King Solomon’s Wisdom

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Scripture Reference:
1 Kings 3:3-28

Suggested Theme: God is true and wise. We can ask Him for wisdom and learn to live wisely.

Memory Verse: “Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord.” Psalm 111:10a, ICB

Story Overview:

After David’s death, his son, Solomon, became king. The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and told him to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon did not ask for selfish things; instead, he asked for wisdom to be a good king for the people. God granted Solomon his request. He judged many cases, such as the time two women claimed that they were the mother of a baby. Solomon said he would cut the baby in two so each woman would have an equal share. To save the baby, the real mother said that the other woman could have the baby. By this, Solomon knew who the real mother was. These types of judgment and Solomon’s great Proverbs made him famous for his wisdom.

Background Study:

Although with a different focus, the Chronicles record many of the same events found in the books of Samuel and the Kings. All of these books cover the time of the United Kingdom (when all of Israel was united and operated as one kingdom) and the Divided Kingdom (when Israel was divided into two parts – Israel and Judah – and operated as two kingdoms). 1 Chronicles 1 is a parallel passage to part of today’s story.

David was King for forty years. His rule was, for the most part, wise and just. An excellent military leader, he conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital. When he died, his son Solomon inherited a powerful empire. The ancient Tabernacle had been moved to Gibeon, a few miles northwest of Jerusalem. Early in his reign, Solomon went there to offer a great sacrifice to the Lord.

Solomon’s dream was unlike most of ours. Although he was asleep, God talked with him and told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted.

Solomon began by showing that he was thankful for all God had done for David, Solomon’s father. God had kept him safe through many dangers, made him king of Israel, helped him defeat his enemies and build a great empire, and given him a son, Solomon, to replace him as king.

As king, Solomon was to guide and direct a whole nation – more people than he could count. He knew he could not rule them well without help from God.

This was Solomon’s greatest wish. He wanted the knowledge and wisdom to rule his people well, to know what was right and wrong.

The Lord was pleased because Solomon was not selfish. He was thinking of the people. If Solomon had been thinking of himself, he might have asked to be allowed to live and rule for a long time. He had inherited wealth from his father, but rich people often wanted more riches. And kings generally wish destruction upon their enemies. However, Solomon wanted what was suitable for his people. They needed a king wise enough to rule justly.

Solomon got what he asked for. He was wiser than anyone before or after. Thousands of years have passed, and still, he is thought of as the wisest man who ever lived.

Solomon got even more than he asked. He “was greater than all the other kings of the earth” in riches and wisdom. “The whole world” honoured him by coming to hear his wisdom and bringing costly gifts. Read more about this wealth in (1 Kings 10:14-29).

God also offered a long life – for which Solomon had not asked – but there was a condition with this promise. Solomon was to obey God’s laws as David had done. In later years, Solomon became careless. His life may have been shortened, yet he lived to rule for forty years. In his time, the kingdom of Israel was richer and more powerful than it had been before or has been since.

Although it is not covered in today’s story, it is unfortunate to note that Solomon’s wisdom did not keep him from sinning in later life. His 700 wives and 300 concubines seemed to lead him astray in his old age (1 Kings 11:1-13).

Someone has said wisdom is knowing how, when and where to put knowledge into action.

Way to Introduce the Story:

“If the Lord came to you in a dream and told you that you could have anything that you want, what would you ask for?” (Let the children answer) “Today we are going to learn about a man that could have asked for anything he wanted. He was the king of a country. What do you think he asked for? Let’s listen to the story and find out who he was and what he asked for.”
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The Story:

David was very old. He had been the king of Israel for forty years. He had been a good king who tried to serve God. Even when he made mistakes, David was always sorry and tried to improve. The Lord knew that David had a good heart.

David was about to die. He told his son Solomon to be the new king.

“Always follow the Lord, Solomon. Obey His commands,” David told his son. And then David died.

When Solomon became king, he prayed to God and said, “Oh, Lord, I want to be a good king. I want to serve the people and help them. Please give me a wise heart so that I can always tell the difference between right and wrong. Help me to be a wise king for the people.”

God answered Solomon’s prayer. Solomon became known everywhere as a very wise ruler. He was also very rich and famous. People came from everywhere to talk to Wise King Solomon. They would tell Solomon their problems, and he would give them wise advice to help them.

Once, two women lived in the same house. Each woman had a baby of her own, and at night, the babies would sleep in the same bed with their mothers.

One night, while the women were sleeping, the first woman accidentally rolled over on top of her baby. Sadly, her baby died.

The woman wanted a baby so much that she decided to take someone else’s baby. She quietly snuck into the second woman’s room and switched the babies. When the second mother woke up, she found the dead baby beside her in the bed. At first, she thought it was her baby that was dead, but then she realized that she had been tricked. She wanted her baby back!

The two women went to King Solomon. The second woman told him what had happened.
She said, “It is my baby, I want my baby back!”

The other mother said, “No! It is MY baby. You can’t have it!”

