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In seminary, I had a classmate who was ex-military. I loved talking with him because of what he did in the military. He was a captain in a tank brigade. I personally believe that he had the coolest job in the world.
One time he was telling me about how awkward it was for him at first. My friend had graduated from West Point. Because of that, he entered the military as a ranking officer. But there were men under him who had enlisted. And quite a few of them had been in the military for 15-20 years.
So, you can imagine what it was like showing up for the first day of work. They were supposed to do some maneuvers and drills with their squadron. And here he comes to the briefing session, just as green as can be. He’s still wet behind the ears. There are men standing around the table with the maps who have more time in the military than he has in years lived.
So as this new commanding officer comes in, all of them are looking at him like he’s a baby. What do you think their reaction would be if he just started spouting off orders? Sure, he had the training. He was a graduate of West Point. But do you really think that his training matched their experience?
So he said to the men who were there, “What do you guys think? How do you think we should run this?” He said the men kind of smiled and said, “Maybe we should move here and make formation run like so.” He said he earned a little respect that day because he didn’t act like he knew it all.
I can’t help but think that Solomon had similar feelings. As he comes to the throne, he, no doubt, recognized the magnitude of his office. The weight of this undertaking was something that certainly made the crown on his head feel all that much heavier.
And it is into this situation that God speaks.
We all know that Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. But that was only because he recognized himself to be young and inexperienced. He even calls himself a boy. He’s just 20 years old and he knows that he lacks the real grit of experience--he knows he’s lacking the wisdom that is needed to be the kind of leader that he should be.
And the passage is all about how Solomon becomes the wisest man who ever lived. It’s a famous text. And it is a famous text because it is such a unique text. Our text for this morning is all about the unique offer God gives Solomon. There’s no example of God doing anything like this anywhere else. The Lord comes to Solomon and says that he can have anything he wants.
And, of all things, Solomon chooses wisdom.
Well, this morning I want to think about this passage. And I want to do so under a very simple theme. I simply want to sum up this passage in this way:
God’s servant chooses wisdom.
As king, Solomon was a servant of God. In the ancient world, kings were often viewed as the servant of the gods; or even the son of the gods. Solomon was something of God’s son. But the question becomes, what kind of servant will he be? What kind of son will this God have?
And the answer our text gives is that God will have a wise servant. God’s son chooses wisdom.
Now we need to examine this text and think about Solomon and the choice that he makes. And I want to begin by thinking about the nature of his choice.
I. The nature of the choice
For what exactly did Solomon ask? He’s given this blank check, so to speak. He was allowed to choose anything. And verse 9 says that he asked for an “understanding mind.”
We typically say that Solomon asked for wisdom. And that’s certainly true. But there’s a little more to it than that. I want you to grasp the fullness of what is expressed in Solomon’s request.
The Hebrew word here is the word shema, which means “to listen.” Some of you may be familiar with the Shema, which is found in Deuteronomy 4. It’s the passage that says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.”
So, when Solomon makes his request, he asks not just for a mind that understands, but he asks for a heart that hears. His wish is for a “listening heart.”
In order to be able to give wisdom and to be wise, first you have to listen to wisdom. You have to be able to receive it and soak it in. You cannot be wise without first being willing to be listen and be taught.
What is it that he wants to listen to? Well, of course, it’s the word of God. He wants to be in tune with God’s law. He wants to listen to what God has revealed.
We know that because of what the rest of the passage says. Verse 9 goes on to say that Solomon wants to be able to discern between good and evil. How do you discern between good and evil? It’s by means of God’s Word. God’s law tells you what is right and wrong; what is good and evil.
So Solomon’s desire is to hear from God and be able to listen to what God has said. In other words, Solomon wants to be faithful to God. He doesn’t want to be like the kings of other nations who are ruling according to their own whims and interests. He’s not a fan of Disney and seeking to follow his heart. He wants real understanding. He wants to have an ear towards God’s covenant.
Think about Adam and Eve. Remember what happened back in the garden. To whom did they listen? They listened to their own lusts. They listened to the serpent, who was attempting to deceive them. They were not listening to God.
And what happened as a result of that? Things didn’t go so well, did they? They were not able to discern between good and evil. They ended up sinning against God and were kicked out of the garden. They brought ruin upon all mankind and their kingdom, so to speak, was lost.
