This chapter relates the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh's daughter, #1Ki 3:1; his piety and devotion, #1Ki 3:2-4; his prayer for wisdom and understanding, which was acceptable to God, who promised to grant his request, with an addition to it, #1Ki 3:5-15; an instance and proof of the wisdom given him in determining a case between two harlots brought before him, which greatly raised his reputation, and gave him reverence among his people, #1Ki 3:16-28. (Gill)
V. 1, nothing in Scripture forbade the marriage to an Egyptian, only against marrying a Canaanite. Joseph married an Egyptian. This was not Solomon's first wife, for he already had a one year old:
After he had first taken Naamah, the Ammonitess, Rehoboam's mother, a year and more before David's death: for Solomon reigned but forty years, {#1Ki 11:42} and Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign. (Trapp)
Note here with Solomon's deal with Egypt:
1. Solomon made a deal with the world by marrying Pharaoh's
daughter. (1 Kings 9:16.)
2. Our deals with the world may "pay off", and we may
obtain the things we need with such agreements.
3. The king of Egypt may even fight some of our battles for us.
(1 Kings 10:28.)
4. Buisness deals with him may even pay off. (1 Kings 11.)
5. These things of the world will draw our heart away from our
God. (1 Kings 11:17, 40.)
6. No matter how good a friend we make with Egypt, Egypt will
still harbor our enemies who are intent on making us fall. (1
Kings 14:25.)
7. The first king to spoil God's people after Solomon was the
king of Egypt.
8. Do not think that because we have a deal with him that he will
go easy on us. He only makes the deal so we will not be watching
for him. He will move against us at the first opportunity, deal
or no.
V. 3, compare with 2:3, and David's charge to his son, Solomon.
Vv. 5-10, notice the sequence here:
1. V. 3, Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of
David his father.
2. V. 4, Solomon offered a great sacrifice 1,000 burnt offerings
upon the altar at Gibeon. The people sacrificed in the high places,
as did the pagans around them, but Solomon went to Gibeon where
the tabernacle and all its furnishings was located. The ark was
in Jerusalem at this time. Solomon worshiped God's way, at the
tabernacle.
3. V. 5, God offered Solomon his heart's desire.
Vv. 6-8, Solomon realized from where David's success came, as well as from where his success must come. Note here that Solomon was this kind of a young man because of God's grace, and not because his dad was a good father, for he was not. Tamar told Amnon that David wold give her to her half-brother as wife, if Amnon would only ask, 2 Samuel 13:13. Moreover, David did not take action when Amnon forced his sister, 13:21. There are many other instances where David failed to take a stand with his sons, including refusing to take a stand against Absalom for his murder of Amnon, which almost cost him the kingdom.
Yes, David was a man after God's own heart, but he was a lousy father. (See my message on 1 Chron 15.)
For us: Our hope is in the Lord to allow our children to turn out right, no matter how our training of them might be. This certainly does not mean that we are to let them have their own way, for we will be held accountable for our actions with them. But it does mean that the outcome is always in the hands of the Lord.
4. V. 9, Solomon asks for wisdom and not the "sensual pleasures" of long life, wealth nor victory over his enemies.
5. V. 12, because his heart's desire was wisdom and understanding, he is provided with riches, honour and the promise of a long life, if he will walk in my ways... (v. 14.) There was one condition, and Solomon failed in this one.
Read Proverbs (3:13, 8:11). Over and over, Solomon speaks of the value of wisdom as being more than all riches (4:7).
A side result or fringe benefit of wisdom is riches.
6. Notice:
a) if we love the Lord with all our heart, soul and strength,
b) offer the great sacrifice in the right place at His altar (Romans
12), then:
c) God will give us the desire of our hearts, Delight thyself
also in the Lord and he shall....,
d) if the desire of our hearts is right, He will then add all
of these other things to us. (Matthew 6:33.)
Also here in v. 14, David is the standard. This was before Christ, who is now our standard.