Everyone looked at Solomon. How could he ever know which woman the baby belonged to? But remember, God gave Solomon special wisdom.

Because Solomon was wise, he had an idea for finding out the truth. He ordered one of his servants to bring him a sword. Then Solomon said, “I order that the baby be cut in half with this sword.”

The first woman said, “Okay, that’s fair. The baby should be cut in half. That way neither of us will have more than the other.”

But the other woman looked very sad. “No, do not cut the baby in half! I love the baby too much to see it hurt. I would rather the other woman have my baby. I do not want my baby to die.”

Solomon had done a very wise thing. Now he knew which was the real mother and which was not. A mother loves her baby very much and would never want it hurt. Solomon gave the baby to its true mother.

Everyone saw that Solomon was wise. Everyone knew that God had given him special wisdom.

Ways to Tell the Story:

This story can be told using a variety of methods. Always remain true to the facts found in the Bible but help children connect to its meaning by using drama, visual aids, voice inflection or other group participation.
Click here for visual aids and story-telling methods.

Click here to download the slideshow, or click here to download the pictures to print. Each teacher is unique, so only use the illustrations that best relate to how YOU tell the story in THIS lesson. Too many illustrations can be confusing, so eliminate any that cover other stories or details you do not wish to emphasise in this lesson.


Or download the slideshow above from Free Bible Images.
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Review and Reflection Questions:

Review questions help children remember and know the facts of a story, while reflection questions encourage them to internalize its meaning and implications for their lives. Asking at least one of each type of question can help strengthen a child’s spiritual development and help them connect to God. Click here to learn more about review and reflection questions.

Review:

  1. Which son of David’s became king after David died? (Solomon)
  2. Who came to Solomon in a dream, and what did He say? (The Lord; He offered to give Solomon anything he asked for)
  3. What did Solomon ask the Lord to give him? (Wisdom so he could be a good king)
  4. When two women were fighting over a baby, why did Solomon say the baby should be cut in half? (So that he could find out who the real mother was. The real mother would not want her baby to be hurt)
  5. What is wisdom?
  6. How does having wisdom help Solomon be a good king? (He can guide the people to obey and love God)
  7. What did you learn about God from this story?

Reflection:

  1. What question do you have for God about this story?
  2. If you were King Solomon and dreamed the Lord offered you anything you wanted, what would you have asked for?
  3. How do you think Solomon felt when God promised to give him wealth and honour as well as wisdom?
  4. Why do you think God chose to give Solomon more than he asked for, like wealth and honour?
  5. Do you think Solomon will be a good king now that he has wisdom from God?
  6. What do you think of the story of the two mothers and the baby?
  7. Do you think you are wise? What makes someone wise?
  8. One way to ask God for help is to ask Him to give you wisdom. What do you need help with today? Let’s pray and ask God for wisdom. Or pray together for someone who needs wisdom. This could be a church member, someone the children know, or anyone in the group.

Prayer:

It is important to guide children in learning how to pray. In prayer, children can connect with God and learn that He hears and answers them. God can become a life-long friend who is with them every moment of their lives. Try using a variety of prayer methods from time to time so that the children can learn to connect with God in different ways. Note that you can pray at any time throughout your lesson. A variety of prayer methods are found here.

Song Suggestions:

Activities and Crafts:

(How to choose the best learning activities for my teaching situation)

Activities:

  • Choose some favourite Proverbs and read them to the children.
  • Read 1 Chronicles 28:9 and discuss David’s advice to his son, Solomon.
  • Discuss James 1:5 and then pray.
  • Set up a courtroom scene and act out the two women’s stories. As props, you could use a crown and a doll.
  • (Costumed Bible Characters) A little play-acting is often a fun way to tell the story or review what has been learned. Here are some ways you might use the idea:
  • After telling the story, guide the children in costumes and act it out.
  • You can also dress up in a simple costume to act the role of one of the Bible characters. As you begin to speak, “get into character” as if you were the person in the story visiting today to tell the children what has happened to you.
  • Or, later in the session, as a review, the teacher can also use the same method to ask the children review questions as if they are one of the characters in the story talking to the children.
  • Invite the children to respond to this story using the adaptable “God’s Story” printable reflection page. Free printables for this story.

Crafts:

  • Make a poster of a Proverb. Decorate it with paints.
  • Draw a large crown and write “SOLOMON” on it. Write words on the crown that describe Solomon (wise, dream, son of David, son of Bathsheba, etc.). Add to this next week.
  • Make a scroll. Click here for instructions. Write this verse on it: “Wisdom begins with respect for the Lord.” Psalm 111:10a, ICB
  • Print bookmarks, trading cards or timelines (printable pages).
  • Visit the Teaching Ideas page for additional activities and crafts.

Other Online Resources:

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https://www.pinterest.com/marynnz/united-kingdom-davidsolomon/
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King Solomon_s Wisdom Pin

2 thoughts on “King Solomon’s Wisdom”

  1. Pingback: King Solomon Activities & Worksheet | The Religion Teacher | Catholic Religious Education

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