Category: 2 Chronicles

The little boy who never grew up.  Kind of sounds like Peter Pan, doesn’t it?

It also describes Joash, unfortunately. 

Raised and mentored by Jehoiada the priest, Joash served the Lord for the first part of his life.  He even confronted Jehoiada and the priests when they failed to restore the temple as he had commanded.

But then something happened.  Jehoiada died. 

The one who had guided Joash all his life was gone. 

Jehoiada had done all he could for Joash, and Joash was now in a position to take all that he had learned and put it to good use as he ruled over Judah.

But he didn’t.

Instead, shortly after Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah came to him and turned his heart away from the Lord. 

Soon, they abandoned the temple of God which they had restored just a short time before, and they started worshiping false gods.

And if that weren’t bad enough, when God sent Jehoiada’s son Zechariah to warn Joash to turn from his sin, Joash had him killed, not remembering the kindness that Jehoiada had showed Joash all those years.

As a result, God’s judgment came upon Judah. 

God delivered Judah into the hands of the Arameans even though Judah had them outnumbered. 

When the Arameans finally left, Joash was severely injured, and shortly thereafter, was assassinated by his own officials. 

Ironically, while Jehoiada was buried with the kings of Judah, Joash was not.

What happened?  Joash never really grew up.  He never learned to put his full trust in God. 

Instead, he relied on men. 

When the men he relied on were good like Jehoiada, he did what was good. 

When the men he relied on were evil, he did evil. 

And in the end, it cost him.

How about us?  Who is our mentor?  Who do we trust?  Who do we rely on? 

There comes a time in all of our lives when we need to grow up.  The godly people in our lives will not be with us forever. 

And when they leave us, we need to learn to grow up.  To put our trust not in men or women, but in God alone.

Let us learn to put our hands into the hand of the living God and to put our full trust in him alone.

I wish sometimes that the Israelites had been a bit more creative in naming their children.  It gets a little confusing to keep track of sometimes. 

First you have Ahaziah, king of Israel, and Joram (short for Jehoram) his brother taking over for him when he died. 

Then in Judah, you have another man named Jehoram/Joram who becomes king, and when he dies, his son, another man named Ahaziah, takes over as king. 

So in two nations, at just about the same time, you have two kings named Jehoram/Joram and two kings named Ahaziah.

Anyway, enough of that rant. 

To be clear, these passages talk not of Jehoram/Joram, king of Israel with whom Elisha had much contact with, but of Jehoram/Joram of Judah, with whom Elisha had little, if any contact with.

This Jehoram was the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 

But unlike his father, he did not follow after God with his whole heart. 

The trouble probably started with who he married, a woman named Athaliah, who was the daughter of Ahab. 

I mentioned in an earlier blog the problem with allying yourself with ungodly people, and it finds its culmination here.

When Jehoshaphat died, Jehoram immediately decided to kill all his brothers to make sure they wouldn’t try to take his throne. 

One wonders if he wasn’t prompted in this by Athaliah, who showed a similar ruthlessness after Jehoram’s son Ahaziah died.

She apparently was also the one who led Jehoram into idol worship. (2 Chronicles 21:6; 2 Kings 8:18)

For the sake of David, God wasn’t willing to destroy the dynastic line, but he did bring discipline into Jehoram’s life, trying to get him to see the error of his ways. 

Edom and Libnah both revolted against the Israelites, because, “Jehoram had forsaken the Lord.”  (2 Chronicles 21:10)

In fact, Jehoram came perilously close to dying and had to be broken out of a situation where he was surrounded by the Edomites. 

Despite this near-death situation, he still didn’t repent.

God then played his final card in order to get Jehoram to repent:  a letter from Elijah the prophet.

While the book of Kings writes extensively about Elijah and Elisha, you only see Elijah’s name once in Chronicles, and Elisha is never mentioned at all. 

But this one time has stirred up all kinds of controversy. 

