PRAY for an UNDERSTANDING HEART for DISCERNMENT!
April 7
Bible Reading: 1 Kings Chapters 1-3
PRAY for an UNDERSTANDING HEART for DISCERNMENT!
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a
dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" And
Solomon said: "Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead
of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or
come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen,
a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your
people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this
great people of Yours?" (1 Kings 3:5-9)
Solomon was
following in the footsteps of a remarkable man David (1 Kings 3:6), a man after
God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14). He was saddled with the responsibility of
leading God’s people (3:8) who had historically been stubborn, rebellious, and
hard on their leaders, even though he was young and inexperienced (3:7). He had
just ascended the throne after a messy fight with his elder brother Adonijah over
succession (1 Kings 1–2). Due to all these pressures, Solomon asked God for the
ability to “discern between good and
evil” (1 Kin. 3:9). In answer, God granted Solomon wisdom beyond any
measure that he had anticipated (1 Kin. 3:12), and added “all these things” (Matt. 6:33) like long life, honor, and great
wealth (3:13–14) as well.
Solomon “loved the Lord” (v. 3) and desired to know
the difference between good and evil so that he could make righteous judgments
using that knowledge. When Solomon
prayed for an understanding heart, he wanted to hear the voice of God and
following its lead in obedience. He also wanted to have the extraordinary
ability to listen to all sides of an issue and judge righteously through the
power of reasoning. Both qualities are needed in making good judgments, as wisdom
and justice were highly esteemed qualities for a good king in the ancient Near
East (Prov. 20:26; 21:1–3).
When Satan came
in the form of a serpent to tempt Eve, he suggested that she should eat the
forbidden fruit so that her eyes will be opened and she will be like God
knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5). The ability to discern between good and evil has
been a sought after ability from ages past and today is a sign of maturity for all believers. "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is,
those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil" (Heb 5:14).
We know that
God answered Solomon’s request in abundant measure, granting him not only an
understanding heart, but one that was wise for handling the crucial affairs of
life in a fair and skillful manner. The abilities that God gave to Solomon were
truly exceptional. Today God offers to everyone the greatest gift for which one
could possibly ask—the Lord Jesus Christ, “in
whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). Let
us pray to God that He may also grant to us an understanding heart that we too
can discern both good and evil, and make the right decisions in every step of
our life’s journey!
