SOLOMON ASKS FOR WISDOM A WISE RULING 1 KINGS 3:1-28

1 SOLOMON ASKS FOR WISDOM A WISE RULING 1 KINGS 3:1-28

2 Solomon Asks for Wisdom A Wise Ruling Text: 1 Kings 3:1-28, 1. Solomon 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. 2. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. 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.

3 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. 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. 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.

4 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. (NIV) Introduction: I. Solomon s throne having now been well established, God further promised to bless him with wealth, honor and wisdom. A. The following account of Solomon s life speaks to his use and misuse of these blessings. (See Long.) II. The record of Solomon s reign, his successes and failures, are contained in 1 Kings 2:12-11:43.

5 A. DeVries observed that Solomon s wisdom, riches, and honor came from God and not from man... and came to be proverbial. Commentary: Solomon Asks For Wisdom 1 Kings 3:1, Solomon 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. (NIV) I. Solomon made an alliance (The Pulpit Commentary prefers relationship to alliance.) (affinity) with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. A. 1 Kings 11:1-8, King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh s daughter Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods. Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the

6 detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. (NIV) B. Deuteronomy 7:3, Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, (NIV) C. Joshua 23:12, But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, (NIV) D. Deuteronomy 17:17, He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. (NIV) E. Israelites were permitted to marry foreign women only if these women became proselytes to the Hebrews religion, renounced their former gods and confessed their faith in Jehovah. 1. Solomon did not consistently observe these stipulations. 2. His wives corrupted his allegiance to Jehovah. 3. Exodus 34:16, And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. (NIV) 4. Deuteronomy 7:3-4, Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take

7 their daughters for your sons, for they will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods, and the LORD s anger will burn against you and will quickly destroy you. (NIV) 5. Nehemiah 13:26, Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. (NIV) 6. Some of Solomon s wives may have converted to Judaism, but clearly many did not and these led Solomon into idolatry. F. Jamieson via Coffman expressed the opinion that both the Song of Solomon and Psalm 45 were composed in honor of the marriage of Solomon to the daughter of Pharaoh. 1. Psalm 45:1-17, My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice; let your right hand achieve awesome deeds. Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you

8 above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad. Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir. Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father s house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. The city of Tyre will come with a gift, people of wealth will seek your favor. All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold. In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her those brought to be with her. Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king. Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land. I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever. (NIV) G. Solomon, Smith observed, had taken firm control of the government by eliminating threats posed by Adonijah, Joab and Shimei by executions and the deposing and banishing of Abiathar. 1. Solomon now moves by marriage with Pharoah s daughter to remove the threat that may have been presented from the Egyptians, ancient enemies of the Israelites. (See Smith.) 2. Clarke stated this marriage was arranged for political reasons, to protect Solomon s southern boundary from Egyptian attack.

9 3. DeVries agrees that this marriage was mainly political securing Egypt as Israel s ally and protector. 4. The identity of this Pharoah is not known with certainty. II. Solomon brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. A. Solomon s building projects were prominent during his reign. 1. 1 Samuel 7:13, So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel s territory. Throughout Samuel s lifetime, the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines. (NIV) 2. 2 Chronicles 8:11, Solomon brought Pharaoh s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy. (NIV) 3. Solomon took seven (7) years to build the temple and thirteen (13) years to build his palace. a. 1 Kings 6:38, In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it. (NIV)

10 b. 1 Kings 7:1, It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. (NIV) c. Long wrote, Solomon s priorities are brought into question. B. Solomon s Egyptian bride was brought to the palace formerly occupied by David, Smith wrote. 1. 2 Chronicles 8:11, Solomon brought Pharaoh s daughter up from the City of David to the palace he had built for her, for he said, My wife must not live in the palace of David king of Israel, because the places the ark of the LORD has entered are holy. (NIV) 2. DeVries stated it was correct to refer to Jerusalem as the City of David since it had become David s property because his own men had captured it. a. 2 Samuel 5:6-9, The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off. They thought, David cannot get in here. Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion which is the City of David. On that day David had said, Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those lame and blind who are David s enemies. That is why they say, The blind and lame will not enter the palace. David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He

