Listening Hearts That Understand God's Gifts (1 Kings 3:5-12)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from Jesus Christ, our Lord:

Could you imagine being like Solomon? Could you imagine having someone come up and ask you to give them your favorite thing, your greatest wish or desire? This reminds me a lot of one of the most famous movies when I was a kid, Aladdin. It became very famous because of the guy who played the genie, Robin Williams, who was very funny. But could you imagine being like that where someone comes up and says “I’ll grant you three wishes” or as God approaches Solomon and says “I’ll give you your greatest desire. What would you like me to give you?” In Aladdin, I remember it very clearly, Robin Williams, the genie, going “Poof! What do you want? Poof! What do you need? Poof! What do you want?” When you think about that though, it’s kind of funny to think about it in Aladdin and then think about it with God and Solomon and you wonder what you would ask for.

If there was one thing, you could have your greatest wish or desire granted, what would it be? What would it be focused on? Maybe it’s easier with a genie where there are three things but just down to one, how would you choose? What would it be focused on? In what category would you put that desire or wish? Would it be something about wealth? Would it be something about family or health? Where would you put it? What desire or wish would you have granted if you could have anything fulfilled?

It’s very interesting to think about, but we see here as Solomon is asked this question, he gives a good answer to this question, as we are going to see. But before that, we see what Solomon answers as he is talking to God when He asks Solomon “What would you want?” Solomon first says: “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.” Notice he goes back and recounts all the good things that God had done, especially through his father, David, and all the kindness He had given.

Maybe it’s important when we think about having our greatest desire fulfilled that we think about the idea that God has already abundantly provided for us in so many ways. Do you agree? Before we even think about asking for more, it’s good to look back and think about all the ways that God has blessed you. Maybe it’s a struggle. I know often we talk to kids and they always want more. They are always thinking about something more. They are always hungry. You remind them about the things that they have. They just had dinner. They have all these things, but don’t we do the same things? Because we have these things, are we very thankful for them? How often do you thank God for the house and home that you have? Or the wealth or the money He has provided through different means? God has blessed us in so many ways that we can’t even count them. With friends and family, with work and food and our nation is so abundantly blessed.

But notice that it says God gives abundantly to all. So who would be included in that? It’s not just the righteous, not, as the Gospel Lesson talks about, the good and the righteous, those who believe in Jesus, but also unbelievers. God showers rain upon the whole world to provide so many gifts and blessings. Why is that important to know?

It has some impact with this whole idea about this life, like we talked about in our Children’s Sermon, this life representing now, our life on earth, and then eternity because there is a truth about eternity and what we believe here and now. Yes, God showers gifts abundantly on all now, but what you believe here makes an eternal difference. If I believe in God, I am going to be in God’s presence and I’m going to continue to receive His love forever. But in this life, if I’m so focused on those earthly things and I don’t consider my spiritual life, maybe I start to consider it when I get older or when there are difficulties, but sometimes you don’t have a chance to think about it. The result then is this eternal life is not eternal life but instead, eternal death and punishment and suffering because you didn’t want anything to do with God. You don’t believe in Him and you say “God, look at me and my works” instead of Jesus and His righteousness. I know this something we don’t love to talk about, that there is a heaven and there is a hell, but you heard it in our Gospel Lesson. It’s something that, as much as modern critics will talk about how “Jesus doesn’t talk about hell. The New Testament doesn’t talk about hell,” you heard it! Jesus says that in the end, there will be like a catch of fish and those who are declared righteous by God because of faith (we know that we are not righteous on our own), they’ll go to heaven. And the wicked will be tossed into a fire. So what we believe has eternal consequences on God’s love for us, not just now but in eternity.

I think that helps us to think about what we desire and ask for. We see what Solomon asks of God. He asks for a good thing, but then God responds to him and says: “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, I will do what you have asked.” What so often does God say we ask for? Long life, wealth for ourselves, and have the death of our enemies. Maybe we can break that down to think about what our hearts desires are all about. Our hearts’ desires and demands are too little. You might think “God isn’t giving me that and it’s too hard for me to achieve, so how can it be too little if this is what my heart really wants?” But in comparison to eternity, they are so little. If we’re so focused on earthly wealth, God said “You have not asked for wealth,” that’s such a small thing compared to spiritual wealth.

But it’s not just the desires of our hearts. I also put demands on there because so many of these things that we desire are things we think we deserve. We demand from God. “I deserve this! God, if you love me and because I’ve served you” or “My family has been faithful, these are things that I deserve—long life…” Does God promise long life to anyone? But for us, we kind of plan and almost demand that “Yes, okay, I’m going to be around in 10 years. I’m going to be around here.” Or one of the hardest things of when there is the loss of a life too early. And the reason to help us put this into perspective is we look at that life and we say “God, you took that life too early.” What are we only thinking about? That their life here was cut a little bit short, but we’re not thinking about eternity. I know that’s hard. I know that is still a difficult thing when we’ve lost loved ones, but it helps us to understand that our desires, our hearts are so often limited.

