“Did God Really Say That?”: Reading Solomon’s Dream at Gibeon as a Dream
by John Herbst
“Every dream represents a wish as fulfilled. Thanks to a relative relaxation of censorship in sleep, a dream expresses repressed desires whose satisfaction is forbidden during the waking state.”
—Sigmund Freud
Freud’s statement rings true when applied to one of the most famous dreams of the Bible, Solomon’s dream of his encounter with God in 1 Kgs 3:5–15. The Sunday School version is a happy story about a young king who makes the “right” request of God, asking for wisdom instead of wealth or long life. As his reward, Solomon receives not only unparalleled wisdom, but unmatched wealth and fame as well. Yet a careful look at this account reveals much more. Many readers do not consider the implications of verses 5 (“…the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream…”) and 15 (“Then Solomon awoke; it had been a dream”). Solomon does not experience a direct vision or even a word from a prophet of God. Instead, he dreams that he has spoken with God. Therefore, we need to consider how the vehicle of this narrative, a dream, impacts its interpretation.
While it is possible that God really talks to Solomon here, many of the words attributed to “God” in this passage are more likely from the construct of “God” within Solomon’s unconscious. The mystery of “Is this really a message from God?” is an intrinsic part of dreams.
God may be involved, but we need to take seriously that much of this dream may be Solomon’s “wish as fulfilled.” Perhaps we cannot tell where in this dream God really speaks for himself, because even Solomon does not know for sure. However, this dream does offer insight into Solomon’s character and his life’s direction.
First Kings 3:5–15 introduces and foreshadows Solomon’s life story. Solomon began his reign with great potential, already having received extraordinary blessings from God. But throughout Solomon’s story, we see hints that not all is right, so that by the time things fall apart in 1 Kings 11, we cannot be surprised by his failure. God lays out a challenge for Solomon in the dream, and when Solomon does not meet this challenge, ultimate failure becomes inevitable.
Before delving deeper into our examination of Solomon’s character, we should bear in mind the “Law of the King” of Deut 17:14–20. In this passage, Moses writes about the proper behavior of a king of Israel. Commentators often emphasize verses 16–17, as Solomon ends up acquiring large amounts of horses, wives, and wealth. However, more important are verses 18–20, which stress that the king must regularly read and follow the law. First Kings never indicates that Solomon obeys these guidelines; in fact, we find several suggestions that he ignores them, thus paving the way to his undoing.
Solomon’s lack of fidelity to the law is apparent even prior to his dream. In 1 Kings 2, Solomon faces problems in securing his throne. He resolves these problems using wisdom, in accordance with the advice of his father David (1 Kgs 2:6, 9). Yet, the wisdom employed by Solomon in this chapter is not the sort of wisdom that we like to associate with people who love God. Solomon “trumps up” charges against three potential enemies—Adonijah, Joab, and Sheba —in order to have them executed. To be clear, kings in the ancient Near East often dealt with matters of State in this way, so by regional standards, Solomon is certainly very wise; however, by the standards of the Law, Solomon’s behavior is poor.
Even more problems arise in First Kings 3:1–4. In verse 1, Solomon marries an Egyptian, violating commands given in Deut 7:3 and Josh 23:12 against marrying foreigners. Then, in verse 3, we’re told that while Solomon loves God, he actually walks in the “statutes” of David! Though David may be a good role model (though this is unclear, as David makes many mistakes in 1 Sam 16–2 Kgs 2), the Old Testament regularly teaches that it is unwise to follow in the steps of a human being: we should follow God’s statutes (Deut 4:40, 26:17), not those of other people. In fact, in the previous chapter, David himself specifically directs Solomon to walk in the statutes of God (1 Kgs 2:3)! Moving on, in verse 4, Solomon sacrifices at the great high place, Gibeon. While in another context this may be acceptable, as the temple in Jerusalem had not yet been constructed, the end of verse 3—“only, he sacrificed and offered incense at the high places”—registers disapproval of Solomon’s practice. First and Second Kings regularly criticize monarchs for sacrificing at “high places,” or for not destroying them. Thus, 3:4 offers evidence both for and against Solomon’s character: he wants to honor God, but he does so inappropriately.