11 built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. (NIV) 3. Solomon later built a palace for her. a. 1 Kings 9:24, After Pharaoh s daughter had come up from the City of David to the palace Solomon had built for her, he constructed the terraces. (NIV) C. This marriage must have shocked Israel in view of the facts that Israelites were once slaves there and they regarded Egyptians as continuing foes. 1 Kings 3:2, The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD. (NIV) I. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. A. Deuteronomy 12:4, You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. (NIV) 1. The lack of a temple did not justify, require sacrificing at the high places because the people never in their history to this time had had a temple. a. This was simply their excuse for sacrificing at the high places, on sanctified hill tops. 2. Yet, faithful people had served God well through the ages.

12 B. Sacrificing to God or otherwise at the high places used in idol worship was sinful. 1. 1 Kings 14:22-24, Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up his jealous anger more than those who were before them had done. They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land; the people engaged in all the detestable practices of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites. (NIV) 2. The altar at the door of the Tabernacle was the designated place for sacrifices. a. Leviticus 17:9, and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD must be cut off from the people of Israel. (NIV) C. Examples of prominent people s worshiping at high places in the Old Testament are numerous. 1. Gideon a. Judges 6:26, Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering. (NIV)

13 2. Manoah 3. Samuel 4. David a. Judges 13:19-20, Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. (NIV) a. 1 Samuel 7:9-10, Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel s behalf, and the LORD answered him. While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. (NIV) a. 1 Chronicles 21:26, David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. (NIV)

14 5. Elijah a. 1 Kings 18:30-39, Then Elijah said to all the people, Come here to me. They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, Your name shall be Israel. With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood. Do it again, he said, and they did it again. Do it a third time, he ordered, and they did it the third time. The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, The LORD he is God! The LORD he is God! (NIV)

15 1 Kings 3:3, Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking ac-cording to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. (NIV) I. Solomon showed his love for the Lord according to the statutes of his father David,... A. Love here implies moral concern and commitment, rather than mere affection, Devries wrote. 1. Deuteronomy 6:5, Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (NIV) 2. Matthew 22:37, Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (KJV) 3. Luke 10:27, And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. (KJV) B. The statutes of his father David are God s laws which David as he neared death urged Solomon to diligently observe. (See Devries.) II. except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. A. This is a huge except!

16 1. God is to be served with all our minds, souls and hearts, not partially. 2. Leviticus 17:8-9, Say to them: Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD must be cut off from the people of Israel. (NIV) 1 Kings 3:4, 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. (NIV) I. The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and... A. Gibeon was located in the territory of Benjamin about five (5) to seven (7) miles northwest of Jerusalem and was the chief city of the Hivites. (Youngblood) 1. The original Tabernacle/Tent of Meeting was located there making this historically a very important place. a. 2 Samuel 21:6, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul the LORD s chosen one. So the king said, I will give them to you. (NIV) b. 1 Chronicles 16:39, David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon (NIV)

17 c. 1 Chronicles 16:37-39, David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day s requirements. He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers. David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon (NIV) d. 1 Chronicles 21:29, The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. (NIV) e. 2 Chronicles 1:3-6, and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God s tent of meeting was there, which Moses the LORD s servant had made in the wilderness. Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the LORD; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there. Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the LORD in the tent of meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. (NIV) 2. The Ark of the Covenant with another Tent of Meeting of David s construction was at Jerusalem.

18 II. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. A. This was most certainly a wondrous worship service! B. Evidently God was pleased because, following this sacrificial service, God appeared to Solomon and promised to bless him greatly. C. Obviously Solomon arranged for all those sacrifices while priests and Levites, according to their duties, actually sacrificed the offerings. 1 Kings 3:5, 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. (NIV) I. At Gibeon the Lord appeared (revealed Himself) to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said,... A. Dreams were regarded as a way God communicated with humans on occasion. 1. Genesis 40:1-23, Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the

19 next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh s officials who were in custody with him in his master s house, Why do you look so sad today? We both had dreams, they answered, but there is no one to interpret them. Then Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams. So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh s cup and put the cup in his hand. This is what it means, Joseph said to him. The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon. When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head. This is what it means, Joseph said. The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh. Now the third day was Pharaoh s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the

20 chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh s hand but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. (NIV) 2. Genesis 41:1-40, When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him. Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, Today I am reminded of my shortcomings. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his

21 dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon. When he had shaved and changed his clothes, he came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. I cannot do it, Joseph replied to Pharaoh, but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me. Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven

22 years of famine. It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon. And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine. The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you. (NIV) a. God, on occasion, communicated with people of whose conduct he disapproved. (See Coffman.)

23 b. Pharaoh is an example of this fact. (See Coffman.) B. This divine appearance in a dream occurred the night after Solomon had offered the sacrifices. 1. 2 Chronicles 1:7, That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, Ask for whatever you want me to give you. (NIV) II. Ask for whatever you want me to give you. A. God was testing Solomon. 1. Solomon had to decide what kind of blessing was most important to him. 2. This would make it clear what was in his heart, what kind of man he was. 1 Kings 3:6, 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. (NIV) I. Solomon answered, You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because... A. God had unwaveringly blessed David as long as David was faithful to Him. 1. 2 Kings 20:3, Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted

24 devotion and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (NIV) II. he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. A. David is said here to have been trustworthy, honorable and correct in behavior, DeVries wrote. 1. Of course, this was a general assessment of David s life to which there were some notable exceptions. III. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. A. God had responded positively to David s faithfulness by allowing his son Solomon to succeed him as king. 1 Kings 3:7, 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. (NIV) I. Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. A. Since you, Lord, have made me king in the place of my father David, please give me what I need to rule well, Solomon was saying. (See DeVries.) II. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties (to go out or come in). A. Coffman and The Pulpit Commentary understood Solomon s saying he was only a little child as referring to the fact that he was totally inexperienced in judging the people and to his youth at the time.

25 1. The Septuagint (LXX) gives Solomon s age at twelve (12) years when he became king while Josephus placed his age at fourteen (14). Others place his age at coronation at age twenty (20). (See Coffman.) 2. DeVries wrote,...after forty (40) years of rule, Solomon is said to have had a forty-one (41) year old son, and hence had to have been a married adult at the time of his accession. a. 1 Kings 11:42, Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. (NIV) b. 1 Kings 14:21, Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother s name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite. (NIV) B. Going out and coming in is a formula for expressing behavior, conduct, the outward life of a man, The Pulpit Commentary reads. 1. Deuteronomy 28:6, You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (NIV) 2. Deuteronomy 31:2, I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The LORD has said to me, You shall not cross the Jordan. (NIV)

26 3. Psalm 21:8, Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. (NIV) 1 Kings 3:8, Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. (NIV) I. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. A. Genesis 13:14-17, The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. (NIV) B. Numbers 23:10, Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs! (NIV) C. 1 Kings 4:20, The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. (NIV) D. Israel s population was increasing, remarkably large, but, literally speaking, a census could still be conducted with reasonable accuracy at this time. E. The expression, too numerous to count, is clearly a hyperbole.

27 1 Kings 3:9, 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? (NIV) I. So give your servant a discerning (understanding) heart to govern (judge) your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. A. Solomon was asking for the ability to discern the difference between what was true and false. (See Smith.).. for a judicial mind. (The Pulpit Commentary) B. Clarke wrote that Solomon did not ask for wisdom in general, but for the true science of government and this God granted. 1. However, Solomon did not always do what his wisdom told him was best. 2. Solomon was asking for an intelligent mind able to discriminate between good and evil, truth from falsehood, and render true justice. (See Devries.) 3. The political situation in Israel when Solomon became king was very unstable, full of strife and contention, which would require great wisdom to handle successfully. (See DeVries.) C. The Hebrew king, like most ancient monarchs, was supreme judge as well as governor, The Pulpit Commentary states. 1. Exodus 2:14, The man said, Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian? Then Moses was afraid

