Knowing What To Ask For| 1 Kings 3:1–15
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 6 viewsNotes
Transcript
Intro: Thank you Leighton for leading us again this week. If you have a Bible with you tonight, I’m going to ask you to turn to 1 Kings 3. We are going to be looking at verses 1-15. If you were here last week, you know we talked about David and Goliath. David, who at the time was a teenage shepherd boy, defeated this massive giant of the Philistine army. That shepherd boy would become a mighty warrior and eventually Israel’s king. Though he had some really bad moments, he repented and was seen by God as a man after God’s own heart. David died and his son Solomon became king. We pick up tonight right after Solomon became king. Before we dive into the text, I want to ask you something. When you were little did you ever make a Christmas list for Santa? In that moment, you really were only thinking of one thing, what you wanted. Somebody asked what you wanted for Christmas, and you delivered. Solomon had a similar experience with God, but he handled it differently, and he gave us an example to follow. In tonight’s text we will see that if we seek God, he will come to us, then we must seek to honor the role he has given us. We will see Solomon’s faithfulness, his one request, and God’s response. As always, could you please stand with me as we honor the reading of God’s Word.
Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right,
behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Verses 1-4
Exposition:The passage starts out, and honestly, if you just look at the first few verses, this makes you think this thing is about to go sideways really quickly. Verse 1 reads 1 Kings 3:1
Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem.
Exposition: What Solomon did here was pretty common in this time period. Nations would make alliances and the way that the agreement was secured was that one party would give the other party’s king his daughter as a wife. I’m not saying it was a good practice, I’m just saying it was something that happened. But this was a big no no for Israel. God had forbid Israel from building too close a relationship with Egypt. They weren’t suppose to have a relationship and “return” to Egypt as the bible refers to it. The people of Israel were also not suppose to marry somebody from other nations because this meant marrying somebody that did not walk with the Lord. Solomon does not seem to be starting out well. And if kind of gets worse. We read in verses two and three, 1 Kings 3:2-3
The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord. Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.
Exposition:These high places weren’t necessarily hight places. According to the ESV study Bible, these high places were just left over spots where the Canaanites had worshiped and made sacrifices to their false gods. And while this practice was maybe excusable because there was not temple, it was a little dicey because it left open the possibility of worshiping as the pagans had. So scripture shows the issue. Solomon loves God, but he is allowing the worship to go on at the high places.
Application: Young people, you do not want this to be your legacy. Solomon was walking with God, but he was married to somebody who wasn’t. Young ladies and young men, do not put yourself in that position. Do not date or marry somebody that does not hold the same faith as you. Do not mix popular culture or popular religion into your worship of God. These would ultimately lead Solomon to turn away from God, and don’t think you are any different. Don’t allow there to be a however in your walk with Christ.
Exposition: Despite these red flags, there is an obvious desire in the person of Solomon to walk with God. Verse four reads 1 Kings 3:4
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
Exposition: This is something that obviously would have been of great cost to Solomon. It would have taken time and effort. It was also obedience. Though he was sacrificing at a high place, this is where the tabernacle, the place where the altar of God was before there was a temple. Solomon is pursuing faithfulness to God.
Transition: Solomon goes to Gibeon to offer sacrifices because that’s where the tabernacle is. And it is here that things really start to change for Solomon.
Verse 5 reads 1 Kings 3:5
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”
Exposition: So one day while Solomon is at Gibeon to offer his sacrifice, he has some kind of vision or dream. According to Donald Wiseman, Hebrew doesn’t differentiate between the two. But something clearly happens. And this is a big moment. Because think about it, if God were to come to you and say, ask and I shall give it to you, what would you do.
Application: I mean, God Himself has appeared to Solomon. I mean it would be easy to just ask for something selfish. In fact, I imagine for some of us, the only time that you ever Go to God in prayer is when you need something. I guess I can’t prove this. But based on how the author of Kings writes this, I don’t think it is unrelated that the writer told us of how Solomon loved God and made an effort to go and worship and that God appeared to Solomon while Solomon was at the tabernacle offering sacrifice. Young people, how intentional are you being on going to God. How intentional are you in not just worshiping God at church once or twice a week. Are your approaching God at home by spending time in prayer or in His Word? Not only do I think that Solomon’s faithfulness to God had a lot to do with God appearing to Solomon like he did. I think it was a big reason Solomon responded the way he did to God’s question. When we seek God, God will change the desire of our hearts to be more like His.
Exposition: God appears to Solomon and he has the opportunity to ask for whatever he wants. He could have asked for all his enemies to die. He could have asked for great wealth. No, he didn’t ask for that. Solomon’s prayer, and that’s what it is because Solomon was communicating with God, wasn’t about himself. Wiseman, who I mentioned earlier, points out that Solomon’s prayer has four elements. It acknowledges God’s past action, it asks for continuance of God’s favor, it expresses humility, and it asks for the ability to carry out his duties. Starting with verse 6 we read 1 Kings 3:6
And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.
Exposition: Solomon starts by acknowledging all that God has already done for him. He understands that the reason he is king over Israel is because God is honoring the faithfulness of Solomon’s father, David. Solomon is acknowledging the faithfulness of God, the righteousness of God, and how he, Solomon is reaping the benefits of that faithfulness.
Application: When you think about your relationship with God, do you acknowledge all God has done to bring you to where you are now? Do you realize how blessed you are that for some reason God gave you the blessing to be here in a place where you have easy access to the gospel. Do you acknowledge the blessing it has that you have people who will allow you to be here?
