Pastoral Letter 78

Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

As the weeks go by, we still hope and pray that COVID restrictions will ease, we hear about new infections in new areas and more restrictions, and we ask ourselves: when will this end? Does God hear our prayers? When will He intervene and change the course of life we are in? When we will have relief as many other countries open up. Still have a long way to go. Vaccination could be the start to have better days. But our hope is in the power of God.

If you had the chance to pass by the church building, I am sure you have noticed the saying on our church noticeboard, which reads: “Delta is scary, but we have the Alpha and Omega”. All we can do is to be patient and pray for each other and for all those who need our prayers in these challenging times and be assured that we will overcome this with God’s help and by supporting each other at this difficult time.

Prayer and meditating on the Word of God is the source for our hope, comfort, help and relief. As such, the Lower North Shore Uniting Churches Study Series on Zoom, based on Dr. Kenneth Bailey’s book “The Good Shepherd – A Thousand Year Journey from Psalm 23 to the New Testament” is one of the means to remind ourselves about the promise of God to be our Shepherd, who leads us to the still waters and if we are lost, in pain or suffering, He carries us on His shoulders to safety.

The final Session of the Study Series will be on Wednesday 25 August. Join us on Zoom:

https://uca-nswact.zoom.us/j/94813548762

There will be no study next Wednesday 18 August because of the Presbytery meeting. I am glad to let you know the matter of my placement extension for three years is on the agenda, as it was promised. I am hoping that we will not have any issues and it will be approved.

On another positive note, as a follow up to the Thank You Letter that we received from the sponsored Demirchian family in Artsakh, we have received some new photos, which you will find attached to this letter.

As the restrictions go on, please pray and join the rest of the members on Sunday morning for worship from home following the attached Order of Service, light a candle, sing along to the hymns chosen, and read the Message. Again, thanks to Mark for suggesting hymns. The majority of the hymns are from his suggestions.

Continue to pray, remembering those who need our care, support and love.

Here are some prayer points for this week:

1. Pray for our Service tomorrow and hope soon to return to our face-to-face services and weekly activities.

2. Pray for those who are under stress because of the COVID-19 restrictions and are struggling financially.

3. Pray for the Presbytery meeting to be held on Wednesday.

4. Pray for the victims of the devastating bushfires, as well as the floods in Greece and Turkey.

5. Pray for the sick, the poor, the suffering and the desperate.

6. Pray for Lebanon, as the economic crisis worsens day by day.

Please let me know if you or anyone else has prayer points.

Krikor

MESSAGE

A Wise and Discerning Heart

1 Kings 3:1-15

Wisdom is “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.” A broad definition and well-established meaning for the word Wisdom. In other words, ‘Wisdom’ is equal to having a “A Discerning Heart”.

This implies that wisdom is something good and all human beings should desire to have it.

There are many sayings to do with wisdom, here are two of those:

1. Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something – Plato
2. The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil – Cicero

Solomon was the king of Israel and was known throughout the world as being the wisest man who ever lived. He is the author of most of the Proverbs but is also somewhat of a tragic figure.

When David was dying he gave good advice to his son Solomon and said: “Be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in His way, and keep his decrees and commands, his law and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the Lord may keep his promise to me; ‘If your decedents watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel’”. 1 Kings 2:2-4

In other words, David was advising his son to be wise and do what is good in the eyes of the Lord God to continue receiving His blessings. But the fact is that as human beings there is always the weakness and the temptation to fail in the process.

As we see in the first part of our reading today Solomon is already showing some weak points in his actions and way of thinking.

1. His first weakness was his political compromise. With the hope of spreading his kingdom and to have peace with the neighbouring kingdoms he made an alliance with Pharaoh the King of Egypt and married his daughter and brought her to the City of David. This was not what God had asked from His people to do. In 1 Kings 11:4 we read “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.”

2. His second weakness was his personal conflict. His first weakness of compromise led him to record yet another weakness. As we read in the passage, the people were sacrificing at the “high places,” because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the Lord where they could go and offer their sacrifices. The followers of God were not supposed to do this. God had ordered them earlier saying that they should worship Him where God will choose. Today some say we can worship God anywhere, in our homes, in the park, near the lake or on the top of the mountain. Yes, that’s true, especially at the moment, when we are not able to come and gather to have communal worship, because of the lockdowns and tight restrictions COVID virus and multiple infections. Then why do we build sanctuaries, churches, places of worship and then spend thousands of dollars to maintain them? The answer is very simple. The sanctuary or the church is the symbol of God’s presence and a place where people come together to worship Him.

