King Solomon Sunday School Lesson

Home >> Sunday School >> Sunday School Lessons >>

King Solomon Sunday School Lesson

A. The Explosion of Knowledge

Near the end of his life, King Solomon wrote,"of snaking many books there is no end; andmuch study is a weariness of the flesh" (Ecclesi-astes 12:12). The modern world has realized bothparts of this observation, perhaps far beyondSolomon's wildest expectations. It is estimatedthat as many as 2,000 new books are publishedevery week worldwide. Add to this the enormousoutput of newspapers, journals, magazines, Webpages, and other media. The total is far beyondthe capacity of any one individual to keep trackof. let alone to read and digest.

GOD GRANTS WISDOM TO SOLOMON

This ever-increasing rate of publication hasbeen labeled the information explosion. Its closecousin is called the knowledge explosion: theconstantly growing store of facts and theories.These twin phenomena have many implications.One of these is the short shelf life of any educa-tion or training. For example, someone whoearned a college degree in computer science 20years ago would be woefully lacking in expertiseabout today's computers unless he or she hadbeen updating constantly. Every field of study re-quires constant study to stay current. At timesthis may feel like "weariness of the flesh"!Yet it is important to ask whether or not thisavalanche of knowledge has made us any wiser.Has society's increased stock of informationsolved the basic problems of wars, poverty, ordisease? Has more knowledge eliminated theage-old vices of greed, pride, anger, or lust? Ifanything, we seem to be in a world that is greed-ier, prouder, angrier, and more sexually orientedthan ever before. Remember: the most destruc-tive wars of the twentieth century were foughtbetween the most "educated" countries on earth!There is a lot of overlap in meaning among theconcepts of knowledge, understanding, and wis-dom. But one key idea that sets wisdom apart isthat wisdom is a godly use of knowledge and un-derstanding. This week's lesson is about a manwho requested wisdom from God and was re-warded with godly wisdom and much, muchmore.

B. Lesson Background

The third king of Israel was David's son Solo-mon. Solomon reigned as king in Jerusalem fromabout 970 to 930 BC. His name is derived fromthe Hebrew word shalom ("peace"), thus Solo-mon means "peaceful one." Nathan the prophetalso gave him the name Jedidiah, meaning"beloved of Yahweh" (2 Samuel 12:25). Solo-mon's mother was Bathsheba, David's partner inadultery. Bathsheba's first child, the product oftheir sin, died in his first week. David and Bath-sheba's second child was Solomon.

Solomon was the first king of Israel to inheritthe throne from his father. After David's death,Solomon acted quickly to remove any threats tohis throne by executing Adonijah, his scheminghalf-brother (1 Kings 2:24) and Joab, a traitorousarmy general (2:33, 34). He also exiled the highpriest, Abiathar, and replaced him with the loyalZadok (2:35).

During the reign of Solomon the kingdom ofIsrael expanded its boundaries to its greatest ex-tent, from the Euphrates River to the border of Egypt (1 Kings 4:21). The kings in some of theseterritories paid annual tribute to Solomon, pro-viding him with vast wealth.

The riches of Solomon have been the subjectof theories and speculation, but the Bible itselfhas a great deal of information on this subject.His yearly tribute income was 666 talents ofgold (1 Kings 10:14). The modern equivalent ofthis amount is difficult to estimate, but this mayhave been eight to ten tons of gold every year-end this was only part of his income. His hoardwas so plentiful that Solomon made hundreds ofceremonial shields out of gold to adorn hispalace (1 Kings 10:17).

Solomon is also famous for his building proj-ects. His greatest accomplishment in this areawas the construction of a house for the Lord, theJerusalem temple. The primary purpose of thetemple was to provide suitable and permanenthousing for the holy ark of the covenant (see1 Chronicles 28:2).

The detailed description of this structure isfound in 1 Kings 5-7 and 2 Chronicles 2-4. Theconstruction took seven years and required morethan 150,000 laborers (1 Kings 5:15). When fin-ished, this edifice was undoubtedly one of themost splendid buildings of the ancient world.The Bible also tells us "King Solomon lovedmany strange women" (1 Kings 11:1). It isrecorded that he had 700 official wives and 300concubines (secondary wives). Unfortunately,we are also told that these wives led him awayfrom the Lord in his old age (1 Kings 11:3, 4). Wedo believe, however, that the elderly Solomonsorted through all these things and returned to God before his death. This seems to be the lessonof the book of Ecclesiastes—a book thought tohave been written by Solomon near the end ofhis life. He finishes this book by admonishinghis readers that our primary duties are to loveGod and to keep His commandments (Ecclesi-astes 12:13).

