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Daily Devotions for the Advent and Christmas Seasons
Thursday, December 31
1 Kings 3:5-14
by Doreen Der-McLeod
This passage comes after Solomon was anointed to succeed his father, David, and after he had successfully eliminated his half brother, Adonijah, who challenged Solomon’s succession to the throne. God comes in a dream and tells Solomon to ask something of him and he will grant it. Of all the things he could have asked for, what Solomon chooses to ask God for is “an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.” Solomon knew he did not have sufficient experience to govern the kingdom he had inherited, and he knew that David, his father, was shown favor because of his faithfulness to God.
Given the difficult times we live in, when there are so many conflicts in every part of our world, we need the leaders and rulers who govern the many nation states to have understanding hearts today. In his youth, Solomon was able to acknowledge his lack of experience and wisdom to rule a diverse nation with numbers too vast to count. Wouldn’t our own country be a lot less polarized if we each prayerfully made the same request of God to give us an understanding heart?
Notice that for Solomon, the crux of judgment is an understanding heart. It’s not simply knowing who is right and wrong. It’s looking at each situation and each conflict with an understanding heart. To me this means that before we rush to judgment, we should first try to understand the other person’s situation and try to see things from their point of view. This is easier said than done. Solomon must already have been fairly wise for his age that he would ask God for the gift of wisdom.
Prayer
Lord, we make judgments every day about the people we encounter. Help us discern whether we are making these judgments solely on our own limited experience and expectations. Give us the patience to look afresh at situations, and grant us the wisdom to understand people better. Open our hearts to new understandings. Amen.