Useful Bible Studies > 1 Kings Commentary > chapter 3
Solomon would rule Israel during a time of peace. His rule would bring great wealth both to him and to his nation. He himself would receive great honour.
When a person has such great success in life, it is easy to become proud and evil (James 5:1-5). So God urged Solomon to remember how his father David lived. David was not perfect – but he cared very much about God’s laws and commands. David had firmly decided that God’s law would direct his life. Even as David was dying, he had urged Solomon to live in the same way (2:2-4).
God offers long life to the person who follows his parents’ instructions (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:2). In a similar way, God offered long life to Solomon if he followed God’s rules for life. There were things in Solomon’s life that would tempt him away from God, especially his love of foreign women (11:1). Solomon was a young man who might choose to live in the right way, or in a wrong way (Ecclesiastes 11:9 to 12:1). He must not waste his opportunity to live for God.
This dream impressed Solomon greatly. He believed, correctly, that God really had spoken to him in it. He returned from Gibeon to Jerusalem, where he again offered sacrifices (the gift of animals) to God. In Jerusalem, many of his sacrifices were fellowship offerings – the kind of sacrifices where he shared the meat with other people. So Solomon provided a meal for all his officials and servants. He wanted them all to share in the relationship and the promises that he had received from God.
Next part: Solomon's wisdom: a woman steals a baby (1 Kings 3:16-20)
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