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Prophets and Kings
neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given
thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honor,” “such as
none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall
there any after thee have the like.”
“And if thou wilt walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My
commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy
days.”
1 Kings 3:5-14
;
2 Chronicles 1:7-12
.
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God promised that as He had been with David, so He would be
with Solomon. If the king would walk before the Lord in uprightness,
if he would do what God had commanded him, his throne would be
established and his reign would be the means of exalting Israel as “a
wise and understanding people,” the light of the surrounding nations.
Deuteronomy 4:6
.
The language used by Solomon while praying to God before the
ancient altar at Gibeon reveals his humility and his strong desire to
honor God. He realized that without divine aid he was as helpless as
a little child to fulfill the responsibilities resting on him. He knew
that he lacked discernment, and it was a sense of his great need that
led him to seek God for wisdom. In his heart there was no selfish
aspirations for a knowledge that would exalt him above others. He
desired to discharge faithfully the duties devolving upon him, and he
chose the gift that would be the means of causing his reign to bring
glory to God. Solomon was never so rich or so wise or so truly great
as when he confessed, “I am but a little child: I know not how to go
out or come in.”
Those who today occupy positions of trust should seek to learn
the lesson taught by Solomon’s prayer. The higher the position a
man occupies, the greater the responsibility that he has to bear, the
wider will be the influence that he exerts and the greater his need of
dependence on God. Ever should he remember that with the call to
work comes the call to walk circumspectly before his fellow men. He
is to stand before God in the attitude of a learner. Position does not
give holiness of character. It is by honoring God and obeying His
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commands that a man is made truly great.
The God whom we serve is no respecter of persons. He who gave
to Solomon the spirit of wise discernment is willing to impart the same
blessing to His children today. “If any of you lack wisdom,” His word
declares, “let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and