Semon Notes for August 20th
August 20, 2006
“Do not be Foolish”
1 Kings 2:2-12, 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20
1. Paul’s letter to Ephesus is pretty straight forward. “Do not be Foolish” it says, “but understand the will of the Lord.” That might well be the whole message of the Bible for all people everywhere. “Be Wise … do not be foolish.”
In the book for Proverbs it says something quite similar:
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
2. Now, according to the Bible the book of Proverbs is attributed to the great King Solomon. Most scholars doubt this is entirely true although there is no way of knowing for sure.
But whatever the case, Solomon was highly regarded for his wisdom as is written in 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 men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol 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 described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
Now, even if there is considerable exaggeration in this statement, we can still assume that Solomon was some kind of guy! In more ways than one, as we shall soon find out!
3. But the passage for today is primarily about one kind of the wisdom … which is the wisdom which only God gives. Because, according to 1 Kings 3:3-14, all the wisdom Solomon had (and all his riches as well) were not to be attributed to him alone, but rather to God who gave this things to Solomon because he had humbled himself in asking for God’s guidance in ruling the people of Israel.
And this is in keeping, of course, with the Biblical view of things which is not to glorify the works of men – but to give the credit first and foremost to God.
4. Now as I was preparing this sermon I consulted the Abingdon bible commentary prepared by the United Methodist Church. And I discovered that the last time I preached on 1 Kings, Chapter 3, was exactly six years ago on August 20th, 2000 – no less. So, I looked up my sermon from that Sunday on my computer and discovered that it wasn’t too bad a sermon – although I had forgotten most of it … which is a bit humbling … of course.
Six years ago … how times passes! I thought. And then I began to think about how much has changed in the last six years. Think about it. Six years ago, Bill Clinton was still President of the United States. We were, of course, in the midst of the Presidential Election campaign between George Bush and Al Gore. In addition, guess who was still governor of Minnesota … Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Amazing!
And then I realized that this was back before 9/11 when the entire world changed forever. In fact, that was still a year away from September 11th of 2001. For we will be acknowledging the fifth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center this next month. A lot has changed, indeed, for on a personal note I remember calling my daughter right afterward and she was still in college. Now she is in her fourth year of teaching in St. Paul. How time flies!
5. And, in recent days we have been much concerned with politics, war, and international relations. And now, we are in the midst of another national election and already the lawn signs are coming out and political ads are appearing on television.
Some people dread all the political hoopla, but, as they say, “it’s the price we pay for democracy.”
For back in Solomon’s time there was no such thing as democracy or women’s rights or anything of that sort.
And when it came down to who would succeed the great King David – it was a real problem.
This was because the accepted method for replacing the King in those days was Primogeniture -- which allowed for the inheritance by the first-born of the entirety of a parent's wealth, estate or office and this was often used in monarchies throughout history.
6. Now, this sounds pretty clear-cut. The Eldest son gets it. But, not so fast. God had other plans, apparently. And so did the prophet Nathan, Bathsheba (Solomon’s mother), and Solomon, himself.
There isn’t time to go into all the backstabbing (literally) and intrigue but in short we learn in 1st Kings that: the formal installation of Solomon as the God-appointed successor of David was hastened by an incident which, like so many others that caused trouble in Israel, must ultimately be traced to the weakness of David himself. For it turns out that David was very indulgent toward his sons Amnon and Absalom. (In short, they were spoiled.) and this resulted in terrible consequences. For both Amnon and Absalom died violent deaths. And a third son of David, Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, seems also to have died. At least, so we infer from the silence of Scripture concerning him. These, then, were the three eldest sons of David. The next in point of age was Adonijah the son of Haggith. (Now you need to understand that David had many wives – so his sons did not all have the same mother.)
7. So, it would appear that as the fourth surviving son of David, Adonijah became heir-apparent to the throne. But Solomon, an even younger brother, was preferred to him. And now we have a dangerous power struggle about to take place. What happened next was that Adonijah, seeing that his father was dying, tried to have himself be proclaimed king. This caused the influential prophet Nathan and Bathsheba to induce David, who was quite ill, to give orders that Solomon should at once be proclaimed and admitted to the throne. In other words, they talked the old man into going against the conventional wisdom and so, David proclaimed Solomon to be his heir.
