Year 7, Day 344: 1 Kings 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

This is the famous chapter where Solomon has a great wisdom bestowed upon him.  I’ve spoken about the wisdom and its impact before on this blog.  Today, I’m going to speak to what leads up to this moment.

This moment is born in David’s life.  David was so close to the Lord that God promised that his offspring would reign on the throne.  That doesn’t mean that heirs of David could live however they want and be blessed by God.  We’ll actually see how that isn’t true as we go through 1 & 2 Kings.  What is actually important in this line of thinking is to be mindful of the faithful people in our lives who have gone before us, earned God’s favor, and then passed along their faith to us.  We are to be mindful of the people who taught us the faith and raised us in God’s ways.  We are to be mindful of the people who showed us what relationship with God is really like.  Solomon is in this place first and foremost because of David.

That being said, it isn’t only because of David.  Solomon is in this place because he listened to the advice of his father.  The lesson here is that it is one thing to have faithful people in one’s life.  It is another thing to respond to the opportunity, learn, grow, imitate, and then own it.  It’s our job not simple to be around faithful people but to become faithful in our own right.

How does Solomon put this one display?  Listen to his testimony when he meets God in a dream.  Solomon is humble.  He is quick to remind himself that God is the reason that his life has worked out the way that it did.  He is humble, acknowledging that his youth has its limitations.  He is selfless, asking for something that will help him make the world around him a better pace.  In summary, Solomon follows the footsteps of his father and puts God’s ways ahead if his own.

When we put this all together, we see a grand picture.  Faithful people have faithful people around them.  Faithful people learn, imitate and own the faith they see in others, making it their own faith within them.  Faithful people are humble before God, acknowledge His power in their strengths, acknowledge their failings in their weaknesses, and work to be a godly influence in the world around them.

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