Today's lesson presents a young Solomon whofinds himself in a powerful position that exceedshis capabilities. When the weight of his responsi-bilities is combined with his inadequacy, he doesnot despair. He trusts God.

I. God's Appearing(1 Kings 3:3-5)

A. Abundance of Sacrifices (vv. 3, 4)

3, 4. And Solomon loved the Lone, walking inthe statutes of David his father: only he sacri-ficed and burnt incense in high places. And theking went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for thatwas the great high place: a thousand burntofferings did Solomon offer upon that altar.To sacrifice in high places is not necessarily anact of paganism or idolatry (compare 2 Chroni-cles 33:17). The high place at Gibeon is the semi-permanent site of "the tabernacle of the Lord"(see 1 Chronicles 16:39). Gibeon is located in theJudean hill country, about seven miles northwestof Jerusalem.
The text does not tell us exactly what the burntofferings are, but likely they are animals, proba-bly young bulls. In this type of offering the entireanimal is burned to ashes, giving it all to God. ForSolomon to do this with a thousand bulls is alarge, impressive display of his wealth, his devo-tion, and the seriousness of the occasion.

B. Offer to Solomon (v. 5)

5. In Gibeon the Loam appeared to Solomonin a dream by night: and God said, Ask what Ishall give thee.
The offerings likely take more than one day.Because of the length of the time involved,Solomon stays in Gibeon overnight. During oneof these nights he is visited by God in a dream.This type of communication from God is not un-known, but it is rare. There are fewer than 20people in the Bible who are said to have receiveddreams from God, and not all of these are believ-ers (examples: Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Pi-late's wife). Nevertheless, dreams have long beenrecognized as a powerful way by which God hasspoken to humans on rare occasions.

God does not confront Solomon with a call foraction or obedience. Instead, God presents Solomon with a blank check: Ask what I shallgive thee. There are no limits or guidelines givenby God. Already, the wisdom of Solomon isbeing tested. Will he choose wisely or selfishly?

THE MEANING OF DREAMS

An old story tells of a woman who awoke inthe morning and told her husband of her dream."Last night I dreamed that you gave me a dia-mond necklace and earrings for our anniver-sary," she said. "Do you have any idea what mydream means?" His cryptic answer was, "Tonightyou will know."

After work that evening, he presented her witha small package. Eagerly opening it, she found abook titled, The Meaning of Dreams. We canimagine what happened next! Seriously, though,you could spend a small fortune on all the bookswritten about how to interpret your dreams.Solomon's dream was not about diamond jew-elry, although we should consider a vision ofGod in a dream to be of inestimable value! Justas the fictional woman's dream came in the con-text of her relationship with her husband, it islikewise significant that Solomon's dream camein the context of his relationship with God.The day before his dream, Solomon had madean exceedingly large number of offerings to God.That night God came to him in the dream. Weshouldn't make the mistake of assuming that wecan "buy" God's presence with devotion or sacri-fice. However, Solomon's sacrifices were a tangi-ble indication of his love for God. At the veryleast, we can see that God responds positively tothose who seek to please Him. .

II. Solomon's Request(1 Kings 3:6-9)

A. Solomon as David's Successor (vv. 6-8)6. And Solomon said, Thou hast showed untothy servant David my father great mercy,according as he walked before thee in truth,and in righteousness, and in uprightness ofheart with thee; and thou hast kept for him thisgreat kindness, that thou hast given him a sonto sit on his throne, as it is this day.

Solonion does not blurt out a request, like"Gimme a new Cadillac!" Instead, he evaluateshis needs by talking them through with God.(Isn't this what prayer should be?) In this processhe rehearses the marvelous relationship his fa-ther, David, had had with the Lord. Being kinggives Solomon occasion to remember how Godhad kept His promise to David by allowing hisson to succeed him as king.

7.And now, 0 Low) my God, thou hast madethy servant king instead of David my father:and I am but a little child: 1 know not how to goout or come in.

