Bible Reading1 Kings 3:5-9 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 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. 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. I do not know how to go out or come in. 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. 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?”
[07:08] [07:50] [09:10] [10:40]1 Kings 3:16-28 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house; only we two were in the house. And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant slept, and laid him at her breast, and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead. But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had borne.” But the other woman said, “No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.” The first said, “No, the dead child is yours, and the living child is mine.” Thus they spoke before the king. Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and the other says, ‘No; but your son is dead, and my son is alive.’” And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
[13:56] [14:32]1 Kings 11:1-11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD commanded. Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant.”
[25:59] [26:14]Observation questions- In 1 Kings 3:5-9, what does Solomon say about himself, and what does he ask God to give him?
- What words in Solomon’s prayer show that he sees Israel as God’s people rather than his own possession? [10:40]
- In the story of the two women and the baby, what responses reveal which woman is the true mother? [15:53]
- In 1 Kings 11, what are some of the small steps that show Solomon’s heart drifting away from the Lord? [25:09]
Interpretation questions- Solomon begins by remembering God’s faithful love to David before asking for anything. What does that suggest about the kind of heart that is ready to receive wisdom from God? [07:50]
- Solomon asks for an understanding heart to govern well. How does that help explain the difference between biblical wisdom and simply being smart or impressive? [16:10]
- The judgment with the two women shows wisdom in a painful, ordinary conflict rather than in a grand public moment. What does that reveal about where God’s wisdom often shows up in real life? [15:05]
- God had already warned Solomon about the danger that would turn his heart. What does Solomon’s downfall show about why God’s commands should be seen as protection rather than mere restriction? [22:33]
Application questions- Wisdom begins with a surrendered heart. What is one area of life that is easiest to treat as “mine” instead of “God’s” right now—time, money, relationships, work, health, or something else? What would surrender look like there? [11:22]
- Small daily rhythms train the heart to recognize God’s voice. Which simple practice would be most helpful in this season—Scripture, prayer, silence, journaling, worship, serving, community, or rest—and what tends to get in the way of it? [17:20]
- Many ordinary decisions shape a life over time. What does the beginning of the day usually look like right now, and how might that routine be forming the heart either toward God or away from him? [16:58]
- A divided heart usually drifts by inches, not all at once. Where might compromise be showing up in small ways that seem manageable but are quietly pulling the heart away from God? [24:55]
- The voices closest to a person influence the direction of life. Which relationships, habits, or environments are having the strongest spiritual influence right now? Are they helping the heart stay near to God? [23:43]
- Anything that takes the place that belongs to God alone becomes an idol. What competing loves are most tempting right now—comfort, approval, success, money, politics, entertainment, or something else? How can those be honestly named before God? [28:20]
- Wisdom is not just knowing what is right, but staying connected to God and choosing him daily. What decision or situation right now needs God’s wisdom first instead of a rushed reaction? [29:33]
