Daily Devotional • August 27
A Reading from 1 Kings 3:1-15
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. 2 The people were sacrificing at the high places, however, because no house had yet been built for the name of the Lord.
3 Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. 4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lordappeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David 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 today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”
15 Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream. He came to Jerusalem, where he stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and offerings of well-being and provided a feast for all his servants.
Meditation
Let’s pay close attention to Solomon’s dream. The dream does not arise spontaneously in a sleeping man, a mere Freudian guardian of sleep. It is God who causes the dream. God, not Solomon, gives Solomon the desire to ask for wisdom; thence Solomon does ask for wisdom instead of a long healthy life, riches, and success in the world. We should not assume that Solomon had his priorities straight until God granted him the right desire and then granted Solomon the object of that desire: wisdom. In verse 9, Solomon asks God for the requisite understanding to rule wisely for the good of the kingdom. In verse 15, Solomon awakes from the dream and acts on it by going forthwith to the Ark of the Covenant and there he offers a pure sacrifice to God. Here we see that the new king possesses “the fear of the Lord” which is the beginning of wisdom.
What was the nature of Solomon’s great “wisdom”? First, Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God. He knew that wisdom can come only from Wisdom. Solomon assumed that we cannot rely on our own understanding. Proverbs 2.1-22 sets forth Solomon’s priorities in black and white. And here are Proverbs 3.5-7: “Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”
The scripture states that Solomon was given “understanding.” A distinction ought to be made between reason (ratio) and understanding (intellectum). Understanding is something deeper than mere reason, and it is even more useful. Perhaps understanding is a “right brain” good, while ratiocination is a “left brain” good. What God gave King Solomon was more akin to understanding than mere reasoning power. Our civilization is preoccupied with mere rationality. Good science and careful reasoning are never a bad thing, but what some Christian thinkers call “rationalism” is indeed a major problem in North Atlantic culture. Rationalism may be defined as the inordinate self-reliance of a being possessed of reason. Pride is the first sin, and self-reliance is just what Solomon relinquished when he was anointed king. Naturally, Solomon shows he will be a wise king because he asked God for something far more valuable than wealth and power: wisdom.
The Rev. W.L. (Chip) Prehn, PhD, is president of The Living Church Foundation and is a principal of Dudley & Prehn Educational Consultants. He was a parish priest for 12 years before turning to school administration and consulting. Prehn writes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and history.
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
Trinity Episcopal Church, Upperville, Virginia
The Diocese of Ogorimagongo – The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
The Rev. W.L. (Chip) Prehn, PhD, is president of The Living Church Foundation and is a principal of Dudley & Prehn Educational Consultants. He was a parish priest for 12 years before turning to school administration and consulting. Prehn writes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and history.
