Of All the Things to Ask For

Hello! Glad you stopped by again today.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sunday: Who declares himself king when David becomes old and feeble? Who was supposed to be the next king? (1 Kings 1)
1 Kings 1:5 5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, "I will be king." So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.
1 Kings 1:17 17 She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.'

And here's the question of the day:
Monday: Why did Hiram, King of Tyre, send envoys to Solomon? (I Kings 5)

And here's the reflection of the day:
Of all the things to ask for, Solomon could have picked anything in this world (I Kings 3). He COULD have asked for a long life or great wealth or the death of all of his enemies (v11). He COULD have asked for great fame or many children or a mighty empire. But what he asks for is a discerning heart.

I would venture to say that Solomon already possessed a somewhat discerning heart, brimming full of wisdom, before God offered the world to Solomon. God offered him the world and Solomon chose wisdom. And since he chose wisdom, God saw fit to give him "what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings" (v 13).

Solomon becomes a legendary leader in the history of history! He was seen as a fair and effective ruler in the eyes of his people; he lived a long life, was wealthy, and achieved many victories over his enemies. He loved the Lord and tried hard to follow in the footsteps of his father, approaching God with humility and devotion.

But he also made his fair share of mistakes: under his reign, Israel became allies with their enemy Egypt when he marries a foreign princess; he was slow in building the Temple; and he sometimes incorrectly worshiped at the "high places." Solomon was a good man, but he had his flaws and faults as well.

I think the point of this story is that God took the initiative with Solomon, just like He takes with all of us. God decides Solomon will become the king, even though he aligned his family with foreigners, against God's desires; God comes to Solomon in a dream and offers to give anything he asks for, even though Solomon is greedy, more often than not.

Despite Solomon's sinfulness, God extends to him the open invitation to be a part of His plan. Solomon loves God with an imperfect love--sometimes with a wandering eye and heart--and yet God responds to that imperfect love with His own perfect love, granting Solomon (and us) undeserved blessing and a second chance to love and obey.

Have a splendid day!
Allison