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Texts -- 1 Kings 3:1-15 (NET)

Context
The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom
3:1 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh , king of Egypt ; he married Pharaoh’s daughter . He brought her to the City of David until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem . 3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places , because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord . 3:3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following the practices of his father David , except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places . 3:4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices , for it had the most prominent of the high places . Solomon would offer up a thousand burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 3:5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream . God said , “Tell me what I should give you.” 3:6 Solomon replied , “You demonstrated great loyalty to your servant , my father David , as he served you faithfully , properly , and sincerely . You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne . 3:7 Now , O Lord my God , you have made your servant king in my father David’s place , even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced . 3:8 Your servant stands among your chosen people ; they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number . 3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind so he can make judicial decisions for your people and distinguish right from wrong . Otherwise no one is able to make judicial decisions for this great nation of yours.” 3:10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request . 3:11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions , and not for long life , or riches , or vengeance on your enemies , 3:12 I grant your request , and give you a wise and discerning mind superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you. 3:13 Furthermore , I am giving you what you did not request – riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation. 3:14 If you follow my instructions by obeying my rules and regulations , just as your father David did , then I will grant you long life .” 3:15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream . He went to Jerusalem , stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant , offered up burnt sacrifices , presented peace offerings , and held a feast for all his servants .

Pericope

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Bible Dictionary

  • Solomon

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...
    [smith] (peaceful). I. Early life and occasion to the throne . --Solomon was the child of David?s old age, the last born of all his sons. (1 Chronicles 3:5) The yearnings of the "man of war" led him to give to the new-horn infant ...
    [nave] SOLOMON Son of David by Bathsheba, 2 Sam. 12:24; 1 Kin. 1:13, 17, 21. Named Jedidiah, by Nathan the prophet, 2 Sam. 12:24, 25. Ancestor of Joseph, Matt. 1:6. Succeeds David to the throne of Israel, 1 Kin. 1:11-48; 2:12; 1...

  • Micah, Book of

    [ebd] the sixth in order of the so-called minor prophets. The superscription to this book states that the prophet exercised his office in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. If we reckon from the beginning of Jotham's reign ...

  • Prayer

    [ebd] is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching t...
    [nave] PRAYER. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Answer to, Promised; Answered, Instances of Answered; Confession in; Importunity in, Instances of Importunity in; Intercessor...

  • Temple, Solomon's

    [ebd] Before his death David had "with all his might" provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chr. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chr. 3:1), on the east of the city, on the spot where ...

  • Gibeon

    [ebd] hill-city, "one of the royal cities, greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty" (Josh. 10:2). Its inhabitants were Hivites (11:19). It lay within the territory of Benjamin, and became a priest-city (18:25; 21:17)....
    [isbe] GIBEON - gib'-e-un (gibh`on): One of the royal cities of the Hivites (Josh 9:7). It was a greater city than Ai; and its inhabitants were reputed mighty men (Josh 10:2). It fell within the territory allotted to Benjamin (Josh...
    [nave] GIBEON 1. A city of the Hivites, Josh. 9:3, 17; 2 Sam. 21:2. The people of, adroitly draw Joshua into a treaty, Josh. 9. Made servants by the Israelites, when their sharp practice was discovered, Josh. 9:27. The sun stand...

  • Dream

    [ebd] God has frequently made use of dreams in communicating his will to men. The most remarkable instances of this are recorded in the history of Jacob (Gen. 28:12; 31:10), Laban (31:24), Joseph (37:9-11), Gideon (Judg. 7), and S...
    [nave] DREAM Evanescent, Job 20:8. Vanity of, Eccl. 5:3, 7. Revelations by, Num. 12:6; Job 33:15-17; Jer. 23:28; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17. The dreams of the butler and baker, Gen. 40:8-23; Pharaoh, Gen. 41:1-36. Interpreted by Jose...

  • INTERCESSION

    [isbe] INTERCESSION - in-ter-sesh'-un (pagha`, "to make intercession"; originally "to strike upon," or "against"; then in a good sense, "to assail anyone with petitions," "to urge," and when on behalf of another, "to intercede" (Ru...

  • DIVINATION

    [isbe] DIVINATION - div-i-na'-shun: 1. Definition 2. Kinds of Divination 3. Fundamental Assumption in Divination 4. Legitimate and Illegitimate Divination 5. The Bible and Divination 6. Modes of Divination Mentioned in the Bible: T...

