Largeness of Mind, A Gift of God
God gave Solomon largeness of mind like the sand of the seashore. (I Kings 4:29)
1 Kgs. 4:29-34, 3:3-15, 11:1-4; Mt. 6:33; 2 Cor. 6:14-16; Phil. 4:8
What Is God Saying?
Our passage today sheds light on Judah and Israel in the days of their greatest splendor. They "dwelt in safety," and there was abundance for everyone. "Every man (dwelt) under his vine and under his fig tree." God prospered Solomon, and he, with his largeness of mind, was a blessing to his people. However, Solomon's sun went behind thick clouds at the end of his days. The strong became weak. The wise became foolish. Success went to his head. He “turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God" (I Kings 11:1-4).
But here we see Solomon, looking out on a landscape of prosperity and peace. Everything was going his way because he was going God's way. Looking back beyond the sad and turbulent years of Solomon's decline, we come to focus on God's gift of "largeness of heart." It was a gift that Solomon chose over “long life or riches or the life of (his) enemies" when he had his dream at Gibeon (I Kings 3:3-13). That choice pleased the Lord, who said, "I will give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor." This is an Old Testament paradigm, similar to Matthew 6:33, where we are reminded that putting first things first will bring a whole succession of other blessings.
How Does This Apply To Us?
In Solomon's case, "largeness of mind" had much to do with "vastness of knowledge." He wrote three thousand proverbs and more than a thousand songs. He spoke with authority on everything from trees and plants to animals and marine life.
But there is another way to view "largeness of mind" (or as the King James Version has it, "largeness of heart"). Such largeness of mind or heart can take on the needs and cares of others. It has room for larger sympathies, deeper understanding, and the unfolding wonders of God's creation. We can have "largeness of mind" when we follow the counsel of Paul in Phil. 4:8 and set our thoughts on what is honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious. That is the path to a "largeness of mind.” It is not just a mind crammed with facts but a mind that loses itself in the pursuit of what is good, faithful, and beautiful. It is a mmd that dares to do the right thing and cares about the needs of others.
Pray With Me
O God of the large and small, nothing is too large for your control nor too small for your care. Galaxies are subject to Your creative power, and yet you have numbered the hairs of my head. You take note of a sparrow's fall. You are the God of the infinite, large and small.
Take my mind and touch it with the largeness of understanding. Let it become large with nobility of thought, purity of purpose, and simplicity of love. May I not be afraid of the discipline that stretches the capacity of the mind and cleanses it from worthless debris. Let me make way for larger sympathies, deeper understanding, and greater beauty. Give me, with Solomon, largeness of mind. Give me the largeness of mind, which seeks out new things in your Word and in your world. Give me the largeness of mind that never fears new truth and is always on guard against half-truths. Give me the largeness of mind that is always content, but never satisfied. Give me the largeness of mind that was found in One greater than Solomon, of whom the Apostle spoke-"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
Although I can never possess the largeness of His mind, let it be the star by which my course is set. Then each day will be a new experience of learning, and each moment a stronger unity of spirit with Him who has made all your gifts more real and precious.
For the sake of His glory, in the largeness of whose love, there is room for me. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Let us resolve in prayer "to love the Lord our God with all our mind". When we pray, it is often true that our minds are not in gear. We come to the hour of prayer out of habit. We stick to a ritual. We go through mechanical routines. Often, our "minds" are not challenged. God wants our minds when we come to him. The healing of his love, the influence of his mercy, and the light of his truth must come to our hearts through our minds. That is why we need to love him with all our minds. May our prayer, like Solomon's of old, be a desire and a receipt of "largeness of mind."
