Being Successful Solomon the Man with it all Reveals the Key to Success

Being Successful

Solomon the Man with it all Reveals the Key to Success

Take a minute and ask yourself

What is the greatest prayer of my life?

What have I asked for more than any other thing?

Solomon the writer of the Book of Proverbs is speaking to his son

He is sharing with him the things that will make him successful

Starting with Verse 20 of Chapter 1, Solomon reveals the key to success

In order for us to greater understand the impact of what Solomon is

about to share with his son we need to go back to Solomon’s earlier life

In 2 Chronicles 1 and 1 Kings 3, we see what

transformed Solomon’s life and made him successful

It starts out with a dream where God says…

“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

“Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people,

for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 2 Chronicle 1:10

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people

and to distinguish between right and wrong.” 1 Kings 3:9

“Wisdom” the first and greatest key to success

Solomon the Man with it all Reveals the Key to Success

Take a minute and ask yourself…

What is the greatest prayer of my life?

What have I asked for more than any other thing?

Solomon the writer of the Book of Proverbs

is speaking to his son.

He is sharing with him the things

that will make him successful.

Starting with Verse 20 of Chapter 1,

Solomon reveals the key to success.

In order for us to greater understand the impact

of what Solomon is about to share with his son

we need to go back to Solomon’s earlier life.

In 2 Chronicles 1 and 1 Kings 3, we see what

transformed Solomon’s life and made him successful.

It starts out with a dream where God says…

“Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

There is the opportunity to have your dreams of success answered.

How would you have responded?

Solomon’s first response recognizes

God’s faithfulness to his father David.

Imagine Solomon growing up under his

father King David, Israel’s greatest king.

Solomon was raised to be a king,

the successor of his father David.

You may not see yourself with as great of responsibilities

as Solomon or you may not want a lot of responsibility

but you still have something in common with Solomon.

Solomon was overwhelmed with the responsibility on his life.

And I think it is safe to say you and I are

overwhelmed with the responsibility on our lives.

Solomon did not choose to ask for a life of comfort.

Solomon accepted the responsibility his

father David and God had placed on him.

Reading the accounts of this dream for God

to give him whatever he wanted, we find

Solomon giving his answer a lot of thought.

Solomon’s request reads like this…

“Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people,

for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 2 Chronicles 1:10

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people

and to distinguish between right and wrong.” 1 Kings 3:9

“Wisdom” the first and greatest key to success.

This first key works only in union

with “Knowledge and Discernment”.

I remember in my early 20’s

the impact this story had on me.

I was overwhelmed as I looked at my life.

I was a tiny speck in the universe.

Poor education, raised in a broken home,

working simple jobs only for an income.

Yet, I believed God wanted to

do great things with my life.

I remember my prayers because I am still

praying the same prayer 40 years later…

“OH GOD, Grant unto your servant wisdom”.

When you read Solomon’s other book Ecclesiastes,

 you see a man searching for the meaning of life.

The gift of wisdom God gave Solomon made him think.

Give a serious look at everything in life.

Although I have not had the resources, position, and things

Solomon had to pursue everything in life I have spent the last 40 years

searching for wisdom on every matter I could see with my eyes.

Many sleepless nights pondering how to view and do things better.

The gift of wisdom will cause you to care about everything.

Solomon cared for the people he was responsible for as king.

Not everybody wants wisdom.

Wisdom will make you responsible. 

Wisdom will not make your life simple.

 But the only way to true success is with wisdom.

Because Solomon asked for wisdom to fulfill

the call on his life all the other things that we

see as fruits of success God gave to Solomon.  

Scripture Reading

Proverbs 1:20-33

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,

she raises her voice in the public square;

21 on top of the wall she cries out,

at the city gate she makes her speech:

22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?

How long will mockers delight in mockery

and fools hate knowledge?

23 Repent at my rebuke!

Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,

I will make known to you my teachings.

24 But since you refuse to listen when I call

and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,

25 since you disregard all my advice

and do not accept my rebuke,

26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;

I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,

when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,

when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;

they will look for me but will not find me,

29 since they hated knowledge

and did not choose to fear the LORD.

30 Since they would not accept my advice

and spurned my rebuke,

31 they will eat the fruit of their ways

and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,

and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety

and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

1 Kings 3:5-15

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.” ¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.