Here it talks about then the death of our enemies, that we can be prosperous. That I can achieve more than those at work or put down others. How small these are compared to eternal glory and bliss in heaven with our perfect God because of faith in Him. This is what God desires for us as we want to understand His gifts.

Notice what Solomon then asks for, the thing that we kind of skipped over. Solomon says: “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?” The English translation of this says “a discerning heart,” but the Hebrew makes it a little more of “a listening heart.” The thing is that we want listening hearts that understand God’s gifts, but I think what can help us understand this is not just a listening heart that understands God but is tuned to Him; to seek hearts that are tuned eternally to the Savior. If you think about a listening heart, it’s something that doesn’t speak first but receives. This was Solomon’s desire as he was going to be leading the people and he thinks about his father and Saul before him, how they struggled in different ways. David had counted the men and became boastful and Solomon says “I want a listening heart. I want to lead your people. Give me wisdom. Let me listen to you, God, to lead your people.” What a great thought. To have this wisdom from God is a great gift.

You can maybe think about this with those that are around you. Who are the people you look up to? Those people who import the most wisdom to you are not the people who speak immediately but the ones who listen. They listen and they get all the information and then they share, maybe only when asked or when you really seek their advice. But more than that are those whose hearts are tuned to God, not tuned to our own desires, not tuned to the changing ideas of the world, but tuned to the Savior, who is eternal, and keeping the eternal in mind. This is the heart that we seek. Hearts that know we live in this world where we have to deal with wealth and health and so many issues, but if I can be tuned to God’s Word and let that fill my heart, what will it do? It will give you a peace and a hope and an understanding that puts everything in its proper place.

Notice what God says to Solomon then. “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.” Again, there is a little interesting translation change in the English. It says “I will do what you have asked.” In Hebrew it says “I have done.” I have done it. Not “I will” but “You have it.” Isn’t that a great picture of God’s love for us and His mercy? There are so many promises that God has for us about eternity and peace and hope and forgiveness. In so much of it, we are looking forward and saying “God will do this for me” but He is also saying “I have done this for you, most of all, in Christ Jesus.” It’s done. You are forgiven. You are at peace. There is no sin too great for you that Jesus did not die for. There is no guilt that you carry that is too great. There is no debt that you have that is not paid for by Christ. There is no mistake that is put on this wager and kept there. No, God erases it through Christ. It’s done.

In knowing this and having this forgiveness, what should we then seek and know that God gives? In the verses that follow (they’re not in your service folder), God promises Solomon not just wisdom but He says: “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. 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.” Even in this, God promised to give more than, not just that wisdom but more.

I think this is something for us to think about. God loves to give gifts that give. These gifts are not meant for ourselves but for others. This is what Solomon was really about—all the things that he asked for, he didn’t ask for wealth for himself or a long life for himself, but he asked for wisdom to serve and then God said “I’ll give you wisdom but also wealth and honor that can be a blessing to your people.”

What gifts does God give us that we can give to others? Not to be focused on myself, the wealth and health, but all these things that I can share with others. Number one is that gift of faith. It’s priceless! It’s something that we might take for granted, just like all those other gifts out there, but God has given you the gift of faith.

The times that we don’t want to share it or fail to share it, it home again with me this week. I have a few friends in Green Bay. It’s mainly a group of Christians that get together but a couple is non-Christians. There is a husband and wife that often are in that group that aren’t Christian. This last week, the wife died of a brain aneurism at age 37. A lot of the people in the group that were Christian said “Why didn’t we share more? We were with them often. We talked about faith, but we didn’t make enough effort to share that great gift that we have with her.” That’s an encouragement of how priceless that gift is—that we have to be generous with it and not hoard it and not take it for granted but to understand that others don’t know it.

Then, think about all the other gifts that God has given you to help you do those things. If it’s wealth—not to use it for yourself but to give God the glory and to share with others; if it’s leading, if it’s serving, to serve others in so many ways. There are gifts with your hands. You can serve in music. We can serve in so many ways. Maybe it’s just having patience. Maybe it’s teaching. Maybe it’s listening. Maybe it’s praying. Maybe God has gifted you with this amazing gift of prayer that you cannot just use for yourself but with so many others. I truly believe that those gifts that God knows that you use for others and you ask God for, God will continue to pour those out.

But think about all those things as we think about those gifts, to not think about them just for this life but to continue to think about how these gifts can be a blessing for people eternally, to help them focus and learn that they, too, can have a listening heart. A listening heart that sees, yes, there are troubles and blessings in this life, but there is eternity.

So in all that we do, we look for what is not seen but is unseen and that hope of eternal life, knowing that God will continue to bless you. But most of all, He gives you that eternal blessing through Jesus and faith in Him that will live on forever. Amen.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Amen.