Forming Faith Blog

Solomon’s Wise Leadership (1 Kings 3)

Posted on October 20 2026 by Gregory Rawn

When Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, becomes king, God grants his prayer for wisdom to lead God’s people, although his failings would lead to his downfall.

Scales of justice on a table. God granted Solomon's prayer for wisdom to lead God's people.
About the Story

Last week, we read about King David. David was a great king, but he was far from perfect. When he sinned, though, David confessed to God, and God forgave him. After David’s death, his and Bathsheba’s son, Solomon, became king. Like his father, Solomon was a powerful king but far from perfect. Today’s lesson starts out with a verse saying that Solomon was worshipping in Gibeon, one of the high places, which was strictly forbidden by God’s law. Yet, God came to Solomon even in Gibeon.

God came to Solomon in a dream and said something very surprising: “Ask what I should give you” (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon replies humbly. He acknowledges that he is young and does not know how to be a great leader. So, he asks God for wisdom to be able to lead well.

God was pleased with Solomon’s request and said that Solomon would be given a wise and discerning mind as well as the riches and honor that he had not asked for. And then Solomon awoke. In our time, we often times think of dreams as fantasy or just our subconscious coming up with its own ideas. But in the Bible, dreams are a common mode of communication between God and humans. God is the active one, always coming to the person with a message in the dream.

The second half of this story reveals that this was true for Solomon’s dream. The passage goes on to demonstrate Solomon’s wisdom as he solves a dilemma between two women who both claim that a healthy baby is their own. Solomon’s wisdom is also attested to in the Book of Proverbs, which he is traditionally understood to have written. Unfortunately, though, even great wisdom was not enough to keep Solomon from sin. Even the wisest of people need God’s forgiveness. (Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections. Within the Contexts portion of the resource, all factual and interpretive statements are cited in the endnotes, although those citations are not included here.

  • Linguistics: At the end of the passage, all of Israel stands in awe of the king—the Hebrew (yārê) literally means “to be afraid.” This verb sometimes means awe and respect, but it is also used to show fear and apprehension, as if the author of this text is purposefully leaving it ambiguous how Israel feels about their new king.
  • Culture/Religion: The designation of the two women as prostitutes was likely to show that they had little familial or legal protection and were likely widows. Prostitutes were among the most vulnerable in the patriarchal Israelite society, because they had no male guardians to care for them. For this reason, it has been suggested that many prostitutes may have been widows. This makes it particularly noteworthy that Solomon’s first royal council after receiving wisdom from God was with two of the most vulnerable members of Israelite society. It is also important to note that prostitution in this time period lacks the social judgment (i.e., that sex work or prostitution is immoral) our contemporary society generally assigns to sex workers.
  • Authorial Intention/Occasion: The intention of the author is twofold: first, to show the origin of Solomon’s wisdom and favor with God; second, to show godly wisdom in action. This sets the stage for what comes next: Solomon becomes the wealthiest king of Israel and builds the temple, but also the split of Israel into two kingdoms as a result of Solomon turning to other gods. His tragic fall will become Israel’s tragic fall, setting up the pattern of Israel disobeying God, leading to the Babylonian exile.
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary resources for 2026-2027 for all age groups. Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted. 

  • Kids: Introduce this challenge activity by explaining two different meanings of the phrase “upright ruler.” First, related to the day’s Bible story, is “righteous king.” The second is a vertical measuring stick. Provide a 12-inch ruler for each group of two to four students. Provide access to a variety of different building supplies (tape, paper cups, chenille stems, paper, etc.) and challenge groups to make their ruler stand upright within a short period of time (such as 90 seconds). End by discussing what it means to be an upright ruler (righteous king) and whether a ruler can always be upright (no one can always be upright). Place a ruler between two stacks of Bibles, illustrating that relying on God and God’s Word can help us be upright. (From Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th))
  • Youth: Provide rolls of candy, glue sticks, markers, and colored paper cut to fit the candy rolls when they are wrapped around them. Explain to the youth that Solomon was famous for his wisdom, including wisdom written down in the Book of Proverbs. In pairs, have youth skim the Book of Proverbs, seeing what words of wisdom catch their attention. Have each youth choose a verse, write it on a piece of colored paper, and wrap it around a roll of candy. Then they can exchange these with their partner or a different youth. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational education: Research possible letter-writing campaigns to advocate for justice. Choose one or gather the information necessary for participants to choose a campaign. Explain that God expects rulers (leaders) to govern with wisdom and justice. Brainstorm and discuss groups of people facing injustice today. Then introduce the letter-writing campaign or campaigns you prepared, and have pairs or small groups compose and write letters advocating for justice. (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Education)
Daily Bible Readings

Throughout both the Narrative Lectionary year (roughly September through May) and the summer, we have created a daily Bible lectionary that corresponds with the Narrative Lectionary readings. These readings are used throughout our NL products, and you can subscribe to them digitally through our Daily Readings Calendar.

DateDayLectionTitle
11/1/2026Sunday1 Kings 3:4-28Solomon’s Wisdom
11/2/2026Monday1 Kings 4:20-28Solomon’s Great Kingdom
11/3/2026Tuesday1 Kings 4:29-34Solomon’s Great Wisdom
11/4/2026WednesdayPsalm 72:1-14A Prayer for Israel’s King
11/5/2026ThursdayPsalm 20:1-9A Plea for God’s Aid
11/6/2026Friday1 Kings 11:1-13Solomon Goes Astray
11/7/2026Saturday1 Kings 12:1-24The Kingdom Is Divided
11/8/2026Sunday2 Kings 5:1-15aElisha Heals Naaman
Previous Posts

This is our blog’s third go-around in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 1. Here are some previous posts on this particular passage if you are interested:

I hope you find this all useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

Order Faith Formation Resources

It’s not too late to purchase resources for your 2026-2027 faith formation programming, AND it’s almost time for the winter quarter! Order program-year curriculum resources for the Narrative Lectionary (Year 1, 2026-2027), Revised Common Lectionary (Years A & B, 2026-2027), or Key Bible Stories (non-lectionary, PK-2nd, 3rd-6th) and download TODAY.

New RCL faith-at-home resource!

I’m excited to announce a new product series for Spirit & Truth Publishing: Taking Faith Home. Taking Faith Home is a set of weekly devotional resources (often distributed as worship bulletin inserts) that follows the Revised Common Lectionary. We offer it as a Church Year (Dec. 2026 to Nov. 2027) and a Program Year (Sept. 2026 to May 2027). You can also purchase by quarter, such as Summer and Fall. Learn more here and read a review!

VBS, Events, Retreats, and More!

Are you looking for resources for topical Sunday school, family/intergenerational events, retreats, and more?

Learning Together can help! This series of affordable, five-lesson units on a variety of topics can be downloaded immediately, uses basic supplies you probably already have, and is so easy to use that you can hand the leader’s guide out that day (though that’s not recommended)!

Like all of our faith formation resources, Learning Together is effective, theologically sound, and inclusive. The current topics are:

+ Paul’s Adventures (NEW!), Celebrations, Created to Care, God’s Gift of Water, Heroes of the Bible, The I AM Statements of Jesus (free!), Travelers (Immigrants and Refugees), Do Justice, Celebrations, Women of the Old Testament, and Bible 101

Building Faith has recommended two of our units as VBS curriculum: Paul’s Adventures (reviewed in 2026) and Celebrations (reviewed in 2025)!

You can also read outside reviews of both our Do Justice and Created to Care units.

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