SEARCH 194 – “PERSONALITY PROFILE. . .”

Key Verse

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
— Job 28:28

Solomon

1 Kings 3:5-14; 4:29-34
  1. In 1 Kings 3:3 what was the attribute in Solomon that allowed God to trust him with the limitless offer, “Ask what I shall give thee”? Why is this attribute important in our lives also?
  2. By carefully studying Solomon’s answer to God’s question, how many Christian traits can you find in verses 6,7,8, and 9?
  3. List those things which God promised Solomon in answer to his request.
  4. Read James 4:3, then write what you think might have been God’s answer to Solomon had he asked for riches and honor instead of wisdom and understanding.
  5. What evidence do we have that Solomon’s request for wisdom was answered (1 Kings 3:16-28)? Was Solomon’s wisdom limited only to matters concerning righteous judgment?
  6. What did the Queen of Sheba think of Solomon’s wisdom? See 1 Kings 10:1-9.
  7. When we think of wisdom, we think of the ability to make right decisions and discern between good and evil, but godly wisdom extends beyond these characteristics. List some other characteristics given in James 3:17.
  8. How is godly wisdom to be attained today? List two or more things that are required. See James 1:5-6,22-25.

Thought Provoker: How is godly wisdom related to Christian maturity? See Ephesians 3:17-19 and 4:13. Have you observed Christians who cannot be moved from their faith by the most adverse circumstances? Have you seen some stand when it seemed all was going against them? Have you heard soft answers given when harsh words have been spoken? Have you noted Christlike people who took no offense but rather prayed for those who had mistreated them? These people are mature Christians who have been given a good measure of ”the wisdom that is from above.” Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus was that Christ would dwell in their hearts by faith, and that they might be rooted and grounded in love, so as to comprehend the breadth, length, depth, and height of the love of Christ, which exceeds all worldly knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fullness of God. So godly wisdom is manifested when we are filled with the love of Christ—and Christian maturity is really Christlikeness.

THEME THOUGHTS

Webster’s dictionary tells us that one meaning of the word profile is, “a short, vivid biography, briefly outlining the most outstanding characteristics of the subject.” It is not difficult to go through the Bible and compile an extensive list of individuals who displayed some “outstanding characteristics” and from whom we can learn valuable lessons. Would a lesson on the dangers of refusing to obey the commands of God be profitable? Where could we find a better example to illustrate that point than in the story of Jonah—a man who spent three days in the belly of the whale because he declined to follow the instruction of the Lord? Would you like to know the secret of leading a triumphant life anointed by the Holy Spirit? Learn a lesson from the prophet Elisha—a man who performed a greater number of miracles than any other prophet except Moses. Do you see among your associates a tendency toward becoming involved in the things of this world? Looking at what happened to Lot’s wife, because she couldn’t give up the entanglements of Sodom, could prove to be a very beneficial study. In this quarter, we have chosen twelve Bible characters from whom we can learn some valuable lessons. They are not all “heroes of the faith.” In fact, some are the exact opposites! But there is something that can be learned from each of them. The final lesson in this quarter will be an overview of the preceding weeks, summing up the importance of learning from the lives of those who live on in the pages of Bible history.

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