Bible Study 2 Chronicles 1
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2 Chronicles 1 · WEB

Solomon Asks for Wisdom at Gibeon

Listen — WEB narration 0:00 / 0:00 Narration: World English Bible (David Williams), public domain — AudioTreasure.

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Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and Yahweh his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.
2Solomon spoke to all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every prince in all Israel, the heads of the fathers' houses.
3So Solomon, and all the assembly with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for God's Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the servant of Yahweh had made in the wilderness.
4But David had brought God's ark up from Kiriath Jearim to the place that David had prepared for it; for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.
5Moreover the bronze altar that Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, was there before the tabernacle of Yahweh; and Solomon and the assembly sought it.
6Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before Yahweh, which was at the Tent of Meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
7In that night, God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for what I should give you."
8Solomon said to God, "You have shown great loving kindness to David my father, and have made me king in his place.
9Now, Yahweh God, let your promise to David my father be established; for you have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
10Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this your people, that is so great?"
11God said to Solomon, "Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for riches, wealth, or honor, nor the life of those who hate you, nor yet have asked for long life; but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people over whom I have made you king,
12wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you have had, neither shall any after you have the like."
13So Solomon came from the high place that was at Gibeon, from before the Tent of Meeting, to Jerusalem; and he reigned over Israel.
14Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
15The king made silver and gold to be as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars he made to be as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland, for abundance.
16The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt and from Kue. The king's merchants bought them from Kue at a price.
17They brought up and brought out of Egypt a chariot for six hundred pieces of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty; and so they brought them out to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria by their means.
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Summary

Solomon begins his reign by leading all Israel in a massive offering at Gibeon, where the tabernacle of Moses still stood. That night God appears and gives Solomon a blank check — "Ask for what I should give you." Solomon asks not for wealth or power but for wisdom and knowledge to govern God's great people. Delighted by this humble request, God grants wisdom and also gives Solomon the wealth and honor he did not ask for. The chapter closes by noting Solomon's growing wealth — chariots, horses, silver, and gold in abundance.

Themes

  • Wisdom as the highest priority for leadership
  • God's generosity to those who seek the right things
  • The proper beginning of a great reign — worship and seeking God

Key verses

  • 2 Chr 1:10 — “Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this your people, that is so great?”
  • 2 Chr 1:12 — “Wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, wealth, and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you have had.”
  • 2 Chr 1:7 — “In that night, God appeared to Solomon and said to him, 'Ask for what I should give you.'”

Context & background

Gibeon (modern Al-Jib, ~9 km northwest of Jerusalem in the West Bank) was the location of the Mosaic tabernacle and bronze altar. Though the Ark was in Jerusalem, the rest of the sacred worship furniture remained at Gibeon until the temple was built. God's night appearance to Solomon here mirrors God's appearance to his father David after the Davidic covenant. The thousand burnt offerings Solomon made represent extraordinary devotion. Solomon's request for wisdom rather than personal gain has been celebrated throughout history as the model of proper leadership values. His subsequent wealth demonstrates that God's blessing often follows those who prioritize his kingdom.

Cross-references

  • 1 Chronicles 22:5; 29:1 — David's preparations for the temple Solomon will now build
  • 1 Kings 3:1-15 — Parallel account of Solomon's dream at Gibeon
  • James 1:5 — "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God" — Solomon's example
  • Matthew 6:33 — "Seek first his kingdom... and all these things will be added" — Solomon's experience
  • Proverbs 1:7 — "The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom" — Solomon embodies this

Check your reading

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  1. Observe

    Where did Solomon go to offer his thousand burnt offerings, and why was that location significant?

  2. Observe

    What did Solomon ask God for when given a blank check, and what did God promise to add?

  3. Interpret

    What does God's pleasure at Solomon's request reveal about what God values in a leader's heart?

  4. Interpret

    What does Solomon's sequence — corporate worship, then seeking God, then leading — suggest about a leader's proper priorities?

  5. Apply

    If God offered you anything tonight, what would your honest answer reveal?

  6. Apply

    How can you cultivate prayer as a tool for others' benefit rather than mainly personal gain?

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