The Prayer of King Solomon for Wisdom to Govern His Peopl
2 Chronicles 1:7-12
In that night did God appear to Solomon, and said to him, Ask what I shall give you.…


e: — Whatever in later life may have been Solomon's deviations from duty and from the fear of the Lord, the early years of his reign evidence a mind keenly alive to all the necessities and responsibilities of his station, and a heart sincere in love and loyalty towards God. This prayer of Solomon displays the spirit proper for every young man especially for every Christian young man — in entering upon the responsibilities of life. There are three prominent characteristics of the temper of his mind that are pre-eminently worthy of regard.

I. HIS PREFERMENT OF THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE OVER WHOM HE RULED ABOVE ANY GRATIFICATION OR INTEREST OF HIS OWN. From the manner in which the Lord offered the king any gift that his heart might desire, it is evident that Solomon was at perfect liberty, if such had been his choice, to request the fulfilment of some purely personal or private end. If such an offer had been made to any of the mighty kings whose names are blazoned in history, what would his choice have been? What prayer would have expressed the heart's desire of Alexander, of Hannibal, of Caesar, or of Napoleon? Alexander would have asked for another world to conquer; Hannibal would have sought satiety of vengeance in the extermination of the Italian foes; Caesar would have demanded admittance among the gods and the perpetual worship of the citizens of Rome; Napoleon that his family should ever rule the destinies of France, and that France of all nations should ever be foremost and supreme. But the spirit of which the Lord approved in Solomon was free from all taint of ambitious or selfish or merciless desire. Would that all to whom the interests of others are committed were ever animated by the spirit of Solomon.

II. THE HEARTY CONFORMITY TO THE DIVINE WILL OF HIS WISHES IN REGARD TO HIS POSITION. When God promised any of the kings of Israel or of Judah the establishment of his throne and aid against his enemies, it was always provided that that king should diligently observe the statutes and commandments and ordinances of the Lord. When He rejected Saul from being king over His people, it was not because he had proved himself unfaithful to the nation's welfare, but because he had rejected the word of the Lord, and had not kept the commandment which the Lord had commanded him. And when David was raised to the throne of Israel, it was because of this testimony, given him of God: "I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfil all My will." Hence in the lips of Solomon this prayer for wisdom had a most peculiar and comprehensive significance. Its spirit was not ambition to be the wisest monarch of his day, nor servile anxiety to secure the favour of a powerful friend; it was the desire to do the will of his gracious Father in heaven. This same spirit of loving and hearty conformity to the Divine will has controlled the prayers and the lives of God's true people in all generations — Abram; Moses; Joseph; Paul; the Redeemer Himself. Oh, what comfort in affliction, what support in trial, what delight in duty, spring from the thought, "It is the will of God"!

III. HIS RECOGNITION OF HIMSELF AS WEAK AND LIABLE TO ERR, AND OF GOD AS THE GREAT SOURCE OF WISDOM AND STRENGTH FOR THE DISCHARGE OF DUTY. In the humility and diffidence of Solomon, we have an example of what seems to be commonly the case, that men of worth and of ability are the most deeply conscious of their deficiencies and faults. Utterly different from such a spirit was Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon on assuming the sceptre. Solomon evidenced his sense of weakness — not by shrinking from his duties, but by seeking God's help for the performance of them. Elisha, trembling to think how soon he should be called upon to wear the mantle of the greatest of the prophets, besought a double portion of his master's spirit. In a similar frame did Solomon pray for an understanding heart to judge the .people of the Lord.

(E. I. Hamilton, D.D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.

WEB: In that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, "Ask what I shall give you."




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