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WHERE ARE THE SOLOMONS TODAY?
(A Sermon preached August 20, 2006 at University UMC, by John Ross Thompson)
Scripture: 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:1-14
The 1 King text recalls for us the history of the first three kings of Israel,
before the kingdom divided.
Saul, the father of Jonathan, was the first king.
David, the best-known king, followed him.
Solomon, David’s son, was the third king, but not his firstborn.
Why should we be concerned?
1. All of us have leaders, and we are affected by them.
2. All of us are leaders.
1. All of have leaders, and leader-bashing is rampant.
I enjoy it with the rest of you, but I regret that many seem to have little
respect for leaders, and for leadership.
Just think about what you’ve heard (or said) lately about political leaders,
CEOs, school administrators, or local officials.
Try this. Tune in late at night to David Letterman or Jay Leno, and count the
minutes until they say something negative about leaders. You might also watch
Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert and see what they say about the leaders of today.
As we begin another academic year and resume fall schedules, how do we look at
those who lead us? How does it matter?
2. All of us are leaders.
A leader is anyone to whom others look. Every one of us has someone who looks to
us to model or to show the way. Even the toddler on the playground has someone
who’s watching her.
There is always a need for respect for leaders.
Back to our story from 1 Kings –
Solomon is the king best known for “the wisdom of Solomon.” However, he was far
from perfect. Solomon took an Egyptian princess for a bride, a risky proposition
for
a nation that had escaped from slavery in Egypt. He also worshipped at the high
places (including Gibeon) instead of Jerusalem, the city of David.
What makes him so distinctive, then?
It’s the offer that God made to him in a dream, and Solomon’s response that sets
him apart from others.
God asked Solomon “What do you want?”
What Solomon asked for was wisdom and discernment.
He focused on his people instead of on himself.
It reminds me of Benjamin Disraeli, the Jewish leader, who said, “I must follow
the people. Am I not their leader?”
Solomon did not ask for fame or riches, and as a result received them, also.
Discernment is knowing right from wrong.
It’s knowing what God’s will is for our life.
It’s being able to make distinctions that are best in the long run.
The scripture text that follows in this chapter of 1 Kings is the story of the
two women who were arguing over a child. Solomon’s wise solution was to suggest
they cut the child in two. In this way, he found out who was the true mother.
My grandparents sometime talked about “horse sense”, which I didn’t understand
because they no longer owned any horses. Most of us call it “common sense”, or
knowing what to do when the path isn’t clear. We learn it, usually through life
experience.
“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he
bites off more than he can chew.” –Herb Caen
So, who should lead?
Henry Ford – “The question, “Who ought to be boss?” is like
asking, ‘Who ought to be the tenor in the quartet?’ Obviously,
the man who can sing tenor.”
Walter Lippmann – “Leaders are the custodians of a nation’s
ideals, of the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent hopes, of the
faith which makes a nation out of a mere aggregation of individuals.”
So, who is the leader of your family?
Who are the leaders of this church?
Who should lead?
How will lead in the area of your life where others look to you?
How does God speak to you?
I invite us to go with God, knowing that God is within us, steering
us in the right direction, especially at a crossroads, but only if
we are open to God’s leading.
What are the Solomons today?
Look for the Solomon in you.
Ask God to make you a Solomon.
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