Ask me for whatever you want! King Solomon and the gift of discernment.

By mmayer
Pastor Michael Mayer
1 Kings 3:3-15

3 Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’

6 Solomon answered, ‘You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

7 ‘Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 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, 12 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. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for – both wealth and honour – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.’ 15 Then Solomon awoke – and he realised it had been a dream.

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

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1 Kings 3:3-15. The brand new, inexperienced king is gifted with a night visit from the Lord, who offers to give whatever Solomon will ask for. If you were to experience such a visitation, I am sure you would reflect very carefully before you asked. Solomon knows he is new to the job, he knows he’s really not ready for kingship, so he asks for the gift of discerning between right and wrong, so that he can rule well, and administer justice in a good way.

Guidelines for Christian discernment.

  1. The 10 Commandments. That is the basic guideline for how we are to live with God and with others. If we are doing something against a basic commandment, we can’t expect God to bless us.
  2. Jesus, the servant king. The motive for our actions and attitudes is that same as Jesus – love that listens to God and that serves others in a healthy way. We are not on some ego trip about how holy we are, and how we have got all our bad habits under strict control.
  3. The way of the cross. We trust that God is with us, even in the most challenging of times, and we look for the signs of Easter – new life and a way through. That means that we don’t insist that everything goes our way, or that we have to be in control of everything and everyone around us.
  4. Life vs death. God is about Life in all its fullness and Love. Choose what will fit in with that. If we are in a relationship or a work situation that is ‘killing’ us, it is most likely that is not from God.
  5. Who we are in Christ. You can’t be someone else. You are called to be you, so it has to fit in with your character, your personality, your skills and your life-experience. Make choices that fit in with your deep desires and passions. If you get something wrong, learn from that.
  6. Choose what blesses both you and how you get on with others. Check the feedback you are getting from others. If what you are doing comes from a genuine and good place inside you, it will help others.
  7. Co-creator with God. God trusts you with the gift of life. Enjoy that.
  8. Last thing at night – pray for what you desire for the next day. Add this practice to your prayer life. You will discover that your asking will both deepen and simplify.

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