Knowing fully well how God blessed King Solomon with wisdom which could be compared to the sands of the seashore, one would have thought King Solomon was the only wise person in the Bible. Truth be told, he was not the only wise person in the Bible; he was just the wisest person. Meaning, there were several people, in the Bible, who were wise, but their wisdom could never be compared to the one God gave Solomon.
To list the number of wise people in the Bible will be a herculean task. However, there were four people whose enormous wisdom could be rated next to Solomon’s own.
Surprisingly, these four people were from the same family with King Solomon, the family of Judah.
The inordinate relationship Judah had with his daughter-in-law, Tamar, was what led to the birth of twins named Perez and Zerah. It was the lineage of Perez that led to the birth of Solomon while the lineage of Zerah led to the birth of the four men rated next to him.
For he was wiser than all men—than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations.
1 kings 4:31
No other person was compared to King Solomon apart from these four other brothers of his. It is so painful that as wise as
1. Ethan
2. Heman
3. Chalcol (also known as Calcol)
4. Darda (also known as Dara)
Were nothing about them was written throughout the whole Bible. For the wisest man in the Bible, there were records of wise things he did. In fact, his wisdom brought about wise decisions that led to his worldwide fame. At a point, the queen of Sheba came to confirm all she heard that surpassed her wildest imagination.
Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions…So Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing so difficult for the king that he could not explain it to her. 1 kings 10:1,3
However I did not believe the words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard.
1 kings 10:7
The queen of Sheba, a very wise and wealthy woman, confirmed Solomon’s wisdom was much more than anyone ever told her.
Consequently, if Ethan, Heman, Chalcol and Darda could be compared to someone like King Solomon, it means their wisdom, as well, must have been unprecedented.
It seems extraordinary wisdom run in the veins of the tribe of Judah as the five of the people I’ve mentioned came from the same tribe. No wonder Jesus came from this same family, too, despite all the negative things surrounding the affairs of the family.
Notably, Solomon couldn’t stand his four wise brothers in terms of wisdom until he asked God for wisdom and understanding.
Conclusively, you can be better than all of the wise people you’ve read or come across (nothing is impossible for God) if you can ask God for a better-than-solomon wisdom type. He said ask and you shall be given. Although God's love is unconditional, it is better for God to ask you what you want than for you to go to him with your unsurmountable requests.
King Solomon didn’t ask God what he wanted until God asked him to name his request. Why was his own case different from all other human beings on Earth? He was an extraordinary giver.
And Solomon went up there to the bronze altar before the Lord, which was at the tabernacle of meeting, and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it 1 Chronicles 1:6
King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
1 Chronicles 7:5
No man had ever given up to 1,000 animals in burnt offerings to God. Solomon did; in fact, the second time he offered something to God, he gave 22,120 animals in burnt offerings to him.
After the first 1,000 burnt offerings, God was moved to appear to him in the night. When he appeared, he told him to name his request. Also, the second time, after offering a-never-imagine offering of 22,120 animals as burnt offerings, God appeared again and made a covenant with him that the Temple — he built — would forever be his dwelling place.
In conclusion, it is better for God to ask you what you want than for you to ask him what you want. To make it happen, you have to be an extraordinary giver to God. Give and you shall be given.