Solomon is saying, “I don’t want to be like Adam. I want to be wise. I want this kingdom to be ordered according to your Spirit.”
We often think that wisdom is knowing a lot of things and being smart. But that’s not wisdom. That’s not biblical wisdom. Real wisdom is, first and foremost, being able to listen to what God has said, and being ready to follow it.
That’s the first thing we draw from the text. We begin to grasp what’s going on here when we pinpoint what it is that Solomon was really asking for.
The second thing I want to point out is the basis for this choice.
II. The basis of his choice
Why is it that Solomon chose wisdom? Solomon asked for this listening heart. He wanted a heart that was filled with the knowledge of God’s law and desired to hold to it. But what motivated him to ask for that?
As the Lord pointed out, he could have asked for riches or for the death of his enemies. He could have asked for a cheeseburger; anything! But of all things, he chose wisdom. Why is that?
The passage doesn’t leave us in the dark on that question. We find the rationale in verses 7-8. Solomon talks about the people of Israel. He recognizes his responsibility as king. He is called to lead and govern this great multitude. He says he is in the midst of the people God has chosen. So, as the king, he realizes that he has duties to perform. He recognizes that he cannot rule for himself. He’s not a tyrant. He has duties to perform which are on behalf of the people of Israel.
And you’ll notice how he puts the emphasis on how these are God’s people. They are God’s covenant people. If you look in verse 8 he calls them a great multitude. That’s indicative of the promises that God had made to Abraham. God had told Abraham that he would make Abraham the father of many. He would multiply his descendants, as many as the stars in the sky.
Solomon’s saying, “You’ve done that. There are so many people who are here today. These are your people, God. And now I’m responsible for them. I am the head of these people. My actions will not only influence these people, my actions will directly impact their lives.”
So you can say that Solomon wanted to be obedient because he was acting as their covenant head. He realized that if he was not obedient, he would bring misery upon these people. It would be ruinous to those under him. Because he was in the position he was, he would bring life, peace, and prosperity, or he could wreak a lot of havoc.
Think about yourselves as fathers. Think of the position you are in. Think about the decisions you make. Why is it that you need to be wise? It’s because your family is dependent upon you.
You are the head of your home. That means your family is greatly affected by every decision you make. If you choose to be lazy or cruel or unloving, that’s going to have some consequences -- not just for yourself, but for your entire household.
You know why you love your wife and you give every ounce of your energy to serve her? It’s not because you need someone to pack your lunch. It’s because you are responsible for her. It’s because the way you treat her will have radical implications for the rest of your household. Your children’s lives are wrapped up in your relationship to your wife.
We call that a covenantal relationship. You, as the head of your home, are in covenant with your family. And your headship means you have responsibility and influence over those of your household. And how wisely you act has implications for those under you.
Solomon understood that about himself. He understood his role as the head of God’s covenant people.
And in that respect, he again is a lot like Adam. Adam, you remember, was he head of all humanity. He was the covenantal representative of the human race. And remember what happened. His foolish choice to eat that fruit brought ruin and misery to all humanity.
Solomon is, you might say, looking to do better than Adam. As the new head of God’s people, he wants to be faithful and do what is right for them.
He chose wisdom on the basis of his role; it was the people and his responsibility to them that drove him to choose this listening heart.
Now, the third thing I want you to see in our passage is what happened after Solomon made his choice. God gave Solomon the command, “Ask of me anything you desire.” Solomon, recognizing the weight of his responsibility, chose wisdom. Now, let’s examine what the consequences were. What was the result of that choice?
III. The result of his choice
There’s actually a couple different ways we could look at this. We could say that the result was that Solomon was endowed with supernatural wisdom.
The Lord said that, because Solomon had requested this, Solomon would be the wisest man who ever lived. There would be no one like him before him and no one like him ever since.
And that’s what verses 16- the end of the chapter are all about. I’m talking about the story about the two prostitutes and their babies.
This is a fantastic illustration of how great Solomon’s wisdom was. Solomon’s job was to decide cases. As the king, he was something of the supreme court of the land. All the difficult cases would come up to him. And, boy, was this a difficult case.
One of the things that makes it so difficult is that there are no eye witnesses. It is the classic “she said, she said” case. It happened in the night, under the cover of darkness, while everyone was sleeping. There were only two adults in the room. And no one is able to give any testimony to verify the stories.
