remarks on Solomon’s request

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.”And Solomon said…give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 1 Kings 3:5-10

It is very common to speak of this passage and say Solomon asked for wisdom, and because he asked for that instead of health or wealth he received those also. While that is partially true, it misses a vital piece of the puzzle.

Solomon doesn’t actually ask for ‘wisdom’ but rather ” an understanding mind to govern your people.” So rightfully ‘an understanding mind’ can easily be translated as wisdom, but that isn’t where the request ends. The understanding or wisdom is for a specific purpose, to govern your [God's] people. Our gifts need always be thought of in the context of what they can do for others.

I would argue that God’s isn’t pleased with Solomon’s request for wisdom in-itself but rather the other oriented focus of the request. The King is making a request for his people. He sees the need he has to make good decisions for the people, so he is asking God for help in his work. Furthermore he frames his work as being centered solely with God exalting characteristics. If you look at the original passage, I edited out much of the passage where Solomon is praising God.

So the point is that God loves to grant our requests for help in doing his work, and he loves it so much that when our heart is in the right place other riches will be added unto us. This isn’t a prosperity text ask for wisdom so you can get wealth, but rather when we have our hearts centered on God’s work he will take care of us and even bless us even further than necessary.