Seeing that he was outwitted, Adonijah fled and took refuge at the altar, and received pardon for his conduct from Solomon on the condition that he showed himself "a worthy man" Afterwards, however, Adonijah made a second foolish attempt to gain the throne, but was seized and put to death according to Solomon’s orders. (1 Kings 2:13-25). After that, Solomon also ordered several other people who were supporters of Adonijah to be banished or put to death. In short, he cleaned house. Therefore, while Solomon may been wise, he was also politically clever and shrewd. And that was the way it was done in the those days! Hopefully, we are more civilized nowadays, although, sometimes I am not so sure! Because however you cut it, politics can be a cutthroat business.
8. Well, Solomon got to be king and his greatest accomplishment was the building of the great Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, he succeeded in consolidating the nation of Israel. And, in terms of later days, the Jews looked back on the days of Solomon and David with great fondness. And Solomon, it was agreed, was a great king in the world sense. And this little band of slaves who had escaped from Egypt had now become a powerful nation – or so they thought. All because, as the prophets reminded them, God was with them.
Well, in retrospect, it appears that Solomon, in spite of his dream, and all his success, did not always act wisely for the Bible takes him to task for a number of things, as we read in 1 Kings 11:1-3 how King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: in fact there were women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; all who became Solomon’s wives. And this was contrary to the teaching of God who had said:
"You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods."
Yet, despite God’s warning, according to the Bible “Solomon clung to these women in love.”
9. According to First Kings 11:1-3 it indicates that King Solomon had 700 hundred wives and 300 hundred concubines. Now this seems a bit much, wouldn’t you sayk? So what was going on? Well,
history reveals that Solomon was very aggressive in his foreign policy. And in sealing treaties in ancient days, it was customary for a lesser king to give his daughter in marriage to the greater king (in this case, Solomon). So, every time a new treaty was sealed, Solomon ended up with yet another wife. These wives were considered tokens of friendship and "sealed" the relationship between the two kings.
You get the feeling that women, in those days, didn’t count for much? Well, in fact, they didn’t. Women were largely seen as property. But, contrary to Jewish law, Solomon was merely doing what other kings and rulers did. He was keeping up with the Jone’s. Because, to be a successful king in those days you had to have a big harem!
Well, some of the Biblical writers did take Solomon to task for this. They spoke out saying that Solomon was utterly disobedient to the Lord.They accused him of being so obsessed with power and wealth that it overshadowed his spiritual life. He also, it was said, worshipped some of the false gods of the women who became married to him. That’s what the Bible says…
So, has anything changed, really? Why is it, I ask you, that politics, sex, and money all seem to always get mixed up together? And it even happens in a democracy like America. Well, the answer, according to the Bible is that nasty old word – sin. And the best definition of sin is “corruption” or foolishness.
10. Well, it seems that the Bible is rather clear about Solomon’s sins, for he was going against God’s will regarding monogamy. For from the very beginning the Bible says God created one woman for one man as is written in Genesis 1:27; 2:21-25 and in Deuteronomy 17:17 where it explicitly instructs the king not to "multiply wives."
Here is what it says:
the king "shall not multiply horses to himself... Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold" (Deuteronomy 17:16-17).
Notice that horses are regarded in pretty much the same sense as wives. So much for women!
So, it says that Solomon sinned in various ways -- (1) he engaged in polygamy, (2) he violated God's commandment against marrying pagans, which ultimately led to his own apostasy, (3) he collected huge numbers of horses (a large chariot army), and (4) he gathered vast amounts of gold and silver.
And the Bible records that Solomon's tolerance of his wives pagan religions led to terrible sins against God. 1 Kings 11:4-9 states, as it says in 1st Kings, Chapter 11:
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his foreign wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon... So, there.
And therefore, we must notice that the Bible was not of one mind about Solomon. This is because the Bible is a composit of different writings from different periods. Some praise Solomon and others are critical of him. And, besides, Solomon was a very complicated man.
Well, enough on Solomon and his wisdom and his sins and his many wives. Not a dull story, by any means. And not a dull life, especially for Solomon, to be sure! In fact, it is a great and human story about one man – and his complicated relationship with God and his people … wouldn’t you say?
11. So, to summarize our scripture lesson today, Solomon, in his dream is granted wisdom and wealth for calling on God to be his guide as a ruler. But then he is corrupted by the power and wealth which God gives him. In short, it is the old old story For Solomon, and for all political leaders (even today)…the great problem is to how to act…as objectively as possible…which takes faith…and trust in God…and this is what Solomon prays for, but does not always really do…
And in the Bible, eventually, in the end, as Israel would discover…it was the prophets, more than the kings…who would come to speak for Israel… What are we to make of this?