Exposition: Solomon then in verse seven acknowledges the task that is before him. In verse seven we read 1 Kings 3:7
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in.
Exposition: Solomon didn’t act like somebody that has all the answers.
Illustration: You know what kind of person I’m talking about. The kind of person that whenever you tell as story they are like, “why didn’t you just do” or what ai would have done is…” Like for example, a recent Yougov study found that 50% of men who think they could land a plane with the help of air traffic control. Spoiler alert guys, you can’t. Solomon didn’t approach God like that, he understood the enormity of his task. We need to be humble about our limitations. We are limited, and there is nothing wrong with that because God isn’t.
Exposition: Solomon then acknowledged how incredible it is the position he is in. Verse eight reads 1 Kings 3:8
And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
Exposition: Solomon isn’t just king over any people. He is King over God’s chosen people. He is also living in the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. God promised Abraham that his descendents would be too many to count. Now Solomon is saying he is ruling over God’s people who are too many to count. Solomon is saying he is ruling over a people to whom God chose, loved and fulfilled his promise to their forefather, Abraham, the father of all of Israel.
Illustration: Can you imagine what it must feel like to become president of the United States. I can’t imagine what it must be like on inauguration day when it hits they now fill the same office as Washington, Lincoln and Jefferson. That’s what Solomon was realizing, he was living a fulfilled promise to God’s people. That was a big role.
Application: We too live a fulfilled promise to Abraham. God told Abraham that through his ancestor, and he used it singular form, that all the world would be blessed. And he was right. That ancestor was Jesus. He would come to bring forgiveness of sins. Not just to the descendants of Abraham, but to all who would believe. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are living in the fulfilled promise to Abraham. We partake in this mission by telling people of Jesus. Just as Solomon had a responsibility to lead God’s people, we have a responsibility to see people blessed by the grace of Jesus Christ. God has placed us where we are with a specific purpose. He has placed you in your schools, with a purpose. He has placed you on your teams around your teammates, for a purpose. And this is a big task. What are we to to fulfill it? We are to handle it the same way Solomon did. We read in verse 9
Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
Application: Solomon didn’t ask for wealth, he didn’t ask for anything selfish. He just asked for the discernment to be able to lead his people well. Do our prayers look like this? Do they sound like this? When we pray to God, are we praying that God would just help us to serve well the purpose He has given us? Do we ask that he would help us to reach those around us who do not know who Christ is? Or do we just think of ourselves. I believe that if we were to look more like this, that God would do mighty things through his people in reaching more people for Christ.
Transition: What Solomon is ultimately asking for is wisdom so he can lead God’s people well. And God is pleased with this prayer.
Picking up with verse 10 and going all the way through verse 14 we read, 1 Kings 3:10-13
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
Exposition: God was pleased that Solomon had asked this. It pleased God to see Solomon give this unselfish request. I am not telling you that if you go and pray that God would help you fulfill His mission that he is going to give you a new car and a beach house. What I do believe, is that when you chose to walk in the purpose God has for you and seek the good of those around you, God will bless you in ways you didn’t expect. I think sometimes life is hard because we live in a broken world. But I think sometimes it is because our priorities and how we approach God is all out of whack. I think this not only because of how God rewarded Solomon, but because of the condition he placed on Solomon in verse 14. Verse 14 reads 1 Kings 3:14
And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
Exposition: Solomon is going to have it all, and if he will walk in God’s ways, he will live a long prosperous life. If Solomon will walk with God, God will walk with him. But if Solomon stops serving the purpose of God, if the desires of his heart change, why will God give him the desires of his heart? When our wants and desires begin to be contrary to what God wants, if the things we think will satisfy us quit looking like a way to help God serve his kingdom well, then we will not get what we desire, and so often we blame God. If we will walk with God, if our prayers will resemble his heart, we will be blessed.
Exposition: The passage ends with Solomon coming out of the vision or dream. And what does he do, he goes back to worship and service. 1 Kings 3:15
And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Exposition: The first thing Solomon did after encountering God like this was go to Jerusalem. While the tabernacle was in Gibeon, the Ark of the Covenant, the very representation of God’s Covenant with His people, was in Jerusalem. It was also the place where the temple was to be built. It also appears that it was not on a high place. Solomon’s encounter with God led him to walk even more closely in obedience. It led him to leave the place that had been a part of the evil false religion of the Canaanites, and go to the place, where Abraham had prepared to sacrifice Issac. It led him to pure worship. And he then prepared a feast for all his servants. The King prepared a feast for the servants. It led him to serve others. When we pursue God and encounter God, a mark will be worship and service. If right now you find coming to Sunday morning service hard. If you have a hard time singing songs to God. If you have hard time wanting to leave old sins in the past. I have a feeling that your quiet time with the Lord in studying His Word and prayer is lacking. If you have hard time serving others before yourself, I imagine it’s about the same. If you pursue God, you will find it easier to serve and worship.
Conclusion: I want to close by asking you this? Are you willing to ask God to give you the wisdom to serve where you are now. James 1:5 reads James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
You have the opportunity to take part in the mission of God. God has places you right where you are for a purpose. Are you willing to humbly admit to God that you cannot achieve that purpose without him and ask for the wisdom to work in it. This may not bring you wealth or fame as it did Solomon. But to want to walk within the will of God will bring blessing beyond what you could ever know. But what if you are here tonight and you are not part of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham because you don’t have a relationship with God. You’ve never placed your faith in Jesus. Are you ready. Are you ready to place your trust in Jesus tonight? Jesus died on the cross for your sins so you could be forgiven. Don’t let the moment pass.