Solomon says, “bring me a sword; cut the kid in half.” And with that the true mother was discerned.
It’s actually interesting. Solomon had asked for an understanding heart; one that could discern the difference between good and evil. Literally, verse 9 says he desired to be able to “separate between good and evil.” In this story, he literally wanted to cut (or separate) the baby in two. And in doing so he made a separation between who was the mother and who was not.
So that’s one result. Solomon became super wise.
I can’t help but think of what James says in this regard. In the book of James it says, “if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously and he will give it.”
The results may not be Solomon like. Again, we know that Solomon’s situation is somewhat unique. But that is a prayer that God does not deny. God is generous when it comes to wisdom. He doesn’t hold back when he hears this kind of prayer. He is ready to be extremely liberal. All you need to do when you lack wisdom is ask.
But there’s more to Solomon’s story in this regard. The result of Solomon’s wisdom is not just that he becomes the wisest man who ever lived. I want you to look at verse 10. That’s where you will find the real result of Solomon’s choice.
Verse 10 says that the Lord was pleased. Solomon’s decision pleased the Lord. I’d like to suggest to you that this is the focal point of the entire text.
Illegit woman - Pharoah's daughter
Sacrifices offered
Solomon enters a Dream
Solomon’s Request for wisdom is made
God was pleased
Solomon's Request for wisdom is granted
Solomon Awakes from the Dream
Sacrifices offered
Illegit women - Prostitutes
Why is it that God is so generous when it comes to granting wisdom? It’s because that request pleases him so much. If you ask for a heart that listens and is obedient, that melts God’s heart. He loves to hear his children ask for such things. He couldn’t be more happy.
If you child walked up to you and said, “Dad, can I have the keys to the car?” How might you react? You’d probably raise your eyebrow. You’d be a little reluctant to fork over the keys. You don’t want them driving around in your precious little car that you dump loads of money into.
But if they say, “Dad, can I have the keys to the car? I’m going to pull it up into the driveway so I can wash it. It really needs a good scrubbing. And I think I’ll sweep out the inside too.”
You’re probably going to have a different kind of response, aren’t you? Your kid is just asking for the thing that you want. That kind of request is going to make you as pleased as punch. And you won’t be able to reach into your pocket fast enough.
And that’s why the Lord responds the way he does in this instance. That’s why he responds the way he does when we ask for wisdom. He is ready to pour out wisdom. He can’t give it fast enough. And it’s because you are simply asking him for what he already wants to give.
The Lord takes pleasure in the one who wants to listen to him. He is overjoyed in hearing his servants say, “I want to know what you want me to do; I want to do what is right in your eyes.” And there’s a sense in which the Lord cannot not answer that prayer.
Now that we’ve noted the nature, basis, and result of Solomon’s choice. Let’s talk for a moment about the context of his choice.
IV. The context
I mentioned that Solomon has a unique situation. God makes this offer and no one else has ever had this kind of thing presented to him. But I want you to notice that this unique offer comes at a unique moment.
The opening few verses might seem like stuff that we may skip over. But it’s actually kind of important.
Notice what it says in verse 1. Solomon gets a wife and he brings her to Jerusalem. But, sorry honey, Solomon doesn’t have a house for you. You’re going to have to sleep in a tent for a good while because Solomon hadn’t built his palace yet. Construction has yet to being on Solomon’s house, the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, you might say, is kind of empty. It is obviously a city and has a lot of buildings already. But in comparison to what it will be under Solomon, its somewhat unformed. Solomon is going to be engaging in a lot of building projects. That’s what we are going to be reading about in the upcoming chapters. So Jerusalem is in somewhat of a raw state. It’s going to be formed and fashioned into a whole new world.
And it’s not just unformed, it’s a little chaotic. Did you notice who Solomon married? He’s gotten hitched to Pharaoh's daughter. The text doesn’t give any judgment, but you might raise an eyebrow. What is this Israelite doing marrying an Egyptian? You’re not supposed to intermarry with the nations. You’re supposed to get yourself a nice Christian girl. You don’t marry pagans.
Not only is Solomon's household disordered, you also have a disordered system of worship. Did you notice where Solomon and Israel were worshiping? They were worshiping on the high places.
