Benediction

After five weeks of David, we turn to his son and successor, Solomon. After five weeks of questionable antics and behaviors, we get two weeks of prayers. We move from the one called “a man after God’s heart” to the wise one. How do wisdom and passion for living and for worship work together? Maybe we’re supposed to see something in the combination, the head and the heart, as a pointer to a whole-bodied expression of faith and commitment to God.

Sounding loud and clear from all these texts is that God is not looking for perfect people to step up and lead. That David was a work in progress is undeniable; even late in his life, he was struggling with flaws and foibles that constantly got in his way. Now we have Solomon, and surely, he has learned from the weaknesses of his father. But he too is flawed. He too hedges his bets. Did you notice the “only” in our text this week?

He loved the lord, we’re told, only … Only what? Only he snuck out to the high places and burned a little incense and left a sacrifice now and then. He was just covering his bases. Just a little contingency gesture. Is that harsh? Perhaps, but it is clear that the writers of 1 Kings disapprove of this action. It is a flaw in his character. Back in Deuteronomy, it was declared that when God brings the people out, they are to worship in the place that God declares, the place where God will reside (Deut. 12:5). So, to pay attention to the Canaanite holy places is to … fudge a bit on this rule. Plus, the writers are laboring under the assumption that having kings at all is a risky proposition. So, it doesn’t bother them that Solomon isn’t perfect. And it shouldn’t bother us. God can use any of us, as inept, as uncertain, as wavering as we are.

In fact, and this is a mind-blowing note here in this text, it is at Gibeon where the Lord appears to Solomon. It’s only a few verses after the wagging of the finger at Solomon for even being there; and the next thing you know, God shows up. And God makes one of those “chance of a lifetime” offers. “Ask what I should give you” (1 Kings 3:5). Was that a test? If Solomon asked for something trivial, or something selfish or destructive, would God have said, “Sorry, no”? Or was it one of those things where the omniscient God knew what Solomon would ask for, so there wasn’t really a risk in making the offer? We can’t really know, but if Solomon wasn’t really free to be selfish and greedy, then what’s the risk? And why does God seem surprised and pleased with how Solomon did respond to the offer?

For what did he ask, this king that the text seems to indicate had his own blind spots? And how did he ask? That is always the question behind our reading. An audio version of the Bible would be so helpful—not one read by actors or performers putting meaning after the fact, but a genuine recording of this very conversation, if such a thing had been possible. Then we would know whether Solomon is cool and calculating, assured of what would both please God and be most beneficial to Solomon’s reign and or his legacy. “Wisdom,” he breathes. “Give me wisdom so that I can make the right choices so that I can lead with confidence and power.” Or was it rather an anxious act born of his awareness of the failings of his beloved father and his twisted history and the fears that he wasn’t up to the task? Was this a George Bailey prayer half drunk on fear and desperation, muttered behind his hand in Martini’s Bar before the angel Clarence shows up? “Show me the way,” he mumbles, hoping no one else hears. “Show me the way,” which the writers of 1 Kings then interpret to be, “Give me wisdom.” In Solomon’s wonderful life, then, wisdom is his angel. Who knows?

Maybe we’re reading too much into this conversation between God and Solomon, this very personal prayer of blessing and presence. So, let’s step back a moment and see what is happening here. What has God pronounced over Solomon in this encounter? Continuing with our theme of “Worship with Rejoicing,” this has all the marks of a benediction. God invites Solomon to walk in God’s ways as he leaves from this moment. There is a blessing imparted and a charge given. When we gather for worship, we need a good word (bene dictio) to go with us as we depart. We need something that will go with us, something that will enable us to hold on to the wisdom we have heard and shared. We need something that will inspire us to continue in the same spirit we received and offered during worship. The benediction is a reminder that worship never really ends. The service might be over, but the worship goes on as we continue living as a witness to God at work in our lives. A benediction, then, is not a period at the end of our worship sentence, but a comma connecting us to whatever comes next. For Solomon heard the call to walk in God’s ways, keeping the statutes and commandments as well as (or maybe better than?) his father David did. When we leave our places of worship, we go out to walk in those ways too. May we hear the blessing in our going out.

Rev. Dr. Derek Weber, Director of Preaching Ministries, served churches in Indiana and Arkansas and the British Methodist Church. His PhD is from University of Edinburgh in preaching and media. He has taught preaching in seminary and conference settings for more than 20 years.