  • Children

    [nave] CHILDREN In answer to prayer: To Abraham, Gen. 15:2-5, with Gen. 21:1, 2; Isaac, Gen. 25:21; Leah, Gen. 30:17-22; Rachel, Gen. 30:22-24; Haah, 1 Sam. 1:9-20; Zacharias, Luke 1:13. Treatment of, at birth, Ezek. 16:4-6; Luke ...

  • Communion

    [nave] COMMUNION. With God Psa. 16:7; John 14:16-18, 23; 1 Cor. 10:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 4:6; Phil. 2:1, 2; 1 John 1:3; Rev. 3:20 See: Fellowship. Instances of Enoch, Gen. 5:22, 24. Noah, Gen. 6:9, 13-22; 8:15-17...

  • WISDOM OF SOLOMON, THE

    [isbe] WISDOM OF SOLOMON, THE - || I. NAME II. CANONICITY III. CONTENTS 1. The Wisdom Section, The Wisdom of Solomon 1:1 through 11:14 2. The Historical Section, The Wisdom of Solomon 11:5 through 19:22 IV. LITERARY FORM V. UNITY A...

  • DREAM; DREAMER

    [isbe] DREAM; DREAMER - drem, drem'-er (chalom, chelem; onar): In all time dreams and their interpretation have been the occasion of much curious and speculative inquiry. Because of the mystery by which they have been enshrouded, a...

  • Longevity

    [nave] LONGEVITY. Gen. 6:3; Ex. 20:12; 1 Kin. 3:11-14; Job 5:26; Psa. 21:4; Psa. 34:11-13; Psa. 90:10; Psa. 91:16; Prov. 3:1, 2, 16; Prov. 9:11; Prov. 10:27; Isa. 65:20; 1 Pet. 3:10, 11 See: Old Age. Instances of Adam, 930 years...

  • Heart

    [ebd] According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. "Heart" and "soul" are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33)...
    [nave] HEART, seat of the affections. Renewed Deut. 30:6; Psa. 51:10; Ezek. 11:19; 18:31; 36:26; Rom. 2:29; Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:10. Regenerated, John 3:3, 7. Graciously affected of God, 1 Sam. 10:26; 1 Chr. 29:18; Ezra 6:22; 7:27;...

  • CRITICISM

    [isbe] CRITICISM - (The Graf-Wellhausen Hypothesis) I. PRELIMINARY 1. Thesis 2. Historical Perspective 3. Inspiration and Criticism II. THE LEGISLATION 1. Groups 2. Covenant Code 3. The Sanctuary 4. Kinds of Sacrifice 5. Sacrifice ...

  • Pharaoh

    [ebd] the official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time when that country was conquered by the Greeks. (See EGYPT.) The name is a compound, as some think, of the words Ra, the "sun" or "sun-god," and the article phe,...
    [isbe] PHARAOH - fa'-ro, fa'-ra-o (par`oh; Pharao); Egyptian per aa, "great house"):em; the King James Version Pharacim): One of the families of temple-servants who returned with Zerubbabel (1 Esdras 5:31; not found in Ezra or Nehe...
    [nave] PHARAOH 1. King of Egypt at the time of Abraham, Gen. 12:14-20; Psa. 105:14. 2. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the famine. See: Egypt; Israelites. 3. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the deliverance and exodus of the children ...

  • HIGH PLACE

    [isbe] HIGH PLACE - 1. General: (1) "High place" is the normal translation of bamah, a word that means simply "elevation" (Jer 26:18; Ezek 36:2, etc.; compare the use in Job 9:8 of the waves of the sea. For the plural as a proper n...

  • Wisdom

    [nave] WISDOM Of Joseph, Gen. 41:16, 25-39; Acts 7:10. Of Moses, Acts 7:22. Of Bezaleel, Ex. 31:3-5; 35:31-35; 36:1. Of Aholiab, Ex. 31:6; 35:34, 35; 36:1; of other skilled artisans, Ex. 36:2; of women, Ex. 35:26. Of Hiram, 1 K...

  • EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 3-4

    [isbe] EXODUS, THE BOOK OF, 3-4 - III. Historical Character. 1. General Consideration: The fact that extra-Israelitish and especially Egyptian sources that can lay claim to historical value have reported nothing authentic concernin...

  • AFFINITY

    [ebd] relationship by alliance (2 Chr. 18:1) or by marriage (1 Kings 3:1). Marriages are prohibited within certain degrees of affinity, enumerated Lev. 18:6-17. Consanguinity is relationship by blood.
    [isbe] AFFINITY - a-fin'-i-ti (chathan "to join one-self"): This term is used three times in the Old Testament: (1) in 1 Ki 3:1, where we read that "Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh King of Egypt", (2) in 2 Ch 18:1, where it is s...
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  • [1Ki 3:5] And Dost Thou Say
  • [1Ki 3:9] Give Me, O Lord, Right Views Of Thee

Sermon Illustrations

How do we Please God?

