Many talk about Solomon’s request for wisdom, but I’ve never heard anyone talk about his love for God’s people or his recognition of the great responsibility placed in His hands to lead God’s people. If you really look at Solomon’s request for wisdom, it’s plain to see that he understood the magnitude of the call upon his life and the responsibility for which it carried. He realized in a sense he was holding God’s people in his hands. He realized that he was not just doing a job or serving as a king but he was an overseer of God’s people, God’s precious children, His chosen ones. The ones He had watched over and kept even through all their disobedience and mistakes, yet He loved them and cared for them anyway and was continually merciful.
We can all learn from this, especially leaders. We all as children of God have a call from God to serve God’s people in some capacity, but those of us in leadership carry a greater responsibility to love and care for God’s people as He would. Let’s learn from Solomon’s request and the cry of his heart concerning God’s people.
Solomon’s prayer in I Kings 3:9 starts out by saying, “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?” II Chronicles 1:10 records the same account but states that he asked specifically for wisdom and knowledge. They have the same meaning, but I love how I Kings reads, because he knew it was a heart issue. He knew it was about the heart. He knew he had to have his heart right before God, toward God, and toward God’s people to serve them in the capacity in which he was called to do.
Yes, I know, King Solomon made some mistakes along the way as did his father King David, but in the beginning I believe Solomon had his father’s heart. I believe David not only had a heart after God but a heart for God’s people. David had to have unreal love not only toward God but also toward His people. He loved and honored Saul in spite of what he did. He had more than one chance to kill him, but he didn’t and wouldn’t allow his men to harm him either.
We see this exact same thing with Solomon. II Chronicles 1:11-12 goes on to say, “Then God said to Solomon: ‘Because this was in your heart and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life—but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king—wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” God saw his heart. He didn’t just hear his words and his prayer. He saw and heard his sincere heart’s cry. His heart was for God and God’s people.
We should all take a moment to really search ourselves and ask ourselves some hard questions. What are we asking for? Is our heart really in serving? Are we just doing what we think everyone wants us to do or expects us to do or are we doing what we really feel called to do and have a passion in our heart to do? Is our heart right before God? Is our heart right toward God and toward His people? Do we truly have a love for God and His people or have we grown cold and are now just going through the motions?
I know these are some hard questions, but they are needed questions for all of us, especially leaders. If we want the people of God to love God and love His people, we are going to have to love God and love His people. If we want God’s people to grow and use wisdom, we are going to have to grow and use wisdom and lead with and by love and wisdom.
King Solomon led not only by wisdom but also by love. He used love to judge. One of the most talked about stories relating to Solomon was when he judged between the two mothers. One of their babies had died. They were both claiming the living baby. He ordered a sword to be brought to him to cut the baby in half, so each mother could have half of the baby. The real mother cried out for him not to do it and to give the baby to the other mother. King Solomon knew right then that she was the real mother. She had such love for her baby that she was willing to give the baby away to save it. This is true love.
Lord, help us to grow in love and wisdom. Teach us to use love and wisdom as we lead others.
Amanda Sexton