Wishing for Wisdom (Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost)

Kyama Mugambi and John Pittard discuss wisdom, leadership, and community flourishing in 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14. The text is appointed for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, in Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary.

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Kyama Mugambi is Assistant Professor of World Christianity at Yale Divinity School. John Pittard is Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion at Yale Divinity School.

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Transcript

Voiceover Voice:

And so there’s a seeking that comes from a place of connection with God.

Helena Martin:

This is Chapter, Verse, and Season: a lectionary podcast from Yale Bible Study. Join us each week as two Yale Divinity School professors look at an upcoming text from the Revised Common Lectionary.

This episode, we have John Pittard, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion, and Kyama Mugambi, Assistant Professor of World Christianity. They’re discussing 1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14, which is appointed for Track 1 of the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 15, in Year B. Here’s the text.

[1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14]

Then David slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was firmly established.

Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places. The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the principal high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.

Kyama Mugambi:

The thing about this passage for me is the question in verse 5, ask for whatever you want me to give you. I think that as human beings, we are fascinated with the ability to ask for anything you want. And, I mean, sometimes we make those promises to one another, we sing those promises in our love songs. There’s one or two songs I like to play for my wife, and one of them includes a kind of blanket, I’ll do anything for you. I’ll swim how many seas and all of that. And, you know, stories like the wish, the genie and the wishes, those kinds of, it captures our imagination. And I think it also captured people’s imaginations in biblical times. And so for me, that stands out for me and in scripture there are different ways that requests have gone. 

There are a couple of prophets, I think it was Daniel, and I forget now, Elijah or Elisha, who, you know, anything that you want I can give you. I think it was Elijah [?], anything that you want, I can give it to you. Crack this dream and I’m gonna give you anything. This is, I think, Daniel. And you know, John the Baptist died through such a wish. The daughter, you know, you’ve done so well, ask anything that you want. Half the kingdom I’m going to give you. Or Jephthah in Judges 11 said, God, I’m going to give you anything that comes to me. The first thing that comes to me if you give me victory in these cities. Unfortunately, it’s his only daughter that came to meet him. And so, for me that stands out for me. I don’t know what your, John, your thought comes across with that.

John Pittard:

Well, maybe people who find themselves with a genie could learn from Solomon, right? 

Kyama Mugambi:

Yeah. [laughs]

John Pittard:

Usually, they answer unwisely in those stories and some bad, crazy things happen. So maybe asking for wisdom is the way to go. You might not be able to get a second wish, but you’ll know how to respond to such opportunities in the future.

Yeah, to me, this is a needed model of leadership and of humility. It strikes me that Solomon already displays a certain kind of wisdom, obviously, in asking for wisdom. But more than that, it’s not just wisdom in general. It’s an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil. And so that’s a specific kind of wisdom that I think seems to be in short supply today, which is recognizing how hard it can be to discern between right and wrong, best and not as good, especially when it comes to governance and politics. You know, it’s a much more complicated set of decisions, in some sense, than personal morality. All of the claims and rights and considerations that ramify to such an extent, make it very difficult. And it seems to me that American culture seems to be marked by a kind of righteous certainty about what policies are right and what policies are evil. And that certainty seems to persist even in the face of significant disagreement. Maybe it even is amplified in the face of that kind of disagreement. And while there’s something to be said for a conviction, you know, one can’t lead out of just skeptical uncertainty about everything, nonetheless, it seems like we need some more of this sort of humility. Some leaders who recognize that these questions are larger than them, and that we’re groping in the dark, desperately praying for wisdom in the face of very complex and difficult questions.

You know, this isn’t a speech Solomon is giving, so I wouldn’t expect him to stand up in front on his inauguration day and say, I’m a little child who doesn’t know how to go out or come in, but he does pray that in the privacy of this moment. And I would hope that some of our leaders, whatever nation we’re in, pray similarly. Sometimes I don’t feel much hope that they do. Those who aspire to the job seem to be those who are most confident they know exactly how do it.

Kyama Mugambi:

Yeah, I think it’s a human problem because I see that where I come from in Africa as well. And I couldn’t agree more that there’s a need for wisdom. And I see in this passage that part of the lesson, and what I take with me, is to seek that wisdom which, like you said, enables one to navigate life. The word for wisdom in my language is [oge]. That is the same word that would mean sharpness or incision or incisiveness. And it seems to me, as I prau that prayer, I think that’s something that that I need as an individual, as part of a family, part of a community here at YDS. And the key— there’s an interesting key that I find over here in this passage, which is in verse 3, it says “Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions that were given to him by his father.” And as he walked in those instructions, one of the things, of course, is that he was reading scripture here. That was part of the instructions that he was given if you read elsewhere. And somehow in the asking of the question, it reflects the instructions that he was given. And so, there’s a seeking that comes from a place of connection with God. And there’s also a receiving because there seems to be an alignment between what he was asking and what God wanted for him and what he needed to receive. And I think that alignment really fell well for Solomon.

But the Book of Kings is really about the hits and misses—mostly misses [laughs] where people didn’t ask about this. And I think this story contrasts very much with a lot of the misses in the Book of Kings. It’s a lesson for me and I think a lesson for us as we read through this, and as we reflect on this passage.

John Pittard:

There’s also just the sense that Solomon cares so much, not about knowing, discerning between good and evil, but prior to that just comes deep concern for the flourishing of this people. And, of course, later he becomes a glorified king, and his excesses are on display. Here what he is amazed by the extent of his responsibility, that he has inherited this, and it’s not elected. It falls into his lap as the son of David, whom the throne goes to.

And he’s not concerned about what he can grasp at this moment, at least, what he can grasp from this. He’s already out of this high place sacrificing all of these, I think already looking for God and thinking, “How can I continue my father’s legacy and bless these people?” And whether we’re in politics or just leading in a family or in a group of friends or in an institution, to have our eye for the flourishing of the community that we’re in and deeply concerned about that. Beseeching God’s help in I think is inspiring to me.

Helena Martin:

Thanks for listening. Please check out YaleBibleStudy.org for events, study guides, videos, and plenty of other resources, including a transcript for this episode.

Chapter, Verse, and Season is a production of the Center for Continuing Education at Yale Divinity School. It’s produced by: Creator and Managing Editor, Joel Baden; Production Manager, Kelly Morrissey; Associate Producer, Aidan Stoddart; and I’m your Host and Executive Producer, Helena Martin. And our theme music is by Calvin Linderman.

We’ll be back with another conversation from Chapter, Verse, and Season.