Where does wisdom come from?

Wisdom comes from God.

In Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, we learn about the poetry and wisdom the Bible offers.

King David wrote many of the 150 Psalms included in this book. Remember Psalm 51? David prayed to God for repentance. Many other Psalms are words of praise, expressions of joy, thanksgiving to God, and a listing of the importance of God’s Word. Many times David cried out to God in anger or fear, but always returned to trusting in God and in His Goodness. Take a few minutes and read Psalm 119 and praise God for His eternal Word.

King Solomon wrote much of the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs are short sayings that teach a truth. Since God had granted Solomon great wisdom, much of his writing centered around ways to live a holy life to God. Solomon also wrote in Ecclesiastes why God created the world—so people would worship God and see how good He is.

Wisdom in the Bible is not just words about how to live. God gives us wisdom because He wants us to be like Jesus—in how we live, how we speak, and how we think. We become wise by knowing and loving Jesus, who became God-given wisdom for us. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

 

How should we love God?

We should love God with all our hearts.

I Kings 8:61
"Let your heart be completely devoted to the Lord our God to walk in His statutes and to keep His commands, as it is today.” 

 

No king led God's people perfectly. Solomon sinned, and Israel was divided between two kings. God's people needed a perfect king. God would send His own Son, Jesus, to be King. Jesus is a perfect King.

What did King Solomon build?

King Solomon built a temple for God.

God is Holy. Only the priests could go into God's special place in the temple, and they had to follow special rules because they were sinful. Jesus took away our sin when He died on the cross. When we know and love Jesus, we talk to God on our own.

 

What did King Solomon ask from God?

Solomon asked God for wisdom.

Moving on from David, this week our journey in The Gospel Project for Kids takes us to David’s son Solomon. Solomon was the second son of Bathsheba and he became the next king of Israel. Remember God made a covenant with David in which his sons would always rule on the throne. David was very old when Solomon became the king. David encouraged his son to always follow God and to walk in His ways.

After David died, Solomon had a dream in which God told him to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon told God that he was a young man and that what he wanted most of all was the wisdom needed to be a good leader for the people of Israel. God was pleased with Solomon’s request and granted it. God told Solomon he would have more wisdom than any person yet to live. Because he had not asked for selfish desires, God also granted that Solomon would be rich, would live a long life, and would receive honor from others. God told Solomon that he would be greater than any other king who had ever lived.

  

Solomon could have asked for anything, but he chose to ask for wisdom to accomplish God’s will. God created us to do His will. Jesus gave us the perfect example of doing God’s will when He willingly died on the cross for our sins. 

What happened when David sinned?

God punished David, but He forgave David.

In this week’s account from the Bible, preschoolers will hear about sin and its consequences. David sinned against God, but God, in His grace, restored David when he repented. 

It was spring and the king usually went out to war with his troops. This spring however, David stayed at home in the palace and sent the army out under the leadership of Joab. One night David was on the roof of the palace and saw Bathsheba bathing. He sent for her and the result was that she became pregnant. David now had a serious situation to deal with.

Instead of choosing honesty, David tried to get Bathsheba’s husband Uriah to come home from battle and be with his wife, but Uriah refused. In a desperate attempt to cover his sin, David ordered Joab to place Uriah in the hottest part of the battle and then leave him alone so Uriah would be killed. Joab followed David’s order and Uriah died during the battle. David married Bathsheba and she soon gave birth to a son. God considered David’s actions to be evil!

The prophet Nathan paid David a visit and told him a story about a man who had great riches and many animals. The rich man was visited by a traveler, but instead of offering one of his own lambs to feed the traveler, the rich man took the only lamb from a poor man and prepared that lamb for his guest. The story infuriated David and he demanded that the rich man be killed for this atrocity. Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” David took something that didn’t belong to him; David knew he deserved to die, but God relented and instead, David and Bathsheba’s baby died.