INTRODUCTION
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olomon was an amazing man! It is almost as if he won the greatest lottery of all time. Imagine this: when he was a newly appointed king, God granted Solomon one wish. Surprisingly, Solomon didn’t respond as many would by asking for wealth or long life. Instead, Solomon asked God to give him the wisdom to rule God’s people justly. The Bible tells us that God was impressed with Solomon’s response. He had unselfishly asked for God’s help in fulfilling the task God had given him. So impressed was God with Solomon’s response that He promised not only to grant the wish that Solomon had made, but most of the other wishes he could have wished as well! God gave Solomon the wisdom he requested plus wealth and power like nothing the world had ever seen. According to the Bible, Solomon was the wisest man who had ever lived (until Jesus Christ arrived, of course). Since then, only Jesus has been wiser. 2 Chronicles 9 tells us, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth; all the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.” Solomon was not only the wisest man alive, but the richest man alive, as well as the greatest achiever of his day. His success reached into nearly every arena. He had knowledge, wealth, and fame, as well as accomplishments both political and architectural. He became an incredible leader. 5