3. His third weakness was in his attitude. We read Solomon loved the Lord by following the statutes of his father David. This was a good thing but notice the next two words: “except that.” This very simple expression says a lot about Solomon, about the human being and about us all. ‘Christians’ love the Lord, pray, read His words, come together to worship Him, have communion and even practically show their love by serving and showing compassion to those who are in need. And yet sometimes they are not ready to forgive each other, they mistreat others, impose their ideas, and the list goes on. I think most Christians have an “except that” in their lives. This could be their blind spot or weakness, which distorts the image of God reflected in them.

This man Solomon was someone like us. He had good things, yet he possessed weak points. The Almighty and Omnipotent God appears to this weak man and speaks to him at night in a dream. We frequently see God communicating in similar fashion. Let me assure you that God still communicates with us. Maybe not through dreams but He speaks to us through His word. To hear the voice of God, we need to have ears that listen and open minds that understand.

In our passage we see King David had died and Solomon had been chosen by God to rule over Israel. He took the throne, but he was unsure of himself. God came to Solomon in a dream and asked him a question that many of us would love for God to ask. God told him that He was entrusting him with leading the people and guiding them in His ways. God said to Solomon: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you”.

Imagine yourself in this situation when God says I will give you whatever you ask. We would probably say money, success, fame, assurance, happiness, health, no pain at all in life, no COVID, etc. But all these things are selfish in nature. They are all for our own benefit. Some could be for others, but basically, they are for us and only us.

But what did Solomon ask for? He asked for wisdom and a discerning heart, not wealth, happiness, success, fame, etc. God was pleased with him and granted his desire. The choice that Solomon made pleased God! And we see that God granted him a wise and discerning heart to rule as no one before him or no one after him would rule. Even today, Solomon’s Wisdom is well known, and people use the phrase “The wisdom of Solomon” when they speak about true wisdom.

Notice that before putting forward his request, Solomon knew himself well and where he stands.

Solomon responded to God referring to himself as servant. He knew that he was appointed to lead the people and to become their king, but at the same time he knew that God was the Almighty and Sovereign and he was just his servant.

This should be the mindset of every leader and great champion of faith. That was also the mindset of our Lord and Saviour. Though He was God and had all the power, He humbled Himself and took the image of a servant. He came to serve, not to be served.

– We are the servants of our Lord and through Him we can do all things

Solomon also considered himself to be a little child. He felt he was young and immature to rule. He knew his limitations, even though he had the power in his hands to rule the people. He was strong and powerful, and yet he was humble enough to accept his limitations.

– We should be humble and ready to accept our weaknesses, knowing that our weaknesses can be perfect with Christ’s strength. 

Solomon asked for a discerning heart to be able to govern the people and to distinguish between right and wrong. In other words, Solomon was seeking to have an understanding mind and heart.

– We should ask God for an understanding heart and a mind which will help us to discern the right path to follow and the right things to do.

And so, God asks Solomon a life changing question. Verse 5 says: “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” How would we answer this question? What is it that we really want? What do we dream about or long for? If God gave us a blank check, how would we fill it in? Most of us would want good health and life or increased income or maybe more power. If today God asks you this same question, how would you respond? It is a serious matter. The God almighty, all merciful and all loving asks you, what will be your answer?

Let’s look how Solomon responds to this life changing question. Interestingly Solomon’s word, speech or prayer comes in three parts. As if these three are responses to his three weaknesses of compromise, conflict and attitude. Let us examine these briefly.

We see clearly three parts in his prayer, the third being the most important where he directly answers to what God has asked.

1. First Solomon refers to God’s kindness and recalls all that God has done to his father David. He recalls God’s work. In verse 6 we read: “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.” He recalls what God has done, what kindness He had shown and honours the memory of his father David. Also, he gives praise to God for putting him on the throne. He knows it was not because of his might, but because of God’s mercy. So, when we pray, first we should give thanks to God for the blessings that He has given us and recall His work.

2. Second he recognizes his weaknesses; he considers himself a child with a very limited ability to carry on his duties as king. He realises that he is inadequate to be a king. In verses 7-8 we read: “But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.” Sometimes we miss this part in our prayers. We forget who we are and how limited we are. We should be ready to recognize that we are only a child. We should remind ourselves that we are unworthy servants of the true king, children of the Father, and we can do nothing apart from Him. After all, what is the meaning of recalling what God has done for us and given us so many blessings when we are not ready to see our limitations.

3. And thirdly he puts his request to God. A very strange request for a man in his state; he was the king of Israel and had everything. He had power, control, wealth, etc. He requests God’s Wisdom. Remember that he could have asked for anything. God told him to ask for anything and He was willing to give. What would have been our request if we were in the shoes of Solomon? Notice verse 9: “Give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The phrase “discerning heart” can be translated, “a hearing heart.” Solomon wanted a heart that hears from the Holy One so that he would have the ability to see issues clearly and distinguish between right and wrong. In short, he wanted wisdom.