It seems from the chronology set up by Kings that Elijah had already been taken to heaven by this time. 

How is it then that Jehoram received this letter from Elijah?

As is often the case, nobody really knows, but there are a lot of theories. 

I’ve read one theory that Elijah wasn’t really whisked away to heaven, but was taken somewhere quiet to live out his retirement. He then sent this last letter out to Jehoram at God’s prompting. 

I don’t think I buy this, but it’s an interesting theory. 

Another theory is that these things weren’t written chronologically.

Under that theory, Elijah still had not ascended into heaven when Jehoram took sole possession of the throne.

Still another theory is that God told Elijah what would happen. So before Elijah was taken away, he wrote a letter and gave it to one of his disciples to deliver to Jehoram at the proper time.

Considering that Elisha was able in great detail to see what Hazael would do in the future, I see no reason why Elijah wouldn’t be able to do the same for Jehoram. 

For that matter, both Cyrus and Josiah were specifically mentioned by name and their actions written about years before they were born.  (Isaiah 44:28-45:1; 1 Kings 13:2)

If we truly believe these were prophesies (and I do), what Elijah did would’ve been a piece of cake.

At any rate, whatever the case may be, Jehoram received this warning, apparently from the grave. 

It should’ve been enough to shock anyone into repentance.  But Jehoram didn’t, and God passed judgment on him. 

Jehoram died a terrible, painful death, and when he died, it was “to no one’s regret.” (2 Chronicles 21:20).

What can we get from this? 

God, because of his promises, often shows patience and mercy to us when we sin and turn from him. 

He will give us warnings and allow difficult circumstances in our lives to try to get us to turn back to him. 

But if we refuse to listen, judgment will come. 

I’m not saying you will lose your salvation.  But you will not simply get away with your actions.  God will not allow it. 

And judgment can be a most painful thing.

Let us not ignore the warnings and discipline of God in our lives. 

Rather, as the writer of Hebrews puts it, let us “submit to the Father of our spirits and live.” 

For “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.”  (Hebrews 12:9, 10)

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that’s important.”

Very cliche, perhaps, but also very true.  And it’s exemplified in the life of Asa, king of Judah. 

He had a very good start to his reign as king.  It says in 2 Chronicles 14:2,

Asa did good and right in the sight of the Lord his God.

He tore down all the pagan altars and ordered all the people to worship God, as the Israelites had done in the beginning. 

With God’s blessing, he made Judah strong. And at a time when Judah was under attack by a superior army, he put his trust in God, and God delivered him.

At this, God spoke through a man named Azariah to encourage Asa in what he was doing.  He said,

Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you when you are with Him.

And if you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you…

Be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.  (2 Chronicles 15:2,7)

Asa took all this to heart, and he went on to remove all the pagan idols from the land. He even went so far as to depose his own grandmother as queen mother because she was an idol worshiper.

Everything was going well.  And then it all fell apart.  Why?  Three things.

First, he stopped putting his trust in God.  Rather he trusted in his own wisdom and strength. 

The king of Israel, Baasha, boosted by a treaty he made with the king of Aram, Ben-Hadad, attacked Judah. 

Instead of trusting in God as he had done before, however, he made a treaty with Ben-Hadad to turn against Baasha.

In doing so, he gave away not only his own gold and silver, but also the gold and silver from the temple which rightfully belonged to God. 

Asa’s ploy worked, but God was not pleased.  And that led to the second problem.

Asa refused to listen to reproof when he was wrong. 

God sent a prophet named Hanani to rebuke Asa for his treaty with Ben-Hadad. 

Hanani reminded Asa of how God had helped him against superior forces before. He then concluded by saying that Asa had acted foolishly and would face wars from other fronts from that time on.

What was Asa’s response?  He got so angry that he threw Hanani in prison. 

Perhaps it was out of his anger at God’s word that he then started to brutally oppress the people.

Finally, he refused to repent, even when God’s discipline came. 

