1 Kings 3: 1 – 28
Credit for paying attention
3 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. 16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus, they spoke before the king. 23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” 27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
In think one thing that I was blessed with is the ability of paying attention. Before I would venture into something I have never done before I would seek out counsel from people who were familiar with the things I was going to get involved with, such as finding out what it was like in the military before I reported for duty. Today we are going to see how another man was given a lot of credit for paying attention. His name is Solomon.
We all at one time or another have dreamed of being given a chance to choose something for our lives. It is somewhat like finding a magical lamp and be granted some wishes. The biggest treat that Solomon received was the fact that he had two separate personal visits from Almighty God Himself. For me, this would be what I might then ask for and it would be, ‘You know Lord I liked the fact on how you visited Adam in the Garden. What say my pick is that I can have you visit me personally daily. If that is asking too much, then how about weekly visits? Monthly? What do You think about approving this request Lord?’
Now Solomon picked ‘wisdom’. So, he is greatly surprised that our Holy Lord God grants him that requests and then adds on a bunch of bonus gifts besides.
However, if you stop and look again as to why Solomon made this choice you will find out that he did not come up with the idea himself. He dad helped with the choice he made. For as you review the book of Psalms which were predominately written by David you will find that they were directed for his sons learning and they list over and over that in his life Solomon should seek out wisdom from God as his number one priority. So, in affect Solomon received a lot of credit for just paying attention. When our Holy God asked him to pick something it didn’t take him any mental gymnastics to come up with an answer. He replied, ‘Lord grant me wisdom.’
Here are some of the verses which you can see the instruction of Solomon’s dad David:
Psalm 39: 1, Prayer for Wisdom and Forgiveness [ To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.] I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.”
Psalm 49: 3, “My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
Psalm 51: 6, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 90: 12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 104: 2, “O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions—
Psalm 105: 22, “To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom
Psalm 111: 10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.
3 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem.
So great was Solomon in his rule over the whole area from the Euphrates down to the River of Egypt that the Pharaoh of Egypt entered a treaty with him and gave him one of his daughters to be his wife. Such marriages, made in to seal international treaties, were a common feature of life in those days. It will, however, be noted that her name is not given. This was probably because, despite its high honor as seen from a worldly point of view, the Holy spirit was seeking to bring home His overall disapproval of Solomon’s act (which would help him on his way to disaster later on).
It should also be noted that the Pharaoh allowed his daughter to live in the City of David, and not remain in Egypt, an indication of the warmness of the mutual relations between Egypt and Israel, for this meant that the daughter was a kind of ‘hostage’ for Egypt’s good behavior. There is no suggestion that she tried to openly install the worship of Egyptian gods in Jerusalem, but it is very probable that she brought her own gods with her, something that is confirmed by the fact that Solomon did not take her into his own house until after the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had been moved to the new Temple that he built (2 Chronicles 8.11). It would appear later that she may well have been one of the wives who encouraged him to dabble in idolatry (11.1-8).
Solomon then proceeded with many building works, a favorite occupation of great kings in times of peace, for they left behind a permanent memorial of the greatness of those kings. (Compare Nebuchadnezzar’s pride in declaring, ‘Is this not great Babylon that I have built?’ - Daniel 4.30). He built his own palace (7.1-12) and the house of YHWH (5.1-6.38) and strengthened the walls of Jerusalem, along with other building work (9.15-19).
2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days.
This can hardly be intended to be a criticism of the worship at the Tabernacle (probably now in Gibeon) or at the sacred Tent in Jerusalem, for neither have been criticized before, but have been looked on with approval. The criticism must therefore be involving worship at other ‘high places’ not approved of by Yahweh God. In the past YHWH worship was approved of:
• 1). At the Tabernacle (the Central Sanctuary).
• 2). In the presence of the sacred Ark wherever it was, for it was ‘the Ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of YHWH of Hosts Who sits on the Cherubim’
• 3). At places where YHWH had ‘recorded His Name’.
It was approved of nowhere else. Thus, the high places mentioned here clearly did not come within these categories.
3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
Solomon truly loved YHWH and walked in the statutes of David his father but had this against him, that he also got involved with, and sacrificed and burned incense at, high places.
4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
As a complement to his action Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to Yahweh by going to the Tabernacle at Gibeon (the Tabernacle being there made it ‘the great high place’ - 2 Chronicles 1.3), and there offering a multiplicity of burnt offerings to Yahweh. ‘
This summary of Solomon’s spiritual life comes to each of us as a stark warning. He sought to walk in the ways of the Lord, but still married Pharaoh’s daughter. He worshipped in abundance in the way provided by God, and yet he could not resist responding to the lure of the ‘high place’. His life was thus a continual compromise. And that is why when it came to its end all its promise had faded away. It is a sad reflection of his reign.
5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
One night while Solomon was in Gibeon for worship at the Tabernacle, probably at one of the great feasts, Almighty God Himself appeared to him in a dream and offered him anything that he chose. Solomon, aware of the huge task of ruling his empire therefore asked Him for the wisdom to rule and judge His people rightly. This pleased God so much that He promised him also long life, great honor and wealth, victory over his enemies and wisdom of every kind.
6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
Solomon began his reply by expressing his gratitude to God for all that He had done for his father David in showing him ‘great covenant love’, the love that, having been initially set on His chosen people by God’s grace, choice and favor through the covenant, continued to respond generously to their obedience within that covenant.
