Ask for Wisdom to Discern Good and Evil

1 Kings 3:1-15
    1 Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter; then he brought her to the City of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall all around Jerusalem. 2 Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”
    6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 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?”
    10 The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. 14 So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
    15 Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.

King Solomon was given the chance by the LORD to ask for what his heart desired.  He first had made peace with Egypt, built a palace, but had not yet built the LORD’s house.  This offer to ask God was open ended; there were no limits or lost of things Solomon had to choose from, and the ask was made in a dream after Solomon had offered sacrifices to Him.  The king wisely asked for wisdom and not riches or power; he remembered God’s mercy to his father because he was a man after God’s own heart, and desired as his heir to have guidance to rule righteously.  He therefore asked for understanding wisdom to discern good and evil that he might judge rightly.  This was not a grab to usurp God for the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17), but a reliance for God to teach him these things (Hebrews 5:14) and exercise them as enabled by the LORD God in practice.  Because Solomon asked for wisdom to rule justly and righteously with reliance on Him as the source of wisdom, God not only endowed him with such wisdom unmatched by all but Himself (Matthew 12:42) come among us to live in the flesh (John 1:14).  He did not ask for himself, or for victory over his enemies, or for great riches.  God honored this desire to serve His people well and glorify Him with such wisdom and piled those riches and honor upon him as tangible grace.  He was only commanded to continue in walking according to God’s word and ways as he had been doing.  When Solomon awoke from this spiritual dream, he immediately went to the place of sacrifice to worship and celebrate with all who served him as a way to begin serving the LORD of hosts as promised.  We see that God can use dreams at times to reveal His promises and understanding, but the most and vitally important lesson here is the example of the desire for us to want God by His Holy Spirit to teach us how to live (Isaiah 30:21, Romans 8:14).  He desires that we yearn for this by learning to rely on Him in is to understand and choose between good and evil in serving others for His glory, honor, and praise, not by repeating the original sin of taking wisdom upon ourselves and our own supposed reasoning apart from the certain truths and guidance of His word by His indwelling Spirit of truth (John 16:13).  Let us therefore ask in humility and dependence on the Lord for wisdom to know the difference between good and evil in our own lives and for judgment and service of His people to His glory.  As Hebrews 12:28 tells us, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”