28 and thought, What I did must have become known. (NIV) 2. Exodus 18:16, Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God s decrees and instructions. (NIV) 3. 1 Samuel 8:5, They said to him, You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. (NIV) II. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? A. Unaided Solomon knew he could not successfully govern Israel and he didn t know anyone else who, without God s help, could do the job either. 1 Kings 3:10, The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. (NIV) I. The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. A. 2 Samuel 12:25, and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. (NIV) B. The Pulpit Commentary states, Our dreams accord with our waking thoughts. This would have been Solomon s choice at the time. 1 Kings 3:11, So God said to him, Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked

29 for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, (NIV) I. 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,... A. Solomon had asked unselfishly and, therefore, his petition was granted. 1 Kings 3:12, 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. (NIV) I. I will do what you have asked. A. Solomon s prayer would be granted. II. I will give you a wise and discerning heart,... A. Clarke wrote, He (Solomon) received much; but he would have received much more had he been faithful to the grace given him. B. So it is often with us! C. No character in the sacred writings disappoints us more than the character of Solomon, Clarke wrote. D. Solomon was given a wise and understanding heart, for which he had asked, to judiciously administer justice. III. so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

30 A. Solomon was to be one of a kind, unique! 1. 1 Chronicles 29:25, The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before. (NIV) 2. 2 Chronicles 9:22-23, King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. (NIV) 1 Kings 3:13, 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. (NIV) I. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for both riches and honor... A. God promised Solomon far more than he had asked, especially if he would be faithful to the Lord! II. so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. A. During his lifetime Solomon would be the greatest king living. 1 Kings 3:14, 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. (NIV) I. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did,...

31 A. Deuteronomy 6:1-5, These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (NIV) B. Deuteronomy 17:14-20, When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us, be sure to appoint over you a king the LORD your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite. The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the LORD has told you, You are not to go back that way again. He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold. When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and

32 his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. (NIV) II. I will give you a long life. A. Solomon s success was due to God s blessing him with wisdom and his longevity was contingent on his obeying the Lord s statutes and commands. 1. Exodus 20:12, Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV) 2. Deuteronomy 5:16, Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (NIV) B. Solomon departed from God s ways in many ways and consequently, according to Coffman, died when he was no older than sixty (60) years of age. 1. If he had lived more righteously, he would have lived longer. C. This chapter begins with wonderful prospects for Solomon s success. (See Coffman.) 1. Regrettably Solomon s later transgressions caused him to fall far short of his potential. (See Coffman.) 1 Kings 3:15, Then 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

33 fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court. (NIV) I. Then Solomon awoke and he realized it had been a dream, a revelation. A. This was not an ordinary dream, but a divine revelation, like those made to Joseph and Pharaoh. II. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship (peace) offerings. A. This second series of sacrifices was in Jerusalem, the series mentioned previously being at Gibeon. B. Long wrote, Solomon s actions before the ark in Jerusalem must reflect the divine wisdom that God had promised. In the ancient Near East kings were thought to get their wisdom from the gods, but Deuteronomy 4:6-8 says that wisdom comes from keeping the laws of the Torah as does 1 Kings 3:14. 1. Deuteronomy 4:6-8, Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? (NIV)

34 2. 1 Kings 3:14, 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. (NIV) 3. It can be said that spiritual wisdom comes from God to those who do his will. 4. God gave Solomon wisdom, but it is also clear that Solomon did not always act in keeping with its directives. (See Long.) C. David had moved the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. 1. 2 Samuel 6:17, They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. (NIV) 2. 1 Chronicles 16:37-40, David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day s requirements. He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers. David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place in Gibeon to present burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the LORD, which he had given Israel. (NIV) III. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

