What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

I Kings 3-5

Once the initial rush of tasks was over, Solomon realized he was not prepared to be king. I think everyone has this experience when placed in a position of authority. When I took my first church as pastor, we jumped right into a building project. It was a huge remodel. The sanctuary was gutted, the roof and trusses removed, and a new roof system was installed. Of course floors and walls were replaced. We also moved the bathrooms and upgraded the electrical. I survived this by the help of others and because there were two things I was somewhat familiar with, construction and physical labor.

But then, the work ended. My sole focus was now on pastoring the church (where it should have been all along). I suddenly realized, I don't know what I am doing. Like Solomon grew up in the house of a king, I grew up in the house of a pastor. I also had a grandfather, that I was very close to, who was a pastor. Yet, it was completely different when I became a pastor. I don't know if Solomon wanted to be king. He was not like his brothers Absalom and Adonijah who tried to take the throne. Ruling was thrust upon him and he accepted it. I know that I did not want to be a pastor, but I accepted (over time) when God called me into the ministry.

Chapter 3 tells us that God told Solomon, "Ask me for anything and I will give it to you." Solomon was offered a blank check. Oh the choices he had! However, at this time in his life, he knew that he didn't know enough to be king. So, he asked for wisdom. Understand, Solomon had the best education anyone in Israel could have. He was the king's son. He had access by virtue of who his father was. And yet, he felt inadequate for the task at hand. When God heard his request, he said, because you have not asked for long life, wealth, or honor, I will give you all of these with the wisdom. The Bible tells us that his wisdom exceeded that of all the people in the world at his time.

Solomon could speak on any topic. The Bible tells us that he wrote 3,000 proverbs, 1,500 songs, and could speak on botany (plants), biology (life), ornithology (birds), entomology (insects), herpetology (reptiles and amphibians), and ichthyology (fish). Many of his proverbs reference these creatures that Solomon pondered. Indeed, he was very intelligent.

However, intelligence does not equal wisdom. Before we leave chapter one, there is a story that reveals the wisdom of Solomon. Two prostitutes come to the king with a problem. They have both had babies about 3 days apart. In the night, one of the mothers rolled over on her baby and smothered him. Waking and realizing what she had done, she got up took her dead baby and swapped it with the living baby of the other woman. When the mother awoke she found the dead child and cried. When the sun rose enough for her to see clearly, she realized that the child was not hers and that the other woman had stolen her baby. They argued back and forth about who the living child belonged to in front of the king. He stopped them and called for a sword. When the sword arrived, he told the servant to cut the child in half and give a piece to each woman. One woman said yes, this way neither of us have a child, but the mother of the child said "No! Let her have the child and cause him no harm." Solomon saw the heart of the true mother and gave her the child. People were amazed at his wisdom.

Chapter 4 tells us about the princes of the kingdom. It also reveals the tax system of the king. Then, we read about the wisdom of King Solomon, which I wrote about in the 4th paragraph.

In chapter 5, Solomon is revealed as a diplomat. He writes a letter to the king of Tyre and asks to purchase lumber for the building of the Temple. He not only offers to pay for the materials, but offers workers as well. This pleases the king of Tyre and he relies that he will be delighted to help Solomon and to continue the friendship that he had with David, with his son. Solomon sent workers on a 3 month rotation to Tyre. A group would work away from home for one month, and then be home for two. There were three groups, so while one group worked, two were home.

Solomon would accomplish great things in his life. He was able to do so because of the wisdom that came from God. While we may not be as wise as Solomon, James tells us that we too should ask God for wisdom.

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James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

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This is especially true when we find ourselves in a position that we feel unprepared for. We need the wisdom of God to do the task that he has set before us. It doesn't matter if it is a political position, a position of authority at work, or a position at church, we need God's wisdom to do the work his way. Then, and only then, will we be a blessing to those around us.

Like his father David, Solomon would make his share of mistakes. However, like his father David, he would come around and seek God. We read about David's repentance and pursuit of God in the Psalms. We read about Solomon's realizations about dependence on God in the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. God would bless the reign of Solomon, but his sins would have a dramatic effect on the kingdom in how his son began his reign, but there is still much to discuss of Solomon before we get there.