If God gave you a wish, what would it be?
This morning we’re gonna be looking at . 1 Kings 2:1-4 3:1-15
• And what we need to understand is that In the Old Testament,
• God rarely appeared to people.
• However, King Solomon had a number of direct encounters with God and this was one of them.
Now I have wondered just how I would have responded if I had heard,God ask me this
• As a Pastor, a larger Congregation?
• That the church be out of Debt?
• That we would have a great band?
• That we could make a greater difference for His Kingdom
• “"What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you" (I Ki 3:5)
Today if God asked you this question how would you respond?
• Family get saved
• More Money
• A better Job
• Someone that you know could be healed
• “"What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you" (I Ki 3:5)
Now Solomon could have asked for riches,
• But instead he asked for something completely different
• He asked God to give him the ability to do what God wanted him to do
• He asked to be a Fair / Just / For a Understanding Heart / for Wisdom
• So he could governor in Israel.
Solomon asked that God give him what he needed to do God’s work
• Because this was more important to him than Riches / Honor / Power .
• We was more concerned with what God wanted him to do
• Than what he wanted to do
His number 1 Priority
• Was to be able to walk in God’s ways / do what God wanted him to do
• In the middle of a corrupt world.
So he chose a discerning heart so that he could governor of God’s people.
Jesus tells us Lk 12:34 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
As I thought about this passage I wondered WHY Solomon made such a good Choice / Wise choice in response to God’s question: “"What can I give you? Ask." (I Ki 2:5).
And I can think of three reasons:
1. His Father’s influence- It was from the good influence of David his father.
Read 2 Kings 2: 2-3
David gave Solomon a solemn charge / Serious Obligation / A Requirement
• To Observe The requirements of the Lord
• To Follow all His ways
• To keep the Decrees / Commands / Regulations / Laws written in the Law
As parents we can have a real influence on our children
• For good and for evil.
• And we can never underestimate just how much of an effect
• We have on our children, even when they have grown up and left home.
Mark Twain Once Said about his own father:
"When I was a boy of 14 my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."
It takes time for children to appreciate their parents ‘Concern / Advice.
• It was important to David to encourage his son to follow the ways of God.
And it’s because of David’s influence that I believe Solomon made such a good choice in response to God’s question:
• “What can I give you? Ask." (I Ki 3:5).
But at the same time, godly parental influence isn’t enough
• To guarantee Christian success.
• It also comes down to the company we keep
• Because they play an IMPORTANT influence on our Christian commitment.
We read in 1 Kings 11 that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
(How wise is this)
• And Sadly Solomon’s commitment to the Lord Wavered / Relaxed /
• BECAUSE his foreign wives introduced him to their foreign gods and led his heart away from the LORD.
1Ki 11:4 In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the LORD his God, as his father, David, had done
No wonder Paul reminds us not to be "unevenly yoked" (2 Cor 6:14) in marriage.
• If we want to keep our Christian faith going,
• We need to Meet Regularly / Pray with those who are likeminded
• That’s why Paul encourages us to come to CHURCH!.
But godly Christian parents are a good start.
2. Solomon was committed to God’s will for him.
• Solomon made this wise choice because he decided for himself that he would follow the ways of God.
• Someone once said: God only has children, not grandchildren.
No matter how much we may want to
• We can’t make a commitment to God for anyone else except ourselves.
• We can Pray for our children, / Advise Our children
• But in the end it comes down to the fact that it has to be their decision
• It has to be THEIR decision whether or not that they’re going to commit themselves to following God.
My father used to say: “You can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink
David wanted his son to follow God’s ways,
• But Solomon still had to make that decision for himself
When we decide to walk in God’s ways, our Goals change / Ideas Change / Priorities Change
• We are no longer out to please ourselves
• Instead we are out to put God’s priorities in front of our own
• We are more concerned with serving God, instead of ourselves
Jesus said Mt 6:31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ Mt 6:32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Mt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt 6:31-33).
As Christians we should want to be committed to God.
Story: Luciano Pavarotti tells this story:
When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, ’Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’
"’Luciano,’ my father replied, ’if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them.. For life, you must choose one chair.’
"I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera.
Now I think no matter what we do in Life, Construction, Management, Sales, Stay at Home Parent, Whatever we choose, We should give ourselves completely to it.
• Commitment, that’s the key.
• In Life we need to Choose one chair."
As Christians we can try to sit on two chairs. But in the end we will fail.
• We can decide to be committed to God’s cause / or to be committed to some other cause.
• But we can’t be committed to both.
• Solomon chose to commit himself to God’s cause.
Solomon knew what God’s will was in his life
I believe caused Solomon to answer wisely when God asked him,
“"What can I give you? Ask."(I Ki 3:5)
• Was because he knew what God had called him to do.
• He knew the vision / Understood the vision God had for his life.
And He knew that it would be impossible if God didn’t give him the wisdom to carry it out.
• So he asked for the ability to do God’s will / in his life
• And that’s why God was pleased with him.
And God went on to say:
1Ki 3:12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding mind such as no one else has ever had or ever will have!
1Ki 3:13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and honor! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life!
Jim Eliot, / a missionary who lost his life taking the Gospel to the Indians in Ecuador on 5th January 1955
He once said:
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”
If we are willing to give up our desires / focus on following what Jesus has called us do,
• We will be surprised to find what blessings God has in store for us.
