Solomon Asks for Wisdom

Solomon offers a thousand burnt offerings at the high place in Gibeon. That night God appears to him in a dream and tells him to ask for whatever he wishes. Solomon asks neither for long life nor for wealth and honor, but for a listening heart that can discern between good and evil.

In the original language, this listening heart is a heart that hears the word of God and obeys it just as it is spoken. Later, when two women quarrel over one baby, Solomon orders the child divided in two. That ruling brings to light the heart of the true mother, who wants only to keep her child alive, and the baby is spared. The people who heard of the ruling stood in awe of the king and gave glory to God.

Asking for wisdom does not mean that wise decisions come of themselves. Wisdom shows itself when what was asked for is lived out according to the Word. When the church and God’s people hold fast to the Word and live by it, a life-giving authority is restored in the very place where they stand.