The Children's Chapel Award-winning site, featuring Bible stories from a variety of authors, excellent Christian resources for children, and over 140 links to other Christian and family-friendly sites for kids. ~ A Ministry of Lorain County Free-Net Chapel ~ Your Wish Is Granted! By Linda Edwards Lara stood in the middle of the circle with her eyes blindfolded. It was her turn to spin around and around. "Fish . . . fish . . . fish . . . WISH!" she yelled excitedly as she stopped spinning and pointed to Jimmy. After he wished for a new bicycle, Lara tied the blindfold on his head and it was his turn to spin around. "Fish . . . fish . . . fish . . . WISH!" Jimmy had pointed to Dawn. Everybody knew what Dawn was going to wish for because she always wished for the same thing. They giggled as they all joined Dawn in shouting, "I WISH I HAD A PUPPY!" Of course, all the children knew that their wishes were not going to come true, but they certainly had a grand time playing the game together! [green decoration] King David loved the Lord dearly and had been a great king over the nation of Israel, but he was getting very old and knew that he would not have long to live. He said to his wife, Bathsheba, "Call Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah to come, see me. So she did . . . . . . and they came. David started giving orders to the men. "Have my son Solomon ride upon my very own mule." "Zadok! Nathan! You are to anoint Solomon as the next King of Israel." "The musicians are to blow their trumpets and the people are to shout: 'GOD SAVE KING SOLOMON!'" "Then you are to follow Solomon into the palace where he will sit upon the throne." HOW EXCITED the men were! This was going to be a procession like no other! How proud and happy they were that they had been chosen to carry out the plans! They quickly scurried about as they made the arrangements for the big parade. The musicians gathered together to blow their trumpets at just the right time. There was an uproar of noise and laughter as the crowds gathered in the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new king as he passed by. The people shouted at the top of their voices: "GOD SAVE KING SOLOMON! GOD SAVE KING SOLOMON!" Zadok the priest anointed Solomon with oil and proclaimed him King of Israel. The people sang, played instruments, and rejoiced with great joy. The noise was SOOOOOO LOUD, that it seemed as if the ground was vibrating. The party in the streets lasted way into the night. What a jubilant day it had been! [green decoration] During the weeks that followed, King Solomon spent much time learning from his father. David instructed Solomon to listen to his advisors. He taught him important lessons about how to rule the nation. But most importantly of all, David taught Solomon to love the Lord and to worship God. Solomon wanted to be a good king, so he listened very carefully to the words of his father. He learned to love the Lord with all his heart. King Solomon made a journey to a place called Gibeon to worship God and make his sacrifice offerings. While he was there, GOD appeared to him in a dream that night. God told Solomon to ask for ANYTHING HE WANTED and he would give it to him. Solomon talked to the Lord about how his father David had been a righteous man, and how the Lord had blessed him, and been merciful to him. Solomon told the Lord that he also wanted to be righteous and rule the nation of Israel in a godly way just as his father did. Then . . . Solomon told the Lord the one thing he wished for. Solomon asked the Lord to give him WISDOM. He wanted to be a WISE king and make good decisions. He wanted to be fair and just with the people he was ruling. And most of all, he wanted to be righteous. God was VERY PLEASED with Solomon's request. In fact, God gave Solomon much more than he had even asked. God said to Solomon, "You have asked for wisdom instead of other things, and I will give that to you. And . . . since you didn't ask selfishly for great wealth, or a long life, or fame, or for your enemies to be destroyed, I will give you all these things AND the wisdom which you DID ask of me, if you will honor me and keep my commandments." Solomon awoke from his sleep. "WOW! What a wonderful dream!" he thought. Then he arose and went to offer his sacrifice offerings to the Lord. What he didn't realize was that it was more than just a dream. God had truly been with him and spoken to him during the night. God had REALLY given Solomon his wish for wisdom, and all those other things he had been promised. God blessed King Solomon with great wealth. He lived a long life. During the time that Solomon was king over Israel, he had no enemies. King Solomon became known as the wisest man who ever lived! [green decoration] THINK! 1. Who was King Solomon's father? 2. Why was King Solomon going to Gibeon? 3. What did King Solomon dream? 4. What did King Solomon ask of God? 5. Was it just a dream or was it real? REMEMBER: The most important thing in all of life is to love God. A VERSE TO LEARN "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God..." (James 1:5). PRACTICAL APPLICATION Make a list of things you wish for. Now use a yellow marker or pencil to highlight or underline the things that would only be good or enjoyable to yourself. Next, highlight or underline in red the things that would be good or enjoyable to others. Finally, highlight or underline in blue the things that would please God. Some wishes can be underlined with more than one color. How many yellow lines, red lines and blue lines do you have? With which wishes do you think God would be most pleased? Why do you think God was pleased with Solomon's wish? [After discussion:] God was so pleased with King Solomon's wish, because he not only thought of himself, but also of his people. He wanted to guide them with wisdom and fairness just like God guides all people. This is how Solomon showed his love for God. Did you know that God has a wish list too? Most of all, He wishes for you to know his Son, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior. He wants you to love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, while loving your neighbor as yourself. There are many other wishes He wants for you. You can learn all about that in the Bible. Decide to follow Jesus and learn from his Word all you can about living the life He wishes for you. This is how you can receive all the blessings that come when you obey God. LET'S PRAY **************************************************** Dear God, help me to remember that loving You and keeping your Word is more important than anything else, and if I do that, You will bless me abundantly with everything I truly need. In Jesus' Name. Amen. **************************************************** CAN YOU FIND THIS STORY IN THE BIBLE? 1 Kings 1-3 BIBLE STORY ARCHIVE childrenschapel.org/bibstory2.html Copyright © 2002-2022 by Barbara Wilmerton Haas. You may NOT re-post this Bible story. However, you may freely link to it, provided visitors can see our web address when they click on the link. ----------------------------------------------------------------- JUST FOR FUN [crayons] King Solomon Color the Bible Verse Solomon is Wise [activities] Multiple Choice Word Search Make a Bookmark Online Bible Quiz Wisdom of Solomon Game [reading a story] Online Fill in the Blanks Bible Story Solomon's Wisdom King Solomon King Solomon Is Wise TEACHER'S RESOURCES Make a Treasure Box - Class Activity Puzzle Power The Wise King Who Was Foolish Solomon Asks God For Wisdom (a coloring page, other activities) The Wisdom of Solomon (a coloring page, other activities) Educational Patterns for Children's Ministry Biography of Solomon Encyclopedia Britannica Article ----------------------------------------------------------------- Free Bible Stories! To receive a new Bible story each week, enter your e-mail address under "Subscribe... 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