Late in his life, Asa got some kind of foot disease, but he was still so upset with God that it says,

Even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.  (2 Chronicles 16:12)

How about you?  Are you stumbling in your relationship with God after a good start? 

Let us not repeat the mistakes of Asa. 

Let us put our trust in God, in good times and bad. 

Let us always have ears to listen, even when God tells us things we don’t want to hear. 

And let us have hearts that are quick to repent. 

As Hanani told Asa,

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.   (2 Chronicles 16:9)

May your heart be completely his.

If you look at the Chronicles description of Abijah, you would think that he was a pretty good king. 

He sure sounded good in his speech to Jeroboam before their battle, and God did help the people of Judah defeat an army that was much bigger than theirs.

But when you look at the account of Kings, you find that Abijah was hardly a model king.  It says,

He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 

Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. (1 Kings 15:3-4)

What sins did his father Rehoboam commit? 

The main thing was idol worship.  So although it sounds in his speech in Chronicles that Abijah was fully committed to God, in reality, he had only a half-heart towards God. 

The reason God delivered Judah that day was not because Abijah was a great king, but because his forefather David had been whole-hearted after God. 

And for David’s sake, God rescued Judah.

Perhaps another reason God delivered Judah that day was that Israel was following a king that had no heart for God. 

Jeroboam had turned his back on God even though he knew it was God who had given him his position, and despite the warnings that were given him by the man of God in chapter 13 of 1 Kings.

Finally, Chronicles says that on the day of the battle, God helped the people of Judah because they relied on the Lord. 

Perhaps God was trying to show Abijah and the people just how much he would bless them if they would only seek him whole-heartedly all the time. 

But unfortunately, they refused.

How about you?  What kind of heart do you have for God? 

Do you have no heart for God despite his love for you?  If you continue to live this way, like Jeroboam, you will be judged for that attitude. 

Do you have a half-heart for God?  God likes that even less.  

In the book of Revelation, he told the people in Laodicea,

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other! 

So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16)

Let us not be like Abijah and Jeroboam.  Rather let us be like David. 

David wasn’t perfect.  The book of Kings makes specific mention of that (1 Kings 15:5).

But because he sought God with all his heart, God forgave his sin and kept his hand of blessing on David.

Whole heart.  Half heart.  No heart. 

Which will you choose to have?

King Solomon wrote about how vain it can be trying to build up your estate and your business because you don’t know what will happen when you die. 

The person following in your footsteps may be a fool and destroy all that you worked so hard to build up.  (Ecclesiastes 2:18-21).

How little did he know that his son Rehoboam would prove that very point. 

After Solomon died, the people came to Rehoboam and said, “Your father treated us harshly.  But if you treat us better than he did, then we will serve you.”  (1 Kings 12:4)

Rehoboam turned to his father’s advisors and asked them what to do.  They replied,

If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.  (1 Kings 12:7)

Very good advice.  In fact, their advice mirrored the words of Jesus when he said,

You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 

Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  (Mark 10:42-45)

But Rehoboam didn’t like their answer. 

You notice in this passage that it wasn’t just that there were two competing pieces of advice, and he just happened to choose the wrong one. 

Rather, advice was given and he didn’t like it, so he rejected it out of hand. 

He then turned to people who he knew would give him advice he liked.  He turned to the friends he grew up with. 

And they told him, “Oh don’t listen to the people.  Show them who’s boss!  Tell them if they thought your dad was rough, they haven’t seen anything yet!” (1 Kings 12:10-11)

And that’s what Rehoboam did.  But by listening to only what he wanted to hear, he lost most of his kingdom.

Later, to his credit, he did listen to the prophet Shemaiah who warned him not to attack the Israelites who had broken away from his kingdom. 

But it was too late.  The damage was already done.

There are times when people tell us things we don’t want to hear.  We know in our hearts that they’re right, but we don’t want to hear it. 

