Saturday - I Kings 3 - If ANY Man Lacks Wisdom

Many, many years after the death of King Solomon, the New Testament preacher, James (the brother of Jesus) wrote, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5).  Clearly Solomon did not have the benefit of James' epistle.  Yet, he did have the same promise in the form of an offer from God.  In a dream, God presented Solomon with an opportunity to benefit greatly from His magnanimity. Instead of taking that chance to profit for himself; instead of wasting it frivolously on personal ambitions or on financial delusions, he wisely and humbly petitioned God for the gift of discernment.   What a great leader!

Solomon asked for the specific ability to "discern between good and bad" (I Kings 3:9). That sounds awfully close to what Adam and Eve gained (or lost) when they ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:5 & 22).  Notice the difference though...  the difference was discernment. Solomon didn't ask for a more thorough education in evil, he requested the ability to differentiate between the 2, especially when the moral line grew fuzzy. It was a step in the right direction... and, God was well pleased with Solomon's choice. God loved Solomon. Solomon loved God. All was well in Israel, right? Well, we shall soon see just how well things really were... or weren't.  Perhaps a better thing to evaluate than present condition, is apparent direction.