Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 3:4-5, 15

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Kings 3:4-5, 15
"And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants."

In this chapter I was really struck by the large number of 1,000 burnt offerings Solomon gave to the Lord.  Then as I read that God said "Ask what I shall give thee", I pondered on what an amazing thing to be asked. What would I say?

In response Solomon asked for an understanding heart to judge the people, and he was promised this and more. When Solomon awoke he saw that is was a dream. Yet he then went and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and gave a feast to all his servants.

The promise in the dream is realized when two harlots come to him to judge who was the mother of the living child. Solomon showed great wisdom is discerning the true mother. This story is so familiar. Yet this time I saw something different. I think the reason Solomon was so blessed is due to the offerings he gave to the Lord before and after his dream. He gave before he was blessed and after the promise. He didn't just give a little, he gave a lot. This made me reflect on the widows mite. The size of the offering is relative to what would be a sacrifice for me.


Day 869