What do we do in that situation? 

Do we reject what they say out of hand? 

Or do we take in what they say, hard though it may be, and let it change us?

It’s a difficult pill to take sometimes.  It can be very bitter.

But if we are willing to take in that pill, it can make our lives healthier and much more fruitful as well.

But if we only hear what we want to hear, it can lead to disaster. 

Rehoboam listened only to what he wanted to hear and he lost almost everything as a result.

May we be humble enough to listen not only to what we want to hear, but what we don’t want to hear as well.

Is God punishing me?  Sometimes when people are going through tough times in life, they ask that question.

Actually, I think that most of the time, we bring hard times on our own selves.  The hard times we go through are often the natural consequences of what we do. 

As Paul writes, “You reap what you sow.”  (Galatians 6:7)

I do believe that sometimes God brings hard times in our lives when we turn our backs on him. 

But when God does so, his ultimate goal is to bring good into our lives through the hard times in our lives.  That we would turn our backs on our sin, and turn back to him.

And God did bring discipline into Solomon’s life through internal strife (Jeroboam) and external strife (Hadad and Rezon). 

But look at God’s own words about the discipline he brought into Solomon’s life.

In speaking to David, he said,

I will be [Solomon’s] father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 

But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.  (2 Samuel 7:14-16)

Here God tells David, I will punish Solomon if he gets out of line.  But…my love will never be taken from him.

Further, he says in 1 Kings 11:39,

I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.

I think there’s two things to notice here. 

First, God disciplines us when we sin, but if we repent, he will not hold that sin over us forever.

As David wrote,

He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever.  (Psalm 103:9)

Second, he will never, ever stop loving us no matter what we do.

Maybe you’re feeling like God’s punishing you for something wrong you did.  Maybe he is. 

But remember that he only disciplines us for our good.  Remember that he’s not a vengeful God, just waiting to blast you for every mistake you make or sin you commit. 

Rather, he loves you.  And he only wants the best for you.

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.

For what son is not disciplined by his father?  If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.

Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it.

How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.  (Hebrews 12:5-11)

How do the people see you?  What do they hear about you?

Solomon is an example for us all, when it comes to this. 

When people spoke of him, they spoke of his great wisdom.  So much so, that the queen of Sheba came to visit him and test him, to see if what she had heard was true.

And after she had visited with him, she said,

The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true.  But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes.

Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard.

How happy your men must be! How happy your officials, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 

Praise be to the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel.

Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.  (1 Kings 10:6-9)

What did she see in Solomon? 

She saw his wisdom of course.  She saw how God had blessed him. 

But more than that, she saw God in Solomon.

And that’s what people should see in us: God’s wisdom, his blessing, and God himself in us. 

Would only that other people say the same kind of things to us.

“I heard about you, and you are so much wiser and blessed than even I had heard. 

How happy your family must be! 

How happy the people at your office must be! 

How happy the people in your church and neighborhood must be to have you in their lives.”

I’m not saying of course, that all people will love you even if you are the perfect Christian. 

Jesus himself was perfect, but there were still people who hated him. 

But for people who have open hearts to God, they should be attracted to him through you.  Are they?

Solomon had everything.  Wealth, power, wisdom, everything he could’ve wanted. 

And God told him that as long as he and his descendants followed him with all their hearts and obeyed him, their dynasty would continue forever.

More, he promised that his eyes and heart would always be there with the temple Solomon had built.

But God warned him,

“But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. 

Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.

And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 

People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them–that is why the Lord brought all this disaster on them.’ ”  (1 Kings 9:6-9)

Unfortunately, neither Solomon nor his descendants remained faithful to God, and eventually their dynasty fell.

Not only that, the beautiful temple Solomon had built was reduced to rubble.

So often, we see Christians who were respected fall. 

Sometimes, they had great ministries that touched many people.  But then everything falls apart.  And they fall apart because instead of following God wholeheartedly, they start serving themselves instead. 