The temple had not yet been built. So the system of worship had not yet been centralized. So everyone is out worshiping wherever it is convenient. And some of it seems to be worship that is to other gods.
Now, what I want you to see is that the author is attempting to replay the creation story. Those of you who were in my bible bee class. What did we say about the world that God created? Once he spoke and brought it into being, it was ‘tohu va bohu,’ (formeless and void).
That’s what Jerusalem is like right now. It has not been formed and it is empty because the construction projects have not commenced. It is a little chaotic and needs to come together in an orderly way.
This point in history is something of a new creation. Solomon needs this wisdom because he is about to make a new society. He is the man who will bring order to God’s kingdom. He’s initiating a new creation wherein the Lord will rule; God’s people are going to be rightly ordered and they will be made to be worshippers of the Lord. They will be saved from their paganism. They will be brought into a right relationship with the Lord. And they will live with him in this glorious new Jerusalem.
All in all, there is something redemptive about this moment in history.
And again, it is almost like Adam’s situation in the Garden. Adam was placed in a garden and he was called to tend and keep it. He was to bring order out of the chaos of the dirt. He was to form and fill the garden by hoeing the ground and planting his crops.
Of course, what happened there? Chaos ensued. Adam sinned and the ground was cursed. It would produce thorns and thistles.
Solomon really is something of a second Adam. He has a chance to bring new life and order to this fallen world.
But that brings us to the fifth and final point that we need to make this morning. That is the consummation of Solomon’s choice.
V. The consummation of his choice.
Everything in this chapter sounds pretty great. But we have to remember that we are supposed to be reading this from the vantage point of the first audience. The original audience were people who were sitting in exile. They know what we know.
Solomon might have been great. Solomon might have been the wisest man who ever lived. But we know that the best of men are men at best. And Solomon failed. There was a limitation to his wisdom. That’s because Solomon was a sinner. No matter how wise he was, he could not escape who he was by nature.
Solomon would fail as that covenant head. He could not bring in the new creation because his heart was defective. He wanted a listening heart. And while that was a good thing, his heart needed to be cleansed.
And so our passage yearns deeply for something greater. It calls for someone greater. The kingdom would have to wait for another Adam to rise up.
That’s why all that we read here beckons for Jesus.
Jesus would be greater than Solomon because he would be born without that corruption of original sin. His heart could truly listen and be obedient because his heart was pure and undefined.
And because of that, he could act on behalf of his people. He could be the true Servant of God; the one we all need. Jesus, in his wisdom, could be faithful and do what was right. Unlike Adam and Solomon, Jesus would not fail. That’s because all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus.
And as the all wise, all perfect covenant head Jesus can bring salvation to his people. His obedience brings ushers us into the perfect kingdom.
That’s what makes us able to enjoy the new creation. The Bible talks about a new heavens and a new earth. And when we read the Book of Revelation, we read about a New Jerusalem. And the thing that makes it so great is that it is a place of perfect order. There’s is no formlessness or emptiness to it. And that’s because God himself is there. It’s not only been built by the Lord, the Lord himself fills it.
And we have opportunity to live in that world through faith in Christ.
Jesus makes it possible because His life was a rightly ordered life. Jesus destroys the chaos of sin and he builds the kingdom by means of His work as our covenant head. His life was lived to the pleasure of God because he lived according to wisdom.
We even have the pronouncement of God on Jesus at his baptism. God the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
And that whole scene is very interesting. Because you have Jesus stepping down into the water for his baptism. Then the Spirit is said to descend like a dove. You get the idea that the Spirit of God is hovering over the water, just like he did at the original creation. That which was formless and void was formed and filled by the operative work of the Spirit.
So Jesus, at his baptism, is presented as the man of the new creation. God’s pleasure is with him because he is the one who is obedient. He has the heart that will listen to God’s law and do it.
And this is why Paul says in 2 Cor. 5, that “anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old is gone and behold, the new has come.”
We who trust in Christ become new creations ourselves. We are given that new heart. We’re made to be people who are now defined by the worship and word of God.
We aim to live wisely, with discernment, dividing between good and evil, because we are followers of Christ, people who are redeemed in him.
But we can celebrate the fact that we have what the people of old desired. They were left longing for a true king; a king who would choose wisdom and fulfill God’s covenant.
And that is what we have in Jesus. He is the Greater Adam and the all wise king who not only establishes God’s kingdom, but brings life and salvation to his people.
