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1 Kings 3:1-15 | Bible Study

Solomon Asks for Wisdom

Solomon's Dream

After the drama of the first two chapters, the story in 1-2 Kings takes a turn in 1 Kings 3.

1 Kings 3:1-15 is a famous story. Solomon asks God for wisdom when he is given a blank check.

As a result, God granted Solomon's request and promised to give him unrivaled wealth.

The story is not so simple, however. When we look closely at the details in the story, we discover some interesting insights.

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1 Kings 3:1-15 (my translation) and highlights

1 Now Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He took Pharaoh’s daughter and he brought her to the city of David until he finished building his house and the house of the Lord and the wall surrounding Jerusalem. 2 Only the people were offering sacrifices at the high places because a house for the name of the Lord had not yet been built in those days. 3 Solomon loved the Lord by walking in the statutes of David his father; except he made sacrifices and incense at the high places.

4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there because that was the great high place. Solomon offered up a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 The LORD appeared to Solomon at Gibeon in a dream at night. And God said, “Ask what I should give to you?”

6 And Solomon said, “You have done great steadfast love with your servant David, my father, because he walked before you in truth and in righteousness and with an upright heart with you. You have kept for him this great steadfast love and you gave to him a son who sits on his throne to this day. 7 Now O LORD, my God. You have made your servant king in the place of David my father but I am a small boy. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people who you chose—a numerous people who cannot be numbered and are to numerous to count. 9 So give a listening heart to your servant to judge your people to understand between good and evil for who is able to judge your heavy people.”

10 Now the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord because Solomon asked this thing.

11 And God said to him, “Because you asked this thing and you did not ask for yourself to have many days and you did not ask for yourself to be wealthy and you did not ask for the throat of your enemies but you asked for understanding to hear justice 12 I will do according to your word. I will give to you a heart of wisdom and understanding. No one like you has ever existed before you and after you, no one will rise like you. 13 Also, what you did not ask I will give to you: wealth and glory which there will not be like you a man among the kings all of your days. 14 If you will walk in my ways keeping my statutes and my commands just like David your father walked then I will lengthen your days.”

15 Then Solomon woke up and it was a dream. Then he went into Jerusalem and he stood before the ark of the covenant of God and he made burnt offerings and he made peace offerings and he made a feast for all of his servants.

Solomon Marries Pharaoh's Daughter?

If you are reading quickly through 1 Kings, you may not catch the significance of Solomon’s marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter. When you slow down, however, you notice something really interesting.

The story we are about to read is amazing. Solomon encounters God in a dream. Instead of asking for wealth or security, Solomon asks the Lord for wisdom. God is so impressed with Solomon’s choice that he gives Solomon unrivaled wisdom plus all the wealth he could ever imagine. This scene is unmistakably positive.

While Solomon’s encounter with the Lord is positive, the opening verses of 1 Kings 3 set it in a larger context.

Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter.
The people sacrificed at high places
Solomon sacrificed at high places too

These verses foreshadow major problems for Solomon and the people of Israel in the book. Solomon’s heart will be drawn to worship other gods through his foreign wives. The people will struggle with idolatry throughout the book.

Solomon's Wish and God's Response

After God essentially grants Solomon a wish, Solomon gives a remarkable speech. He describes how God has been faithful to the two great covenants he made with his people.

First, God promised to give David an everlasting kingdom through his descendants (2 Sam 7). Solomon suggests that God has done just that by placing him on the throne.

Second, Solomon describes the people as too numerous to count to refer back to God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen 15:5). The people are too numerous to count just like God promised Abraham.

Solomon ends his speech by acknowledging his inability to lead the people apart from God’s help. He asks for the ability to judge the Israelites wisely.

God’s response to Solomon is unequivocally positive. He grants Solomon’s request and promises to give him unrivaled wealth.

The Lord does set one condition, however. If Solomon wants to enjoy a long life, he must follow the Lord just like his father did. The narrator, however, has already given us a clue in the first three verses that this will not be so easy for Solomon (1 Kings 3:1-3).

Solomon's Worship

When Solomon wakes up from his dream, he solidifies his choice with an act of worship. At the beginning of the passages, we learn that Solomon offered sacrifices at the high places. After Solomon’s encounter with the Lord, he goes to Jerusalem and offers sacrifices before the ark of the covenant.

The change in location indicates the purity and sincerity of Solomon’s worship and commitment to the Lord.

Summary

1 Kings 3:1-15 is a famous passage. As we have seen while working through 1 Kings 1-2, however, these stories are more interesting than first meets the eye.

If you know this story, it’s likely because you’ve heard that Solomon gets great wisdom from God. Having looked more closely at the passage hopefully, you can see what the narrator is trying to accomplish.

Solomon’s encounter with God is overwhelmingly positive. He correctly asks for wisdom. He appropriately recognizes God’s faithfulness to the Davidic and Abrahamic covenants.

Solomon’s piety in the dream, however, must be set in the larger context. He is married to Pharaoh’s daughter and he (and the people) make sacrifices at the high places. Both of these issues will come back to plague Israel throughout the story.

After his dream with God, however, Solomon’s worship is pure. He does not go back to the high places. Instead, he goes to the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem and offers sacrifices.

As readers, we must ask two questions. First, how long Solomon’s pure worship will last? Second, what will Solomon do with this newly given wisdom?

Recommended Resources

This blog post is a part of the Passage of the Week. Join the email list to get guided study notes sent to your inbox every Monday and Friday.

Check out the notes for this passage here and here.

Here are a couple of commentaries you might find helpful on the book of Kings.

Wray Beal, Lissa M. 1 & 2 Kings. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Leithart, Peter J. 1 & 2 Kings. Grand Rapids, Mich: Brazos Press, 2006.

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