Ecclesiastes - Solomon, the author, part 2 - The Wise King

When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.    I Kings 3:28

God promised Solomon wisdom, riches and honor, and He quickly provided the first: wisdom. Two women approached Solomon. They had babies at the same time, and on the third day, one of the babies died. The full story is in 1 Kings 3:16-28:

 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

“During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

Two women came before Solomon. Interesting that they were prostitutes. They were arguing over whose baby died, and who would have the living baby. As a mother of four, I know that after three days, you know your baby. Even if this little bundle looks like an alien when they first hand him to you, after three days you know that child. He is yours. You know his smell, his cries, even some of his mannerisms. He is brand new, but unquestionably yours, and a part of your soul.

The first woman knew her baby had died. She stole the other baby, because while a mother may know her newborn from his noises alone, another man or woman may not be able to tell the difference between two Hebrew newborns. It was one woman’s word against another. And as prostitutes, there likely wasn’t an invested father who could identify his child. So how would you rule on who got custody on the living newborn?

Solomon knew.

The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’” Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”  1 Kings 3:23-25

Solomon knew that the true mother could not let her child be cut in two. She’d rather another woman raise him than let any harm come to him. I think of Moses’ mother. She put her son in the Nile in a basket rather than let the soldiers have him. She gave her son to Pharoah’s daughter to be raised in order to save his life. The true mother will give up everything for the safety of her child.

The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”   When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.   1 Kings 3:26-28

Solomon had a wise response to two sparring prostitutes. He was wise because God gave him wisdom. Here’s what’s amazing. We too have access to wisdom from God. James 1:5 says:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Solomon was wise because he asked God for wisdom. Let us also ask God for wisdom, because our great God promises that He will give it to us!

Eccesiastes - Solomon, the author, part 1

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem...  Ecclesiastes 1:1

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, the son of King David and his wife, Bathsheeba. Solomon introduces himself in Ecclesiastes as "the Teacher." David named him Solomon, which means peace and prosperity, but God actually named him Jedidiah. God sent word through Nathan, the prophet, that Solomon's name should instead be Jedidiah, which means beloved of the Lord. 2 Samuel 12 says that God named him this because He loved him. Is that amazing? We are all loved by God, but to actually be named ''beloved" by God through prophesy is overwhelming.

Solomon was not David's first born. He was actually the fourth son of David's eighth wife. This is significant because usually the firstborn son ruled in his father's place. Solomon was probably the 10th son. Solomon did not expect to rule. But rule he did, when his father David died. This just proves that God chooses our leaders (Romans 13:1).

Early in his reign, God appeared to Solomon in a dream. God said to Solomon,

... the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”     1 Kings 3:5

Solomon replied, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 

“Now, O 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.  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.             1 Kings 3:6-10

God asked Solomon, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!" Pretty remarkable. Imagine that God appears to you in a dream and tells you to ask Him for anything. What would you ask for? We need to look at Solomon's response and learn from him.

Solomon starts not with his request, but with thanksgiving. He thanks God for being kind not even to him, but to his father. Then he acknowledges that God placed him on the throne as King. He follows that with honesty and humility with where he is at. He calls himself "a little child" before the Lord, and asks for discernment to rule God's people. 

 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. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
   
He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.      1 Kings 3:11-15

In summary, here is what we need to learn from Solomon's prayer:
1. Begin your prayers with thanksgiving, thanking God for who He is. 
2. Acknowledge what God has done in your life and the lives of others around you. 
3. Come before the Lord with humility, realizing who you are compared to Him.
4. Make requests that will benefit others and not just yourself.
5. Enjoy the Lord's pleasure over your prayer life.
6. Expect more from God than you ask for.
7. Worship God for His answers to prayer in your life.

Now go pray like Solomon did!