Solomon has come to a strong conviction thathe is inadequate for the task he has been given.Who could possibly fill the shoes of the greatand famous David?

8.And thy servant is in the midst of thy peo-ple which thou hast chosen, a great people, thatcannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.Solomon is aware that Israel is the chosen na-tion of God and that it has grown to be a verypopulous people. These factors combine to makehim feel like a little child, unequal to his respon-sibilities. We may experience something similarwhen we observe the children of capable andpowerful leaders. Sometimes a child is expectedto live up to the legacy left by the father but can-not possibly fulfill these expectations. Followinga famous father is not an easy path.

B. Solomon Seeks Wisdom (v. 9)

9.Give therefore thy servant an understand-ing heart to judge thy people, that I may discernbetween good and bad: for who is able to judgethis thy so great a people?

David had left Solomon with the charge, "Hethat ruleth over men must be just, ruling in thefear of God" (2 Samuel 23:3). Solomon under-stands that a major component of being a suc-cessful king is related to his judgment. Thereforehe asks for divine understanding in dealing withhis people. He cannot do it by himself. Solomonasks, rhetorically, Who is able to judge this thy nogreat a people? The answer is that only the Lordhimself can do this. Solomon desperately needs God's help.

In this request Solomon submits his heart toGod. Any cry to God for help is a cry of faith. Heis following the advice of his father, to rule "inthe fear of God." He understands that even thegreatest leaders are answerable to a higher au-thority and need God's assistance to rule justly.We don't have many kings left in our world, butany nation with a leader who depends on Godwill receive blessings because of this relationship.

III. God's Promises(1 Kings 3:10-14)

A. Solomon's Request Pleases God (v. 10)

10.And the speech pleased the LORD, thatSolomon had asked this thing.

Oh, to please the Lord! All too often we findourselves in need of humility and repentance be cause we have displeased God. That Solomon isable to set aside petty, personal, selfish desiresand pinpoint what he will need to serve God ef-fectively is a display of wisdom at a young age.He has already learned the lesson he later,eaches to others: "The fear of the Lord is the be-zinning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).

B.Solomon's Request Granted (vv. 11, 12)

11, 12. And God said unto him, Because thoubast asked this thing, and host not asked forthyself long life; neither hast asked riches forthyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies;but hast asked for thyself understanding to dis-cern judgment; behold, I have done according tothy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an¦nderstanding heart; so that there was nonelike thee before thee, neither after thee shallany arise like unto thee.

God well knows that Solomon could haveasked for personal favors: longevity, wealth, orvictories. ISee question #3, page 80.) Godpromises to make Solomon a unique individualin history: the wisest man who ever lived.There are related yet distinct qualities that arepromised here. When we see that Solomon isgranted a wise . . . heart, we should realize thatwisdom goes beyond the ability to discern goodfrom evil. The wise person recognizes the differ-ence and chooses to do the good. The one whounderstands but chooses evil is a fool (see Prov-erbs 14:16; Romans 16:19). Solomon's gift is morethan just the ability to know righteousness. He isenabled to choose righteousness.

Solomon's heart is also to be one of under-standing. This has the sense of clear perceptionof a situation and insight into its implications.This means that Solomon will be able to discern.This is actually based on the Hebrew word forto hear." It has the implication of one who lis-tens judiciously, evaluating all factors carefully.These three qualities are repeated in Proverbs1:5: "A wise man will bear [discern], and will in-crease learning; and a man of understandingshall attain unto wise counsels" (see also 1 Kings4:29). Wisdom builds on wisdom. Wise choiceslead to more wise choices. Deeper understandingresults from listening to wise teachers.

C.Solomon's Request Exceeded (vv. 13, 14)

13. And I have also given thee that whichthou hast not asked, both riches, and honor: sothat there shall not be any among the kings likeunto thee all thy days.
There are those who attain great wealth butare despised. There are others who gain great honor and dignity yet die penniless. And, ofcourse, there are many who perish being neitherrich nor honorable. But few are recognized aspersons with both riches and honor. Such onesare doubly blessed by God. Here God makes apromise to Solomon: he will be a person of vastwealth and someone respected very highly.

