1 Kings 3:12, commentary and pictures

God answered Solomon at Gibeon at the beginning of his reign after David his father, giving him in a night dream a wise and understanding heart unmatched by any before him and by none who would arise after him. Solomon had pled as a helpless child for discernment to judge God's great people between good and bad, and he did not ask for long life, riches, honor, or the life of his enemies, which unselfish choice pleased the Lord. The gift was a special divine aid of quickness of mind, largeness of heart, and exceptional discernment that made him the wisest earthly monarch and enabled him to govern faithfully and bring glory to God. With it God also gave what was not asked, riches and honor and power beyond other kings, with length of days and continued blessing if he would walk obediently in God's statutes and judgments as David had walked. His prayer remains the pattern for all today to seek wisdom from above with unselfish hearts in continual dependence on God, for divinely given wisdom did not preserve him when he turned to self and idolatry but was removed and perverted to evil.

Night Dream at Gibeon

The answer was given in a dream in the night season at Gibeon at the beginning of Solomon's reign after he succeeded David his father as king. God said ask what to give, and spoke to Solomon through His angel in that dream. The words granted a wise and understanding heart with no equal before him and none to arise like him after him, in response to his prayer for an understanding heart to judge God's great chosen people that cannot be numbered and to discern between good and bad and to discern judgment. The promise of that unequaled wisdom came with riches and honor, and with the condition of lengthened days if he would walk in God's ways to keep His statutes, commandments, and judgments as David his father walked, carrying an admonition to remain humble and obedient.

Solomon was then impressed with the solemnity of his responsibilities and felt helpless as a little child who did not know how to go out or come in as king instead of David his father. This sense of inability remained despite his talents and ability. He felt unable to bear the great responsibilities of ruling justly and building the temple without divine guidance.

Unselfish Prayer Pleased God

Solomon asked for an understanding heart to judge God's great chosen people, who cannot be numbered, and to discern between good and bad and to discern judgment. His request was to be enabled to govern God's people and to judge Israel rightly, discerning good from evil. It was made when God said ask what to give, at the beginning of his reign after he succeeded David, when he was impressed with the solemnity of his responsibilities and felt helpless as a little child despite talents and ability.

He put God's work above every earthly good and did not ask for long life, riches or wealth, honor, or the life of his enemies. He asked for understanding to discern judgment instead of asking for long life, riches, or the death of his enemies. What he sought was quickness of mind, largeness of heart, and discernment between good and bad to judge God's great people.

That unselfish choice to judge rightly rather than from selfish aspirations pleased the Lord. His speech pleased Him because he asked unselfishly for understanding to discern judgment for a people that cannot be numbered, and did not ask for long life nor riches nor the life of his enemies. Petitions therefore should not proceed from hearts filled with selfish aspirations but should choose gifts that redound to the glory of God, choosing the heavenly in place of the earthly and laying up treasure in heaven that cannot be lost in earthly disaster.

Wise and Understanding Heart

God gave Solomon a wise and an understanding heart exactly as he had asked, so that there was none like him before him and none shall arise like him after him. The answer came in response to his prayer for an understanding heart to judge God's great chosen people that cannot be numbered and to discern between good and bad and to discern judgment. It was granted because he put God's work above every earthly good and did not ask for long life, riches or wealth, honor, or the life of his enemies, and that unselfish choice for quickness of mind, largeness of heart, and discernment to judge rightly pleased the Lord. With the wisdom God also gave what he had not asked, both riches and honor so that no king would be like him all his days, with the promise to lengthen his days if he would walk in God's ways to keep His statutes, commandments, and judgments as David his father walked.

The gift was special divine aid, not merely natural ability. It included a quick mind, an exceptionally discerning mind, largeness of heart, and a tender spirit. By it he was enabled to judge Israel and to discern between good and evil.

It made him the wisest earthly monarch and the wisest and greatest king that ever sat upon the throne or wielded a scepter, unmatched among earlier or later rulers. No one before him equaled him in wisdom and understanding, and none after him would arise like him. His knowledge, insight, and understanding astonished the nations, and his choice of wisdom above earthly riches, honor, or long life marked the bright beginning of a reign of great promise and glory that drew the world's wonder. His wisdom and piety were unexampled, and he was pure and elevated in character and thrice called the beloved of God.

That wisdom enabled him to discern judgment, to judge rightly, to govern the kingdom, and to manage its business and important affairs with exceptional wisdom. By it he directed every important enterprise, fulfilled his duties faithfully, and managed the affairs of his kingdom wisely to bring glory to God.

Riches Honor and Obedience

Because his request pleased God, with the unequaled wise and understanding heart He also gave what had not been asked, both riches and honor, so that no king would be like him all his days. The wisdom was granted as the answer to asking for understanding to discern judgment and to discern between good and bad in governing His great people, instead of asking for long life, riches, wealth, honor, or the life of enemies. With the wisdom came riches and honor unequaled among kings, together with his kingdom, power, and glory.

He promised to lengthen days if Solomon would walk in His ways to keep His statutes, commandments, and judgments as David his father walked. Long life was conditional on walking in His ways and keeping His commandments, and continued blessing and lengthened days were tied to remaining humble and obedient.