35 A. Solomon celebrated his divine blessings, made further sacrifices and gave a feast for his court, governmental officials. 1. 1 Chronicles 16:3, Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman. (NIV) 2. 1 Kings 8:65, So Solomon observed the festival at that time, and all Israel with him a vast assembly, people from Lebo Hamath to the Wadi of Egypt. They celebrated it before the LORD our God for seven days and seven days more, fourteen days in all. (NIV) B. Things were going well for Solomon... at the moment. A Wise Ruling 1 Kings 3:16, Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. (NIV) I. Now two (harlots) prostitutes (tavern keepers) came to the king and stood before him. A. Attention now turns to an episode which demonstrates that God had clearly blessed Solomon with wisdom. (See Long.) B. Long wrote, In the ancient world, women without husbands were at times forced into prostitution. Their situation draws no disrespect from Solomon. 1. DeVries stated that ancient prostitutes were generally slaves, daughters who had been sold by their own

36 parents. Otherwise they were poor women who had never had an opportunity to marry, or who had lost their husbands. DeVries further wrote that women in this situation were wretched and altogether to be pitied. C. Coffman wrote, This was indeed a difficult case. It resembles other similar instances in antiquity. D. Quoting The Interpreter s Bible, Coffman further wrote, A certain Thracian king was asked to choose between three (3) men, each of whom claimed to be the son and heir of the dead Cimmerian king. He ordered the three (3) men to cast a spear into the corpse of the dead king; and when one (1) of them refused to do so, he was chosen. 1 Kings 3:17, 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. (NIV) I. One of them said, My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. A. No other person, therefore, could have been involved in the problem being presented for Solomon s verdict. II. I had a baby while she was there with me. 1 Kings 3:18, 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. (NIV) I. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. II. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

37 A. No clients or other persons had been in the house on that occasion. 1 Kings 3:19, During the night this woman s son died because she lay on him. (NIV) I. During the night this woman s son died (evidently from having been accidentally smothered) because she lay on him. 1 Kings 3:20, 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. (NIV) I. So she got up in the middle (dead) of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. II. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.. as if to nurse the infants. 1 Kings 3:21, 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. (NIV) I. The next morning, (while it was still dusk), I got up to nurse my son and he was dead! A. This must have been a horrible shock causing deep grief and anguish. II. But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, in broad daylight, I saw it wasn t the son I had borne. A. Again, shock and bewilderment must have been overpowering!

38 B. What did this woman think of her roommate? 1. Anger, hatred, unbelief? What kind of person would be so thoroughly dishonest, greedy? 1 Kings 3:22, 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. (NIV) I. The other woman said, No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours. A. The other woman also claimed to be the victim, honest, upset by being in danger of losing her baby! B. Evidently both appeared to be telling the absolute truth and the liar was so good at it that even Solomon was unable to tell them apart. II. But the first one insisted, No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine. A. This was a matter of, I say, she says. 1. Who was telling the truth? That was the question to be answered. III. And so they argued before the king. A. They kept on, back and forth,... B. Solomon saw they were getting no where and took another approach.

39 1 Kings 3:23, 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. (NIV) I. 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. A. Solomon could be summarizing the case and/or informing others at the court hearing what the situation was and how he was to arrive at his judicial decision in the matter. 1 Kings 3:24, Then the king said, Bring me a sword. So they brought a sword for the king. (NIV) I. Then the king said, Bring me a sword. A. Justice is determined by a ploy, Long wrote. II. So they brought a sword for the king. A. If both women had said to cut the baby in two, what would Solomon, in all his wisdom, have done? 1. Would adoption have been an option? 2....or maybe the state Department of Children s Services? 3....or perhaps the next nearest kinsperson, say his father if he could be identified and located? 1 Kings 3:25, He then gave an order: Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other. (NIV)

40 I. He then gave an order: Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other. A. Is this the action expected of a kind, loving, considerate ruler of God s people? B. Solomon gave the order for another to cut the child in two, but he personally would not serve as executioner. 1 Kings 3:26, 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! (NIV) I. The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king,... A. Unselfish love is in evidence here. II. Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don t kill him! A. The mother had rather see her son alive, even in the care of such an evil woman as her rival, than to see him dead. 1. She had rather relinquish custody than to see him dead. III. But the other said, Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two! A. This was an uncaring, dishonest, jealous, evil, cruel and wicked person among other things.