Just a Youth

In 336 B.C., Alexander III of Macedon succeeded his father, Philip II, in becoming king of Greece at the age of twenty.[1] Alexander was not content to rule Greece. By age thirty, he had conquered so many nations that his rule extended from Greece to northwestern India. Alexander was undefeated in battle and is considered one of the greatest military commanders in history.  No wonder he was called Alexander the Great. But did you know that Alexander was tutored until the age of 16 by the Greek philosopher Aristotle?  ​

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) wrote about physics, biology, zoology, logic, ethics, metaphysics, aesthetics, music, theater, poetry, linguistics, politics, economics, geology, meteorology, government, and philosophy.[2] By the time he was 44, he had already poured much into the life of his royal student, Alexander, who must have been an excellent student. For it was wisdom that undoubtedly made Alexander such a formidable leader.
 
Meditation
1 Kings 3:7-9—“Lord my God, You have now made Your servant king in my father David’s place. Yet I am just a youth with no experience in leadership. Your servant is among Your people You have chosen, a people too numerous to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
 
 Solomon, unlike Alexander, did not have the thirst to conquer. His famous father, David, already freed Israel from the threat of its neighboring enemies through effective military campaigns.  So when God allowed Solomon to ask for whatever he wanted, he chose wisdom.  Though he was just a youth, his prayer insightfully reveals the wisdom this young man possessed even before God filled him with knowledge making him the wisest man on earth.  
From Solomon’s prayer, we learn about recognition, humility, and obedience. 
1.          Wisdom recognizes that it is God who makes rulers.  “He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Daniel 2:21).
2.         Wisdom is fed by humility. “When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).
3.         Wisdom is blessed by an obedient heart. “Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all His commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1). 
            
God was pleased with Solomon’s youthful prayer. If only he had retained those lessons as he grew older and followed the logic of Galileo Galilei. “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”
 
Inspiration
“In youth we learn; in age we understand.”—Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

©2022 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)
 


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Great
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle