Two Overarching 3 Kings Take-Aways
God partners with ordinary people (messy) to accomplish His extraordinary purposes.
Ordinary people are capable of mighty acts when we align our mind, heart and hands with God’s.
Solomon is Different King
Physically
Background
Skillset
Wisdom
The Hebrew word for wisdom (hokma) means information + insight.
The OT concept of wisdom carries a moral, ethical and an applied skill component.
The NT word for wisdom (sophia) points to a practical and spiritual understanding of God's will and applying that knowledge to life.
“Knowing the greatest goal in any situation and the best way to achieve it.” Pastor John Piper
Remarkable Moment. Ordinary Day.
1 Kings 3:16-28 (NIV) 16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.” 22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So, they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” 27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
1 Kings 4:29 (NIV) “God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.”
Question: What was the genesis of Solomon’s wisdom?
Answer: Godly advice + a Godly ask.
Godly Advice is two-fold.
1 Kings 2:1-4 (NIV) When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
1. Be strong, act like a man (NIV)…“show what you are made of” (Message)
David is challenging/imploring Solomon to step up to what he was being called into.
2. Observe what the Lord requires.
Align your words, will and ways to that of the Lord. It’s not possible to lead at this level if you are out of alignment.
Out of alignment places an untenable burden – emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical on our shoulders. Alignment is a synergistic position that employs God’s power to accomplish His/our joint purposes.
Godly Ask. 2 Kings 3:3-15 (NIV) 3 Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
“I am only a child”
Solomon’s ask can from a place of self-awareness. All good leadership comes from a place of self-awareness.
“The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this”
Why? Because Solomon’s was aligning with the Lord’s purpose. He was falling in behind the leadership of YHWY – not asking YWHY to fall in behind his leadership!
Is God’s wisdom accessible to me?
Godly Wisdom is neither secretive or elusive but you can only have it if you go for it! And when you “get it and follow it” there is a reward!
3 essentials to obtaining wisdom.
Fear God.
Trust God.
Ask God.
Each step comes with its own sets of rewards.
Essential #1 Fear God. Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Reverence and Awe are the beginning of wisdom because if we don’t hold God in the highest of regard, elevating Him and His counsel above ourselves and others, we won’t align our actions with His… simple as that.
Proverbs 14:12 (AMP) There is a way which seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but its end is the way of death.
REWARD #1. Proverbs 9:11-12 (NIV) 11 For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. 12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
Essential #2 Trust God. Proverbs 3:1-8 (Charlie Amplified Version)
INSTRUCTION 1My son, do not forget my teaching [these aren’t secrets], but keep my commands in your heart [keep a tight grip],
REWARD 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
INSTRUCTION 3 Let love and faithfulness [hesed] never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart [keep God’s hesed front in center of all emotions and decisions]. REWARD 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
INSTRUCTION 5 Trust [rely on, have confidence in] in the Lord with all your heart [emotions] and lean not on your own understanding [what seems]; 6 in all your ways [decisions and movement] submit to him [yield],
REWARD and he will make your paths straight.
INSTRUCTION 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes [seems]; fear the Lord [be in awe] and shun [turn away/ reject] evil.
REWARD 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
Essential #3. Ask God. James 1:2-8 (AMP)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame… Reward… and it will be given to him.
3 essentails to obtaining wisdom.
Fear God. Elevate God over yourself.
Trust God. Elevate His path over other’s opinion.
Ask God. Elevate God to your first and last ask.
“Thou, O Christ, who went tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin, make us strong to overcome the desire to be wise and to be reputed wise by others as ignorant as ourselves. We turn from our wisdom as well from our folly and flee to Thee, the wisdom and the power of God. Amen” (AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy pg. 59.)
“With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures.” (AW Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy pg. 64.)
