1 Kings 3 | Desiring Divine Wisdom

March 7th, 2025
by Pastor Christopher Rich

We live in foolish times. We live in an age with technology able to deliver nearly every piece of information humanity has ever possessed with a quick search. We have social media able to connect us with nearly every person alive in some capacity. Yet we are undeniably more divided, disconnected, and arguably dumber than ever.

Worldviews, religions, philosophies, and political parties are colliding and competing for supremacy. Education often looks less like training for wise, practical, and productive living and more like indoctrination of fashionable ideologies for the purpose of activism. Trust in institutions, especially media and government, has plummeted to historic lows.

We “question everything” yet seldom arrive at satisfactory answers. More information has given us less clarity and made our paths cloudier. We look for life hacks, follow fad diets and workouts. We elevate podcasters, professors, and influencers as modern-day sages and gurus. Yet we remain frustrated when our folly leads us farther from flourishing.

It can feel like we are marooned on a raft in the middle of an ocean. There is water all around us but none of it can quench our deepest thirst. We are so starved for wisdom we will consume anything that promises to provide a moment of satiation. We need something truly better.

Eternal Wisdom in Foolish Times – While life can be a wilderness journey, there is a deep unending well of eternal wisdom to both refresh our weary soul and guide us towards a flourishing and satisfying life. We are not a cosmic accident, purposeless beings, and we are not left alone to navigate life apart from the wisdom and instruction of our Creator. God is the source of ALL that is true, wise, just, and good. Because He is wise, powerful, and good, when we are in communion with Him, we seek to align with His wisdom, ways, and will. We should turn away from worldly foolishness and folly, divorced from God goodness, and embrace new life rooted in the eternal wisdom and everlasting mercy of God. One of the great sources of biblical wisdom are the writings of King Solomon found in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. The origin of his wisdom is more than his experience, it is explicitly divine.

Part I | Desire Divine Wisdom | 1 Kings 3:1-15

In 1 Kings 3:1-15 we read the narrative of the Lord appearing to Solomon in a dream very early in his reign as King of Israel. Solomon is in a place and posture of intentional worship and God engages by encouraging Solomon by asking “what shall I give you?” Solomon, who has been raised by a King, received a legacy of faith from his father, educated, and installed at a young age with great authority over the nation, responds with great humility and awareness of what he does not possess, namely wisdom. Not knowing “How to go out our come in.” he rightly recognizes He is completely lost with the Lord’s guidance and direction. More than desiring wisdom for wisdom’s sake, Solomon explicitly asks for “understanding” in governing/leading God’s people and for discernment in knowing what is good and evil to apply godly wisdom for the benefit of God’s people. His request is not self-serving, but others focused. Wisdom received is wisdom that blesses.

Humility and selflessness lead to honor and satisfaction. God’s response to Solomon is to lavish him with wisdom like “none before” or “after” and promises to provide him with great prosperity and long flourishing life. This divinely bestowed wisdom equipped Solomon to navigate his life of leadership leading to unprecedented national prominence, wealth, and security for the nation of Israel. Godly wise leaders lead to flourishing and prosperity for the people they lead. Solomon also wrote extensively in Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes to impart wisdom for godly living in marriage, leadership, money, work, relationships, education, parenting, sexuality, and other topics to generations in perpetuity.

PART II | Wisdom Received => Wisdom Applied | 1 Kings 3:16-28
Wisdom Received is Wisdom Applied. Wisdom not applied is wisdom ignored- Solomon has asked for and received divine godly wisdom to lead and bless his people. Nearly immediately it is put to the test as he is to judge a tragic situation between two prostitutes who have both give birth. One’s son died tragically while the other lived yet they dispute whose child is the living one. Solomon proposed the son be cut in half and each mother receive half a body. The one who was stricken with grief over loss agrees because if she cannot have him no one can, while the true mother would rather give up her son than see him killed. Solomon was able to shrewdly determine who was the true mother.

The wisdom of God is more than just instruction of what “works best” but ultimately what is “right” and “good”. When it is rejected, the result is folly, strife, and ultimately death. When its embraced and rightly applied it leads to life, flourishing and justice for God’s people. This chapter reminds us that all the wisdom literature in the Bible written by Solomon was the best words of a great man but the Word of our Great God.

*Series Note: I am currently in a Masters in Applied Leadership program at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. In our Bible Survey class we are to select a chapter from our assigned weekly reading to mediate on and write a brief devotional. These blog posts are adapted from these weekly assignments.