Are You a Wise Guy?

In today’s Old Testament reading (1 Kings 2-3), Solomon begins his rule as king over Israel. God appeared to him in a dream telling him, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you” (1 Kings 3:5). As children we often played the game of "If you could have any wish, what would it be?" My answer was always, "Three more wishes." Solomon plays that game for real, and he tells God that his heart's desire was for wisdom to lead God's people. That pleased God, and He tells Solomon in 1 Kings 3:10-13--

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.

So Solomon gets what amounted to three more wishes! He gets wisdom to rule... plus great wealth and honor. The stage is set for one of the most spectacular reigns in history.

But in the next chapter, the seeds are sown for Solomon's downfall. (Actually, it probably starts in 3:1ff as Solomon takes his frist foreign wife). Beginning in 4:20, Solomon begins to accumulate the baubles of power. He amasses great numbers of horses and chariots along with massive barns and stalls in which to house them. So what’s the big deal? Are not such extravagances the privilege of power? Not if Solomon would have been... well, wise! Moses instructs the future kings of Israel in Deuteronomy 17:16,17—

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

But Solomon does acquire many horses and soon will amass staggering mounts of gold and silver (so much that he doesn't even count the silver, 2 Chron 9:20). Later will come the 1000 wives and concubines. And in keeping with the warning of Moses, the result was that his heart was led away from God.

Solomon here provides a warning between the difference in knowing truth and living truth, between having wisdom and living wisely. Solomon had great wisdom... he just didn't let it get in the way of how he lived! I wonder how many of us fall into this same trap? Do you believe that God and spiritual things are the most important realities? Do we really live that way? For a wise guy, Solomon was really pretty foolish. How about us?