Theophany #50 – Solomon: The LORD Who Appears in the Night
- Ken Kalis
- Jan 26
- 4 min read
About one hundred and twenty-five years after Samuel’s theophany, we come to the next great appearance of the LORD — this time to Solomon.
Why none to David? I often wonder. Surely David knew the LORD in a remarkable way. No one could write the psalms he did without a deep sense of the presence of God. Perhaps he did not need a visible appearance to know that the LORD is real.
Perhaps the revelations he received through worship, obedience, poetry, and suffering energized him in ways beyond vision or dream. Perhaps there was a private encounter the Holy Spirit chose not to record.
What Scripture does tell us is that David was forbidden to build the temple:
And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God:But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly… thou shalt not build an house unto my name…Behold, a son shall be born to thee… his name shall be Solomon… He shall build an house for my name; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.— 1 Chronicles 22:7–11 (KJV)
Solomon — whose name means peaceful, also called Jedidiah, “beloved of the LORD” — was David’s tenth son and, humanly speaking, far from the throne. Yet God loved him and chose him before he was born.
The First Theophany: A Dream at Gibeon
Despite the prophecy, Solomon’s path to the throne was anything but secure. His brother Adonijah proclaimed himself king. David intervened, placing the son chosen by the LORD upon the throne.
Solomon then secured his kingdom decisively and began to reign.
Though the temple had not yet been built, Solomon loved the LORD and worshipped Him. At Gibeon — the great high place — he offered a thousand burnt offerings.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.— 1 Kings 3:5
What an invitation. What would we ask?
This was no ordinary dream. As John Gill and Matthew Henry both observe, this was a divine, prophetic night vision — a true appearance of God, in which Solomon’s reasoning faculties were fully engaged. God truly spoke. Solomon truly heard.
And Solomon answered with humility:
I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in… Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people…— 1 Kings 3:7–9
The request pleased the LORD. Solomon asked not for wealth or victory, but wisdom. And God gave him more than he asked:
Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart… And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour…— 1 Kings 3:12–13
When Solomon awoke, he knew it had been real. He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the covenant, and worshipped.
Solomon's Second Theophany: Glory Filling the Temple
All that God promised came to pass. Solomon’s wisdom astonished the world. He oversaw the construction of the temple — a building raised in reverent silence:
There was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.— 1 Kings 6:7
When the ark was brought in, the glory of the LORD filled the house:
So that the priests could not stand to minister… for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.— 1 Kings 8:10–11
Then came the second appearance:
That the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as he had appeared unto him at Gibeon.— 1 Kings 9:2
God assured Solomon that his prayer was heard and the house accepted:
I have hallowed this house… mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.— 1 Kings 9:3
But the appearance came with accountability.
Conditional Glory
God reaffirmed the Davidic promise — but with an “if”:
If thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked… then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom for ever.— 1 Kings 9:4–5
And then the warning:
But if ye shall at all turn from following me… then will I cut off Israel… and this house… will I cast out of my sight.— 1 Kings 9:6–7
The splendor that followed was dazzling. Wealth. Power. Peace. Influence beyond measure. But the answer to Solomon’s choice comes later.
Solomon loved many strange women… and his wives turned away his heart…— 1 Kings 11:1–4
The wisest man who ever lived fell into idolatry. The LORD, who had appeared to him twice, was angry.
Wherefore the LORD said… I will surely rend the kingdom from thee.— 1 Kings 11:11
And so it was.
A Final Word
What a waste.Wisdom without obedience.Glory without faithfulness.Revelation without perseverance.
In the end, Solomon’s final testimony rings out from Ecclesiastes:
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
The God who appeared in the night had spoken clearly.The tragedy is not ignorance — but forgetting.
Closing Prayer
O LORD our God, who gives wisdom and withholds nothing good,
Teach us not only to ask rightly, but to walk faithfully. Guard our hearts when You bless us, and keep us humble when You exalt us.
May we never forget the Voice that spoke to us, the light that once filled the house, or the call that came in the night.
Grant us obedient hearts, steadfast steps, and lives that finish well.
Through Jesus Christ, the wisdom of Godand the glory that does not fade.
Amen.
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