Solomon Asks for Wisdom (Solomon): At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to King Solomon and asked him what he wanted. (What would YOU ask for?) Solomon asked for wisdom to administer justice for God’s people. God was so pleased with this that he graciously gave Solomon far more than he could ask or imagine. The grace of God is seen throughout the Bible because this is who God is. Recorded on Oct 19, 2025, on 1 Kings 3:1-28 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of the Solomon: The Legacy of a King series. King Solomon was a complex man whose story started some 3,000 years ago, when David, his father, was the most powerful and successful king of ancient Israel. David’s reign brought peace, prosperity, and plans to build the temple before handing the kingdom to Solomon. How would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Could he overcome the plotting of his enemies, the dysfunction of his family, and the temptations of virtually unlimited wealth, fame, and women? What would be his legacy? Solomon’s story is a vital part of the history leading up to the ultimate son of David and anointed king, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon Transcript
This fall, we’re exploring the life of one of the most important ancient kings of Israel in a sermon series called Solomon: The Legacy of a King. Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon was chosen by God to receive the throne from his father, David, who had been the most powerful and successful king of Israel up to that point. And David had big expectations for his son, especially around the plans David had made to build a new, permanent temple for Yahweh, the creator and the one true and living God. There was some drama with Solomon’s brother, Adonijah, and his attempt to steal the throne. But he failed, the conspirators had been dealt with, justice had been done, and now Solomon was firmly established as the King of Israel. We’ve been asking, “How would King Solomon handle living in the shadow of his great father’s legacy? Would he learn to be a wise and godly king? Would he reign according to justice and righteousness? What would his legacy be?” Well, today, we get to see the start of an answer to these big questions. And it’s a great start. But before we jump back into Solomon’s story, let’s think about another story, the tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp. Now, the Disney movie, Aladdin, came out when I was a kid, and believe me, it was a big deal. It’s funny how often one of the lines from the genie, of course brilliantly voiced by Robin Williams, pops into my head to this day. But the tagline of the movie was, “Imagine if you had three wishes, three hopes, three dreams, and they could all come true?” Pretty fun. Why do we like stories like this? Because we all have wishes! We all have things that we believe that, if we had them, our lives would significantly improve, or maybe we’d finally be happy. I remember talking with my friends when I was young about what we would wish for. You can’t wish for more wishes, right? But what would you wish for? The only things Aladdin wanted were to be rich and famous and marry the princess. That’s all! But how about you? If you found a magic lamp and a genie popped out with Robin Williams’ voice, what would you wish for? Health, wealth, success in your career, fame, a girlfriend…what? Well, genies aren’t real, but God is, and when he appeared to Solomon, God invited Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted. What would you ask for? What do you think would be the most helpful thing that could significantly improve your life? What do you think would make you happy? Let’s jump back into the story. If you have your Bible/app, please open to 1 Kings 3:1. We’ll cover the whole chapter today, but we’ll unpack it as we go.