David's charge connects the gift to keeping God's law in righteousness and truth, saying he would prosper if he obeyed His statutes and judgments. Solomon's prosperity and kingly influence was of God and would never have been taken from him if he had continued to obey all the commandments of the Lord. God desires to encircle His people with His protecting arm and bless them above all other people and preserve them in purity while they remain closely connected with Him, but departing from Him brings sorrow.

The gifts were given so his reign would exalt Israel as a wise and understanding people and a light to surrounding nations. They were given so he could make the world know God and bring honor to God's name.

Wisdom's Fruit and Fame

The gift governed many years of devotion to God, uprightness, firm principle, and strict obedience to His commands, with purity and elevation of character and faithful direction of every important enterprise. It enabled the governing of the kingdom and the managing of its business matters and important affairs with exceptional and the greatest wisdom. His proverbs, songs, upright character, and obedience marked the years when he remained devoted to God.

By that wisdom he faithfully carried out the directions for constructing the most magnificent building the world ever saw. He recognized when his own nation and religion lacked the qualifications and fine skill needed, and sent away for workmen who could do justice to the responsible work. The work was ordered with God as designer and men as executors under a head leader whose directions all followed, and it was carried forward without discord or strife until stones so perfectly hewed and chiseled in the mountains came together in the building without the sound of ax or hammer.

He wrote many proverbs and composed many songs. His wisdom, knowledge, insight, power, and glorious reign became renowned throughout the world, astonished the world, and excited wonder and admiration. His fame for superior knowledge and wisdom, excellence of character, greatness of power and greatness spread among all nations, so that many came from all parts of the world to behold him and to be instructed how to conduct difficult matters. His choice of God's wisdom marked the bright beginning of his reign, whose glory drew the world's wonder.

That wisdom was more precious than the gold of Ophir. His early reign began with great promise and glory because he chose God's wisdom.

Wisdom Lost Through Apostasy

The gift of wisdom and blessing went with walking in God's way, but Solomon failed to keep his contract with God by following the promptings of his own heart, and the Lord left him to his own impulses. The added promise to lengthen his days was conditional on walking in God's ways and keeping His statutes and commandments as David his father did. God's plan was that if Solomon walked in His way His blessing would go with him with wisdom.

When in manhood he did not control his love of women and yielded principle to lustful passion and idolatry, his wives led him into idolatry and he separated himself from God the source of his strength. That wisdom was a special gift from God received when in youth he sought guidance and trusted in Him, and it was tied to preserved virtue. When it was lost he lost firmness of character and became wavering between right and wrong by yielding principle and placing himself in the current of evil.

Divinely given wisdom did not preserve him from ruin when he turned from God and relied on himself. When he turned from God as the Source of his strength and went forward relying upon himself, he fell a prey to temptation. The wisdom God had given was removed. The remarkable and marvelous powers bestowed on him as the wisest of kings only rendered him a more effective agent of evil and of Satan, the adversary of souls.

His God-given wisdom was later perverted when he turned to seek wisdom from other sources. It is not the highest wisdom, for true wisdom comes from knowing God and Jesus Christ. Though honored as thrice called the beloved of God, with wisdom and piety unexampled and pure and elevated character as the greatest king that ever wielded a scepter, he became a humiliating wreck. He built unseemly gigantic idols crowning the eminence of the Mount of Olives above the groves of myrtle and olive trees, impiously confronting the temple of God across the Jehoshaphat ravine, which remained until Josiah commanded their destruction and their broken fragments were rolled down the channel of the Kedron, leaving the shrines a mass of ruins.

Men greatly honored by God in the closing scenes of earth's history will pattern after this, yielding to Satan's temptations and disobeying His voice so God cannot give the designed blessings He designed them to have. Satan has obtained influence over such men, and through sophistries and delusive influences he will work through them to unsettle faith in past experience bearing Heaven's signature and in the testimonies. This repeats with intensified force the perils, provocation, and unbelief of past ages.

Pattern for Prayer Today

Solomon's request for a discerning heart to judge a people too great to be numbered was answered in the night with a wise and understanding heart without equal before or after, and that answer was set as a pattern prayer for everyone, high and low, rich and poor, to offer still today, since no one can fulfill his part and bear his duties and responsibilities acceptably without wisdom from above. The prayer was heard because he asked for understanding to discern judgment and right dealing rather than long life, riches, or the life of his enemies, and with the unmatched wisdom there were added riches and honor unlike any king of his days, with length of days promised on condition of walking in the divine ways and keeping statutes and commandments as his father David had walked. The blessing and wisdom went with walking in that way, but he failed to keep his covenant by following the promptings of his own heart, and was left to his own impulses.

Petitions are therefore not to rise from hearts filled with selfish aims, but to choose gifts that bring glory to God, choosing the heavenly in place of the earthly and laying up treasure in heaven that no earthly disaster can take away. True greatness does not lie in seeking knowledge in order to exalt self, but in recognizing need of divine help in order to fulfill duty faithfully and bring glory to God. Heavenly wisdom so given enables right use of entrusted talents and means without forgetting the Giver. Yet even great ability and divinely given wisdom do not remove the need for continual dependence on God and His providence, for trusting one's own wisdom leads to self-confidence.

For this reason the prayer is to be carefully studied in every particular on which depended the receiving of the rich blessings ready to be given, including unselfish asking for discernment between good and bad, pleasing God by that choice, and obedience that would have preserved prosperity and kingly influence unremoved.