HFL
JULY 10, 2011
I KINGS 3:1-15
1Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. 3Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.
4The 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. 5At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6Solomon 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, O 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. 8Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9So 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?”
10The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11So 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, 12I 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. 13Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 15Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
THIS GUY IS OUT ON THE BEACH EARLY ONE MORNING IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. HE HAS HIS METAL DETECTOR, AND HE
HEARS THE BEEP. HE DIGS AND FINDS THE MAGIC LANTERN. HE
BEGINS TO WIPE IT OFF, AND OUT POPS THIS GENIE. THE GENIE
SAYS, LISTEN BUDDY, THIS IS 2011, YOU GET ONE WISH MAKE IT
SNAPPY. THE GUY SAYS, WOW, ONE WISH. YES, HURRY UP, I
WANT TO FINISH MY NAP. OK, WELL I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO
HAWAII AND I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO. BUT I AM AFRAID TO
FLY, TAKES TOO LONG ON A BOAT, SO BUILD ME A BRIDGE SO I
CAN DRIVE. THE GENIE SAYS ARE YOU NUTS? DO YOU REALIZE
THE COST, THE MANPOWER, THAT’S FOOLISH, CHOOSE
SOMETHING ELSE. THE GUY THINKS AND HE SAYS, YOU KNOW
MY WIFE SAYS I DON’T UNDERSTAND HER, SO I WISH TO BE ABLE
TO UNDERSTAND WOMEN. THE GENIE, STOPS, LOOKS, AND SAYS,
DO YOU WANT THAT BRIDGE ONE LANE OR TWO?
THREE GUYS ON A DESERT ISLAND, THEY FIND THE MAGIC
LANTERN. FIRST GUY, I MISS MY WIFE AND KIDS, WISH I WAS
HOME. SECOND GUY, I MISS MY MOM AND DAD WISH I WAS
HOME. THIRD GUY, I MISS MY BUDDIES, I WISH THEY WERE BACK.
IF YOU WERE GRANTED A WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE? SMARTER,
RICHER, TALLER, SKINNIER, MORE WISHES? AS YOU CONSIDER
THIS, AND BTW, THERE WONT BE A MAGIC GENIE TODAY TO
GRANT YOUR WISHES. I WANT YOU TO THINK BACK A WEEK
WITH ME. DAVID IS ON THE DEATH BED, SOLOMON WILL BE THE
NEW KING. DAVID TELLS HIM HOW TO BE THE KING THAT HE
SHOULD BE. IN CHAP. TWO, SOLOMON HAS GOTTEN RID OF ALL THE ENEMIES. THE FOUNDATION FOR HIS KGD IS WELL SET.
GREAT THINGS WILL BE DONE UNDER SOLOMON’S LEADERSHIP.
WHEN WE OPEN THE THIRD CHAPTER, WE UNDERSTAND THE KEYS
TO HIS SUCCESS.
3:1-3, SOLOMON MADE AN ALLIANCE WITH PHARAOH AND
EGYPT. HE MARRIES THE PHARAOH’S DAUGHTER, BRINGS HER
HOME TO JERUSALEM. THE PALACE IS BEING BUILT AS WELL AS
THE WALLS TO SURROUND THE CITY. SCRIPTURE DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT HERE; BUT ONE OF SOLOMON’S MAJOR
PROBLEMS WAS THAT HE MARRIED WOMEN WHO SERVED FALSE
GODS. THIS IS IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF THE PROMISE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND ISRAEL. IF YOU WERE TO
JUMP OVER TO CHAPTER 11, YOUR WOULD SEE THAT SOLOMON
KEPT MARRYING FOREIGN WOMEN AND THEY KEPT HIM FROM
TOTALLY WORSHIPPING THE ONE TRUE GOD. AS A DIRECT
RESULT OF HIS DISOBEDIENCE, GOD RAISED UP ENEMIES, AND
PROMISED TO TEAR THE KGD OUT OF THE HAND OF SOLOMON’S
SON. TO KEEP THIS IN PROPER PERSPECTIVE, THIS ALL HAPPENED
WHEN SOLOMON WAS OLDER AND HAD RULED FOR MANY YEARS.
3:2,3 THE TEMPLE HAS NOT BEEN BUILT. STOP FOR A
MOMENT, THE PALACE IS BEING BUILT, BUT NOT THE TEMPLE.
THERE SEEMS TO BE A SENSE OF LACK OF PRIORITY. BC THE
TEMPLE HAS NOT BEEN BUILT, THE PEOPLE ARE MAKING
SACRIFICES AT THE HIGH PLACES. SOLOMON SHOWS HIS LOVE
OF THE LORD, BY WALKING ACCORDING TO THE STATUES OF
DAVID. ONE OF THE GREAT RESPONSIBILITIES OF A FATHER IS
SETTING THE EXAMPLE FOR HIS CHILDREN. DAVID HAD SET THE
EXAMPLE AND SOLOMON FOLLOWED IT.
3:4,5 SOLOMON WAS IN A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD BC
HE OBEYED THE COMMANDS AND STATUTES. BC OF THIS RIGHT
RELATIONSHIP, GOD APPEARED TO HIM IN A DREAM, HE SAID TO
HIM, ASK FOR WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO GIVE YOU.
IF YOU COULD HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT, WHAT WOULD IT
BE? LET ME CLARIFY, GOD IS NOT THE GENIE IN THE BOTTLE WHO
GRANTS 3 WISHES, GODS PURPOSE IS NOT TO BE SANTA CLAUS,
THERE IS NOT SOME MAGICAL FORMULA WHERE WE TELL GOD TO
GIMME THIS AND GIMME THAT.
SCRIPTURE DOES HOWEVER HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT; ASK,
SEEK, KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN, FOUND, OPENED. PRAY
BELIEVING AND IT WILL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU, AND WITH
MUSTARD SEED FAITH YOU CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS. GOD DOES
EXPECT THAT WE WILL ASK AND THAT WE WILL TRUST HIS
ANSWER.
GOD ANSWERS SOLOMON. SOLOMON BEGINS BY
ACKNOWLEDGING GOD, HE KNOWS THAT GOD HAS BLESSED HIM,
AND HE THANKS GOD FOR THOSE BLESSINGS. SOLOMON NEXT
REALIZES HIS SITUATION. I AM ONLY A CHILD AND I DO NOT
KNOW HOW TO CARRY OUT MY DUTIES. SOLOMON THEN USES
WISDOM IN MAKING HIS REQUEST. GIVE ME A DISCERNING
HEART, AND TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WRONG AND RIGHT.
BC OF HIS WISE CHOICE, GOD GIVES TO HIM WISDOM. THEN
HE ADDS RICHES AND HONOR AND A CONDITIONAL PROMISE. IF
SOLOMON WOULD WALK IN A RIGHT PATH, HE WOULD LIVE LONG
AS WELL. THEN SOLOMON WAKES UP. IT HAS BEEN A DREAM.
BUT, THIS DREAM IS DIFFERENT, BC IT WAS HOW GOD WOULD
SPEAK TO PEOPLE SOMETIMES.
SOLOMON RETURNS TO JERUSALEM, AND HIS WISDOM IS PUT
TO THE TEST. TWO WOMEN, ONE LIVING BABY. WHO DOES THE
BABY BELONG TO? SOLOMONS DECISION IS HEARD, AND
EVERYONE IS IN AWE.
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.
