The wisdom of Solomon……

The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.  1 Kings 2:46

This is how 1 Kings 2 finishes. So what does Solomon do to get to this point?

• he has his brother Adonijah put to death for asking for King David’s attendant Abishag, which Solomon sees as another way of Adonijah questioning his role as king.
• he removes Abiathar the priest from the priesthood
• he has Joab killed as David requested
• he puts Benaiah in Joab’s role and establishes Zadok as priest
• he allows Shimei to live as long as he stays in Jerusalem (which he does for two years but then he’s killed when he tries to leave)

He puts his house in order basically.

So what happens next?

Well, Solomon is wise, we all know that – that’s what he’s famous for…the wisdom of Solomon….but what he does next doesn’t seem very wise at all. Wise in worldly terms maybe. But not by God’s holy way. Wise in terms of materialism and security. But not in terms of dependence on God for provision and protection.

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.  1 Kings 3:1

An alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt? Egypt of all places! The place where the Israelites had fled from slavery? Isn’t this a backward step? Marrying the daughter of the ruler of the nation that kept your own people in suffering and exploitation for so many years?

Verse 3 is very telling –

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.  1 Kings 3:3

So Solomon wants to please God.

But he wants to fit in and do it like the people around him.

He wants to do the right thing.

But he wants to compromise with the surrounding nations.

He wants it all.

He wants to have his cake and eat it.

He really does want to seek God though as proved in this dream –

God: Ask for whatever you want me to give you.

Solomon: 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.

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. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 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?

God: 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, 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. 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. 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.

Solomon knows that he is out of his depth. He has been given the massive responsibility of leading God’s people and feels very small and inadequate when faced with this task. He recognises that he needs wisdom. He needs to clearly know right from wrong.

The beginning of wisdom is knowing that you do not know it all.

That you will never know it all.

That you will make mistakes and will need to admit your mistakes and learn from them.

That life is a journey; any job is a journey; any leadership role is a journey.

Being prepared to learn new things along the way is vital.