As mentioned above, Solomon's wealth be-comes legendary. God's gift of wisdom, however,causes Solomon's reputation to spread far andwide. His wisdom is unlimited (1 Kings 4:29-31).He is the author of 3,000 wise sayings (proverbs)and over 1,000 songs (1 Kings 4:32). Some ofthese are preserved in our Bible books ofProverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon(see also Psalm 72).

SUDDEN WEALTH SYNDROME

"In a lot of ways, I was happier living a sim-pler life." Those are the words of a multimillion-aire who had made an amazing amount ofmoney in the high-tech stock market boom of the1990s. His household was one of some 275,000in America with assets of over $10 million at theend of that decade—a group that was five timeslarger than it had been just 15 years earlier.Psychologists say people who become veryrich very quickly complain about becoming iso-lated from their former friends; they even feelalienated from their sense of who they are. One man who sold his com-pany for tens of millions of dollars said he felt a"gnawing anxiety that his money could disap-pear as quickly as it had come." He found it hardto talk to his old friends about things they had easily conversed about before he was struck withsudden wealth. Many poorer people would bewilling to change places with the rich, but theyobviously aren't aware of the psychological andrelationship costs of having lots of money!God's promised gift to Solomon could havebeen an unparalleled blessing. But it turned outto be a responsibility that Solomon was not fullyprepared to exercise. He did not always "walk inmy ways," as God had said he must if he were toenjoy the blessings fully. Solomon's experienceproves once again that who you are—your char-acter, etc.—is far Inure important than bowmuch you have.

14. And if than wilt walk in my ways, tokeep my statutes and my commandments, asthy father David did walk, then I will lengthenthy days.

While the promises of wisdom and honor areunconditional, God does place conditions on thegift of a long life. This promise is contingentupon Solomon's obedience to God's laws, anobedience that God had seen in Solomon's fa-ther, David. God had not seen in David a perfectrecord of obedience, of course. But God had in-deed seen a general life pattern of obedience, de-scribed as to wall( in my ways.

Unfortunately, Solomon will not match his fa-ther David. Solomon's disobedience causes Godto be very angry. God then modifies His earlierpromise to David of a continuing king in Jeru-salem from David's family: much of Solomon'skingdom will be taken away from his son Reho-boam (1 Kings 11:9-13). This promise is madegood after the death of Solomon, and the king-dom is split into Judah and Israel.

Conclusion

A. The Search for Wisdoms

Solomon apparently was not content withGod's gift of wisdom. Ecclesiastes is a record ofhis wretched search for the meaning of life inmany different areas. He confessed that he deniedhimself nothing (Ecclesiastes 2:10) and con-cluded that he hated life (2:17). "All is vanity," hesaid (1:2); life is meaningless. How can wise peo-ple sometimes be so stupid?

Fortunately Solomon overcame the cynicismof his foolish quest and regained some of thewisdom he displayed at a younger age. Solomonwas able to reaffirm that our purpose is to befound in our fear of God and in our obedience toHim (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

In modern society we find people seeking wis-dom from curious sources. The media bombardsus with the opinions of celebrities, as if being fa-mous automatically brings wisdom. Why do wethink the ability to hit home runs or make musicvideos gives a person understanding and dis-cernment? Conversely, people who live wisely,fearing God and striving to keep His command-ments, are rarely seen as those who should behonored and followed. Solomon knew that sin-ners were fools and fools were sinners.

So how do we seek and find wisdom? An ob-vious treasure, yet one we often ignore, is tostudy God's Word. We are promised that Scrip-ture is able to make us "wise unto salvation"(2 Timothy 3:15). The people of God should bepeople of His Word.

We should also seek to be taught by thosewhose lives display God's wisdom. Solomon'sstory teaches us that great wisdom will attractdisciples. Great understanding and discernmentis not often found in the very young, so weshould listen to those whose faith has beentested, "tried with fire" (1 Peter 1:7). Not all oldpeople are wise. But we are more likely to strikethe rich vein of wisdom among our elders thanamong the young.

B. Prayer

O Lord, we can never be wise without Yourpresence. Give its hearts that seek wisdom, evenwhen the wise choices are the hard choices. Giveus peace in knowing that Your ways transcendthe ways of the world, the paths of foolishness.We pray in the name of Your Son, Jesus, amen.

C. Thought to Remember

Recognition and development of true wisdomis tied directly to our relationship with God.

Home :: Contact Us :: About Us :: Privacy Policy :: Terms of Use :: Site Map