Solomon's SecretsSample

WHAT DO I KNOW?

King Solomon only received his great wisdom after asking God for it (1 Kings 3), but it seems like he was born with some of it already. How he asked for wisdom points to a great gift in the making.

Socrates may have been inspired by Solomon’s request when he contributed his two cents on the secret to wisdom. “The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.” A humble heart that depended on someone greater than himself was exactly where Solomon’s journey of great wisdom started.

When God gave Solomon a chance to ask for anything, he didn’t so much ask for wisdom as to admit that he knew nothing. “Now, O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around" (1 Kings 3:7, NLT). Solomon was only able to ask for wisdom because he understood how much he needed it.

In the New Testament, Jesus affirms King Solomon’s number one secret to wisdom. “At that time, Jesus prayed this prayer: ‘O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike’” (Matthew 11:25, NLT). True wisdom is only for those who depend on God for every inch of knowledge.

In which area of your life do you feel that you have a gift of wisdom? How much do you depend on God for guidance in that area?

Let us start at the best place when we look for wisdom, by acknowledging our dependence on God. Let our wisdom be rooted in humble reliance on the only true source. “This is what the Lord says: ‘Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches’” (Jeremiah 9:23, NLT).

“The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces” (Proverbs 10:8, NLT).