First Kings 2:1–3:4 therefore paints an uncomfortable picture. Solomon does not exactly reject God, but he is not all that careful about obeying him, either. If Solomon is reading the law as per Deut 17:19, he certainly is not following it carefully!
The dream sequence itself begins the night after Solomon has sacrificed 1,000 bulls. That the dream comes from Solomon’s inner mind seems clear from the start: who wouldn’t want God to appear and say, “Ask what I should give you”? Solomon begins his response in verses 6–7 by talking about God’s relationship with his father David. God had established David as King of Israel; Solomon wants a similar divine stamp of approval. Yet Solomon will have to take a different path to success from that trod by his father. The phrase in verse 7, “… to go out and/or come in,” is a metaphor for leading troops (see 1 Sam 18:13–14 and 29:6 for examples), and Solomon knows that he is no general. Unlike prior kings of Israel, Solomon has not proved himself in battle. Unlike Saul (1 Sam 11:11–12) and David (2 Sam 5:1–2), Solomon must find another way to demonstrate his royal worth.
Solomon gets to the crux of the matter in verses 8–9, reaching back in time to an episode recorded in Deuteronomy 1. While Solomon does not reference this passage directly, 1 Kgs 3:8–9 draws important words and images from Deut 1:9–17, highlighting certain problems an individual might encounter in leading a “numerous” people.
One of these words is shaphat, translated by the NRSV, ESV, and NIV as “govern” in 1 Kgs 3:9 (“give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people”). Shaphat is usually translated “judge,” as per the KJV of this verse. Deuteronomy 1:16–17 also uses forms of shaphat, with the major versions consistently translating these forms as “judge” and “judging.” So, while 1 Kgs 3:9 might best be translated as “govern,” shaphat in this verse undoubtedly recalls Deuteronomy 1.
Solomon and Moses face similar challenges: each must render shaphat for a nation. Solomon’s solution is unfortunately very different from that pursued by Moses. Moses looks to share leadership responsibility, delegating some of the task of shaphat to capable subordinates. But Solomon seeks wisdom for himself only.
God is “pleased” by Solomon’s request.1 Yet while readers applaud this “seal of approval,” we need to ask again whether it is God who is pleased, or whether “God” here is simply a construct of Solomon’s dream. Solomon of course wants God to approve (Freud’s “wish fulfilled”), so Solomon’s mind may be telling him what he wants to hear. And of course, Solomon enjoys what follows: God “rewards” Solomon by granting wisdom, riches, and acclaim. Still, the idea of “walking the right way” haunts Solomon: he knows his “walk” must improve. In light of this, his subconscious adds a conditional statement: to ensure long life, Solomon will have to read and ponder the law he had laid aside; doing so will enable him to walk in the ways of God, just as he has imagined David walking (as per 3:6).
As much as anyone in the Old Testament, Solomon knows what he should do: read the law and obey it. Even in as happy a dream as this, Solomon cannot get away from the fact that he needs to do better. Ultimate success requires fidelity to God’s law. When Solomon fails in 1 Kings 11, it is because he rejects God’s commands. Today, Christians face the same dilemma as that of Solomon: we know that the key to success is found in God’s Word, but we get distracted by more “practical” concerns. Will we follow our consciences, reading the Bible diligently in order to discover God’s will for our lives? Or will we treat God’s will with disdain, and risk a fate like Solomon’s?
Notes
1. There is very good reason to think that 1 Kgs 3:11 was not part of the original text of 1 Kgs 3, as this verse uses a name for God that is unique in 1–2 Kings. See more in John W. Herbst, The Development of an Icon: Solomon Before and After King David. (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick, 2016), 55–56.
