Image from mentalfloss.com
Then David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David.The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned for seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established. Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David; only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt-offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.’ (1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14)
Good day dear Reader! I trust your prayers are being answered in ways that glorify God; my prayer for you is to cover you and yours with God's love and protection this day and all days! May our prayers today include teacher headed back to work and their students who are preparing or who have already returned to school. Prayers for our church's School Educators Luncheon today at First United Methodist Gonzales. We will feed over 400 people today!
I blame the two pictured above for starting something in our elementary school; at least among my friends and I: "If you found a genie's bottle and s/he offered you three wishes, what would they be?" Well, as Larry Hagman, playing Major Tony Nelson, and Barbara Eden playing a genie called Jeannie, found out, not all wishes turn out as you like. In his case, Jeannie would grant every wish. Our story today involves something like that, but first we close the book of King David for now. The Bible says that "David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David, Jerusalem. Dead. Gone. Buried. Many would say he was the greatest king that Israel ever had, including the son who followed him, Solomon. Solomon was the second child between David and Bathsheba. And to his credit, the rest of the story deals with God appearing to him and offering him a sweet deal like many a schoolboy and girl wished for in the 1960s. Let us not overlook that Solomon at that time was a very devout worshipful man, quoted above as making as many as a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord. It was in a dream that God appeared to him and asked him what God could give to him. Sorry, no three wishes. Though one of the images for wishes was a genie and a man who found his bottle and the genie asks what he wished for, and he answered "More wishes!" The genie replied, "That's not how it works!" "Okay," responds the man, "More genies!" And many genies appear.
Solomon shows his wisdom early on; he recounts the ways that God blessed his father and how God had already blessed him by making him king, and in a humble way says that his wish is for God to grant him an understanding mind to best govern God's people; with the ability to tell the difference between good and evil, especially among God's people. God is pleased with the young man's request and because of that, God grants him the understanding, discerning mind, and gives to him what others (myself included) might have wished for; riches and honor all the days of his life. And God adds, "If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life."
Not a bad deal. I should ask how we treat our prayer life. As we pray are we handing God a genie-wish list? Or, are we being faithful and practical in asking for that which allows us to best serve God? I'll give you a clue; God is pleased with the latter and not the former. Sorry, televangelists, tricks are best kept in magic shows, not false theologies. We do have the ability to ask for wisdom. We can ask for boldness. We can ask for courage, and strength, and all for the sake of doing good for God. And that pleases God and blesses us!
PRAYER: God of all wishes and hopes and dreams, thank You for the story and life of Solomon. May we have the wisdom of that great king in asking, receiving, and using that which we pray for; so that we might bless Your kingdom here on the earth. For what we already have we are thankful and for what we are about to receive we thank you and ask that we might glorify You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Be a genie today and bless someone with a wish that blesses God!
Eradio Valverde
