An Understanding Heart

“And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.” I Kings 3:7-10

Solomon was called upon to follow in his father’s footsteps at a young age. No doubt, King David had groomed Solomon to take over the kingdom; but in the very short time since he had ascended his father’s throne, Solomon had been required to handle some very sensitive situations and make some extremely difficult decisions. He managed to quell an attempt on the throne by one of his brothers, which led him to the point not only of having his brother put to death, but also of executing the most powerful general in his army and removing the high priest from office. However, the most daunting task still lay ahead of him, which was building a permanent temple in Jerusalem to replace the tabernacle that Moses had built in the wilderness. This was the place where the Israelites would come to meet with God, and it must be completed to perfection. When asked what he wanted, Solomon requested that God give him an understanding heart. Do you have the wisdom you need? All you have to do is ask! (See James 1:5.)