First Reading: 1 Kings 3:4-15
4The 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. 5At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6And 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. 7And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8And 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. 9Give 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?” 10It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11And 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, 12behold, I now do according to your word. 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. 13I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Psalm 119:97-104
97Oh, how I love your law! all the day long it is in my mind. 98Your commandment has made me wiser than my enemies, and it is always with me. 99I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your decrees are my study. 100I am wiser than the elders, because I observe your commandments. 101I restrain my feet from every evil way, that I may keep your word. 102I do not shrink from your judgments, because you yourself have taught me. 103How sweet are your words to my taste! they are sweeter than honey to my mouth. 104Through your commandments I gain understanding; therefore I hate every lying way.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Gospel: Luke 2:40-52
40The child {Jesus} grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Ask for Wisdom
In our Old Testament reading for this morning, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” Now let me stop here for a moment and ask, if God were to ask you this question, how would you answer? Would you ask for wealth, long life, something for a friend, revenge against someone who has wronged you? What answer would give to God?
Solomon, despite his youth, answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. “Now, 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?” This pleased the Lord.
God then said to Solomon, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in 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. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”
The notion of someone granting a request almost implies permission to be selfish. But the question for this morning is, what would be your response if you were given only one request by God? We would certainly want time to consider this. We wouldn’t want to answer based on an immediate or impulsive need or desire. To answer wisely, we would want to think about it, determine our scale of values, and ask for something that would be a permanently blessing to you or those around you. In our First Reading, Solomon is put in this predicament by God, who comes to him shortly after he ascended to the throne of Israel and says, “Ask what I shall give you.” He could have asked for wealth, or for a long life, or to be free from opposition. Instead, he asks God for wisdom.
So, the question each of us faces is, “Should I ask God for wisdom?” In His Word today, God asks of us as He once asked of Solomon, “Ask what I shall give you.” Our answer should be based on our greatest need rather than on our most intense desire; often what we desire isn’t necessarily what we need. I may desire a Lamborghini, costing over $300,000, but what I really need is a $30,000 SUV. Or, I may desire a huge home, with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, overlooking the ocean and with a pool and a pickleball court, but all I truly need is a modest three-bedroom house with office space. Oftentimes what’s really needed is for us to separate our needs from our greeds. So the question is, do we agree with Solomon that wisdom is what we need most?
Karl Marx, a German philosopher, and socialists, claimed that humanity’s deepest need is the possession of things, goods, and economic equality. To a moderate extent this is true. We need an adequate income, a home, clothing and food for the table. As Jesus taught us to pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” Luther explained “Daily bread” as “Everything that belongs to the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, etc. Good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, … and other such things.” And God knows we need these things. But Jesus pointed out a deeper need, “Man does not live by bread alone.”
Oftentimes people desire wealth since it can buy all these things. But what is wealth without wisdom? We see this all this time from young athletes. They make it to the top level of their sport, score a big contract, and then proceed to blow all their earnings. They get hurt and next thing you know, they’re broke. Look at the track record of Lottery winners. What story does that tell us? Jesus had a lot to say about the wealthy and their ability to get into heaven.
Jesus warned that it’s easier for a Camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter heaven (Matthew 19:24). And what was the message Jesus was giving when He told the parable of the rich fool? The rich man became wealthy and decided to build bigger barn and eat, drink, and be merry. Jesus said, “You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 21:13-21). On one occasion a young ruler had wealth, but he didn’t have the wisdom to obey Jesus’ command to sell all, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus (Matthew 19:21).
Austrian Psychotherapist Dr. Alfred Adler forwarded that humanity’s most basic need is power. He claimed that human behavior is determined by the pursuit of power. It’s what motivates many to seek positions of power in business and politics. This certainly explains what we see too often in our government leadership. Yet power without wisdom can be deadly. Without wisdom, power can be used for oppression, destruction, and death. How many countries today are ruled by wealthy people who oppress the people?
Not long ago, TV preacher, Robert Schuller, wrote a book, Self Esteem, in which he claims that our deepest need is pride in terms of self-esteem, self-worth, and self-appreciation. He says that our deepest need is pride in being human – “Don’t worry about humility,” he says. As with what the others forward, there is a certain amount of truth in the claim, we all need a certain amount of self-respect. But self-esteem without wisdom ends up as pride, arrogance, and egotism. All these are strongly condemned by Jesus; He taught many times that whoever exalts himself will be humbled.
Thus, we’re forced to conclude that Solomon was correct when he asked God to give him wisdom in terms of understanding. But why is wisdom so important? Just what is it? Perhaps we can begin to answer the question by seeing what wisdom is not. Wisdom is not native intelligence. Each of us is born with a certain amount of basic intelligence. Some call it common sense, others call it instinct. We instinctively know when something is good or bad for us. Winston Churchill once told his son that to a large extent, we in the civilized world, erased the lion and tiger from the human heart, but we did not succeed in removing the donkey. We can apply ourselves and gain knowledge, but if we don’t have the wisdom to use it, what good is it? So, if knowledge isn’t wisdom, what then is it?
