Solomon’s Encounter

King Solomon was rich, wise, and he had many wives (in that era this was another form of riches). His reign was successful and Solomon’s Temple is the temple that future generations aspired to re-create. So it would be natural to skim past the following verses, because this is when all of his kingly greatness began. It could be easy to miss the way in which Solomon struggled to “find himself” like we all do.

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.

1 Kings 3:3-14

Up until this point his father, David, was the second king Israel had and David was the greatest. He was victorious in war, the people loved him, and he rose to greatness from humble beginnings. It was a rags to riches story and that story ended right before we pick it up here. Solomon was chosen to be the next king. He probably felt like he was living under a very large, successful shadow. David was “a man after God’s own heart”—those are big shoes to fill.

Solomon Goes His Own Way

There was a lot of good and a lot of bad that happened during David’s reign, but one consistent good thing we read about is how important worship was to David. When the ark of the covenant was rescued David danced with the people. David had the idea to build a temple so that God would have a permanent place of worship among them.

One way to get out from under someone’s shadow is to intentionally be different from them. This could be how Solomon ends up making a habit of worshiping God in the place where people of the other religions are worshiping. This should have been punishable, possibly even grounds to disqualify him from being the next king. It’s tantamount to breaking the first two commandments.

God Enters the Story

When God appears to Solomon in the dream, he doesn’t start with punishment, retribution, or a lightening bolt. There’s not even a mention of Solomon’s questionable worship practices. Like the parable of the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one that wandered away, God meets Solomon on the hills where the other religions practiced their rituals.

God offered Solomon an extravagant gift—anything he wants will be given to him. Solomon replies by telling God about the faith of his father before making his request. Maybe Solomon believes he’s living in David’s shadow even as he responds to God or maybe he feels like his worship practices won’t give him enough cred with God for an offer like this, even though God initiated this encounter. Solomon asks for wisdom so that he can govern well. God blesses Solomon’s selflessness by telling him that he will also receive the things he didn’t ask for: wealth and honor.

God meets us all where we are. You may be breaking from tradition, you may not be in the ideal place, but God meets you where you are right now. Look for the areas in your life where you sense God’s love. What question do you think God is asking you? How will you respond?

Photo credit:  Mariam Soliman on Unsplash