Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
(1 Kings 3:5-14)
One night in Gibeon, the Lord showed himself
to Solomon in a dream. God said, ‘Ask me to give you whatever you want.’
Solomon
answered, ‘You were always kind to your servant, my father David. He served you
faithfully as a good, honest man. You have continued to show your faithful love
to him even now. You have given him a son to rule as king on his throne. Lord
my God, I am only a young man. I have not learned how to rule well. But you
have now made me become king, as my father David was king. I am here as your
servant to lead the people that you have chosen for yourself. It is a great
nation and it has too many people to count. So please give me a wise mind that
understands things well. Then I will be able to rule your people properly. I
will know the difference between right things and wrong things. I will only be
able to rule this great nation of your people if you do that for me.’
The
Lord God was happy that Solomon had asked for this. So, God said to him, ‘You
have not asked me to give you a long life, or to make you very rich. You have
not asked me to punish your enemies with death. Instead, you have asked for a
wise mind so that you can rule well. Because of that, I will give you what you
have asked for. Yes, I now give to you a wise mind that understands things
well. You will be wiser than anyone who has already lived and wiser than anyone
who will live after you.
I
will give you even more than this. I will make you rich and famous, even though
you did not ask for that. As long as you live, there will be no other king who
is greater than you. And if you serve me faithfully, I will also give you a long
life. But you must obey my rules and my commands, as your father David did.’
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