5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, 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 today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. 14 If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.” – 1 Kings 3:5-14
One of my favorite movies as a kid was called “Blank Check.” It was about a boy who got his hands on a blank check and was able to cash it for a million dollars. He then goes on a week long shopping spree buying a limousine, a go kart track, a water slide, and all kinds of other cool things a kid like me could only dream of owning. When I heard the story of Solomon’s dream in Sunday School, I remember thinking that God had basically given him a blank check just like in the movie. He could literally ask God for anything he wanted and God promised to give it to him! Who wouldn’t be overwhelmed by such an offer? Incredibly, though, Solomon has the clarity and maturity to simply ask for the wisdom and discernment needed to govern God’s people as their newly crowned king. Because of this righteous choice, God promises to not only give Solomon the wisdom he requested but also all the riches, honor, and power that he could ever desire!
As Christians today, the story of Solomon’s dream can seem about as applicable to our lives as the childhood fantasy of “Blank Check.” It’s fun to ask ourselves what we would ask God for given that opportunity, but, of course, we don’t expect anything even remotely similar to happen to us. A couple of New Testament passages give us a new perspective on this story though. In Ephesians 1:3, the Apostle Paul reminds us that God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” In our materialistic age, “spiritual blessings” may not sound like much, but the truth is that Jesus has provided us with riches and power deeper than Solomon could’ve ever even imagined. I’m also reminded of Matthew 6:33 which reminds us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” May we have the spiritual vision to embrace God’s blessings in our life, to desire and seek after more of Christ, and to serve God’s Kingdom from the overflow of our renewed lives!