Instead of seeking after God, they start seeking after the gods of money, power, sex, and all the other things of this world.

Honestly, it scares me to think of the kinds of people that have fallen.  It scares me, because I see the same kinds of weaknesses that were in them in me.  And I know that if I’m not careful, the same can happen to me.

How about you?  Are you following God wholeheartedly?  Or are you starting to slip? 

Are you starting to compromise in the small things?  The problem with compromising in the small things, is that it swiftly leads us to compromising in bigger things. 

And in the end, all the good that we have done can come crashing down.

As I look at the prayer Solomon prayed for the dedication of the temple, I see many things we should be praying about our own lives as the temple of God.

One thing Solomon prayed is that the temple would be a place of justice.  (1 Kings 8:31-32). 

He prayed that when two people came before God with a dispute, that justice would be done. 

In the same way, our lives should be so godly that people can trust our judgment.  And when they come to us with a dispute, we should be praying that God gives us his wisdom to deal with the situation.

Another thing he prayed was that if the people sinned and were suffering as a result, that God would hear them when they repented, and forgive and restore them (1 Kings 8’33-36; 46-51). 

In the same way, though we are God’s temple, we too sin. 

As Solomon said, “There is no one who does not sin.” (46). 

And so when we recognize our sin, we need to come humbly before him asking for his forgiveness, and turn from our sins.

Solomon continued by asking that God would hear his people when they prayed in times of disaster. (1 Kings 8:37-40) 

He may have been thinking that this was a result of their sin as well, but sometimes these disasters also come as a result of a broken world, rather than sin. 

And Solomon prayed that in the midst of that, God would hear the cries of his people and heal them. 

We too, face times of trouble, not all of our own doing.  And so in those times too, we should ask God for his healing in our lives.

Solomon then prayed that when foreigners came to the temple and prayed because they had heard about God’s fame, that God would hear their prayers so that they might come to fear him and spread knowledge of him among their own people (1 Kings 8:41-43). 

In the same way, people who don’t know Christ should see a difference in us, and because of that, they will sometimes ask us to pray for them. 

During those times, we need to pray that God would answer those prayers so that they might see that he is indeed real, fear him and love him, and then take their newfound relationship with him to the people around them.

Solomon’s next request was that in times of war, that God would be their help. (1 Kings 8:44-45) 

We too face wars in our lives.  But our battle is not against flesh and blood. 

Rather, according to Paul, our fight is against spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)

And so we need to be praying that God would help us fight against these forces.  As we battle temptation, as we take his gospel into enemy territory, we should be praying for victory in our lives.

Finally, a more general prayer.  That God’s eyes would be open toward the temple day and night, and that he would hear our prayers.  (1 Kings 8:29-30; 52-53)

Lord, as your temple, I pray all these things. 

I pray that my life would be such a light that people would come to me when they need wisdom, and that I could give them the wisdom that comes from you. 

I pray that when people who don’t know you see your light in me and ask your prayer, that you would answer those prayers that they might be drawn to you, and in turn spread your love to those that are around them. 

Lord, I pray that when I sin, that you would forgive me.  You know how often I fall.  Please purify me from all sin that would stain this temple. 

And as I fight this spiritual war, I pray that you would be my sword and shield.  Help me make a difference for your kingdom. 

Lord, may your eyes be open to me day and night.  Hear my prayers, O Lord.

Now, arise, and come to your resting place within me, you and the power of the covenant, based not on the law, but on the blood of Jesus Christ. 

May your resurrection power dwell within me. 

May we your priests be clothed with your salvation, and may your saints rejoice in your goodness. 

For you have singled us out to be your inheritance, bringing us out of the dominion of darkness into your marvelous light. 

Do not reject us, whom you have anointed with your Spirit. 

And remember your love that you promised to us forever.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Solomon made a beautiful temple.  Its beauty was unsurpassed by anything else ever built in Israel up to that time.