What are some of the component elements of wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to make good judgments and the right decisions. Some of us are reluctant to make decisions because we fear that the decision will not be the right one. Reinhold Niebuhr asked for wisdom in a little prayer that has become a classic and is used by Alcoholics Anonymous: “God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Shortly after Solomon’s request, the gift of wisdom was needed when he was asked to settle a dispute between two women claiming the same child. Do you recall that each had a baby, and one mother in her sleep rolled on her baby and smothered it? Then she took the other woman’s baby and claimed it as her own. The case came before Solomon. He resolved the case by ordering the child to be cut in two and a half given to each mother. But the real mother, out of love, cried out, “Please don’t kill the child. Let the other woman have it” (1 Kings 3:16-28). Solomon awarded the child to the woman who plead for the child’s life, he had the wisdom to know that she was the real mother. Knowledge must be accompanied by wisdom, the ability to properly use the information.
Wisdom as judgment was expressed in a story about a moneylender who was about to throw a debtor in prison for non-payment of his debts. The debtor had a beautiful daughter. The lender offered to cancel the debt if the man would give his daughter in marriage to him. The moneylender proposed a deal. He would put a black and a white pebble into an empty money bag. The girl was to pick out one of the pebbles. If it were black, she would be his wife and her father’s debt would be cancelled. If it were white, she would stay with her father, and the debt would be cancelled. If she refused to pick, her father would go to jail and the girl would starve. The father and daughter reluctantly agreed to the test.
When the moneylender stooped down to pick up the pebbles, the girl noticed that he picked up two black stones. When she reached in to pick one of the stones, she deliberately let it fall and cried, “Oh, how clumsy of me, but it doesn’t matter. If you look in the bag, you can tell which color I chose by the color of the one still there.” The stingy and crafty moneylender didn’t dare admit his dishonesty. Her wisdom won her and her father’s freedom.
Wisdom also means the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Solomon asked for understanding: “that I may discern between good and evil.” Why would Solomon have a problem in this area? Did he not have the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai? Do they not tell us what is right and wrong? Yes, the Decalogue tells us what’s right and wrong in general terms. The problem comes when we apply the commandment to a specific situation.
The command is, “Thou shalt not kill.” Does this mean that it’s wrong to kill in war? Does “do not kill” apply to a Police officer acting in the line of duty? What about honoring the Sabbath to keep it holy? Does this mean we cannot help someone in need on Sunday? Does it mean we cannot help a neighbor in trouble? Dietrich Bonhoffer made a statement once, “Just because it’s legal, doesn’t make it moral.” We have laws in this country today that this statement certainly applies. We can have knowledge, but without wisdom…well you know the results.
Furthermore, wisdom is understanding. Solomon asked of God only one thing which was most important to him – understanding. One of the things that plagued Jesus’ ministry was the lack of understanding on the part of the Disciples. At Caesarea Philippi, Peter didn’t understand the necessity of Jesus’ going to Jerusalem to suffer and die. Philip couldn’t understand who Jesus was. Jesus had to ask, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip?” (John 14:9-14). The Disciples on the way to Emmaus did not understand that Jesus would rise again. Jesus exclaimed, “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). Notice their lack of wisdom – “O foolish men!” Do we even understand ourselves? Do we see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior?
One time a preacher asked his bishop how he could get a message from God. The bishop told him to go outside and lift his face to the heavens and wait for a message. It was raining, and the rain fell on his face. After some hours, he returned, soaking wet. The bishop asked him if he learned anything. The preacher said, “All that I learned was what a fool I was to stand out there in the rain.” “Well,” replied the bishop, “what more enlightenment would you need?” Wisdom helps us to understand what a fool we are if we try to live life without Christ. St. Paul clarifies for us our need for Jesus when he said. “but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” And Jesus said, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).
Now that we know that wisdom is our deepest need, how do we get it? First, we acknowledge what Solomon knew, Wisdom is a gift of God. In fact, Wisdom is God. Just as God is love or truth, God is wisdom. Thus, only He can give wisdom as He gives Himself to us. A Psalmist declares, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” If we desire wisdom, then, like Solomon, we must ask for it: “Give thy servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern thy people …” Jesus put it this way, “Ask and you will receive.”
We also get wisdom when we follow Jesus and live for Him. St. Paul admonishes, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus …” (Philippians 2:5). When we strive to have the mind of Christ, wisdom will be ours. Jesus is wisdom because He is the personification of truth and the very Son of God. To have truth is to have wisdom. Daily we should pray, “give your servant a wise and discerning mind.” Then we can trust that the Holy Spirit will guide us in what we say and do for Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit will guide us into truth.
Amen