1 Kings 3:1–4 (NIV), “1 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. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord. 3 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. 4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” We’ve said that King Solomon was a complex man, and we see that here. Right off the bat, after moving to secure his kingdom from the internal threat of his own brother, he moves to secure his kingdom from external threats by forming an alliance with one of the large neighboring kingdoms of Egypt. What Solomon did would’ve been considered wise in the eyes of the world, although marrying an Egyptian princess does kind of sound like the plot to Aladdin, too. But marrying a foreign princess back in those days bound the two kingdoms together in trade and in defense if they were attacked. Maybe Solomon thought the princess was attractive, too, but this was most likely a political move, not one motivated by love or a shared faith in God. I wonder what she thought of her new husband and his kingdom and his God? The narrator doesn’t say. I’m sure she knew this was a smart political move for her people as well. Israel was wealthy and powerful. They would’ve been a good ally for Egypt, too. But would marriages like this be wise for Solomon in the long run? It might’ve been the worldly wisdom of his day, but would this be helpful for him spiritually? We’ll see. Nevertheless, Solomon brought his new bride back home to the City of David, which was the city of Jerusalem. Now, the narrator says the people were still sacrificing at the high places because the temple wasn’t finished yet. This, too, is complex because high places were where pagan sacrifices were made. All the false gods and goddesses (idols) of the surrounding peoples of Canaan were worshiped at places like these. The height of the high places made people feel closer to the gods. Sacrifices were made there; either animal or human sacrifices were offered to appease the gods. The parties at the high places could get completely out of control. Sexual immorality was often included as part of their worship. These were evil places, which is why they were universally condemned in the Old Testament. God had explicitly told Moses that the Israelites were to demolish the high places when they entered the Promised Land, but they didn’t. So a valid question might be, was King Solomon going to Gibeon to offer sacrifices in worship of these idols? The answer is no, but it’s a little vague in this text. To be fair, this was a weird time in Israel’s history. A temple for the one true and living God was coming; they had the plans and the provisions to build it, but it had not yet been built. But also, according to the account of this story in 2 Chronicles 1, Solomon had all his most important officials go to Gibeon to worship the Lord, the God of Israel, not the false gods of the high places. They went to Gibeon not because it was a high place, but because the Tent of Meeting, also called the Tabernacle, the place of worship for Israel before the temple, along with the bronze altar of the Tabernacle, were there. We can certainly question the wisdom of putting the Tabernacle in the place of pagan worship, but someone thought it was a good idea. The author of 1 Kings shows their discomfort with this scene by saying that Solomon did show his love for the Lord, except that he allowed these high places to be used for worship. It was complicated. Right worship, wrong place. Anyways, Solomon had this royal entourage make the journey about 6 miles north of Jerusalem to Gibeon, and the king held nothing back in his worship. He offered a thousand burnt offerings to God, which was an almost unimaginable amount of wealth at the time. But what would God have to say about all this? Would God accept the generous offerings of King Solomon at this, the most important of the pagan high places?
1 Kings 3:5-15 (NIV), “5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” 6 Solomon answered, “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. 7 “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. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 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?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “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, 12 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. 13 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. 14 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.” 15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.” Ok! So God not only accepted this right expression of worship from King Solomon, even though it was at the wrong place, but he goes so much further than I’d expect. “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Can you imagine? We started by asking, “What do you think would be the most helpful thing that could significantly improve your life?” and “What do you think would make you happy?” Solomon’s answer was wisdom. He desperately needed wisdom, but he was humble enough to ask for it. He tells us why he needed wisdom. He was just a young man when he became the king. His father had said that he was young and inexperienced, which is why he made so many plans to try to help his son before he died. But Solomon knew that! We don’t know exactly how old Solomon was here, but he felt like he didn’t know how to carry out his duties. He didn’t know where to go or how to lead the people there. And the people of Israel, in all their peace and prosperity, were multiplying rapidly. The people of Israel were as numerous as the stars in the sky. But imagine being the king of a people like that. Solomon wasn’t sure he could do it! He was insecure and probably very anxious. So when God asked him what he wanted (and by the way, questions from God always reveal the heart), Solomon humbly asked for help. He didn’t presume that God would grant him whatever he wanted. But he trusted in God’s goodness to provide what he needed. So Solomon asked for wisdom/discernment; literally, he asked the Lord for a listening heart. But so he could listen to whom, exactly? That Solomon might be able to listen to and obey the word of the Lord. This is what his father, David, had encouraged him to do: to be biblically faithful. But also, as the king, he needed to truly listen to the needs of God’s people in order to judge their most difficult cases. Solomon rightly understood that the people of Israel were not his people; they were God’s people. So he saw himself as a steward of God’s kingdom, a leadership principle we all should pay attention to. At work, the people who report to you or that you are responsible for are not first, your people. At home, if you have kids or grandkids, they are not first, your kids or grandkids. They are the Lord’s. This is his world, not yours. This is a perspective that helps in leadership. Solomon knew this, and so, as a steward of God’s people, as one who had been entrusted with the high honor of leadership, Solomon was most concerned that he could rule according to justice. But to do this, he needed God’s help. He needed godly wisdom, not just worldly wisdom. But what did God think of this request? The Lord was so pleased with it, he gave Solomon what he asked for and what he could’ve asked for, including more wealth and honor than any other king on the planet. When Solomon woke up from his dream, he went back to Jerusalem with his whole entourage and offered more burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the ark of the covenant, which contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments. In other words, he immediately demonstrated his commitment to listen to and obey God’s word. Instead of at a pagan high place, he moved his worship to a better place, to the place that eventually would be the temple of the living God. Chapter 3 ends with an example of King Solomon’s famous wisdom to administer justice.