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 3:1-12 Horeb is another name for Sinai (v. 1). It probably indicates a range of mountains rather than a particular mountain peak. The writer called it "the mountain of God"because it was the place where God later gave the Mos...
  • The residents of the town of Gibeon decided that if they could not defeat the Israelites they would join them. This has been a strategy that enemies of believers have employed for centuries (cf. Num. 25:1-2).9:1-2 Israel is t...
  • After the process of assigning land to the three tribes mentioned above, Israel's attention turned to relocating the tabernacle in a more central location (v. 1). God undoubtedly made the choice of Shiloh (lit. rest; cf. Deut...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel's primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judg. 13-16).52There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • Should Solomon have married Pharaoh's daughter? In view of 11:1-2 and 2 Chronicles 8:1 there is no way we can say yes. Furthermore Solomon already had a wife when he married Pharaoh's daughter (14:21; cf. Gen. 2:24). Why then...
  • A tabernacle, evidently the Mosaic tabernacle, and the Mosaic tabernacle's bronze altar still stood at Gibeon (lit. little hill; 1 Chron. 16:39-40; 21:28-29; 2 Chron. 1:3, 5-6). Gibeon was one of the so-called high places whe...
  • This incident demonstrates that God did indeed give Solomon the unusual wisdom He had promised (v. 28).50The writer did not specify when during Solomon's reign this event took place, but probably it occurred shortly after God...
  • Here is more evidence that God gave Solomon wisdom (Heb. hokmah) as He had promised (3:12). He was one of the outstanding sages of the ancient world.61What Solomon received was the ability to make correct decisions. Even thou...
  • Evidently this word from the Lord came to Solomon during temple construction. Note that this was a conditional promise based on obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. God would establish Solomon's kingdom forever (i.e., it would r...
  • God responded to Solomon's dedication of himself and his nation as He had responded to David (2 Sam. 7) and to Solomon earlier (ch. 3). He offered Solomon continued blessing for continued dedication.First, God promised He wou...
  • This pericope summarizes Solomon's wealth as the previous one summarized his wisdom.God brought much wealth to Solomon, almost 25 tons of gold a year (v. 14), plus many other riches."Those who would consider his income of 666...
  • The writer's condemnation of Solomon in verses 1-2 rests on Deuteronomy 23:3-9 as well as Deuteronomy 7:3-4. The phraseology goes back to 23:3-9 and the motive to 7:3-4 (cf. Exod. 23:31-33; 34:15-16; Ezra 9:1; Neh. 13:26). So...
  • The writer of Kings referred to other ancient records (v. 41; cf. 14:19, 29). The Acts of Solomon was the first of these.120It is no longer extant.Solomon's long reign of 40 years (971-931 B.C.) ended with the king in decline...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • The Gilgal in view may have been the one between Jericho and the Jordan, or it may have been one about seven miles north of Bethel since Elijah and Elisha went down to Bethel (v. 2).10This account presupposes previous revelat...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • 72:1-4 This prayer for the ability to rule justly and righteously is similar to Solomon's request for wisdom that he voiced at the beginning of his reign (1 Kings 3:9). His references to the mountains and hills are probably m...
  • Many references to Solomon throughout the book confirm the claim of 1:1 that Solomon wrote this book (cf. 1:4-5, 12; 3:7, 9, 11; 6:12; 7:5; 8:11-12; 1 Kings 4:33). He reigned between 971 and 931 B.C.How could Solomon, who had...
  • The emphasis in this pericope is on the lack of qualified leaders and the consequent collapse of society that would result because God's people put their trust in people rather than in Him. The name "the Lord [sovereign] God ...
  • This group of prophecies begins and ends with oracles concerning the kings' duties (21:11-12; 22:1-9). In the middle is an oracle against Jerusalem (21:13-14).21:11-12 Jeremiah was to tell the king of Judah and his administra...
  • Having given a true prophecy about the future, Jeremiah proceeded to announce God's judgment on the false prophets who were misleading His people with false prophecies (cf. v. 1). This section consists of six different messag...
  • In this pericope Micah responded to God's goodness, just reviewed, as the Israelites should have responded. His was the reasonable response in view of Yahweh's loyal love for His people (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).6:6 The prophet, for ...
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