Well, along these same lines, the English Methodist Herbert Butterfield…who was also a great British historian…wrote these words about the Biblical prophets:
I think that one of the most significant and revealing
Chapters in the history of human thought is provided by the ancient Hebrew prophets, in their insistence upon the judgment of God..and their vindication of the moral element in history…
And if I have understood it correctly, when the prophet Amos warned the Jews that the “day of the Lord,” which they so eagerly awaited, was not to be a time of triumph, but a dark day of reckoning, it is not hard to see the parallels when the ancient writers cried out against the blind leaders of public opinion in their day…the false prophets who told the people they would have peace, who called evil good and good evil, and who flourished by giving men the comfortable doctrines they like to hear…
These are good words, perhaps, for us today to be reminded of, once again, in this election year, don’t you think, as we weigh the words of politicians who seek to represent us in office and to lead our nation.
12. And the same is true in our own lives, though we be not kings or rulers. For we all must also strive, as St. Paul says, to act with wisdom.
And this is not easy … because our own ways are often clouded by anxiety, uncertainty, selfishness, doubt, and much more.
As a result we are always prone always to:
Act too quickly …
Act out of fear …
Or, at times, not to act, to put off decisions …until it is too late
Or to act vindictively, out of anger …
Or to try to control everything ourselves … and not let others
Be involved in our decisions
Or to act defensively …
And much more
And lastly, we fail to ask God for wisdom before we act.
Is this not true? Has anyone here today, not acted in one or more of these ways and not later regretted it? We have all done it, including myself.
13. And yet as the Bible reminds us over and over again … the great stories of Solomon are there for as great examples from which we might learn … and be wise. Because, according to the Bible:
When we ask God for help … in prayer … some amazing things can take place … For instance, in prayer …
A. We may be led to someone else who may have wise advice for us some idea that we would never have thought of ourselves …
B. We may be receive new insights, and be more open minded … and see more clearly …
C. Our fears may be calmed, and we may act more courageously
D. We are more able to act with love rather than anger
and resentment …
In other words, in prayer, we seek not our own wisdom, but the greater wisdom of God. And, because God always, always, hears our prayers, may we always pray as Solomon did in his famous dream:
Oh Lord, Give thy servant, therefore, an understanding mind … that we might discern between good and evil.
And all I can add is that personally in my own life I have learned that God will not let us down. God may not always give us what we want, but God will always give us what we need.
“Do not be Foolish”
1 Kings 2:2-12, 3:3-14, Ephesians 5:15-20
1. Paul’s letter to Ephesus is pretty straight forward. “Do not be Foolish” it says, “but understand the will of the Lord.” That might well be the whole message of the Bible for all people everywhere. “Be Wise … do not be foolish.”
In the book for Proverbs it says something quite similar:
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
2. Now, according to the Bible the book of Proverbs is attributed to the great King Solomon. Most scholars doubt this is entirely true although there is no way of knowing for sure.
But whatever the case, Solomon was highly regarded for his wisdom as is written in 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 men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Calcol 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 described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.
Now, even if there is considerable exaggeration in this statement, we can still assume that Solomon was some kind of guy! In more ways than one, as we shall soon find out!
3. But the passage for today is primarily about one kind of the wisdom … which is the wisdom which only God gives. Because, according to 1 Kings 3:3-14, all the wisdom Solomon had (and all his riches as well) were not to be attributed to him alone, but rather to God who gave this things to Solomon because he had humbled himself in asking for God’s guidance in ruling the people of Israel.
And this is in keeping, of course, with the Biblical view of things which is not to glorify the works of men – but to give the credit first and foremost to God.
4. Now as I was preparing this sermon I consulted the Abingdon bible commentary prepared by the United Methodist Church. And I discovered that the last time I preached on 1 Kings, Chapter 3, was exactly six years ago on August 20th, 2000 – no less. So, I looked up my sermon from that Sunday on my computer and discovered that it wasn’t too bad a sermon – although I had forgotten most of it … which is a bit humbling … of course.
Six years ago … how times passes! I thought. And then I began to think about how much has changed in the last six years. Think about it. Six years ago, Bill Clinton was still President of the United States. We were, of course, in the midst of the Presidential Election campaign between George Bush and Al Gore. In addition, guess who was still governor of Minnesota … Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Amazing!
And then I realized that this was back before 9/11 when the entire world changed forever. In fact, that was still a year away from September 11th of 2001. For we will be acknowledging the fifth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center this next month. A lot has changed, indeed, for on a personal note I remember calling my daughter right afterward and she was still in college. Now she is in her fourth year of teaching in St. Paul. How time flies!
