Kings I 3

1 And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Heli the priest: and the word of the Lord was precious in those days, there was no distinct vision.

2 And it came to pass at that time that Heli was sleeping in his place; and his eyes began to fail, and could not see.

3 And the lamp of God before it was trimmed, and Samuel slept in the temple, where the ark of God.

4 And the Lord called, Samuel, Samuel; and he said, Behold, I.

5 And he ran to Heli, and said, I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I did not call thee; return, go to sleep; and he returned and went to sleep.

6 And the Lord called again, Samuel, Samuel: and he went to Heli the second time, and said, Behold I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I called thee not; return, go to sleep.

7 And before Samuel knew the Lord, and the word of the Lord was revealed to him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again for the third time: and he arose and went to Heli, and said, Behold, I , for thou didst call me: and Heli perceived that the Lord called the child.

9 And he said, Return, child, go to sleep; and it shall come to pass if he shall call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak for thy servant hears: and Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called him as before: and Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant hears.

11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I execute my words in Israel; whoever hears them, both his ears shall tingle.

12 In that day I will raise up against Heli all things that I have said against his house; I will begin, and I will make an end.

13 And I have told him that I will be avenged on his house perpetually for the iniquities of his sons, because his sons spoke evil against God, and he did not admonish them.

14 And not so; I have sworn to the house of Eli, the iniquity of the house of Eli shall not be atoned for with incense or sacrifices for ever.

15 And Samuel slept till morning, and rose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and Samuel feared to tell the vision.

16 And Heli said to Samuel, Samuel, son; and he said, Behold, I.

17 And he said, What the word that was spoken to thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: may God do these things to thee, and more also, if thou hide from me any thing of all the words that were spoken to thee in thine ears.

18 And Samuel reported all the words, and hid them not from him. And Heli said, He the Lord, he shall do that which is good in his sight.

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and there did not fall one of his words to the ground.

20 And all Israel knew from Dan even to Bersabee, that Samuel faithful as a prophet to the Lord.

21 And the Lord manifested himself again in Selom, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel; and Samuel was accredited to all Israel as a prophet to the Lord from one end of the land to the other: and Heli very old, and his sons kept advancing , and their way evil before the Lord.

Kings I 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

Solomon's marriage. (1-4) His vision, His prayer for wisdom. (5-15) The judgment of Solomon. (16-28)

Verses 1-4 He that loved the Lord, should, for his sake, have fixed his love upon one of the Lord's people. Solomon was a wise man, a rich man, a great man; yet the brightest praise of him, is that which is the character of all the saints, even the poorest, "He loved the Lord." Where God sows plentifully, he expects to reap accordingly; and those that truly love God and his worship, will not grudge the expenses of their religion. We must never think that wasted which is laid out in the service of God.

Verses 5-15 Solomon's dream was not a common one. While his bodily powers were locked up in sleep, the powers of his soul were strengthened; he was enabled to receive the Divine vision, and to make a suitable choice. God, in like manner, puts us in the ready way to be happy, by assuring us we shall have what we need, and pray for. Solomon's making such a choice when asleep, and the powers of reason least active, showed it came from the grace of God. Having a humble sense of his own wants and weakness, he pleads, Lord, I am but a little child. The more wise and considerate men are, the better acquainted they are with their own weakness, and the more jealous of themselves. Solomon begs of God to give him wisdom. We must pray for it, ( James 1:5 ) , that it may help us in our particular calling, and the various occasions we have. Those are accepted of God, who prefer spiritual blessings to earthly good. It was a prevailing prayer, and prevailed for more than he asked. God gave him wisdom, such as no other prince was ever blessed with; and also gave him riches and honour. If we make sure of wisdom and grace, these will bring outward prosperity with them, or sweeten the want of it. The way to get spiritual blessings, is to wrestle with God in prayer for them. The way to get earthly blessings, is to refer ourselves to God concerning them. Solomon has wisdom given him, because he did ask it, and wealth, because he did not.

Verses 16-28 An instance of Solomon's wisdom is given. Notice the difficulty of the case. To find out the true mother, he could not try which the child loved best, and therefore tried which loved the child best: the mother's sincerity will be tried, when the child is in danger. Let parents show their love to their children, especially by taking care of their souls, and snatching them as brands out of the burning. By this and other instances of the wisdom with which God endued him, Solomon had great reputation among his people. This was better to him than weapons of war; for this he was both feared and loved.

Footnotes

• [a]. distinguishing.
• [b]. added and called.
• [c]. once and once.
• [d]. lies down.
• [e]. add these things.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KINGS 3

This chapter relates the marriage of Solomon with Pharaoh's daughter, 1Ki 3:1; his piety and devotion, 1Ki 3:2-4; his prayer for wisdom and understanding, which was acceptable to God, who promised to grant his request, with an addition to it, 1Ki 3:5-15; an instance and proof of the wisdom given him in determining a case between two harlots brought before him, which greatly raised his reputation, and gave him reverence among his people, 1Ki 3:16-28.