J. Albrecht…Trinity 18…Oct. 4^th, 2026…2 Chronicles 1:7-12…Would You Choose Wealth or…

⁷ On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?” ⁸ And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. ⁹ “Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. ¹⁰ “Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?” ¹¹ And God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life– but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king– ¹² “wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

In the year 458 B.C. a rival tribe called the Aequi surrounded the Roman army. Knowing the councils were incompetent to handle this situation, the Roman Senate sent a blank check, of sorts, to Cincinnatus, who had lost all he had save for a 4 acre farm. The Senate promised Cincinnatus absolute power as dictator for six months. Cincinnatus defeated his enemy in just 16 days. When he marched his army back to Rome, he didn’t hold onto his power, but rather gave his authority back and returned to his plow.

Cincinnatus was given a blank check that he could have used to gain his old life back and then some. But he didn’t, instead choosing to return to his humble life on the country side.

Long before Cincinnatus selflessly refused to take absolute control of Rome, there was King Solomon. Solomon also received a “blank check.” But his check was worth far more than absolute control over Ancient Rome because his came from God – who had the authority and power to give Solomon truly anything he wanted.

Solomon shows that his heart was centered on God’s grace because his choice for what to receive was not the things that most kings in his position would ask for. He asked for an intangible – wisdom and knowledge to rule God’s people in the best possible way. His heart showed the chief trait of the godly life: unworldliness. Content with or without wealth, fame and honor, seeking only that which the LORD gives while trusting in His blessing and mercy.

This morning, as we examine Solomon’s response to the LORD, let us put our own hearts to the test to see if we too are centered on God’s grace. May the Holy Spirit bless our study of His Word this morning, Amen.

⁷ On that night God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

Earlier that day, Solomon had officially been crowned as King of Israel. He was not much more than a late teenager, maybe early twenties. His first act was to go to the House of Worship – the Tabernacle – and offer a grand sacrifice to the LORD. It was a response of thanksgiving to God that he was named King. Thus, that night, when God appears to Solomon in a dream and asks him this question, he is not quick to reply. Rather, he recounts God’s goodness and mercy towards him and his father – asking that it would continue into his reign. ⁸ And Solomon said to God: “You have shown great mercy to David my father, and have made me king in his place. ⁹ “Now, O LORD God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.

This promise God made in 2 Samuel 7, to David, that his throne would be established forever. Solomon knew that he was the near-time fulfillment of this promise. But both he and David knew the long-term fulfillment would be completed by the promised Messiah, Jesus, who would establish the Kingdom of God forever.

This gives us a glimpse into Solomon’s heart as he responds to the LORD’s question. And why he did not choose wealth. It’s confounding. Not to us as we are given a God’s-eye view of this account, knowing what will happen and why, but because it goes against the very nature of mankind.

Suppose Solomon had chosen wealth, or power, or honor…what then? He would have received from the LORD, and that is that. It seems harmless…until you understand what such a decision can mean spiritually. Take any of the other kings in Solomon’s day. If they were given this opportunity, they would without a doubt take all the gold in the world, or choose to receive their enemy’s hand in battle. These are the most advantageous gifts for a king like this to receive. If Solomon had chosen wealth, or any other gift that like, his heart would belong to those things and not to the LORD. Solomon didn’t need to choose such gifts because He knew they came from the LORD – they were His to give as He pleases. He saw this growing up – when his father David received victory in battle, David knew His victory came from the LORD always.

Would you do the same? Or would your heart be enticed by the tantalizing reward of material gain? It’s no different in our day, is it; that wealth and power and honor are the things that everyone is ready to receive? But how quickly we forget where these blessings come from! It is easy to speak from a pious heart of what we would do, knowing how Solomon asked for a good thing. But when that “blank check” is in your name, all awareness goes out the window. Where your heart is, there belongs your choice. It is tempting to choose wealth, thinking of all the things you could do with it – good or bad. But what you don’t see is the great danger of the rich young man who wanted to follow Jesus, but his heart was controlled by his wealth and not God’s grace.