5. And, in recent days we have been much concerned with politics, war, and international relations. And now, we are in the midst of another national election and already the lawn signs are coming out and political ads are appearing on television.
Some people dread all the political hoopla, but, as they say, “it’s the price we pay for democracy.”
For back in Solomon’s time there was no such thing as democracy or women’s rights or anything of that sort.
And when it came down to who would succeed the great King David – it was a real problem.
This was because the accepted method for replacing the King in those days was Primogeniture -- which allowed for the inheritance by the first-born of the entirety of a parent's wealth, estate or office and this was often used in monarchies throughout history.
6. Now, this sounds pretty clear-cut. The Eldest son gets it. But, not so fast. God had other plans, apparently. And so did the prophet Nathan, Bathsheba (Solomon’s mother), and Solomon, himself.
There isn’t time to go into all the backstabbing (literally) and intrigue but in short we learn in 1st Kings that: the formal installation of Solomon as the God-appointed successor of David was hastened by an incident which, like so many others that caused trouble in Israel, must ultimately be traced to the weakness of David himself. For it turns out that David was very indulgent toward his sons Amnon and Absalom. (In short, they were spoiled.) and this resulted in terrible consequences. For both Amnon and Absalom died violent deaths. And a third son of David, Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, seems also to have died. At least, so we infer from the silence of Scripture concerning him. These, then, were the three eldest sons of David. The next in point of age was Adonijah the son of Haggith. (Now you need to understand that David had many wives – so his sons did not all have the same mother.)
7. So, it would appear that as the fourth surviving son of David, Adonijah became heir-apparent to the throne. But Solomon, an even younger brother, was preferred to him. And now we have a dangerous power struggle about to take place. What happened next was that Adonijah, seeing that his father was dying, tried to have himself be proclaimed king. This caused the influential prophet Nathan and Bathsheba to induce David, who was quite ill, to give orders that Solomon should at once be proclaimed and admitted to the throne. In other words, they talked the old man into going against the conventional wisdom and so, David proclaimed Solomon to be his heir.
Seeing that he was outwitted, Adonijah fled and took refuge at the altar, and received pardon for his conduct from Solomon on the condition that he showed himself "a worthy man" Afterwards, however, Adonijah made a second foolish attempt to gain the throne, but was seized and put to death according to Solomon’s orders. (1 Kings 2:13-25). After that, Solomon also ordered several other people who were supporters of Adonijah to be banished or put to death. In short, he cleaned house. Therefore, while Solomon may been wise, he was also politically clever and shrewd. And that was the way it was done in the those days! Hopefully, we are more civilized nowadays, although, sometimes I am not so sure! Because however you cut it, politics can be a cutthroat business.
8. Well, Solomon got to be king and his greatest accomplishment was the building of the great Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, he succeeded in consolidating the nation of Israel. And, in terms of later days, the Jews looked back on the days of Solomon and David with great fondness. And Solomon, it was agreed, was a great king in the world sense. And this little band of slaves who had escaped from Egypt had now become a powerful nation – or so they thought. All because, as the prophets reminded them, God was with them.
Well, in retrospect, it appears that Solomon, in spite of his dream, and all his success, did not always act wisely for the Bible takes him to task for a number of things, as we read in 1 Kings 11:1-3 how King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: in fact there were women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; all who became Solomon’s wives. And this was contrary to the teaching of God who had said:
"You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods."
Yet, despite God’s warning, according to the Bible “Solomon clung to these women in love.”
9. According to First Kings 11:1-3 it indicates that King Solomon had 700 hundred wives and 300 hundred concubines. Now this seems a bit much, wouldn’t you sayk? So what was going on? Well,
history reveals that Solomon was very aggressive in his foreign policy. And in sealing treaties in ancient days, it was customary for a lesser king to give his daughter in marriage to the greater king (in this case, Solomon). So, every time a new treaty was sealed, Solomon ended up with yet another wife. These wives were considered tokens of friendship and "sealed" the relationship between the two kings.
You get the feeling that women, in those days, didn’t count for much? Well, in fact, they didn’t. Women were largely seen as property. But, contrary to Jewish law, Solomon was merely doing what other kings and rulers did. He was keeping up with the Jone’s. Because, to be a successful king in those days you had to have a big harem!
Well, some of the Biblical writers did take Solomon to task for this. They spoke out saying that Solomon was utterly disobedient to the Lord.They accused him of being so obsessed with power and wealth that it overshadowed his spiritual life. He also, it was said, worshipped some of the false gods of the women who became married to him. That’s what the Bible says…
So, has anything changed, really? Why is it, I ask you, that politics, sex, and money all seem to always get mixed up together? And it even happens in a democracy like America. Well, the answer, according to the Bible is that nasty old word – sin. And the best definition of sin is “corruption” or foolishness.
