Sermon Notes

2 Samuel 7:11b–16 NIV
^11b “ ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: ¹² When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. ¹⁵ But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

1 Kings 3:5–14 NIV
⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
⁶ Solomon 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.
⁷ “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. ⁸ Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. ⁹ 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?”
¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ So God said to him, “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, ¹² 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. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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.”

1 Kings 11:1–6 NIV
¹ King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter — Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. ² They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. ³ He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. ⁴ As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. ⁶ So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.

Ecclesiastes 12:8–14 NIV
⁸ “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!”
⁹ Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. ¹⁰ The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails — given by one shepherd. ¹² Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
¹³ Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Discussion Igniters

(1)  Solomon was said to be the wisest man alive. What distinguishes biblical wisdom from worldly wisdom, and how can we cultivate biblical wisdom in our lives?  

(2)  Read 1 Kings 8:20–26 & Ecclesiastes 1:1–11.
In your life, when have you empathized with Solomon’s highs and lows? How can you remember to proclaim God’s blessings in the peaks and lean on Him in the valleys? 

(3)  Solomon’s birth involves a sinful act of adultery and murder, yet God selects him to construct the Temple where His presence dwells. When in your life has God brought good despite the presence of sinful actions? 

(4)  Read 1 Kings 3:16–28.
How can seeking God’s wisdom and justice like Solomon did impact our everyday decision-making? 

(5)  Where can you intentionally seek God’s wisdom throughout the coming week?