"Lord, Give Me a Heart that Understands"
"I ask that you give me a heart that understands,
so I can rule the people in the right way
and will know the difference between right and wrong.
Otherwise, it is impossible to rule this great people of yours.”
(1 Kings 3: 9)
"Now, give me wisdom and knowledge
so I can lead these people in the right way,
because no one can rule them without your help."
(2 Chronicles 1: 10)
We could take 1 Kings 4: 29 - 34 as the "Intellectual Ability and Publications List" section of King Solomon's Royal CV (if something exists today), and somewhere near to the "Non-Related Referees" column we could find the Royal seal of The Queen of Sheba who witnessed these abilities in person.
The Biblical history records that "God gave Solomon great wisdom so he could understand many things. His wisdom was as hard to measure as the grains of sand on the seashore. His wisdom was greater than any wisdom of the East, or any wisdom in Egypt. He was wiser than anyone on earth" (1 Kings 4: 29 - 31). And in the following verses, you can find the following pointers.
- He was even wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, as well as Heman, Calcol, and Darda—the three sons of Mahol (Probably the Wisdom-Giants of his time).
- King Solomon became famous in all the surrounding countries (Man of the region).
- During his life he spoke three thousand wise sayings and also wrote one thousand five songs (a Doctor of Philosophy and a versatile Lyricist).
- He taught about many kinds of plants—everything from the great cedar trees of Lebanon to the weeds that grow out of the walls (a Professor of Botany).
- He also taught about animals, birds, crawling things, and fish (a Professor of Zoology).
- People from all nations came to listen to King Solomon’s wisdom. (International acclaim)
- The kings of all nations sent them to him, because they had heard of Solomon’s wisdom (A World Brand Ambassador of Wisdom of his time).
- The world-renown verdict on The Two Mothers and One Child Case (a Judicial wonder).
Well, when I read this astonishing list of King Solomon's wisdom and knowledge, somewhere in the backdrop of my thought it was clear that such a blessing could not just be man-made. And, indeed, the Biblical history, before and after these verses clearly show that this wisdom and knowledge was God-given. Can I ask you to join me in having a look at where it all started? Was Solomon born this wise? Or did he have the confidence of having been taught and trained under some of the best knowledge giants of his time? I am sure, it would be an inspiring moment for us to realise the humble beginnings of this world-admired king of wisdom.
As King Solomon had become the king after his father King David, he was just at the preliminaries of establishing the kingdom further. King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice, because it was the most important place of worship. He offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. While he was at Gibeon, the Lord appeared to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.
Solomon answered, “You were very kind to your servant, my father David. He obeyed you, and he was honest and lived right. You showed great kindness to him when you allowed his son to be king after him. Lord my God, now you have made me, your servant, king in my father’s place. But I am like a little child; I don’t know how to do what must be done. I, your servant, am here among your chosen people, and there are too many of them to count. I ask that you give me a heart that understands, so I can rule the people in the right way and will know the difference between right and wrong. Otherwise, it is impossible to rule this great people of yours. Look at that humble and wonderful expression of Solomon. He, first of all, admits in the presence of the Lord that he is like a child. Second he submits himself in God's mighty presence as God's servant. Then, he asks for understanding. And, finally, Solomon proclaims that without God's help it would be impossible for him to do his duties as a king. Amazing isn't it? And that's the beginning. And that's where it all began.
I also want you to move with me to 2 Chronicles 1: 10, where the details of this 'A heart that understands' is provided. In a similar passage in the Bible that describes the same moment that we are exploring, we could find the three important elements of a heart that understands. Solomon says, "Now, give me wisdom and knowledge so I can lead these people in the right way, because no one can rule them without your help." I find this to be thrilling. We could perceive that 'an understanding heart' requested by Solomon to God included a heart of wisdom, a heart of knowledge and a heart that depends on the help from God. And that was Solomon's prayer that night. And that is all he wanted from God.
The Bible continues to say in the same passage, that "The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked this. So God said to him, “You did not ask for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies. Since you asked for wisdom to make the right decisions, I will do what you asked. I will give you wisdom and understanding that is greater than anyone has had in the past or will have in the future. I will also give you what you did not ask for: riches and honor. During your life no other king will be as great as you. If you follow me and obey my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will also give you a long life.” Wow! A childlike, humble, committed, dependent prayer pleases God. And that's when we become people of understanding. Only with these elements in our life, we could lead people. Let it be a family, a community, a society, a nation or even a world assembly!
Let us, just like the example that we find in King Solomon, have our lives set before God. Let us approach God's presence with the innocence of a child and the humbleness of a servant. Let us admit in God's presence that without Him we are nothing; let us tell God that it is with Him that all things are possible. And as we seek a heart that understands, let us remember that we are asking God to give us wisdom, knowledge and His help in everything that we do.
I pray that the blessings of God our Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will lead us into a life of commitment and understanding in all that we do.
May God bless you.
Yours in Christ,
"Refiner's Fire..." - Jeremy Riddle
