Solomon Asks for Wisdom
Passage: 1 Kings 3:5-14
Solomon has just become king.
Overview
God said, 'Ask what I shall give thee.' Solomon asked for 'an understanding heart to judge thy people'. God gave wisdom, and riches and honour besides.
Going deeper
Wisdom begins in humility: 'I am but a little child.' James 1:5 invites us to ask the same.
Key verses (KJV)
- 1 Kings 3:5 In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
- 1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
- 1 Kings 3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
From the commentaries
5. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream—It was probably at the close of this season, when his mind had been elevated into a high state of religious fervor by the protracted services. Solomon felt an intense desire, and he had offered an earnest petition, for the gift of wisdom. In sleep his thoughts ran upon the subject of his prayer, and he dreamed that God appeared to him and gave him the option of every thing in the world—that he asked wisdom, and that God granted his request (1Ki 3:9-12). His dream was but an imaginary repetition of his former desire, but God's grant of it was real.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
Verse 5 The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream - This was the night after he had offered the sacrifices, (see 2Chr 1:7), and probably after he had earnestly prayed for wisdom; see Wis. 7:7: Wherefore I prayed, and understanding was given me: I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. If this were the case, the dream might have been the consequence of his earnest prayer for wisdom: the images of those things which occupy the mind during the day are most likely to recur during the night; and this, indeed, is the origin of the greater part of our dreams. But this appears to have been supernatural. Gregory Nyssen, speaking of different kinds of dreams, observes that our organs and
Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke's Commentary (1810-1826)
Application
- If God said 'Ask', what would you ask?
- Why is a 'hearing heart' needed?
- How can gifts be lost through neglect?