During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Proverbs 8:11
More precious than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with wisdom. Nothing. Think about what you value in your life: health, good relationships, security of a good job, safety. All these are good things to desire. Yet God says we should desire wisdom above all else. Why?
He tells us to desire wisdom more than anything in life because He is wisdom. When we ask for wisdom, we are asking for more of Him. Spend time this week thinking about what you really desire. Then set the things that are secondary aside and seek God alone for who He is. He promises that those who seek Him will find Him and find life.
Share with the families that the children are beginning a unit of lessons on wisdom. Encourage them to seek God’s wisdom together as a family for their lives.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your children warmly as they come into class today. Ask them to tell you a good thing that happened today.
Before class today, create a “Wisdom Booth.” Place a chair in the front of your teaching space. Make a sign that reads “Wisdom Booth” and place it beside the chair. Tear out the 5 questions at the end of this lesson.
Sit in the Wisdom Booth. Tell the children that 5 volunteers will ask you for wisdom. Choose 5 volunteers and give each one a question from the end of the lesson.
Ask each volunteer to come to you and ask her question. Respond with silly answers. For example, if the child asks why the sky is blue, you might say it is blue because we live inside a blue balloon. The sillier your answers are, the better. This activity should get your children laughing!
After the questions have all been asked, stand up and take a bow. Then talk about the game with the children.
Wisdom is good judgment and understanding about what is true or good. Real wisdom uses your experiences, knowledge, and common sense—and it definitely comes from God! We all need wisdom. Whether your life has been easy or you have experienced really difficult things, God wants to give you wisdom so that you will know how to respond to what you face in life.
If you could get anything you asked for, what would you ask for?
Allow 3–4 children to share what they would ask for.
Many people would ask for money or health or a happy family. It is not wrong to want any of these things. So, let me ask the question a different way.
Today we will learn about a time when God told a king to ask Him for anything. This story is true and really happened.
A long time ago, King David ruled the nation of Israel wisely. He was a great king because he loved God with his whole heart. He sought to honour God in how he led the nation. As David grew old, he needed to appoint one of his sons to be king after him. God told David to appoint his son Solomon to be the next king.
The Bible does not tell us what Solomon thought when he was anointed king, but he was a regular person like you or me. Imagine for a minute that you are Solomon. You are only 20 years old. You are not the oldest son. You are not expecting to become king.
What do you think Solomon may have felt or thought?
Allow the children to respond. You can add these ideas if they are stuck: He may have been excited or overwhelmed. He may have thought it was a lot of responsibility.
Solomon may have felt many of those things. Before he died, David gave Solomon some important advice about leadership. He wanted to help prepare his son to lead the people of God. Listen to David’s words to Solomon:
I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. So be strong. Show how brave you are. Do everything the Lord your God requires. Live the way he wants you to. Obey his orders and commands. Keep his laws and rules. Do everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will have success in everything you do. You will succeed everywhere you go.
1 Kings 2:2–3, NIrV
Optional: If possible, share the image from The Action Bible.
Solomon loved God just as his father, David, loved God. He tried to follow and please God just as his father had done. One night, God appeared to Solomon in a dream. He asked Solomon something very amazing, “Solomon, ask for whatever you want Me to give you.”
What do you think Solomon asked God for?
Allow the children to give their answers.
You might be surprised at what Solomon said. He told God, “You have made me king over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth! But I am like a little child who does not know anything. Give me wisdom and knowledge to rule Your people properly. Without Your help, who would be able to govern this great nation of Yours?”
Do you think Solomon felt ready to be a king? How do you know that?
He said he was like a child and that he needed God’s wisdom to rule well.
God was very pleased that Solomon had been unselfish and had asked for wisdom. Listen to what God said to Solomon:
You have not asked to live for a long time. You have not asked to be wealthy. You have not even asked to have your enemies killed. Instead, you have asked for wisdom. You want to do what is right and fair when you judge people. Because that is what you have asked for, I will give it to you. I will give you a wise and understanding heart. So here is what will be true of you. There has never been anyone like you. And there never will be. And that is not all. I will give you what you have not asked for. I will give you wealth and honor. As long as you live, no other king will be as great as you are. Live the way I want you to. Obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did. Then I will let you live for a long time.
1 Kings 3:11–14, NIrV
How do you think Solomon responded to what God said?
Allow children to guess. Then share that Solomon’s response was to worship God.
What God promised came true! Solomon became known all over the world for his great wisdom. He became an extremely wise leader who was also known for his knowledge about plants, animals, architecture, and poetry. God used him to write parts of the Bible—many of the proverbs, the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, and some of the psalms. During his reign, Israel became wealthy and powerful.
God wants us to ask for wisdom too! Listen to this instruction from God.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5
Encourage children to see that God wants us to ask Him for wisdom too.
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon shared some of the wisdom that God gave him. Here are some important verses from that book:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways obey him. Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.
Proverbs 3:5–6, NIrV
What do you think it means to trust God with all your heart? How is that different from depending on your own understanding?
It means to trust Him completely. It means to seek Him and His wisdom instead of depending on ourselves.
How did Solomon trust in the Lord instead of depending on his own understanding?
He asked God for wisdom. He did not think that he could be a good king without God’s guidance.
Prayer is a wonderful way to trust in the Lord. When Solomon needed help and wisdom to lead God’s people, he prayed. He knew that God is the source of all wisdom.
Ask the children to think of situations in their own lives where they need wisdom. You can share some of these examples if they need help thinking of what they might need wisdom for in their lives. If they are arguing with someone, or if someone is pressuring them to do something they know is wrong. Or maybe someone has hurt them in some way. They may need wisdom for big situations or little ones.
Optional Supplies:
Give paper and pencils to the children. Tell them to draw situations where they need wisdom to know what to do. Give them a few minutes to create their drawings.
If you are using the Student Pages, the children can do this activity on them.
End of Option
Ask the children to find partners and share their situations with their partners. They can pray for one another, asking God for wisdom.
Blessing: May you know that you can ask God for His wisdom in whatever you face in life—good times or difficult times. May you learn that you can trust Him with your whole heart and He will direct your steps.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible. (soft return here)
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