One time he was telling me about how awkward it was for him at first. My friend had graduated from West Point. Because of that, he entered the military as a ranking officer. But there were men under him who had enlisted. And quite a few of them had been in the military for 15-20 years.
So, you can imagine what it was like showing up for the first day of work. They were supposed to do some maneuvers and drills with their squadron. And here he comes to the briefing session, just as green as can be. He’s still wet behind the ears. There are men standing around the table with the maps who have more time in the military than he has in years lived.
So as this new commanding officer comes in, all of them are looking at him like he’s a baby. What do you think their reaction would be if he just started spouting off orders? Sure, he had the training. He was a graduate of West Point. But do you really think that his training matched their experience?
So he said to the men who were there, “What do you guys think? How do you think we should run this?” He said the men kind of smiled and said, “Maybe we should move here and make formation run like so.” He said he earned a little respect that day because he didn’t act like he knew it all.
I can’t help but think that Solomon had similar feelings. As he comes to the throne, he, no doubt, recognized the magnitude of his office. The weight of this undertaking was something that certainly made the crown on his head feel all that much heavier.
And it is into this situation that God speaks.
We all know that Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. But that was only because he recognized himself to be young and inexperienced. He even calls himself a boy. He’s just 20 years old and he knows that he lacks the real grit of experience--he knows he’s lacking the wisdom that is needed to be the kind of leader that he should be.
And the passage is all about how Solomon becomes the wisest man who ever lived. It’s a famous text. And it is a famous text because it is such a unique text. Our text for this morning is all about the unique offer God gives Solomon. There’s no example of God doing anything like this anywhere else. The Lord comes to Solomon and says that he can have anything he wants.
And, of all things, Solomon chooses wisdom.
Well, this morning I want to think about this passage. And I want to do so under a very simple theme. I simply want to sum up this passage in this way:
God’s servant chooses wisdom.
As king, Solomon was a servant of God. In the ancient world, kings were often viewed as the servant of the gods; or even the son of the gods. Solomon was something of God’s son. But the question becomes, what kind of servant will he be? What kind of son will this God have?
And the answer our text gives is that God will have a wise servant. God’s son chooses wisdom.
Now we need to examine this text and think about Solomon and the choice that he makes. And I want to begin by thinking about the nature of his choice.
I. The nature of the choice
For what exactly did Solomon ask? He’s given this blank check, so to speak. He was allowed to choose anything. And verse 9 says that he asked for an “understanding mind.”
We typically say that Solomon asked for wisdom. And that’s certainly true. But there’s a little more to it than that. I want you to grasp the fullness of what is expressed in Solomon’s request.
The Hebrew word here is the word shema, which means “to listen.” Some of you may be familiar with the Shema, which is found in Deuteronomy 4. It’s the passage that says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.”
So, when Solomon makes his request, he asks not just for a mind that understands, but he asks for a heart that hears. His wish is for a “listening heart.”
In order to be able to give wisdom and to be wise, first you have to listen to wisdom. You have to be able to receive it and soak it in. You cannot be wise without first being willing to be listen and be taught.
What is it that he wants to listen to? Well, of course, it’s the word of God. He wants to be in tune with God’s law. He wants to listen to what God has revealed.
We know that because of what the rest of the passage says. Verse 9 goes on to say that Solomon wants to be able to discern between good and evil. How do you discern between good and evil? It’s by means of God’s Word. God’s law tells you what is right and wrong; what is good and evil.
So Solomon’s desire is to hear from God and be able to listen to what God has said. In other words, Solomon wants to be faithful to God. He doesn’t want to be like the kings of other nations who are ruling according to their own whims and interests. He’s not a fan of Disney and seeking to follow his heart. He wants real understanding. He wants to have an ear towards God’s covenant.
Think about Adam and Eve. Remember what happened back in the garden. To whom did they listen? They listened to their own lusts. They listened to the serpent, who was attempting to deceive them. They were not listening to God.
And what happened as a result of that? Things didn’t go so well, did they? They were not able to discern between good and evil. They ended up sinning against God and were kicked out of the garden. They brought ruin upon all mankind and their kingdom, so to speak, was lost.
Solomon is saying, “I don’t want to be like Adam. I want to be wise. I want this kingdom to be ordered according to your Spirit.”
