Solomon's Wisdom?

     Solomon's name has become synonymous with wisdom, which causes me to wonder what I can learn from his story. How did he acquire such wisdom, and how was it possible that someone who was known for such wisdom managed to end up so far from God? Is it possible for us to have the wisdom of Solomon today? Let's look at the scriptures for the answers to these questions.

     When Solomon began to rule Israel he knew he needed more wisdom than he possessed, so he prayed to God, "... give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Thine?" (I Kings 3:9) God was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom and granted his request, "...Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you." I Kings 3:12

       As time went on Solomon began to be drawn away from God by the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life." I John 2:16 He began to disobey God, and his disobedience caused him to commit some of the most horrendous sins mentioned in the scriptures. Solomon had no excuse for his sins. We read in Deuteronomy 17:14-17, that Israel's kings were forbidden to multiply horses, wives, and wealth. We also see in I Kings 10:23-11:9 that Solomon did all three of these things, to a great extent! Solomon could not claim ignorance since all of Israel's kings were also commanded to write in their own hand a copy of the law and read it all the days of their lives so they would not sin against God. (Deut. 17:18-20) Obviously, Solomon failed to do this.
        
     Solomon's wives also turned his heart away from God, so much so that he actually built altars to foreign gods (demons) (Deut. 32:16-17) on which his wives sacrificed Solomon's own children. These sacrifices to these demons were unusually cruel, burning these babies alive in the arms of a super-heated idol. How could he even allow this, much less facilitate it? He was the king! This did not have to be, but he was no longer listening to God. The wisdom he once possessed was gone.

     Can we have the wisdom of Solomon? Yes, we can, because it was not Solomon's wisdom after all. It was God's wisdom which Solomon was granted simply by asking. In Romans 2:11 and Acts 10:34 we learn that God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality. If Solomon received the wisdom of God simply by asking, we can do the same. In James 1:5 we are taught, "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." Solomon's problem is that he failed to stay close to the One who gave him wisdom in the first place. That is an important lesson we can learn from Solomon. If we want to be wise, we must stay close to God, the source of all wisdom.

    Christians should be the wisest people on earth. We have access to the very throne of God through the blood of Jesus. The veil in the temple was torn! God desires that we walk in wisdom by walking in His Spirit. "Be filled with the Spirit." Ephesians 5:18 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." Galatians 5:16  What a shame that Solomon did not continue to follow the Lord, but the record of his apostasy is a valuable warning to all of us. The more time we spend seeking and listening to God, through the Holy Spirit, the more we will be like Him in every way and avoid the tragedy of apostasy.

     My prayer for all Christians, including myself:

"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." II Cor. 3:18

     Very simply I pray, "Lord, make me more like you every day."