1 Kings 3:16–28 (NIV), “16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. 19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.” 22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king. 23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” 27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” This is God’s word. Chapter 3 started with two messy examples of the worldly wisdom of Solomon’s early reign. And I do believe he had good motives for each situation: first, to secure the kingdom from external threats with his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter, and second, to worship the Lord with all his sacrifices at Gibeon. But even with good motives, his execution was questionable at best. There would’ve been other ways to forge an alliance with Egypt than marriage. And the ark of the covenant would’ve been a much better place to worship God than the most important of all the pagan high places at Gibeon. So, isn’t it surprising, shocking even, that God would treat Solomon in such a gracious way when he appeared to him in the dream? That God would meet Solomon at Gibeon at all is shocking to me. It would be like God showing up and speaking to you at a former temple for Satan. But God knew Solomon’s heart, imperfect as it was. And he had demonstrated great kindness to David. The Hebrew word translated as “kindness” is hesed, and it’s often used to describe the covenant love of God. God loved David, and he reiterated his love for Solomon here as well. What wonderful news for the young and inexperienced king! The Lord would be with him, too. He would help him with his calling. And he would give him so much more than the listening heart he had asked for. But what does this reveal about who God is? Think about it. The Lord was willing to meet Solomon where he was at, even though it wasn’t where he should’ve been. God was willing to pursue him and speak to him, so that he could have a relationship with him. And then, God offered him an incredible gift of grace, far more than anything Solomon had wished for. God lavished his grace on him! This is who God is. “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve,” (Ps 103:8–10). Isn’t that incredible?? God is a God of grace, giving undeserved favor to imperfect people (people like us). But a relationship with the Lord, even one formed by his grace, brought some conditions. Solomon needed to listen and obey God’s word. But with God’s gracious gift, Solomon would be able to govern according to righteousness and justice. He would be able to become a wise and godly king. His legacy could be testimony to the grace of God. But would it? Next week, we’ll consider some of the proverbs of Solomon that came after God blessed him with wisdom, and our need to build a life on the wisdom of God. But for now, I’d like to draw your attention back to the character of our gracious God. Did you know this is what God is like? Did you know that this is who God is? He is a God of grace. Isn’t that good news? He isn’t a God who demands perfection, then gleefully pounces when you fall short. Do you feel inadequate or insecure about your ability to do your calling in life? Are you feeling like maybe you’re in Gibeon when you should be in Jerusalem? Like maybe your heart is in the right place, but your mind, body, money, or relationships are not? Do you have a past with some serious brokenness in it, and wonder if God could do anything with a person like you? Look again at this text. The Lord was willing to meet Solomon where he was at, he will meet you wherever you’re at. God was willing to pursue/speak to/forgive/renew Solomon, so that he could have a relationship with him. And he wants a relationship with you, too. But then, God offered Solomon an incredible gift of grace, far more than anything he could ever ask or imagine. Will he not do that for you, too? He is the same God of grace. But, friends, this is a pattern. We see this pattern of God’s saving grace again and again in the Scriptures. But nowhere do we see this more clearly than in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But God knew we couldn’t save ourselves from sin and death. He knew we were lost without him. So Jesus Christ met us where we were at, lived for us, died for us, and rose again from the dead, breaking the power of sin and death forever by sheer grace. Now, all we have to do is receive his saving grace by faith. “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…he does not treat us as our sins deserve,” (Ps 103:8–10). Next week, we’ll consider the value of God’s wisdom in more depth. But for today, Solomon didn’t find a genie and a magic lamp; he found a real God who is a gracious God. That is who God is. Praise the Lord! Let us pray.
