“And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.”
- 2nd Chronicles 1:11-12
These things are written for admonition. When we pray it is important to understand why we are asking God for what we ask. Are we asking for something to consume upon our lust (James 4:3), or are we asking for something that will help us to obey the Lord our God and bless his people as Solomon did here in 2nd Chronicles chapter 1? Money itself is an indifferent thing – we can use it to acquire a shiny object or we can use it to repair our local church building - but the love of money is the root of all evil and causes many to err from the faith (1st Timothy 6:10).
The riches that God grants Solomon in response to this prayer are detailed extensively in the elaborate and expensive décor of the temple recorded in 2nd Chronicles, and this should not be seen as worldliness but as an extension of Israel’s true wealth – the oracles of God that they were stewards of.
As we pray we must take heed to ourselves. Our prayers will be heard very differently if we are at odds with our spouse (Malachi 2:11-15) than if we are diligently serving the Lord in whatever station he has given us (Ruth 3:10-11).
Selah.
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