At the beginning of 1st Kings, a great transition occurs. King David dies and his son Solomon becomes king. It was a trying time. There had been power struggles and family infighting for David’s throne towards the end of David’s life. Solomon’s transition to power was not simple. It was a very trying time for the young, inexperienced king. Who would he trust? Scripture answers that question for us when it says, “Solomon loved the LORD.”
In 1st Kings, chapter 3, Solomon has a vision from God in a dream. God speaks to him and asks Solomon “what should I give you?” It was God’s way of saying, Solomon, if you could have anything you wanted as you go through this challenging time, what would you ask for?
Rather than ask for long life or more riches or greater power, Solomon asked for something of even greater value. He asked for the wisdom of discernment so that he could make good decisions for the people in his kingdom. God was so pleased with that specific request that he granted it. We know it today as the “wisdom of Solomon.”
I think we all need to lean into the “wisdom of Solomon” (a wisdom that exists for discerning how best to help those around you) as we figure out how to live in this Covid era. Yes, I am encouraged by the stories of enhanced treatments. Yes, I am encouraged by the preliminary reports on the current vaccine trials. But I know that recent trends indicate we are all going to have to “better discern” how to successfully live with Covid moving among us for some time. If your strategy has been to just ignore it, I encourage you to discern a new strategy.
Like Solomon, I encourage us all to strive to make decisions “for the benefit of those around us.” So far, based on everything I have read and encountered the best way we can balance continuing our lives with caring for those around us is to wear masks, strive to social distance when in public, and wash your hands often. I believe those are the wisest things we can do.
God’s Wisdom,