We often think that wisdom is knowing a lot of things and being smart. But that’s not wisdom. That’s not biblical wisdom. Real wisdom is, first and foremost, being able to listen to what God has said, and being ready to follow it.
That’s the first thing we draw from the text. We begin to grasp what’s going on here when we pinpoint what it is that Solomon was really asking for.
The second thing I want to point out is the basis for this choice.
II. The basis of his choice
Why is it that Solomon chose wisdom? Solomon asked for this listening heart. He wanted a heart that was filled with the knowledge of God’s law and desired to hold to it. But what motivated him to ask for that?
As the Lord pointed out, he could have asked for riches or for the death of his enemies. He could have asked for a cheeseburger; anything! But of all things, he chose wisdom. Why is that?
The passage doesn’t leave us in the dark on that question. We find the rationale in verses 7-8. Solomon talks about the people of Israel. He recognizes his responsibility as king. He is called to lead and govern this great multitude. He says he is in the midst of the people God has chosen. So, as the king, he realizes that he has duties to perform. He recognizes that he cannot rule for himself. He’s not a tyrant. He has duties to perform which are on behalf of the people of Israel.
And you’ll notice how he puts the emphasis on how these are God’s people. They are God’s covenant people. If you look in verse 8 he calls them a great multitude. That’s indicative of the promises that God had made to Abraham. God had told Abraham that he would make Abraham the father of many. He would multiply his descendants, as many as the stars in the sky.
Solomon’s saying, “You’ve done that. There are so many people who are here today. These are your people, God. And now I’m responsible for them. I am the head of these people. My actions will not only influence these people, my actions will directly impact their lives.”
So you can say that Solomon wanted to be obedient because he was acting as their covenant head. He realized that if he was not obedient, he would bring misery upon these people. It would be ruinous to those under him. Because he was in the position he was, he would bring life, peace, and prosperity, or he could wreak a lot of havoc.
Think about yourselves as fathers. Think of the position you are in. Think about the decisions you make. Why is it that you need to be wise? It’s because your family is dependent upon you.
You are the head of your home. That means your family is greatly affected by every decision you make. If you choose to be lazy or cruel or unloving, that’s going to have some consequences -- not just for yourself, but for your entire household.
You know why you love your wife and you give every ounce of your energy to serve her? It’s not because you need someone to pack your lunch. It’s because you are responsible for her. It’s because the way you treat her will have radical implications for the rest of your household. Your children’s lives are wrapped up in your relationship to your wife.
We call that a covenantal relationship. You, as the head of your home, are in covenant with your family. And your headship means you have responsibility and influence over those of your household. And how wisely you act has implications for those under you.
Solomon understood that about himself. He understood his role as the head of God’s covenant people.
And in that respect, he again is a lot like Adam. Adam, you remember, was he head of all humanity. He was the covenantal representative of the human race. And remember what happened. His foolish choice to eat that fruit brought ruin and misery to all humanity.
Solomon is, you might say, looking to do better than Adam. As the new head of God’s people, he wants to be faithful and do what is right for them.
He chose wisdom on the basis of his role; it was the people and his responsibility to them that drove him to choose this listening heart.
Now, the third thing I want you to see in our passage is what happened after Solomon made his choice. God gave Solomon the command, “Ask of me anything you desire.” Solomon, recognizing the weight of his responsibility, chose wisdom. Now, let’s examine what the consequences were. What was the result of that choice?
III. The result of his choice
There’s actually a couple different ways we could look at this. We could say that the result was that Solomon was endowed with supernatural wisdom.
The Lord said that, because Solomon had requested this, Solomon would be the wisest man who ever lived. There would be no one like him before him and no one like him ever since.
And that’s what verses 16- the end of the chapter are all about. I’m talking about the story about the two prostitutes and their babies.
This is a fantastic illustration of how great Solomon’s wisdom was. Solomon’s job was to decide cases. As the king, he was something of the supreme court of the land. All the difficult cases would come up to him. And, boy, was this a difficult case.
One of the things that makes it so difficult is that there are no eye witnesses. It is the classic “she said, she said” case. It happened in the night, under the cover of darkness, while everyone was sleeping. There were only two adults in the room. And no one is able to give any testimony to verify the stories.
Solomon says, “bring me a sword; cut the kid in half.” And with that the true mother was discerned.
