All of the angels in heaven must have stood in silence when God spoke to Solomon and said, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you" (3:5). How would he answer? It's as though he was given the equivalent of a divine blank check! What amount would he ask for? What would he ask God to do for him?
As Solomon considered the question, he looked deep inside and felt an overwhelming sense of ineptness. "How could I rule such a vast number of God's people?" he thought. With that in mind, he asked for wisdom - and received it! And, boy did he receive it! In fact, in our reading today, we read that "God gave Solomon great wisdom" and "knowledge too vast to be measured." His wisdom was so stunning, that it gave him the ability to speak with great authority on all kinds of plants, animals, birds, reptiles, and fish. He was even capable of composing more than 3000 proverbs and 1000 songs! The Bible says that "kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon."
You may not realize it, but God gave YOU a divine blank check too! In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus threw out a powerful statement and said, "Keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for...For everyone who asks, receives..." Just like Solomon, God is offering you the same question - "What do you want? Ask, I will give it to you." If you ask for wisdom, He may not give you the same amount of wisdom that He gave to Solomon because of how the circumstances between you and Solomon are vastly different. Nevertheless, He will give you wisdom! God wants to give you things, because He enjoys giving you things! Just as parents enjoy giving their children things at Christmas time, God enjoys the giving of gifts to us as well.
What are you asking God for right now? In the book of James 1:5, James says "If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask Him, and He will gladly tell you." He goes on to say in 4:2 - "...Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it."
God, like Solomon, has given you a divine blank check. What will you ask Him for?
The grand Temple is built! Some 480 years after Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, King Solomon begins construction on one of the greatest and most magnificent structures to have ever been built - Solomon's Temple. Really, it was God's Temple, but it is referred to today as Solomon's Temple due to the fact that he oversaw the construction of it and was Israel's king at the time! Here is a picture that might help explain chapter 6 and the beauty of the Temple:
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