• A sixty-four year old said, “I’ve learned that most of the things I worry

about never happen.”

• Another said, “I’ve learned that when someone says something unkind
about me, I will live so that no one will believe it.”

• One twenty-nine year old parent said, “I’ve learned that parents of other
children know just how you should raise yours.”

• A forty-six year old said, “I’ve learned that you can get by on charm for
about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.”

• A senior citizen said, “I’ve learned that the great challenge of life is to
decide what’s important and to ignore everything else.”
Rocky, age 9, said, “Wisdom is wearing a hat when
feeding seagulls.”

9-year-old Carol commented, “Never ask for anything

that costs more than $5 when your parents are doing
taxes.”

Nicholas, age 11, spoke from experience: “Never bug a

pregnant mom.”

Kelly, age 10, said: “Don’t ever be too full for dessert.”

Heather, a seasoned teenager said, “When your dad is

mad and asks you, ‘Do I look stupid?’ don’t answer him.”
• One man said, “I’ve learned that homemade Toll House cookies
should be eaten warm.”

• A four-year said, “I’ve learned you can’t hide a piece of broccoli in

your glass of milk.”

• A seven-year-old said, “I’ve learned that if you spread the peas out
on your plate, it looks like you ate more.”

• “I’ve learned that a person begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first
time he bites off more than he can chew.”
1 Kings 3:1 (ERV)

3 Solomon made a peace treaty with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, by

marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her to the City of David.
This was when Solomon was still building his palace, the Temple of
the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. 
2 Corinthians 6:14 (ERV)

You are not the same as those who don’t believe. So don’t join
14 

yourselves to them. Good and evil don’t belong together. Light and
darkness cannot share the same room.
1 Kings 3:2-4 (ERV)
2 
The Temple to honor the LORD had not yet been finished, so
people were still making animal sacrifices on altars at the high
places. 3 Solomon showed that he loved the LORD by obeying
everything his father David told him to do, except that Solomon
continued to go to the high places to offer sacrifices and to burn
incense.
4 
King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice because that was
the most important high place. He offered a thousand burnt
offerings on that altar.
2 Chronicles 1:3-6 (TLB)

He summoned all the army officers and judges to Gibeon as well

2-3 

as all the political and religious leaders of Israel. He led them up the
hill to the old Tabernacle constructed by Moses, the Lord’s
assistant, while he was in the wilderness. 4 (There was a later
Tabernacle in Jerusalem, built by King David for the Ark of God
when he removed it from Kiriath-jearim.) 5-6 The bronze altar made
by Bezalel (son of Uri, son of Hur) still stood in front of the old
Tabernacle, and now Solomon and those he had invited assembled
themselves before it, as he sacrificed upon it 1,000 burnt offerings to
the Lord.
1 Kings 3:5 (ERV)

While Solomon was at Gibeon, the LORD came to him at night in

5 

a dream. God said, “Solomon, ask me what you want me to give

you.”
1 Kings 3:6 (ERV)

Solomon answered, “You were very kind and loyal to your servant,
6 

my father David. He was faithful to you and lived a good, honest life.
And you showed him the greatest kindness when you let his son take
his place as king. 
As we look back throughout our lives, who is it that has had the
biggest influence upon us? Are we a people after God’s own heart?
1 Kings 3:7 (ERV)

LORD my God, you have made me the king in my father’s place, but I
7 

am like a small child. I don’t have the wisdom I need to do what I

must do. 
As we look within our lives, do we have the humility of Solomon? Or
are we overconfident with a know-it-all attitude, not willing to listen
to anyone? Or are we too proud to ask for help?
1 Kings 3:8 (ERV)

I am your servant here among your chosen people. There are so

8 

many that they cannot be counted. 

Do we go to God, before we step into challenging situations or after
we get stuck in the middle of them?
1 Kings 3:9 (ERV)

So I ask you to give me the wisdom to rule and judge them well and
9 

to help me know the difference between right and wrong. Without

such great wisdom, it would be impossible to rule this great nation.”
He could have asked for anything…health…wealth…Instead, he asked
God for wisdom to rule. Would this be what you would ask for?
Would the thought of wisdom even cross your mind?
1 Kings 3:10-12 (ERV)

10 
The LORD was happy that Solomon asked for wisdom. 11 So God said
to him, “You did not ask for long life and riches for yourself. You did
not ask for the death of your enemies. You asked for the wisdom to
listen and make the right decisions. 12 So I will give you what you
asked for. I will make you wise and intelligent. I will make you wiser
than anyone who ever lived or ever will live. 
Solomon’s request pleased God, and God granted his wish and gave
him other things as well. How often do we look upward? Are our
requests selfish or pleasing to God?
1 Kings 3:13 (ERV)

And I will also give you what you did not ask for. You will have riches
13 

and honor all your life. There will be no other king in the world as
great as you. 
1 Kings 10:18-25

18 
Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine
gold. 19 The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both
sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. 20 There
were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other
throne in all the world could be compared with it! 21 All of King Solomon’s
drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of
Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in
Solomon’s day!
22 
The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet.
Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes,
and peacocks.[a]
23 
So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on
earth. 24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom
God had given him. 25 Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of
silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
2 Chronicles 9:3-8 (MSG)

9 1-4 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s reputation and came to Jerusalem to put his
reputation to the test, asking all the tough questions. She made a showy entrance—an
impressive retinue of attendants and camels loaded with perfume and much gold and
precious stones. She emptied her heart to Solomon, talking over everything she cared
about. And Solomon answered everything she put to him—nothing stumped him. When
the queen of Sheba experienced for herself Solomon’s wisdom and saw with her own eyes
the palace he had built, the meals that were served, the impressive array of court officials,
the sharply dressed waiters, the cupbearers, and then the elaborate worship extravagant
with Whole-Burnt-Offerings at The Temple of GOD, it all took her breath away.
5-8 
She said to the king, “It’s all true! Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that
reached all the way to my country is confirmed. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen
it for myself; they didn’t exaggerate! Such wisdom and elegance—far more than I could
ever have imagined. Lucky the men and women who work for you, getting to be around
you every day and hear your wise words firsthand! And blessed be your GOD who has
taken such a liking to you, making you king. Clearly, GOD’s love for Israel is behind this,
making you king to keep a just order and nurture a God-pleasing people.”
1 Kings 10:14

And I will give you a long life IF you follow me and obey my laws and
14 

commands as your father David did.”

II Chronicles 7: 14; “IF My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and
pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from Heaven and
heal their Land.”

Matt. 17:20; Jesus said: “IF you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, (THEN) you may say to
this mountain, “Remove from here to over there; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you.”

Mark 8:36; “For what shall it profit a man, IF he shall gain the whole world, and (THEN) lose his
own soul?”

Mark 11: 25 & 26; “When ye stand praying, forgive, IF ye have anything against anyone, so that
your Father also, which is in Heaven (THEN) may forgive you your trespasses. But IF you do not
forgive others, (THEN) neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Romans 10:9 – That IF you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and (IF you)
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, (THEN) you will
be saved.
 References

Make a Wish . . . Any Wish Solomon: The Renaissance King – Stephen Davey
Are You Wiser Than A 5th Grader—Jerry Shirley

When God Offers A Blank Check – Ed Wood

God's Kind Of Leader -- Brian Matherlee