10. Well, it seems that the Bible is rather clear about Solomon’s sins, for he was going against God’s will regarding monogamy. For from the very beginning the Bible says God created one woman for one man as is written in Genesis 1:27; 2:21-25 and in Deuteronomy 17:17 where it explicitly instructs the king not to "multiply wives."
Here is what it says:
the king "shall not multiply horses to himself... Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold" (Deuteronomy 17:16-17).
Notice that horses are regarded in pretty much the same sense as wives. So much for women!
So, it says that Solomon sinned in various ways -- (1) he engaged in polygamy, (2) he violated God's commandment against marrying pagans, which ultimately led to his own apostasy, (3) he collected huge numbers of horses (a large chariot army), and (4) he gathered vast amounts of gold and silver.
And the Bible records that Solomon's tolerance of his wives pagan religions led to terrible sins against God. 1 Kings 11:4-9 states, as it says in 1st Kings, Chapter 11:
For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his foreign wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon... So, there.
And therefore, we must notice that the Bible was not of one mind about Solomon. This is because the Bible is a composit of different writings from different periods. Some praise Solomon and others are critical of him. And, besides, Solomon was a very complicated man.
Well, enough on Solomon and his wisdom and his sins and his many wives. Not a dull story, by any means. And not a dull life, especially for Solomon, to be sure! In fact, it is a great and human story about one man – and his complicated relationship with God and his people … wouldn’t you say?
11. So, to summarize our scripture lesson today, Solomon, in his dream is granted wisdom and wealth for calling on God to be his guide as a ruler. But then he is corrupted by the power and wealth which God gives him. In short, it is the old old story For Solomon, and for all political leaders (even today)…the great problem is to how to act…as objectively as possible…which takes faith…and trust in God…and this is what Solomon prays for, but does not always really do…
And in the Bible, eventually, in the end, as Israel would discover…it was the prophets, more than the kings…who would come to speak for Israel… What are we to make of this?
Well, along these same lines, the English Methodist Herbert Butterfield…who was also a great British historian…wrote these words about the Biblical prophets:
I think that one of the most significant and revealing
Chapters in the history of human thought is provided by the ancient Hebrew prophets, in their insistence upon the judgment of God..and their vindication of the moral element in history…
And if I have understood it correctly, when the prophet Amos warned the Jews that the “day of the Lord,” which they so eagerly awaited, was not to be a time of triumph, but a dark day of reckoning, it is not hard to see the parallels when the ancient writers cried out against the blind leaders of public opinion in their day…the false prophets who told the people they would have peace, who called evil good and good evil, and who flourished by giving men the comfortable doctrines they like to hear…
These are good words, perhaps, for us today to be reminded of, once again, in this election year, don’t you think, as we weigh the words of politicians who seek to represent us in office and to lead our nation.
12. And the same is true in our own lives, though we be not kings or rulers. For we all must also strive, as St. Paul says, to act with wisdom.
And this is not easy … because our own ways are often clouded by anxiety, uncertainty, selfishness, doubt, and much more.
As a result we are always prone always to:
Act too quickly …
Act out of fear …
Or, at times, not to act, to put off decisions …until it is too late
Or to act vindictively, out of anger …
Or to try to control everything ourselves … and not let others
Be involved in our decisions
Or to act defensively …
And much more
And lastly, we fail to ask God for wisdom before we act.
Is this not true? Has anyone here today, not acted in one or more of these ways and not later regretted it? We have all done it, including myself.
13. And yet as the Bible reminds us over and over again … the great stories of Solomon are there for as great examples from which we might learn … and be wise. Because, according to the Bible:
When we ask God for help … in prayer … some amazing things can take place … For instance, in prayer …
A. We may be led to someone else who may have wise advice for us some idea that we would never have thought of ourselves …
B. We may be receive new insights, and be more open minded … and see more clearly …
C. Our fears may be calmed, and we may act more courageously
D. We are more able to act with love rather than anger
and resentment …
In other words, in prayer, we seek not our own wisdom, but the greater wisdom of God. And, because God always, always, hears our prayers, may we always pray as Solomon did in his famous dream:
Oh Lord, Give thy servant, therefore, an understanding mind … that we might discern between good and evil.
And all I can add is that personally in my own life I have learned that God will not let us down. God may not always give us what we want, but God will always give us what we need.
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