1. It is good to have a godly standard set by our fathers, and we as fathers set a godly standard.
2. It is bad that man must have a human standard for which to aim, rather than being able to aim for the standard of Christ. How many have I spoken with who claim to be Christians, yet their standard is a person.
V. 15, the first result of wisdom was going before the Lord, whose ark was at Jerusalem. The understanding heart of v. 12 sent him to stand before the Lord at Jerusalem, not at Gibeon. The wisdom and understanding heart will seek, so he could work with people more effectively, v. 9, not for personal reasons. His desire was to be more effective for the Lord with the Lord's people.
Notice also that his wisdom from the Lord, vv. 26-28, was a very practical use of the sword (Word of God) as his first act. His book of Proverbs is a very practical book, a use of the Word of God for every day life, written in simple, easily understood words and illustrations.
A truly wise man will not speak in one hundred dollar words, but in five and ten cent words that anyone can understand. (We need to be cautious, however, because the "wise" will think we are talking down to them, and the not so wise will think we are talking over their head.) We need to be careful to use words that clearly explain truth in an easily understood language. God's words made plane and simple, which is the job of the teacher, e.g., Nehemiah 8:7.
If any man lack wisdom... But this wisdom will be in the form of good old common sense as found in Proverbs.
Wisdom divides the a) living from the dead, b) good from bad motives, c) people on one side or the other of an issue.
Wisdom is very discriminatory, which is why the ungodly are so much against the Word of God. It draws the dividing line, rather than allowing human wisdom and understanding to draw that line. Really, the word of God puts the ungodly on the wrong side of the line regardless of their reasoning ability. Notice, the ungodly many say they want no firm dividing line drawn, but what they really desire is to be able to define where the line is darwn, so they can be assured of being on the right side of that line.
The word of God does not respect persons, and the ungodly end up on the wrong side of the line. Of course, our line is the Lord Jesus Christ–what have we done with Him, and how have we lived according to His word?
God spends much more time on Solomon's father, David, and his struggles, temptations and deliverances, than He does on Solomon's glory. God is much more interested in helping men through their daily struggles of this life than He is with their material success. Christ compared all of the splendor of the richest man in history to a wild flower.
V. 12, a wise and understanding heart will result in:
1. Going regularly to the house of God. Hebrews 10:25.
2. Standing before God. Hebrews 4:16.
3. Offering before God.
4. Making peace with God and man.
5. Making judgments according to the Word of God.
6. People seeing the wisdom of God in us.
V. 16, the first act we have recorded as Solomon takes his throne after his prayer, is one of judgment.
The first act of the Son of David, the Greater than Solomon, King Jesus, after He took His throne on the right hand of the Father was the act of judgment—He judged those who put Him to death in 70 AD. That was a literal judgment with a literal sword, and the sword owned by Rome.
Notice that David committed his judgment against those who sinned against him to his son, Solomon, to be accomplished according to his wisdom, e.g., 1 Kings 2:6. God the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, who will judge in all wisdom, John 5:22, 27.
Both Solomon and Christ had/have the wisdom of God in them to do justice, 3:28, and the judgment will be just and final, with no appeal.
Also notice the ones being judged:
Only two classes of people – sheep and goats – wheat and tares – righteous and unrighteous sinners.
And the judgment:
1. Sin was brought to light, as our Lord will expose the hidden deeds in His judgment.
The wrong was corrected, and every wrong will be corrected
before Him.
Restitution was made, as the child was given to the rightful owner.
2. The true character was exposed.
Both claimed to be right, but only one was.
The Son of David reveals the truth as well as the lies.
Then we have the reward or punishment:
1. The joy of the real mother vs the shame and reproach of the liar.
Men may try with all their might and resources to avoid having to stand before the true Judge, but the day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory to God the Father. It is appointed unto man once to die..., and he will not miss that appointment.
Every thought and intent of the heart will be revealed and tried with fire to see if it is wood, hay and stubble, or if it is real.
Everyone will answer for the deeds done in the flesh, whether they be good or bad.
Notice the next verse after the judgment of 3:28; 4:1, So king Solomon was king over all Israel.
King Jesus rules now with truth and justice.