Heroes of the OT
Solomon
1 Kings 3:1-15
February 8, 2009
This week we are continuing to look at the heroes of the Old Testament with a guy a named Solomon. Last week we began with David and this week we continue by looking at David’s successor and son, Solomon. We’ll be using 1 Kings 3:1-15.
A beleaguered young mom went to an "Organizing Your Life" class. After hearing many organizing tips, she asked, "But how do you get your kids to help clean up? I have two young children, and it’s usually easier to just clean up myself. That way, I know where their things are, and they get put away right. But I feel frustrated about that."
Another woman in the class answered, "In our house, we use a ’Butler Box.’ Whenever something is left lying around the house where it doesn’t belong—even if it’s car keys or a wallet—it gets put into a large, wooden box that we call the Butler Box. Then, if anyone is looking for something that’s lost and finds it in the Butler Box, he can’t just grab it out. He has to do five minutes of chores around the home to get the object back."
"What a clever idea!" the first woman said. "How old were your children when you started that?"
"Children?" the second woman answered. "We don’t have any children. This is for my husband."
Solomon arranged a marriage contract with Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her to the City of David until he had completed building his royal palace and GOD’s Temple and the wall around Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the people were worshiping at local shrines because at that time no temple had yet been built to the Name of GOD. Solomon loved GOD and continued to live in the God-honoring ways of David his father, except that he also worshiped at the local shrines, offering sacrifices and burning incense.
Let’s stop for a moment. We see how Solomon loved God but he had a small blemish: he used local shrines for worship. Now we should conclude that even though these local shrines had been used (and maybe still were used) for the false gods of the lands, Solomon was not worshipping these gods as we will see in the following verses as God speaks to Solomon as he worships at one of these local shrines.
The problem was that the continued use of these shrines was perhaps an implicit endorsement of idol worship. At the very least, using these undermined the commands for God’s people to worship God at the tabernacle. Perhaps it even made it too convenient for people. Nevertheless, Solomon while loving God had this blemish.
The king went to Gibeon, the most prestigious of the local shrines, to worship. He sacrificed a thousand Whole-Burnt-Offerings on that altar. That night, there in Gibeon, GOD appeared to Solomon in a dream: God said, "What can I give you? Ask."
Solomon said, "You were extravagantly generous in love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his throne.
"And now here I am: GOD, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ’ins’ and ’outs’ of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count.
"Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?"
God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him, "Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for—I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life."
Solomon woke up—what a dream! He returned to Jerusalem, took his place before the Chest of the Covenant of God, and worshiped by sacrificing Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings. Then he laid out a banquet for everyone in his service.
So the basic thought with Solomon was that Solomon as David’s successor was a hero because he took Israel to new heights.
Solomon Took Israel to New Heights
He kept the momentum that David had established and Israel became a country that influenced the entire known world, which was part of God’s plan. Israel was positioned at the crossroads of the world. The various other empires that had existed (Egyptian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and so forth) would have to travel through Israel in order to conquer other lands. Therefore Israel was uniquely positioned to tell the entire world about the one true Creator God of the universe. Under Solomon Israel prospered and flourished to such an extent that they did have that opportunity.
There are several things we need reminded of concerning this hero named Solomon.
• Solomon loved the Lord
This cannot be understated. Solomon loved God. He knew and understood that God wanted the rulers of His people to be just. Solomon knew that God wanted him to not just do what was right in God’s eyes personally but as the king, God wanted him to make sure that the people did what was right.
Both David and Solomon loved the Lord. Israel had seen two kings that loved God and loved justice. Solomon was totally committed to God and God’s ways. In order for things to be right in our lives, this has to be our first and foremost concern. Loving Jesus and loving his ways. Nurturing that desire to whole-heartedly worship the Lord. Not letting anything else get in the way of that love.
This way of living makes all the difference in the world and in our lives. But half-hearted and mediocre decisions don’t cut it. Next week we are going to look Solomon’s son who succeeded him and how he almost was a hero. Almost. But because he was almost he lost everything including a unified kingdom.
If there is one thing to remember for Solomon, it is his great love for God and God’s ways. This is what we are called to emulate. This is what we are called embrace ourselves.