It’s actually interesting. Solomon had asked for an understanding heart; one that could discern the difference between good and evil. Literally, verse 9 says he desired to be able to “separate between good and evil.” In this story, he literally wanted to cut (or separate) the baby in two. And in doing so he made a separation between who was the mother and who was not.
So that’s one result. Solomon became super wise.
I can’t help but think of what James says in this regard. In the book of James it says, “if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives generously and he will give it.”
The results may not be Solomon like. Again, we know that Solomon’s situation is somewhat unique. But that is a prayer that God does not deny. God is generous when it comes to wisdom. He doesn’t hold back when he hears this kind of prayer. He is ready to be extremely liberal. All you need to do when you lack wisdom is ask.
But there’s more to Solomon’s story in this regard. The result of Solomon’s wisdom is not just that he becomes the wisest man who ever lived. I want you to look at verse 10. That’s where you will find the real result of Solomon’s choice.
Verse 10 says that the Lord was pleased. Solomon’s decision pleased the Lord. I’d like to suggest to you that this is the focal point of the entire text.
Illegit woman - Pharoah's daughter
Sacrifices offered
Solomon enters a Dream
Solomon’s Request for wisdom is made
God was pleased
Solomon's Request for wisdom is granted
Solomon Awakes from the Dream
Sacrifices offered
Illegit women - Prostitutes
Why is it that God is so generous when it comes to granting wisdom? It’s because that request pleases him so much. If you ask for a heart that listens and is obedient, that melts God’s heart. He loves to hear his children ask for such things. He couldn’t be more happy.
If you child walked up to you and said, “Dad, can I have the keys to the car?” How might you react? You’d probably raise your eyebrow. You’d be a little reluctant to fork over the keys. You don’t want them driving around in your precious little car that you dump loads of money into.
But if they say, “Dad, can I have the keys to the car? I’m going to pull it up into the driveway so I can wash it. It really needs a good scrubbing. And I think I’ll sweep out the inside too.”
You’re probably going to have a different kind of response, aren’t you? Your kid is just asking for the thing that you want. That kind of request is going to make you as pleased as punch. And you won’t be able to reach into your pocket fast enough.
And that’s why the Lord responds the way he does in this instance. That’s why he responds the way he does when we ask for wisdom. He is ready to pour out wisdom. He can’t give it fast enough. And it’s because you are simply asking him for what he already wants to give.
The Lord takes pleasure in the one who wants to listen to him. He is overjoyed in hearing his servants say, “I want to know what you want me to do; I want to do what is right in your eyes.” And there’s a sense in which the Lord cannot not answer that prayer.
Now that we’ve noted the nature, basis, and result of Solomon’s choice. Let’s talk for a moment about the context of his choice.
IV. The context
I mentioned that Solomon has a unique situation. God makes this offer and no one else has ever had this kind of thing presented to him. But I want you to notice that this unique offer comes at a unique moment.
The opening few verses might seem like stuff that we may skip over. But it’s actually kind of important.
Notice what it says in verse 1. Solomon gets a wife and he brings her to Jerusalem. But, sorry honey, Solomon doesn’t have a house for you. You’re going to have to sleep in a tent for a good while because Solomon hadn’t built his palace yet. Construction has yet to being on Solomon’s house, the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem.
Jerusalem, you might say, is kind of empty. It is obviously a city and has a lot of buildings already. But in comparison to what it will be under Solomon, its somewhat unformed. Solomon is going to be engaging in a lot of building projects. That’s what we are going to be reading about in the upcoming chapters. So Jerusalem is in somewhat of a raw state. It’s going to be formed and fashioned into a whole new world.
And it’s not just unformed, it’s a little chaotic. Did you notice who Solomon married? He’s gotten hitched to Pharaoh's daughter. The text doesn’t give any judgment, but you might raise an eyebrow. What is this Israelite doing marrying an Egyptian? You’re not supposed to intermarry with the nations. You’re supposed to get yourself a nice Christian girl. You don’t marry pagans.
Not only is Solomon's household disordered, you also have a disordered system of worship. Did you notice where Solomon and Israel were worshiping? They were worshiping on the high places.
The temple had not yet been built. So the system of worship had not yet been centralized. So everyone is out worshiping wherever it is convenient. And some of it seems to be worship that is to other gods.
