough scholarships to make it though school debt free? Or maybe you have higher aspirations – you could use your wish to keep the
Our text for today tells of a young King Solomon who is visited by God in a dream. He’s given a rare opportunity – to ask God for anything – anything at all.
Now Solomon, the newly appointed king was under pressure from all sides. Hostile foreign powers were threatening at the borders. Adonijah, David’s oldest living son, had plans on becoming king, he even had the support of Abiathar, the priest and Joab, the military commander. However, David had chosen Solomon as his successor. And, rather than take this opportunity to put down any would be challengers to the throne, or to wipe the enemies of
Well, wait. He doesn’t ask for anything right away. He starts in a strange place, with a confession. “I am but a little child,” Solomon says, “I do not know how to go out or to come in,” which is a fancy Hebrew way of saying, “I don’t know a darn thing.” You see, Solomon begins by speaking of his own inadequacy and his need for God. He has been given a huge task, leading a nation of people too large to count. Solomon begins by professing that he is incapable of the task to which he has been called. Only then, when it is clear to Solomon and everyone else that he himself could not rule the people, he finally makes his request of God.
Solomon asks that he be given wisdom in discerning between good and evil so that he can be a good leader for the people. It almost seems like too small a thing to ask for. After all, this is no game show host making the offer, this offer comes from the Creator, the author of all that is, was, and ever will be! Surely he could have done something to sure up the borders, or solidify his position on the throne. At least from there he could use that position to do good things in the kingdom. No, Solomon asks for wisdom. His request pleases God so much that not only is Solomon granted the wisdom that he asked for, but he is also given riches and honor beyond that of any other king of
At this point in the sermon, if I were like so many televangelists, I would go on to tell you that all that you need to do is to ask God for wisdom and you will be like Solomon. That you can ask God for wisdom and not only will you be wise, but also rich and successful. But that isn’t the Gospel. That is not how God works. To quote my 3rd grade Sunday school teacher, “God is not some divine vending machine where you just need to learn what buttons to push and TADA you get what you want.” That’s what makes God, God. God’s not some genie trapped in a bottle that is somehow indebted to us because we rubbed the lamp. God doesn’t owe us anything for coming to church, caring for our neighbor, or even dedicating our lives to God’s service. No human being can control God.
With God, transformations are indeed possible. Solomon is just one example of the mighty things that God can do in the life of an ordinary person. However, it is God, not Solomon who causes the transformation. Through God’s grace the people of
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