SESSION 2 SOLOMON: UNFAILING WISDOM - Razor Planet

1 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95 The PointChrist-centered living chooses WISDOM from God, not simply Passage1 Kings 3:3-14; 4:29-34 The Bible Meets Life In a single day, most of us can become well-informed in virtually any subject. The sleeping patterns of the aardvark; the inner-workings of a carburetor; the preparation of cr me br l e; the gravitational pull of Mars thanks to the Internet, we can accumulate enough knowledge on any of these subjects to have a stimulating conversation at any dinner party. We re flooded with information of all kinds, and we re continually exchanging knowledge.

2 Every second of every day, six thousand tweets are tweeted, over forty thousand Google queries are searched, and more than two million emails are short, we re swimming in an ocean of knowledge while dying of thirst for WISDOM . Knowledge and WISDOM are two very different things, and WISDOM is by far the more valuable of the two. As we ll see in the life of solomon , relying on God s WISDOM must become second nature to us so that our lives, and not just our intellect, reflect who God is and who He has called us to SettingAs King David s death approached, a power struggle arose concerning who would become the next king.

3 His son Adonijah set himself up to succeed his father as king. Bathsheba, David s wife, appealed to David to name their son solomon to be the next king. The prophet Nathan joined her in intervening on solomon s behalf, and David granted their request. As David neared death, he gave final instructions to solomon , urging him to live in God s ways, keeping His law. Following David s death, the Lord appeared to 2 solomon : UNFAILING WISDOM96 SESSION 21 Kings 3:3-14; 4:29-343:3 solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.

4 4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to solomon in a dream by night, and God said, Ask what I shall give you. 6 And solomon said, You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child.

5 I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 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? 10 It pleased the Lord that solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word.

6 Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. 4:29 And God gave solomon WISDOM and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, 30 so that solomon s WISDOM surpassed the WISDOM of all the people of the east and all the WISDOM of Egypt.

7 31 For he was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish. 34 And people of all nations came to hear the WISDOM of solomon , and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his places (3:3) Elevated sites that had been Canaanite places of worship. God had directed the Israelites to destroy the high places (see Num.)

8 33:52), but they had not done so, often worshiping there instead. A little child (3:7) The Hebrew word was used of newborns, little boys, and males of marriageable age. It does not specify a definite age and likely sometimes has the sense of immaturity. What does the Bible say?Christ-centered living chooses WISDOM from God, not simply POINTBIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 97 NotesGET INTO THE STUDYLEADER PACK: Use Pack Item 8, People and Places, to help group members locate solomon and Jerusalem within the nation of : Question #1 on page 75 of the PSG: If you could be the leading expert in any field, what would it be?

9 ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): Expand on your group s discussion of Question #1 by encouraging group members to list people who would be considered at or near the top of their field for different areas of knowledge. For example, someone might suggest Maya Angelou as an expert at the top of her field in poetry. See if your group can identify experts in several different fields physics, football, literature, chess, architecture, mathematics, and so : If time permits, you could also encourage group members to make a separate list of people who are known specifically for their WISDOM . Then, compare the two lists to search for similarities and : Direct group members to The Bible Meets Life on page 76 of the PSG.

10 Introduce the theme of choosing God s WISDOM by reading or summarizing the text or by encouraging group members to read on their : Call attention to The Point on page 76 of the PSG: Christ-centered living chooses WISDOM from God, not simply knowledge. PR AY: Transition into the study by proclaiming your belief in the value of WISDOM . Pray that God would inspire you and your group members to seek WISDOM , like solomon did, as you study His Word minutesNotes98 SESSION 25 minutes1 Kings 3:3-93 solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.