Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great nation of yours?
King Solomon, 1 Kings 3:9
At night in a dream, the Lord appeared to King Solomon and said: “Ask. What should I give you?” This came after Solomon had offered sacrifices and incense in worship and prayer because King Solomon “loved the Lord and followed all the instructions of his father, David…”
As I was reading in Chapter 3 in 1 Kings, the phrase that popped out at me was: “Give me an understanding mind…” That’s what the King asked for, “an understanding mind.” He didn’t ask for riches, kingdoms, or power, he wanted “an understanding mind.”
One Hebrew word for “understanding” is shama, when translated it means heard, hear, to listen. It isn’t just hearing sound, but also intellectual hearing, or thoughtful hearing, attentive hearing, obedient hearing, a hearing heart. King Solomon sought from the Lord a hearing heart to be able to lead God’s people.
Is that what we seek too? “Understanding,” a hearing heart? Do we seek understanding (heart hearing) to know who God is, to heart hear His ways, to heart hear his Word, to heart hear His chosen path for us, to heart hear His leading, His encouragement, heart hearing to discern right from wrong, heart hearing to know how to lead others to Him? It all starts with our hearing, our listening.
As we read on in this passage we see that King Solomon was given the task of deciding an argument between two women over a baby, an instance that clearly demanded “understanding,” heart hearing. And after listening to both sides, He said:
Let’s get the facts straight.
1 Kings 3:23
He first listened to the argument, he tuned in, he took notice, he lent an ear. He listened, he wanted to hear the facts before speaking. He wanted to know the situation before offering an opinion. He wanted to hear before he spoke. He wanted to know what was going on before he rendered a decision because he wanted to be obedient to God.
When I read this verse, I thought about Sgt. Friday, the famous detective from the 1950s iconic show, Dragnet.
All we want are the facts, ma’am.
Sgt. Joe Friday
King Solomon wanted the facts and one can only hear facts, hear information, if one listens. Why is it important? An understanding mind, a discerning mind, an obedient mind starts with listening. Understanding doesn’t start with speaking, laying out an opinion, a narrative, a preconceived idea, or a personal agenda. Understanding, “true wisdom,” doesn’t come from our own ideas, thoughts, inclinations or desires.
True understanding and wisdom come from discerning the ideas, the thoughts, the inclinations, the desires of God. True understanding and wisdom come from the mind of God, the will of God, the Word of God, and only when we walk so close to Him, when we abide, that we can hear and listen to no other. So, how do we do that? By simply asking.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5
Only after we’re gotten the facts straight, only after we’ve listened before speaking, only when we experience one mind with Christ can we truly know wisdom and understanding. Just like God gave King Solomon shama, He will do the same for us if we ask…and…have a hearing heart.