In our study of 1 Kings chapter three, we look at Solomon's transformation from being a foolish child to a being a wise man.
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Shlomo formed an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. He brought her into the City of David, [where she lived] until he had finished building his own palace, the house of ADONAI and the wall around Yerushalayim.
In chapter 2, we saw how Solomon had become the king of Israel and we must remember that he was only 12 or 13 years old at the time. He dealt with the enemies of David and the kingdom was firmly established. Now, we see that he went to the king of Egypt and became an ally by taking his daughter in marriage. This was a common practice of the times but, in this, we see youthful foolishness. He had been raised in a godly home as David was considered to be a great man of God and yet he married a daughter of the king from the place where his ancestors had been slaves. She moved to Jerusalem and he built her a palace. This is a pattern that we see throughout the Bible as a result of man's sin. In the beginning, God created a woman and brought her to the man (see Genesis two) but, since the fall, man has went in search of a woman to be his wife. Many times this causes some serious problems and it did in the life of Solomon.
The people, however, were still sacrificing on the high places, because no house had yet been built for the name of ADONAI. Shlomo loved ADONAI, living according to the regulations set forth by David his father; nevertheless, he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places. One time the king went to Giv'on to sacrifice there, because that was the main high place. Shlomo offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
We see that Solomon received knowledge of the ways of God through his father (David) and followed them for the most part. Even though they had the tabernacle of God, the people were going to high places to offer sacrifices. Instead of leading, the young foolish king did the same. He went to the most important place and offered a huge number of sacrifices.
At Giv'on ADONAI appeared to Shlomo in a dream at night; God said, "Tell me what I should give you."
This verse is amazing as, even while Solomon was in sin at the high place, God showed up in a dream. We may want to ask why God would do so and then even tell Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted. Although it is tough for us to comprehend, God knows everything about our lives even before we are born. He knew what Solomon was going to ask for and He also knew that Solomon loved the Lord. There are many places of worship that make people feel like they have to get their act together before they attend and come to Christ. The simple fact of the matter is that we cannot "get our act together" without Christ and so He meets us where we are just as He did with Solomon.
Shlomo said, "You showed your servant David my father much grace, as he lived before you honestly and righteously, having an upright heart with you. You preserved this great grace for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as is the case today.
Solomon begins to answer the Lord by remembering the kindness that He had shown to his father. This speaks to the fact that David had left a heritage of faith in God to his family. That is our duty as parents and is probably what is lacking most in the world today. This is even true for Christians, today, as many leave their children a legacy of religion which is not the same as a legacy of faith in Jesus Christ.
So now, ADONAI my God, you have made your servant king in the place of David my father; but I am a mere child - I don't know how to lead! Moreover your servant is among your people, whom you chose, a great people so numerous that they cannot be counted. Therefore, give your servant an understanding heart able to administer justice to your people, so that I can discern between good and bad - for who is equal to judging this great people of yours?"
Solomon continues to answer the Lord by acknowledging the fact that, on his own, he is inadequate for the job of being king. We see this reaction as a pattern that occurs over and over throughout the Bible. The people that God uses in mighty ways are usually the lowly ones who can see that they are nothing without Him. With this in mind, he asks for "a discerning heart" which is commonly called wisdom. Solomon had received knowledge from David but could only receive wisdom through a personal relationship with God. The same is true for us today as we can go to all kinds of schools for higher education but we must remember that knowledge is not the same as wisdom.
What Shlomo had said in making this request pleased Adonai. God said to him, "Because you have made this request instead of asking long life or riches for yourself, or your enemies' death, but rather asked for yourself understanding to discern justice; I am doing what you requested. I am giving you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you, nor will there ever again be anyone like you. I am also giving you what you didn't ask for, riches and honor greater than that of any other king throughout your life.
Because Solomon was the humble servant, God elevated him to be the wisest man that ever has been or ever will be. That is hard for us to believe as we have become so educated with doctorates, masters, bachelors, and all kinds of learning certificates but none of these degrees comes close to the wisdom that God granted to Solomon. He also was given the riches and fame that he did not ask for and we are reminded that God always elevates the humble and brings down the proud. It is interesting to note that, unlike the wisdom, God did not say that there would never be a richer or more famous person than him.
More than that, if you will live according to my ways, obeying my laws and mitzvot like your father David, I will give you a long life." Shlomo awoke and found it had been a dream. But he went to Yerushalayim, stood before the ark for the covenant of ADONAI and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. He also made a feast for all his servants.
In addition to the gifts, God offered him a long life but this was not a gift as it required Solomon to act in a proper manner. Solomon awoke and realized that he had been visited by God in his dream. We see the impact that this had on him as he went back to Jerusalem and worshiped where he was supposed to.
After this, there came to the king two women who were prostitutes. After presenting themselves to him, one of the women said, "My lord, I and this woman live in the same house; and when she was in the house, I gave birth to a baby. Three days after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. We were there together; there was no one else with us in the house except the two of us.
Now, we see two women come to the king to settle a dispute between them. They were women who had children without being married to one man (harlots).
During the night this woman's child died, because she rolled over on top of it. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from next to me, while your servant was sleeping, and put it in her arms; and she laid her dead child in my arms. When I awoke in the morning to feed my child from my breast, there it was, dead. But when I took a closer look later in the morning, why, it wasn't my son at all - not the one I gave birth to!" The other woman broke in, "No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son!" The first one said, "No! The dead one is your son and the living one is my son!" This is how they spoke in the presence of the king.
Each woman claimed the living child as her own. We must remember that this was before the age of paternity tests and DNA analysis. It can be very difficult to look at a baby and say that it belongs to a certain person.
Then the king said, "This woman says, 'The living one is my son; your son is the dead one'; while the other says, 'No, the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.' Bring me a sword," said the king. They brought a sword to the king. The king said, "Cut the living child in two; give half to the one and half to the other." At this, the woman to whom the living child belonged addressed the king, because she felt so strongly toward her son: "Oh, my lord, give her the living child; you mustn't kill it!" But the other one said, "It will be neither yours nor mine. Divide it up!"
Using the wisdom that God had granted him, Solomon proposed cutting the child in half to divide it among the two women. The one lady begged him to give it to the other while the other lady was happy knowing that, if she couldn't have him, then, the other lady couldn't either. They had no idea that the king was just testing them but they knew that he had the authority to do what he said.
Then the king answered, "Give the living child to the first woman, don't kill it, because she is its mother." All Isra'el heard of the decision the king had made and held the king in awe, for they saw that God's wisdom was in him, enabling him to render justice properly.
God had given the king the wisdom to know that a loving mother would do whatever she had to do in order to save the child. When word of the ruling got out, everyone was amazed and knew that it was from God. This is a big contrast to our judicial systems today where people are qualified to judge based on some college degree and not whether they have wisdom from God.
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