Big Offering, Big God, Big Answer!
2 Chron 1:6 And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.
7 In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee.
8 And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead.
9 Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude.
10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great?
11 And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
12 Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.
“And the rest is history” as they say.
Solomon became the wisest, richest king Israel had ever had, and under his leadership, for awhile, the nation prospered.
Notice I said, ‘For a while’.
We all know the rest of the story.
Solomon took to himself 1000 wives, and caused Israel to sin, and they ended up divided again, and went into captivity.
What did Solomon ask God for?
Wisdom!
Is wisdom good?
Sure is, in fact the word of God calls it ‘the principal thing’
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Twice in my life, have I had God appear to me, leaving me on my face in brokeness before His glory, and both times He has asked me: ‘Ask whatever you will, and I will give it to you.’
Fortunately perhaps, for this generation, I have thought about how I might answer should this happen.
I have seen some of the great ministers of the 80’s and 90’s fall into gross immorality, or handle money unwisely.
Rather than point fingers, I have sought the Lord in prayer for them, and for the call of God upon my life, and these couple verses have come to me:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
I remember the account of Billy Graham visiting Jim Bakker in prison, after the PTL crash, and asking him the question: ‘Jim, when did you stop loving Jesus?’
Jim’s reply still echo’s in my ears: ‘Billy, I never stopped loving Jesus, I just stopped fearing him.’
At some point in my reading, I read a little tiny book by A.W. Tozer entitled:
The Knowledge of the Holy.
This verse leaped off the page at me:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
I saw it!
It changed my life!
When we have a genuine, authentic encounter with God through Jesus, we discover immediately that He is holy!
This purity, holiness, and incredible light has riveted my attention now for 25 years, and has birthed what I am about to describe to you, as best as my words might do…
Wisdom is good – which is why I lead a Bible study for leaders each week, deliberately seeking God for wisdom, that will produce wealth for the kingdom of God.
Yet, wisdom and wealth are secondary –
For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Money, without wisdom, will destroy us. We become proud, selfish, and greedy if we are not careful – this is the way of fools.
Yet God’s prosperity, brought God’s way, is designed to bring great blessing to humanity.
Yet, God loves us, and has our eternal destiny, and character development on his mind. For those who have authentically met Him, we discover only He, Himself, can ever satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart.
So, back to my encounters – two of them to be exact.
In each case, after a season of incredibly hard work and sacrifice to get some ministry projects accomplished, He came to me, and asked me what I wanted.
Anything! From the Creator of the Universe!
In each case, through the tears, I have managed to choke out my reply:
‘Father, I want to be holy! I want you to purify my heart, my mind, my motives. I want to know You!’
And so, simply verses have come alive over the years:
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
As we truly see Him, in His glory, we find what all of heaven already knows – He is worthy! He is love! He is awesome! He is the great mystery, forever able to create in us the right questions, then graciously to instruct us, and allow us to use His instruction to the betterment of the earth.
I guess I feel to ask you these two questions today?
1.What are you giving to Jesus today?
2. What are you asking Him for?
And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy
glory
May this be our prayer today:
Let’s Pray:
‘Father, You said that we would find you, if we sought for you with all of our hearts. Please reveal to us Your glory! I ask this, knowing that I am heard and answered – for I ask in Your name Lord Jesus, Amen.’