And yet for all its beauty, it was just a building.  A beautiful building, but just a building nonetheless. 

Then God came.

It says in verses 10 and 11 of 1 Kings chapter 8,

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 

And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.

What makes the temple, the temple? 

It’s the presence of the living God inside that temple.  It’s his glory shining out from that temple. 

Without God in the temple, all you have is an empty building.

What makes a Christian the temple of God? 

It’s not their outward appearance.  It’s not whether they’re slim or big, tall or short, smart or not so smart, beautiful or not so beautiful, gifted or not so gifted. 

What makes a Christian the temple of God is God’s presence and glory dwelling within them.

That’s what he does.  And so that’s what we are.

How do you look upon yourself?  Do you see yourself as the temple of God?  Or as something less? 

God sees you as nothing less than his temple.  You are his dwelling place.  And it is through you that God wants to display his glory so that others may be drawn to him.

Let us never forget that. 

So as we consider this simple truth, let us do as the Israelites did that day, falling on our knees before him and saying, “The Lord is good; his love endures forever.”  (2 Chronicles 7:3)

When you read about the temple that Solomon built, it’s really amazing to think about how beautiful it must’ve been.  I would’ve loved to have seen it.

But for all its beauty, Solomon said,

But who is able to build a temple for [God], since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain him?  (2 Chronicles 2:6)

A lot of people think of churches or temples as the house of God. 

But the truth is, God doesn’t live there.  As Solomon said, even the heavens cannot contain him.

And yet, the God that cannot be contained dwells in human hearts. 

Probably more stunning than the beauty of Solomon’s temple is that one simple fact. 

Think about it.  If you’re a Christian, the God who made the universe, lives in you.

Jesus said,

If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. 

My Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our home with him.  (John 14:23)

Paul writes that because God the Holy Spirit himself dwells within us, we are the temple of God.  (1 Corinthians 6:19)

You may not think that you’re not much.  That you have little worth. 

But remember that God thinks so much of you, that though the heavens can’t contain him, he dwells with you and within you. 

To him, you are a temple far more beautiful than Solomon’s ever was.

It’s like a dream isn’t it?  God asking you what you would like to have and then granting it. 

What would you have asked for?

I could think of a lot of things.  My house loan paid off.  A better job.  Perfect fluency in Japanese. (I am, after all, living in Japan).  That my diabetes and ulcers would go away and never come back.  The list goes on and on.

Solomon too could’ve asked for anything.  More money.  More power.  But instead, he asked for something else. 

He said,

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? (1 Kings 3:7-9)

I think there were two things that really pleased God about Solomon’s request. 

First, Solomon’s humility.  That Solomon didn’t think he knew it all.  That he acknowledged that he needed God’s wisdom to take on the task of running the nation. 

Second, that the request was not so much for himself, but for God’s people.  Solomon didn’t ask for wisdom to boost his own pride. 

Rather, he wanted wisdom so that he could govern God’s people properly.  That he could do the things that God had called him to do.

And that should be our priority too.  God’s kingdom, and God’s people. 

For me, that starts with my family, and spreads outward from there.  That I would be the father and husband that I need to be.  And God knows just how much I need wisdom for that. 

My wife is already a Christian, but I do want to help her to grow to be the woman God wants her to be. 

And my daughter at just under three years old, isn’t a Christian yet.  I definitely need wisdom for raising her in a way that would cause her to seek and love the Lord.

It then extends to the people in my workplace, my neighborhood, and my church. 

It’s so easy to let other things get in the way of reaching out to people for the kingdom of God.  Often times it comes down to selfishness.  Thinking of only my wants and my needs.

But Jesus said that we are to seek his kingdom first, not the things of this world.  And that if we do, everything else we need will be added to us.  (Matthew 6:33).

What are you seeking from God? 

Are you seeking what he’s seeking?  The spread of his kingdom here on earth?  Or are you too focused on the things of this earth?