Solomon’s heart was guided by God’s grace and a desire for His blessing. He chose wisdom instead. ¹⁰ “Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”

Solomon wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Not in the typical way a child might idolize his father, but in the way his father ruled. David ruled with the LORD first. His heart belonged in the Tabernacle offering sacrifice and worship as God commanded, but also out of thanksgiving for God’s blessing. Think about the turmoil David went throughout his reign. In the beginning, his life was threatened by Saul, whom he loved as respected as his king. He was on the run for most of his early years as the God-appointed King of Israel. Then, later in his life, he was forced to flee again because his own son Absolom led a revolt against him.

Yet, through these, and other occasions of turmoil, David’s heart belonged to the LORD, trusting in His promise to be faithful and to bless his reign as king. Solomon wanted the same. Not the turmoil, but the blessing of the LORD. He wanted more than just knowledge, but the wisdom to rightly use that knowledge to best rule God’s people. Think about why. He was a young man, woefully unequipped to lead such a people as God’s people. But he knew the LORD would do what is best. He wants the LORD to guide him so that he can rightfully guide the people.

Solomon chose wisdom. Would you make the same choice? Well, isn’t the question in the heart, “What tangible blessing can wisdom bring to me?” Take a careful look at your heart now. If we seek after only what is tangible, woe to us! For we have forgotten what it means to have faith! Wisdom, God’s wisdom, is not just “felt” or seen. It is believed. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Our hope in this life is for eternal life – a promise of rest with God, forever free from sin and death and all evil. A heart propped up on what you can touch or see has no purpose for God’s wisdom.

What makes it even more difficult is that it is impossible to chose Wisdom without God’s grace. Why? For you and me wisdom from God is not to rule, but to know God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. This wisdom is hidden from the world because the world is saturated on earthly things. It has no room for what it cannot see. So are we by nature. It was God’s grace that caused David to believe in the LORD’s promises; God’s grace that saturated Solomon’s heart to choose wisdom; and God’s grace that changes our hearts from dead to possessors of the wisdom that God offers: To know that Jesus came to us not to offer vast earthly riches, but to offer His priceless blood on the cross to pay an insurmountable debt of sin and selfishness. He gave up His body unto death because by it, you would be given the riches of heaven. His resurrection is God signing the dotted line to give you all that He promises in His Word, both now and in eternity.

Solomon had the same faith, albeit in the Savior that was to come. Nevertheless, the same faith led him to choose wisdom from the same God that gave him both anyways. ¹¹ And God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart…”wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”

Was this shrewdness on Solomon’s part, hoping that God would give him both? No, it was sincere. God tells us it was in his heart. Solomon would have been at peace if God had withheld the wealth and honor from him. Whatever the LORD gave him, he would be thankful. Would you? Proverbs 30:8 was chosen for the bulletin cover today. Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches– Feed me with the food allotted to me; The verse after tells us the reason behind this request, ⁹ Lest I be full and deny You, And say, “Who is the LORD?” Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. God may or may not give wealth – both have been used as reasons to deny the LORD.

We can remain satisfied when God withholds wealth, even when such sinful attitudes are tempting. Because we know of something far greater, worth much more than all the wealth and honor found in this world – something that is unwavering, unfading, eternal: The mercy of God and His promise in Christ. The Word of God which always proves to be true. As God blesses, may we praise Him! As the LORD takes away, may we praise Him! For we are certain of this: His love is never-ending. His mercy is always faithful. His grace through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who has begotten us again to a new hope in His resurrection is our wealth.

Did you know, that in 439 B.C., nearly two decades after Cincinnatus relinquished his role as dictator, he was called upon again? This time he was in his 80s and was called upon to quash a revolt. He did and once again, freely gave up his powers as dictator to return to his humble life, proving his first act was not a fluke. May our hearts be proven to be true – as Solomon’s was – and be satisfied with God’s providence for our lives today, knowing His mercy and blessing will bring abundant riches in the life to come, Amen.

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