A WISE REQUEST FOR A NEW RESPONSIBILITY
Take your Bibles and turn please to 1Kings 3: 3-14- (read this passage.)
On the occasion of this unusual visitation of God, Young King elect Solomon and a great host of the congregation of Israel had come to Gibeon for the inauguration of David’s son as king and spiritual leader of God’s chosen people.
Here at Gibeon ( approximately 6 miles north of Jerusalem) Solomon seeks for divine favor and wisdom for his new spiritual trust and responsibility.
Late that night, when the music and singing had all been silenced.. And after the great crowd had all dispersed, a new King is found alone with God... In soul-searching heart examination.
How would one so young and inexperienced be able to give wise counsel and spiritual direction to such a vast kingdom?
That Night… During This Solomn’s Personal Encounter With the God of All Flesh, Jehovah, Appears in a Dream To Provide the Necessary Divine Endowment For Solomons Human In Sufficiency.
In Our Text (Verse 5) God Said: “Ask What I Shall Give thee” ( Tell Me What You Need and Won’t About Everything Else in All the World).
Here Was a Man Who from a Human Standpoint Already Possessed Almost Everything That One Could Possibly Expect… He Was Young, Wealthy, And He Was King Of a Very Large And Special Kingdom.
Solomon Already Stood At the Pinnacle Of Human Achievement And Happiness–
But ...In Addition to All These Human Accomplishments And Material Blessings Suddenly, The Infinite, Limitless, Resources of God Or Made Available…
And He Is Free, To “Ask” and “Receive” Anything, And Everything That He Needs!
OH What an Offer
But… Lest Some of Us Become Envious Of Solomon And Lest We Accuse God Of Showing Favoritism… I Remind All Who Love God ( As Solomon did) That Our Heavenly Father Shall Supply All Your Needs According to His Riches In Glory by Christ Jesus.
Personally I Am Persuaded, That Solomons God Has Never Changed… And That His Promises And Provisions Are Changeless!
When the Bible Says:
Everyone That Asketh Receiveth It–I Believe It!
I also accept as a personal promise from God to me in Matthew 7:7 were Jesus says:
ask and it shall be given you
seek and ye shall find
knock and it shall be opened unto you
so the unusual offer that God makes to Solomon at Gibeon is still valid to all who live in a right spiritual relationship with the Savior.
In this familiar Old Testament passage, I find 3 imported truths:
1–a divine and unchanging offer
2–a wise and rewarding choice
3–an abundant Blessed bestowal
now let’s look at these 3 important truths:
a divine and then changing offer
verse 5 the last phrase (ask what I shall give thee)-
Solomon tell me what your Need is.
the wonderful secret to this unchanging offer is found in one little 3 letter word: ask
and the secret to the fullfillment of every need of our life and desire of our heart is also bound up in the same word.
Here the word ask means “request”.
in other words God is saying, make your request known.
this sounds exactly like a word of spiritual counsel that the apostle Paul gave to the believers at Philippi.
In Philippians 4:6 he says be careful for nothing or don’t be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
So both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament God says to his children ask what I shall give thee, tell me what you need, make your request known.
If you need salvation, ask for it! Romans 10:13 whosoever shall call up on the name of the Lord ( are ask for it)!
if you need restoration for a spiritually backslidden heart or life ask for it!
1John 1:9 if we confess our sins( tell God were sorry) and ask him to forgive us he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
of course here John is writing to Christians!
if you need physical healing ask God for it and believe that you have it. James 5.
D. if you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit ask for his divine infilling.
in Luke 11:13 Jesus said if he being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children… How much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to them that( do what) ask him.
so this divine offer made to Solomon… At Gibeon is renewed day by day to all who love and walk with God.
first, then these verses present a divine and unchanging offer it is still available today
II.a wise and rewarding choice
1st observe in verses 6 - 8 Solomon’s-Solomon’s submissive, grateful attitude: (read 6-8)
then note what his choice was- the thing he asked of God.
verse 9- give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge the people that I may discern between good and bad.
All of the resources of heaven are at his disposal… But he asks for the last thing that most people would ever have requested.
namely: an understanding heart-a hearing heart
the capacity to empathize or identify with another person’s heart ache or need.
I am convinced that what I need for 2012 is not a greater ability to preach another sermon, but the ability to feel with you to identify with you in your hour of need.
Sensitive to your needs… A hearing understanding heart.
I note from verse 10 that Solomons simple but wise request not only covered all his needs but it also pleased God.
And this is the most important thing in all of life to please God… To be acceptable to our heavenly father.
In closing… What was God’s response to this wise choice?
An abundant and blessed bestowal!
read again versus 11–14
because Solomon asked for things spiritual and eternal rather than physical and material God bestowed upon him 3 very wonderful blessings.
1- riches 2. honor 3. longevity of life
this same threefold blessing has also been bestowed upon everyone of us if we are Christians.
1. We too are rich–for we are children of God and heirs of an eternal inheritance
2. we have also become recipients of the greatest honor in all the world,accepted in the beloved
hid with Christ in God, complete in him.
3. and as to longevity of life… All believers or participants in and recipients of John 3:16–Eternal life.
so Solomon’s wise choice of and request for things spiritual rather than things temporal revealed that he was worthy of being entrusted with both.
In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said: seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all of these things shall be added unto you!
What things? The physical, temporal things of the preceding verses…
As we begin a new year…
What is it that we need from God?
What is it that we are determined to do for God?
Remember the limitless, exhaustness storehouse of heaven stands wide open... and Solomon’s unchanging God is saying:
ask what I shall give thee
tell me what you need
make your request known
with such an open offer this should be the greatest year spiritually in all of our lives.
Shall we pray!
