I Kings 3.5-12: At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright
Now, LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.
For who is able to govern this great people of yours?
The Lord was pleased that
Solomon had asked for this.
So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked.
I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
Luke 12.27-31: "Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you--you of little faith!
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Big Names in the Bible, pt 7
Solomon is famous for many reasons
Israel saw its greatest size during his reign
He built the LORD's temple
I Kings
5 - 9
The remnants of this temple exist today
It's even popular on the History channel
Our study starts with one of the great passages of Scripture
I Kings 3.9a: So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.
stories of the riches hidden under the temple found by the Knights Templar note the humility in this young Solomon

I Kings 4.29-30: God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore.
Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the
East, and greater than all the wisdom of
Egypt.
Much of Solomon
’s story flows from this
The two women and the baby
I Kings 3
The visit by the Queen of
Sheba
I Kings 10
I Kings 10.6-9: She said to the king,
"The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.
Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.
How happy your people must be!
How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom!
Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.
Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness."
All of this makes Solomon appear wonderful ….
But this story does not have a happy ending notice there is a duty here: he is not simply king by right, but has role responsibilities

I Kings 11.1-4: King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter--Moabites,
Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and
Hittites.
They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites,
"You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods."
I Kings 11.7-8: On a hill east of
Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of
Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites.
Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the
LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
so his love for these wives trumped his love for
God
He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
How could a man so smart be so dumb ?
He did not fail in wisdom but in willpower here is the very heart of the story
I Kings brags about worldly riches not heavenly ones
I Kings 10

Luke 12.27-31: "Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
here is Jesus' response to Solomon
And just as God had promised, there were consequences all the wisdom in the world fails if you get your priorities wrong
I Kings 11.29-33: About that time
Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, … this is what the
LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of
Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes.
this was the beginning of the end for the worldly Israel
But for the sake of my servant
David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of
Israel, he will have one tribe.
I will do this because they have forsaken me … and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.
We have two lessons for today:
First, knowing is not the same as living
Second, our choices affect others, for good or ill

Solomon Big Names in the Bible, pt 7
10/19/14 OT: I Ki 3.5-12; NT: Lk 12.27-31
Solomon is famous for many reasons:
Israel saw is g______________ size during his reign
He built the LORD's t______________
I Kings 5-9
Our study starts with one of the g ______________
Passages of Scripture
I Kings 3.9a; I Kings 4.29-30
Much of Solomon's story flows from this
The two women and the b______________
I Kings 3
The visit by the Queen of S______________
I Kings 10.6-9
All of this makes Solomon appear wonderful,
But this story does not have a h ______________ ending
I Kings brags about worldly riches, not h______________ ones
I Kings 10; Luke 12.27-31
How could a man so s____________ be so d____________?
I Kings 11.1-4; I Kings 11.7-8
He did not fail in w______________, but in w______________
As God had promised, there were c______________
I Kings 11.29-33
We have two lessons for today:
First, knowing is not the same as l______________
Second, our choices a______________others for good or ill
Application:
How many of us would pray (or do) pray for riches rather than wisdom? How does that change our view of the world?
Does the difference between wisdom and willpower make sense to you? Can you come up with examples of this difference in what you've seen in your self or others?
Reread Luke 12.27-31. Where are your riches?