Wisdom Abounding!
Opening Prayer
Lord, You are my joy and all my heart’s desire. I love You with all my heart.
Read 1 Kings 4:29-34
[29] God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. [30] Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. [31] He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. [32] He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. [33] He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. [34] From all nations people came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What wisdom have you learned from Solomon's proverbs?This is a wonderful picture of a wise king. He is creative, composing many songs and coining no less than 3,000 proverbs, many of which the book of Proverbs tells us are collected there. He has a wisdom that is so much greater than that of the other famous wise men of his age (31) and people come from far and wide to hear him (34).But Solomon still has his feet on the ground. He has to, in order to be able to draw such wisdom from the natural world (33), from the tallest tree to the tiniest plant, not to mention the wildlife around him. His wisdom is “as measureless as the sand on the seashore” (29), words which echo an earlier verse in the chapter which tells us: “The people…were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy” (20). The echo is deliberate: a wise king has a happy people. Good government leads to contented citizens.
Apply
Pray for “all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Tim. 2:2).
Closing prayer
Lord, thank You for the beauty of this day. Let me gain wisdom from the lessons nature has to teach.
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