what, exactly, did Solomon ask for?

“Ask. What should I give you?” ~ 1 Kings 3:5

As I slowly make my way reading through the Bible this year, I came upon a familiar part of the story this morning in 1 Kings. Maybe you’ve read it yourself—the beginning of the reign of Solomon.

It’s a pretty amazing story. Solomon, the son of David, is described as deeply loving Yahweh, and walking in the statutes of his father (1 Kings 3:3). He grabs hold of the attention of Yahweh so powerfully that God appears to him in a dream, with a stunning statement:

“Ask. What should I give you?”

This is that familiar part of the story. Do you know what Solomon asked God for?

I think almost everyone would answer, simply, “Wisdom. He asked for wisdom.”

But here’s the thing—that’s close, but I don’t think it gets it exactly right. I think that answer—_wisdom_—is probably closer to what God provided than exactly what Solomon asked for, and how he asked for it. And I think it’s important that we remember the details of the story, because I think that’s where some encouragement and application may be found.

Listen to Solomon’s full response to God:

And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.”

“Yahweh, my God, you have now made your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. Your servant is among your people you have chosen, a people too many to be numbered or counted. So give your servant a receptive heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?”

(1 Kings 3:6-9)

I love Solomon’s heart and humility. First, he goes back and honors his father for the kind of life he lived as a model to him for how to follow God. That’s what Solomon has been doing, walking in the statutes of his father, who himself was walking before God in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity. Fathers—your example matters to the next generation. That’s what Solomon’s testimony reveals.

And now he reflects on the fact that he, as Son of David, now sits on the throne in his father’s place. Big shoes to fill! And he knows it: “I am just a youth, with no experience in leadership.” He’s self-aware. He knows he’s in over his head. He’s got a great many people to care for. Maybe you can relate, as you consider the family you’re trying to lead well, or the team at your workplace who’s depending on you, or the community board you sit on, or the church family you pastor. You feel ill-equipped to lead them. Maybe you’re overwhelmed. You look at your leadership experience and find it wanting. What to do?

Here’s what Solomon did.

He asked God for help.

“Yahweh, because all of that’s true, give your servant a receptive heart, to judge your people, and discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?” (v9)

Ok, that stopped me this morning in my reading. Maybe like me, because of your familiarity with the story, you were expecting a simple response like, “What should you give me? Give me wisdom.” But what Solomon says is, “Give me a receptive heart.”

And so I sat this morning, looking at my Bible, and said, “Huh. A receptive heart. I wonder what that is? I wonder exactly what that means, as Solomon stands before this questioning God.”

And the answer is fascinating. The word behind “receptive” there is shema, and it’s a very important word in the biblical story. It means to hear, or listen to, and to understand or comprehend the meaning of something in terms of hearing it. And, of course, as you’ve probably heard many times if you’re a churched person, the “heart” in the Scriptures doesn’t refer to the organ in our chests that pumps blood throughout our bodies, but the totality of one’s inner person—thoughts, volition, and emotions. It is all of who we are.

And so Solomon is asking God to make the totality of who he is the kind of person who, when he hears something and listens to it, he can understand and comprehend the meaning of it. That’s the kind of person he wants to be, the kind of King he aspires to, the kind of leader he believes the people of God deserve. Why? So that he can discern good from evil…and isn’t that key for leadership? To properly, in a moment, recognize one from the other, so that he may usher his people onto a good path, and steer them clear from an evil one?

And Yahweh is so pleased with this kind of rich request from Solomon, he gives him exactly what he asks for, and more:

Now it pleased Yahweh that Solomon had requested this. So God said to him, “Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment for yourself to administer justice, I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life. If you walk in my ways and keep my statutes and commands just as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”

(1 Kings 3:10-14)

Wow.

Solomon gets a “wise and understanding heart.” He becomes the man he desires to be.
And he gets riches and honor.
And, if obedient, a long life.

And if you continue reading in 1 Kings 3, you’ll see how he immediately puts that gift from God to use when faced with a conflicting story from two mothers.

As a husband, father, brother, son, and pastor, I was encouraged by the possibility bound up in this story for me (and for you). Namely, I think that just like for Solomon, Yahweh would be pleased—if we would but ask for a receptive heart, to lead well, live well, to discern good from evil—well, friend, I believe he would be pleased to do what we ask, and give it to us.