7 Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
But having received his authentication by YHWH Solomon recognized what his great problem was, and that was that he was ‘but a little child’ when it came to run an empire. He was openly acknowledging that as a very young and inexperienced man the task was too big for him and that he did not know how precisely to go about it (thus revealing that he already had some wisdom). The idea of ‘going out’ and ‘coming in’ refers to a person going out of the house or city in order to fulfil his purposes in life and do his duty and fulfil his responsibilities, and then returning, both to rest from his labors, and also to see to the internal problems at home in order also to fulfil his responsibilities there. It thus referred to all aspects of life both near and far. And he was admitting that he needed help about all of them.
8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
Furthermore, Solomon felt the burden of having responsibility for so many people, a people who were so numerous that they were beyond counting, and who were all the chosen of Yahweh. This was especially so as he was aware that for this huge mass of people he himself was accountable to God. It was a huge responsibility indeed.
9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
So he prayed to Yahweh from the bottom of his heart that He would give him an understanding heart so that he could rightly judge and rule over His people. The ‘heart’ was regularly seen in the ancient world as the source of thought and mind, as well as of emotion. All together combined it is wisdom. With the heart man thought, and willed, and experienced. Solomon wanted to be able to judge ‘between good and evil’, both between right and wrong, and between what was wise and unwise. For how else could anyone judge this great people of Yahweh?
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
Solomon’s reply ‘pleased the Lord’. It gave Him great joy that Solomon’s first concern was to serve Him satisfactorily, by ruling His people righteously.
11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
Our Holy God informed him that because he had asked for wisdom to rule rightly, rather than for long life, wealth or glory in warfare, He would not only give him understanding in order that he might discern what was just and right, but would also give him such a wise and understanding heart that none before or after him would stand comparison with him, and would furthermore also give him the wealth and glory that he had not asked for, so that none in his day would be able to compare with him.
The wisdom that Solomon was given will be expanded on in the narrative, it would include:
• The wisdom to make right judgments on behalf of the people (3.16-28).
• Wisdom in respect of speaking proverbs which give wisdom; instruction; discernment; ability to deal rightly in righteousness, judgment and equity; prudence to the simple; and deeper understanding (see Proverbs 1.2-6), and wisdom concerning nature and natural things, both of which were universally respected (4.29-34).
• Wisdom in regards the decision to build the Temple (5.7).
• Wisdom to seek peace rather than conflict (5.12).
• Wisdom concerning YHWH as revealed in his prayer in 8.22-53.
• Wisdom to answer all the Queen of Sheba’s hard questions with which she came to test him (10.1-8).
His wisdom thus covered all aspects of existence.
14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
What was more, if he would continually walk in Yahweh’s ways and keep His statutes and His commandments, thus remaining faithful to the covenant, he would also have length of days and live to a mature old age.
15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Then Solomon awoke and recognized that he had received a supernatural dream confirming the covenant and his own acceptability to Yahweh as king within it (3.14), and in consequence he came to Jerusalem, to the Sacred Tent where the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH was to be found, and standing before it (although it would, of course, be unseen behind its curtain), dedicated himself and his people to YHWH, and offered up on the altar there burnt offerings and peace offerings, the former being for dedication, the latter being in respect of wellbeing, peace with God and thanksgiving.
Solomon’s new God-given wisdom was soon to be tested out when two women came before him, each claiming that of two new-born babies, one dead and one living, the living was hers. The way in which he solved the case was evidence by all that here truly was one who enjoyed the wisdom of God and could thus dispense His justice. This was a further seal on the fact that he was YHWH’s chosen king.
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.
The first woman gave the details of the case, which were that they both lived together as prostitutes in one house, with no other company, and that they had both had a child within days of each other. But the second woman’s child had died because the woman was careless and lay on it during the night while she was sleeping.
20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
So, the woman whose child had died arose at midnight and took the first woman’s baby son, replacing it with her own dead son.
21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”
Consequently, when the first woman arose to feed her baby she had thought that it was dead, but once she had examined it in the morning light she had realized that it was not her baby at all.
22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus, they spoke before the king.
The second woman then spoke up and declared that the truth of the matter was that her son was the living son, while the dead son was the first woman’s, at which the first woman said that that was not true but that the opposite was the case.
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’
The king no doubt eyed them both up and down, and then repeated the situation as described by the women. It appeared insoluble. One said one thing, and the other another. How could one possibly decide who was telling the truth when there was no evidence either way apart from the two women’s opposing testimony?
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king.
But the king had not been given divine wisdom for nothing, so he called for a sword to be brought to him, which was immediately done.
25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
The king then gave his verdict that there was only one way in which to be fair to both and that was to divide the child up between them. Needless to say, the living child would no longer then be living.
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”
The thought of this happening to her son was more than the true mother could bear, and she cried to the king, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and on no condition slay it.” The other woman was, however, nonchalant about the situation and agreed wholeheartedly with the king. This immediately resulted in Solomon recognizing which of them must be the true mother.
27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”
And he accordingly gave instructions that the living son be given to the woman who was prepared to do anything rather than see her son die.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
All around were filled with awe, and the story began to filter out to the whole of Israel, with the result they too were filled with awe at the king’s wisdom. And all recognized that it demonstrated that the wisdom of God was with him and that they could therefore depend on him in the future for true justice. There would be no more questioning his right to rule.
One lesson for us from this story is that we are always judged by the choices that we make. Like the false mother, false Christians will always give themselves away in the end, whatever their protestations, by the options that they subscribe to, and the choices that they make. As Jesus said, ‘Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things that I say?’ (Luke 6.46).
