The Wisdom of Solomon
(based on 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14)
King David has
just died and there’s a power struggle for the throne between David’s two sons,
Adonijah, son of his wife Haggith, and Solomon, David’s second son to Bathsheba.
Today’s
lectionary passage skips over all that messy business worthy of a Game of
Thrones episode in 1 Kings chapter two, but let’s just say there’s quite a lot
of greed, manipulation, vendettas, and bloodshed – you know, the normal stuff
we hear on the news, even today. But
here we jump over to the beginning of chapter 3 where Solomon is trying to do
his best as a young, twenty-year-old, rookie king.
At Gibeon, the Lord
appeared to Solomon in a dream and God asked Solomon, "If you could have
anything you want, what would it be?"
Rather than answer the question right away, Solomon first praises God
for God’s faithfulness to his father David, and he describes his own
situation. He is a young man and he has
been given the responsibility of governing a large number of people; and not
just any people, but a nation of God’s own choosing. Therefore, Solomon asks God for an
understanding mind in order to judge your people, and to discern between good
and evil.”
An understanding mind and
the ability to discern what is right and good are qualities essential to good
governance, qualities we should pray to find in all our leaders. It speaks well of this untested, young king
that he recognizes the enormous responsibility he has and seeks not material
gifts for himself, but gifts of character that will benefit his people.
Therefore,
Solomon’s request pleased the Lord. And God said to him,
“Because you
have asked this, and have not asked for long life or riches…but for an
understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word.” In addition, God even grants Solomon those
things which he did not request: riches, honor, fame, and (if he stays faithful
to God) long life.
Blessings
abound for this new king; but it is important to note that those material
blessings are only secondary to the first granted request. These blessings only come as an added bonus,
but they are not to be confused with the real and primary gift.
An understanding mind and
a discerning spirit or "Wisdom" in the biblical tradition has to do
in large part with what Solomon requests: the ability to detect and know the
difference between good and evil, the ability to listen well, and to judge
rightly. Solomon's great wisdom is
understood as a special gift from God. But it is given not just to kings, but to all
who faithfully seek it. As in this
story, wisdom will reward those who acquire it, but it is not to be sought
simply for personal gain. God-given
wisdom is integrally tied to one's life in community so that others may benefit
from it.
As an example of Solomon’s wisdom, there is a recorded story of two
women who came before the King to have him resolve their quarrel over which of
them was the true mother of a baby. Each had given birth to a baby, but
one child had died. Both women claimed the living child as her own.
When Solomon ruled that they would need to divide the child in two with a
sword, one of the women shrieked and declared that she would rather surrender
the child than see it killed. Solomon quickly declared that the woman
whose instinct was compassion for the child had clearly demonstrated that she
was the true mother and he gave the baby to her.
When Solomon succeeded his father David and was crowned king of Israel,
many hoped that that the problems that had plagued David’s reign would at last
be over and that the nation of Israel would have a new beginning, a new era for
the people of Israel.
Solomon started well. His name in Hebrew means peace, and that was most
appropriate, for under Solomon’s rule Israel did know great peace and
security. Solomon was the first king of Israel born to a reigning
king. Solomon expanded the city of Jerusalem, built the glorious Temple,
and ushered in a Golden Age.
But then things went
terribly wrong. Solomon, like his father before him, and pretty much
every biblical character in Scripture, is a complex character. Solomon had wisdom and was in his glory as
king discerning and judging over the people, but he also had his flaws. Solomon is like our own leaders, a mixture of
good and bad. Actually, Solomon is a lot like all of us, saints and sinners at
the same time.
It is clear that Solomon was very devout in his early years, but as time
went by, he was led by his non-Jewish wives into the worship of other gods and
idols.
He poured his efforts into building a glorious Jerusalem and a
magnificent Temple, but the cost of this construction and a strong military
drained his treasury and forced him to tax his people heavily, diminishing
their quality of life.
Solomon became
materialistic and greedy. He became obsessed with wealth and extravagant
living. In addition he gathered an enormous personal body guard of twelve
thousand horsemen, with all related expenses.
Although he began his reign in quiet humility and a yearning to be a
wise ruler, Solomon’s life was soon marked by immorality, idolatry, dishonesty,
and intrigue.
The story of Solomon is a tragedy, because, in spite of his closeness to
God early in his life, his fame, power, and wealth led him away from any core
values. Jesus once spoke of the danger of gaining the whole world but
losing your soul; he very well may have had Solomon in mind.
I think we can
learn some important truths from the life of Solomon:
Blessings are from God. Whether we specifically ask or simply
receive, all good things around us have
come from heaven above. We need to live our lives with a
sense of God’s Blessings in our lives and always remember that to
whomever much has been given, much shall be required.
A faith-relationship with God can easily be compromised; backsliding is
always a possibility. For Solomon his undoing was his success, wealth,
and power. I think there are a lot of people today who are experiencing a
similar reality. As life gets sweeter and richer, the life of
faithfulness and compassion can easily begin to atrophy.
The experience of Solomon shows us that all the wealth and pleasures of
this world can be hollow. Solomon had it all … harems, houses, horses,
and gold. But in the end it brought him no joy. He died a sad,
defeated person, and after his death the Kingdom of Israel split in two, never
again to be strong.
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, a work attributed to Solomon, we read words
that could easily have been his final testimony on what it meant to have
the gift of wisdom, but how easily a person can lose sight of God’s
blessings. This, perhaps, is Solomon’s
wisest words for us to hear.
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days
of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure
in them. … Remember him ~ before the silver cord is severed,
or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or
the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it. … Now all has been
heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandment,
for this is the whole duty of each and every one. God will bring every
deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or
evil. AMEN.
[Ecclesiastes 12:1, 6-7, 13-14]
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