The humility, wisdom, discernment and character of Solomon. A beautiful example of what it looks like to humble ourselves to the Lord.
Tribe, A Jesus Revival
S4 E5: Solomon.
Hey everyone, it's Britt Vega, host of the Tribe Podcast. Here at Tribe, we believe that we are all called to live, love, and pursue our God-given purpose within the context of a tribe. Not only were we created by a God that is community, love is our identity in calling. It's literally in our DNA. If you want to hear real stories of God's great love and faithfulness, you're in the right place. Let's get into our message for today. Hey y'all, welcome back to the Tribe Podcast. It's your host Britt Vega, and I am so glad that you all are here. Today we are talking about Solomon, who is said to be one of the wisest men in Scripture. In fact, he was known for his wisdom, like that was one of his defining traits, and today I'm going to share a story about him to give you a little context as to why. In 1 Kings, just to give you a little background, Solomon had become the king, so his father David had passed away, and the Lord promised his son Solomon would sit on the throne. So in 1 Kings 3, starting at verse 5, the Lord appears to Solomon in the middle of the night in a dream, and God says, ask for whatever you want me to give you. Y'all, the first time that I read this, it was like reading one of my fiction mystery books because I literally could not wait to turn the page of my Bible and see what Solomon asked for. It was not a story that was familiar to me, but listen to Solomon's response, because I think you're going to be as blown away as I was. So in 1 Kings 3, verse 7, it says, "Now Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, but I am only a little child, and you 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?" Okay, so essentially Solomon is asking God to give him the wisdom to be a leader to the people. He wanted to be able to know the difference between right and wrong and to have a heart of discernment. And to be honest, I was completely blown away by this response. It's just not what I expected because it goes against the very nature of the world that we're living in right now. Scripture goes on to say that God is pleased with what Solomon asked for. In verse 11 it says, "So God said to him, 'Since you have asked for this, and not for a long life or well for yourself, nor have you asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment and administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.'" Whew! Okay, so I want to point out a few things that I love about this story and here's the first. Solomon was humble and honest and raw. He felt like a little child that was unequipped for what God had called him to, so he humbled himself in asking God for the guidance that he needed. Last month I read this amazing book by Dr. Joel Munamalek all about humility. It's called The Hidden Peace, and if you don't have it, please pause this podcast and go and order it. It is available anywhere books are sold, and one of the things that I love about Joel is he's just real and he's honest, but all of his work is based on the Bible, and he says in his book that we develop humility by first becoming aware of our reality, of the greatness of God, of our own value and worth and the dignity of others. So, basically, Solomon recognized his place. He knew that God was God and that he was not, and he understood the greatness and the power of God and he humbled himself in asking for discernment and this ability to lead. Here's number two, the selflessness of Solomon. I don't know this as a fact, but I have to imagine that he really thought about what he would ask God for. He didn't just come up with something random, like we might be tempted to do it. Wasn't something shiny, like wealth. It wasn't a payback to an enemy. It wasn't something selfish, in fact, it was actually self-less. Solomon had this God-given assurance in this dependence on God, and because that was how he lived his life, the ask from God was something that could be used to pour out for others. He wanted to be able to lead the people, and he knew that he needed that strength from God because he couldn't do it on his own. I believe that when we are fully dependent on God, the overflow of our lives and the way that we talk to God in our prayer really shows, and we see this through Solomon. Here's number three, Solomon's heart posture. I mean, wow, you do not ask God to give you a discerning heart if you are far from him. We are talking about being tethered to the vine of God in a way that many people never experience because it is the narrow path and it is the harder road to walk. I believe that Solomon was on the journey. He acknowledged that on his own he would not be able to achieve anything, but with a humble heart posture and with God in his proper place, he was able to see the world and the people in a healthy space, and the same is true for us. In fact, in Proverbs 11, verse two, a part of scripture called the Proverbs of Solomon, it says, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." I believe that Solomon really embodied this and he lived it out in his life. You know, I think that what happens in our own lives is that we over-complicate things. We think of God kind of like a genie in a bottle where we ask for the things that are going to lift us up and that are going to make us better. Like, "Lord, let me have the money to do what my friend is doing," or "Lord bless this relationship so that I feel better," when really what God desires is a heart yielded to him. He wants us to come to him and ask how we can better lead and love those around us. He wants to be the one that's guiding us every day. But when we get caught up in the social media world and comparison, we have this fear deep down that we are not good enough or that we aren't living up to the world's standards. If we don't have the perfect family photo or the perfect car, we're falling short. But let me just tell you right now that fear is a liar. It is from the enemy and it is not how God desires for his children to live. So a little side note, I have three sons and my youngest has not smiled in a family photo for years. In fact, we are lucky if he's looking at the person that's taking the picture. But guess what? I still post it because it's real and it's raw. And it's a reminder that we don't have to have it all together or look a certain way for our family to be beautiful. So I'm going to leave you with a question. What would you ask for if God came to you in a dream? And I'm not talking about upgrading the things in your life. I'm talking about what would you truly ask for? Would it be to let go of bitterness or for the ability to extend forgiveness, the opportunity to have a relationship to be fully healed? I believe that if you answer this question honestly, it will be a clear indication of what's most important to you in your life. So take some time and really think about what this would look like for you this summer. In Matthew 6 verses 19 through 21, it's part of the Sermon on the Mount. It says, "Do not soar up for yourself, treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves, treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Let's make heaven crowded, I'm praying for y'all and I'll see you next week.