“At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 1 Kings 3:5 (NKJV)
Talk about a golden opportunity! Almighty God has just given Solomon a “blank check”, so to speak. Being put on the spot in such a manner, what might we have answered God? The first thing that comes to most of us is financial security, or good health, or maybe blessings and protection for our families. Not so with Solomon.
“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to Judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 3:9
Solomon has not asked for money, or fame, not to be famous or successful; of all things he might have had, Solomon asked for wisdom. Because he did not ask for what we might have asked for, God gave him wisdom as well as all the things he did not request. Wow, it seems that Solomon has hit the jackpot without even trying; wisdom plus wealth and fame, notoriety and the praise and honor of all who knew him.
Solomon has indeed done a good thing; but did he do the best thing? If we follow the Scriptures and the account of Solomon’s life, we find that he failed to be loyal to God. He married many pagan wives who turned away his heart from God and caused him to turn to their gods. (11:3-13)
The wisest man who ever lived did not end well, all of his wisdom failed him because he did not remain true to God.
What if Solomon had asked God to let him always walk with Him, to always follow His will? We can’t know what effect this might have had on Solomon and the world in his day; we can however experience this in our own lives when we pledge to walk in His ways and allow His will to become our own.
We will never know what might have been if Solomon had asked for the best thing, instead of just a good thing.
The Church as a whole would be stronger and better if we would stop settling for “good things”, and reach for the best thing, which is a relationship with Him that grows continually deeper as we “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God”. Micah 6:8.
