What Would Your Child Choose?
What do you think he would ask for? God did that very thing with Solomon. He chose well; he chose a wise and understanding heart (1 Kings 3:9). But this was no accident. David had prepared his son well for the possibility of such a time.
David was getting old. God had made it clear that Solomon would be king (1 Chron. 22:9). God also said he was to build the Temple. David had learned the wisdom of ruling the kingdom through conflicts, his ten years of training his motley crew while running from Saul, and his years as soldier and king. How could he expect Solomon, who never saw a battle and whose very name meant peace, to have the wisdom to rule well? Answer: David prepared him in at least four ways:
1) He himself taught Solomon wisdom
The book of Proverbs is largely the instruction Solomon received from David and passed on to his son. Wisdom alone appears 54 times in the book. For example, “For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. (1 Chron. 4:3-7)
2) He publicly admonished him to be wise. He held him accountable to others
“Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.” “And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.” (1 Chron. 22:12; 28:9)
3) He provided him with wise counselors
“Also Jonathan David’s uncle was a counsellor, a wise man, and a scribe.” (1Chron. 27:32) No doubt David encouraged his counselors to continue after he died, to share with Solomon their wisdom. The very fact that David surrounded himself with wise counselors set an example for Solomon to follow.
4) He prayed publicly for him.
“And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.” (29:19) What a delight it is when fathers ask prayer for their sons and daughters to increase in wisdom.
Will your children chose wisdom as they become more independent? Don’t leave it to chance; follow this example of David.