Now, what I want you to see is that the author is attempting to replay the creation story. Those of you who were in my bible bee class. What did we say about the world that God created? Once he spoke and brought it into being, it was ‘tohu va bohu,’ (formeless and void).
That’s what Jerusalem is like right now. It has not been formed and it is empty because the construction projects have not commenced. It is a little chaotic and needs to come together in an orderly way.
This point in history is something of a new creation. Solomon needs this wisdom because he is about to make a new society. He is the man who will bring order to God’s kingdom. He’s initiating a new creation wherein the Lord will rule; God’s people are going to be rightly ordered and they will be made to be worshippers of the Lord. They will be saved from their paganism. They will be brought into a right relationship with the Lord. And they will live with him in this glorious new Jerusalem.
All in all, there is something redemptive about this moment in history.
And again, it is almost like Adam’s situation in the Garden. Adam was placed in a garden and he was called to tend and keep it. He was to bring order out of the chaos of the dirt. He was to form and fill the garden by hoeing the ground and planting his crops.
Of course, what happened there? Chaos ensued. Adam sinned and the ground was cursed. It would produce thorns and thistles.
Solomon really is something of a second Adam. He has a chance to bring new life and order to this fallen world.
But that brings us to the fifth and final point that we need to make this morning. That is the consummation of Solomon’s choice.
V. The consummation of his choice.
Everything in this chapter sounds pretty great. But we have to remember that we are supposed to be reading this from the vantage point of the first audience. The original audience were people who were sitting in exile. They know what we know.
Solomon might have been great. Solomon might have been the wisest man who ever lived. But we know that the best of men are men at best. And Solomon failed. There was a limitation to his wisdom. That’s because Solomon was a sinner. No matter how wise he was, he could not escape who he was by nature.
Solomon would fail as that covenant head. He could not bring in the new creation because his heart was defective. He wanted a listening heart. And while that was a good thing, his heart needed to be cleansed.
And so our passage yearns deeply for something greater. It calls for someone greater. The kingdom would have to wait for another Adam to rise up.
That’s why all that we read here beckons for Jesus.
Jesus would be greater than Solomon because he would be born without that corruption of original sin. His heart could truly listen and be obedient because his heart was pure and undefined.
And because of that, he could act on behalf of his people. He could be the true Servant of God; the one we all need. Jesus, in his wisdom, could be faithful and do what was right. Unlike Adam and Solomon, Jesus would not fail. That’s because all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Jesus.
And as the all wise, all perfect covenant head Jesus can bring salvation to his people. His obedience brings ushers us into the perfect kingdom.
That’s what makes us able to enjoy the new creation. The Bible talks about a new heavens and a new earth. And when we read the Book of Revelation, we read about a New Jerusalem. And the thing that makes it so great is that it is a place of perfect order. There’s is no formlessness or emptiness to it. And that’s because God himself is there. It’s not only been built by the Lord, the Lord himself fills it.
And we have opportunity to live in that world through faith in Christ.
Jesus makes it possible because His life was a rightly ordered life. Jesus destroys the chaos of sin and he builds the kingdom by means of His work as our covenant head. His life was lived to the pleasure of God because he lived according to wisdom.
We even have the pronouncement of God on Jesus at his baptism. God the Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
And that whole scene is very interesting. Because you have Jesus stepping down into the water for his baptism. Then the Spirit is said to descend like a dove. You get the idea that the Spirit of God is hovering over the water, just like he did at the original creation. That which was formless and void was formed and filled by the operative work of the Spirit.
So Jesus, at his baptism, is presented as the man of the new creation. God’s pleasure is with him because he is the one who is obedient. He has the heart that will listen to God’s law and do it.
And this is why Paul says in 2 Cor. 5, that “anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old is gone and behold, the new has come.”
We who trust in Christ become new creations ourselves. We are given that new heart. We’re made to be people who are now defined by the worship and word of God.
We aim to live wisely, with discernment, dividing between good and evil, because we are followers of Christ, people who are redeemed in him.
But we can celebrate the fact that we have what the people of old desired. They were left longing for a true king; a king who would choose wisdom and fulfill God’s covenant.
And that is what we have in Jesus. He is the Greater Adam and the all wise king who not only establishes God’s kingdom, but brings life and salvation to his people.