The mighty king Solomon asks God for wisdom. And God is pleased with him. Verse 10 reads: “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.” God tells Solomon that He will grant him “a wise and discerning heart.” Because His heart was right in asking for that which pleased God, Solomon was given wisdom and much more than he dreamed of: riches, honour, and the possibility of a long life. This is a wonderful example of what happens when we put God’s purposes first as Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

After this unforgettable experience Solomon woke up and immediately returned to Jerusalem and this time he stood before the Ark of the Covenant and worshiped God sacrificing burnt offerings. Remember he was in Gibeon, the most important high place to offer sacrifice for gods. This was his reaction to what God did to him that day. He decided to do things the right way. He had fellowship and shared a meal with the court.

Solomon worshipped God and he was in community with others. Likewise, God wants us to praise Him and have fellowship with people who praise Him.

After seeing Solomon offer praise and had fellowship, the people heard about his wise decision regarding the two prostitutes. 1 Kings 3:28 says that “…they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” The people knew that Solomon was clever and wise, but they also knew that the source of His wisdom was God Himself.

The prayer that Solomon offers is unique and has two key points that we should consider and apply to our lives to help us to make wise decisions in our walk here in this world.

1. Solomon loved God

First, we find that Solomon loved the Lord. We need to understand that a key element to pleasing God and gaining wisdom in life is: Loving the Lord.

In verse 6 we can see that Solomon showed great respect and admiration for his godly heritage. Solomon knew he was living his life through this godly heritage. A heritage that started by his grandfather Jesse and his father David and one day Solomon would pass this godly heritage onto his son Rehoboam, which he did. We read about him doing this in the book of Proverbs.

Solomon showed true humility in his prayer to God. He was overwhelmed when God approached him; he knew the task of being King was more than he could bear on his own and he needed God to lead, guide and direct his steps.

2. Solomon asked for understanding/wisdom

He asked for a discerning heart. In this verse we find God summarising Solomon’s prayer where he asks God for discernment in judging the nation he is about to begin ruling over.

God is impressed that Solomon would choose to first seek to help others and wanted the ability to rule with a fair and just hand. There was no self-serving in the prayer of Solomon. This true humility pleased God.

We find that Solomon’s prayer so touched God that He granted him his request, and Solomon was granted wisdom and the Bible shares that there has never been a man so wise… before or since!

And God did not stop there. He granted the wisdom that Solomon had asked for, but God in His infinite grace and mercy granted Solomon the things he did not ask for things like wealth, power, prestige and honour, that in the entire world there was no one so looked to as Solomon and all his riches.

Today God is still the same. He has not changed. The Bible tells us that the eyes of the Lord are running through all the earth to show His strength through those whose hearts are perfect towards Him.

We know what God tells in James: “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him”. (1:5) Solomon had faults. We know what he did later in his life, but still God gave him what he asked for.

God is saying: Ask for My wisdom! Ask for it and I will give it to you! We see in the final verses of our passage that God granted the wisdom Solomon asked for and in the very next section of the chapter Solomon was challenged to make one of the wisest judgments ever.

The prayer that Solomon prayed is such a simple prayer. We need to learn to pray as Solomon prayed: “Lord, give me understanding and discernment to judge correctly and justly”.

When we pray a prayer seeking His guidance and counsel, and when we pray it with a humble and sincere heart, God is going to be pleased and will grant that request and we are going to be a great asset to the kingdom of God for His glory.

The wisdom that is from God is more valuable than the most precious substances on earth (Prov. 16:16). The life of Solomon is both of great accomplishment and great tragedy. Solomon’s life began with great purpose, but it was led astray and ultimately destroyed.

Today we have to ask God for wisdom as we ask for many things being sure that He will give us what we need.

Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus advises the believers to be wise, not foolish, to understand the will of God. Also pleads to them to invite the Spirit to dwell in them, praise God and give thanks for everything.

Interestingly Paul gives the same three ideas; the only difference is in the order.

1.  Fellowship
2.  Worship
3.  Give thanks

In the case of Solomon, it goes like this

1.  Give thanks
2.  Worship
3.  Fellowship

So, as we pray to God let us give Him thanks, praise Him and have fellowship with all who believe in God. We will be able to do this if we are wise. As Solomon did, we too request of the Almighty Father wisdom to choose wisely.

My hope is that as we pray to God, we appeal to Him and ask for wisdom to be able to differentiate the good from the bad and choose that which will be good for us.

Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians writes: “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” (5:15-16).

We should be wise and make the right choices. We need to have ‘Discerning Hearts’.

Amen!