In the story of the Bible, God creates a good world, and in it an abundant garden where

he places humans to rule the world with him.

And in the garden are two trees, the tree of life, and the tree of knowing good and bad.

So the tree represents a choice about two different ways of learning what is toven wrong.

I can take it for myself because it's good in my eyes, or hands off I will allow God

in his own time to give me the knowledge of toven wrong.

The humans decide to eat of the tree of knowing good and bad and are exiled from the garden,

but God still wants to rule the world with humans.

So the conflicts of the story of the Bible can be summed up this way.

The house God going to rule the world through rebellious humans.

So here's the plan.

God promises a human will come who will bring humanity back.

So what I'm looking for now is a seed, an offspring from this family who will live by

the fear of the Lord and do what is wise so they can rule the world and bring the blessings

of Eden to Israel and to the nations.

Welcome to the story of Solomon.

Solomon is King David's son and he has an opportunity that everyone would want.

God appears to him in a dream and says, I will give you whatever you wish for.

And Solomon asks God to give him wisdom.

He's asking for the tree of life and not on his terms but on God's terms.

This is Solomon.

He just pulled his hand back from the tree and said, I'm not going to take it for myself.

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