But there is a second remarkable thing with Solomon.
• Solomon desired to rule wisely
Now remember that this was a young man of 18 years. As for a ruler, the scriptures repeatedly acknowledge that at 18, he was really just a child. Most 18 year olds that I know if they were told by God to make a wish, wouldn’t be asking for the wisdom to rule justly. They’d be asking for a billion dollars or a new mustang or such. But Solomon recognized how inept he was to rule over all these people. It must have been overwhelming to him.
So when God asked him what he wanted, Solomon said give a me discerning heart so I can rule wisely and make good choices for all these people. Remember also that Solomon grew up under the shadow of his father’s greatest sin and failure. Solomon’s mother was Bathsheba. So he heard and saw the consequences of his David’s sin played out as he grew up.
James tells us that God loves to give us wisdom and will do so if we ask. If we love Him and seek Him and seek out His ways, God pours out wisdom on His children. A fool says in his heart that there is no God. But the wise know that life is too unpredictable and too chaotic to trust in only our own efforts. The wise know that we need help from someone larger than us and larger than life. We knew help from Christ.
There is a third thing:
• Solomon’s wisdom gave him credibility
Countries far and wide sought out Solomon. He gained influence and riches. Immediately after this passage, there is the story of two prostitutes who each had a baby. The mother of one child in her sleep rolled over and killed her child. She got up and switched her dead baby with the other women’s child. The other woman woke up and was horrified but then after looking closely, realized that this was her child. A big argument erupted, lawyers were retained, lawsuits were filed and the case finally ended up in Solomon’s Supreme Court.
Solomon listened for a few moments to the bickering and fighting and couldn’t stand it! “Someone get me a sword!” he shouted. They brought him a sword as everyone froze to see what would happen next. “Bailiff, take this sword and cut the child in two and give each mother half. Share and share alike. We compromise and everybody wins a little and everybody loses a little.”
The real mother cried out, “No, give him to her. I’d rather she get him than to see him die.”
The other woman said, “Yeah, that’s right. You tell her king. Neither one of us should get the whole thing.”
Then Solomon awarded the child to the woman who was willing to give up her rights that the child might live because she was the boy’s mother.
People were amazed at the discernment of Solomon. He was someone to be trusted. He was someone to look up to. He was worthy of service to as a just king. He had credibility with his people. So Solomon’s wisdom gave him credulity first with Israel.
o With Israel
Secondly, Solomon’s wisdom gave him fame and credibility with other countries including big powers like Egypt. 1 Kings 3:28, “All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king.”
o With other countries
This helped him secure his boundaries and expand his trade. His country prospered like no other time in it’s history. Even the Queen of Sheba made the trip to hear the incredible wisdom that earned Solomon such fame. But Solomon didn’t just rely on his own personal wisdom and decision making. He gained credibility:
o By utilizing collective wisdom
He, like David, surrounded himself with incredibly men who gave him great counsel. He surrounded himself with men who loved God and who could offer insight and wisdom to all the situations that he faced. This was something that led to the downfall of Solomon’s son. Rehoboam didn’t listen to the wisdom of others because he was too self-absorbed and too absorbed with the pursuit of pleasure and power including the worship of the false gods and idols.
Eleanor Doon said, “You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning within your own.”
Solomon reminds us of what should be most important. Is God really and truly your burning desire? Do you truly what to know God more than anything else? Is the knowledge of His ways your greatest pleasure? Is the blessing and peace that comes from following Jesus the light of your life? Or do other things compete for that spot? Sometimes we are too consumed and too occupied with everything else but God… Is it any wonder that God isn’t our first love? Is it any wonder when can’t seem to find time to worship Jesus regularly? Is it any wonder that studying God’s ways through His Word fails to become a priority? Is it any wonder that all the problems and concerns and trials and tribulations of life overwhelm us? Solomon’s response was to seek God’s presence and power and direction more so than ever. How about you? What response characterizes your life? If you know that you fall short, what are going to do about it? You do not have to stay where you are at? Nor does God want you to. What’s it gonna be? Are you going to step it up or step out? Kindle the fire in your own heart beginning with your own prayer of commitment to Jesus.
