Old Testament · character
Solomon
The king who asked for wisdom — the height of glory and a sobering lesson.
Solomon, the son of David, asked for wisdom rather than riches and led Israel into its golden age. He is the figure behind Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
Asking for Wisdom
When God asked the newly crowned Solomon, "What shall I give you?", he asked not for long life or wealth but for "wisdom to govern the people." God granted him wisdom along with riches and honor as well (1 Kings 3).
The Height of Glory
He built the temple in Jerusalem, and Israel reached the peak of its prosperity — so much so that even the Queen of Sheba came to hear his wisdom.
A Heart Turned Away
Yet his many foreign wives and their idols drew his heart away from God in his later years. The lament of Ecclesiastes, "Meaningless, utterly meaningless," reads as the conclusion of one who had tasted everything.
Related verses
- 1 Kings 3:9A prayer asking for wisdom.
- Proverbs 1:7"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."