Wisdom

Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. Daniel 2:20

Meditate. Consider God’s wisdom in scripture. Read God’s word and listen to what He is saying.

 

Wisdom. Solomon is said to be the wisest man who ever lived, but where did he get his wisdom? In my studies at the synagogue school in Nazareth, I studied, memorized the Torah, and learned about all the Jewish history, but it was hearing the discussions and debates among the Rabbis at the Temple in Jerusalem that I really absorbed knowledge about David and Solomon, who was wise to ask God for wisdom.

Moses' Tabernacle
in the middle of the desert.

Solomon son of David took firm control of his kingdom, for the LORD his God was with him and made him very powerful. ... David had already moved the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim to the tent he had prepared for it in Jerusalem. But the bronze altar made by Bezalel son of Uri and grandson of Hur was there at Gibeon in front of the Tabernacle of the LORD. So Solomon and the people gathered in front of it to consult the LORD. There in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the LORD's presence and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it. That night God appeared to Solomon and said, "What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!" Solomon replied to God, "You showed faithful love to David, my father, and now you have made me king in his place. O LORD God, please continue to keep your promise to David my father, for you have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! Give me the wisdom and knowledge to lead them properly, for who could possibly govern this great people of yours?" God said to Solomon, "Because your greatest desire is to help your people, and you did not ask for wealth, riches, fame, or even the death of your enemies or a long life, but rather you asked for wisdom and knowledge to properly govern my people -- I will certainly give you the wisdom and knowledge you requested. But I will also give you wealth, riches, and fame such as no other king has had before you or will ever have in the future!" 2 Chronicles 1:1, 4-12

I find this interesting because Solomon didn’t go to the tent where his father, David, had taken the Ark of the Covenant, but he prayed at the Tabernacle that Moses had constructed in the wilderness and was now at Gibeon. The original Tabernacle. That must have been an awesome home for the Lord at that time. Think about how the Israelites had packed it up and moved it for nearly forty years—but like their shoes, it didn’t wear out. Solomon was wise to ask God for wisdom. He could have asked for his territory to be expanded, to keep him from all trouble and pain, like Jabaz (see 1 Chronicles 4:9-10), but he didn’t. He could have asked for great riches, but he didn’t. He simply wanted to have wisdom and knowledge to govern God’s people. God granted that and gave him the bonus of riches. Unfortunately, Solomon didn’t follow God’s directives to marry only within the Israelite nation and to take only one wife. By marrying many foreign women and having countless concubines, he allowed the worship of false gods. Basically, Solomon broke God’s most important of the Ten Commandments. Honor Him. He is the only God. Why didn’t Solomon have the wisdom to follow God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength? Where was that great wisdom when he needed it most?

 

Prayer – Lord God, please give each person reading this and praying to You wisdom and understanding—and most of all, help us to apply it to our lives that we would please You by wisely following Your directives and Commandments.

 

Verse of Salvation ~ In that very hour He was overjoyed and rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and He said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants [the childlike and untaught]. Yes, Father, for this way was [Your gracious will and choice, and was] well-pleasing in Your sight." Luke 10:21 AMP

 

© 2026 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

Copyright ©2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

 

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