Solomon had just become king. He was young, he was stepping into the shoes of his father David, one of the greatest kings Israel had ever known, and the weight of leading an entire nation was sitting on his shoulders. So he went up to Gibeon, the great high place, and offered a thousand burnt offerings to God on the altar. A thousand. Think about the sacrifice, the time, and the heart behind a gesture like that.
That night, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and said something no human being should ever take lightly: “Ask what I shall give thee.” Imagine that. God Himself, giving you an open cheque. Solomon could have asked for money, for long life, for victory over his enemies, for fame. Instead, he asked for an understanding heart, the ability to judge God’s people and to know the difference between right and wrong.
Scripture tells us that this request pleased the Lord. God said because you did not ask for long life, or riches, or the life of your enemies, but asked for understanding, I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has been none like you before you, neither shall any arise after you. And then God added something extra: “And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.” (1 Kings 3:13)
Here is what I want you to see. Solomon did not chase wealth, yet wealth chased him. It was the wisdom he asked for that made him prosper in every area of his life. His riches, his influence, his peace, and his reputation all flowed from that one request. And the good news is that the principles Solomon lived by are written down for us in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and they still work today.
Let me walk you through seven of them.
1. Invest in different businesses
Solomon did not put all his eggs in one basket. If you study his reign, you will see a man who had his hands in many streams of income. He ran a fleet of ships that brought back gold from Ophir (1 Kings 9:26 to 28). He traded in horses and chariots, importing them from Egypt and selling them on to other kings (1 Kings 10:28 to 29). He worked with Hiram, king of Tyre, in the timber trade (1 Kings 5). He had vineyards, gardens, orchards, and pools (Ecclesiastes 2:4 to 6), and his kitchen alone consumed enormous quantities of provisions every day, which tells you how large his operations were (1 Kings 4:22 to 23).
He also wrote this wisdom down for us in Ecclesiastes 11:2: “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.” In simple terms, spread your investments, because you do not know when one door will close.
I know that this may sound like a lot if you are just starting out, but you do not have to begin with seven businesses. Start with one, build it well, and then add another stream. A second skill, a second product, a second source of income, any of these can protect you when one area is slow.
2. Invest in getting knowledge and seek wisdom
This is the principle that made Solomon who he was. Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Notice the instruction: with all your getting, get understanding. Whatever else you are chasing, do not skip this one.
Proverbs 2:4 to 5 tells us to seek wisdom as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures, and then we will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. And Proverbs 16:16 says it is far better to get wisdom than gold. Solomon, who had more gold than almost any king in history, is telling us that wisdom is worth more.
So ask yourself honestly, how much of your money, time, and energy goes into growing your knowledge? Books, courses, mentors, the word of God, practice. If you want to increase your income, increase your wisdom first.
3. Be diligent and consistent
Proverbs 6:6 to 8 gives us one of my favourite pictures in all of scripture: “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”
Look at what the ant does. Nobody is supervising her. Nobody is pushing her. She just works, steadily, and she prepares in the season of plenty for the season of lack. That is consistency.
Proverbs 10:4 says, “He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” Diligence is not glamorous, but it is the engine of almost every success story. Show up on the days you feel inspired, and show up on the days you do not.
4. Planning
Solomon was a planner. He planned the temple down to the last detail, and he planned the kingdom’s trade and storage systems. Proverbs 21:5 says, “The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.” Hasty people end up in lack, but people who think things through, write things down, and prepare tend to end up in plenty.
Proverbs 24:27 gives us a very practical order of operations: “Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.” In other words, build the income source first, then build the house. A lot of people reverse this and wonder why they struggle.
And do not forget what Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Plan carefully, but plan with God at the centre.
5. Wise friends
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20) This is not about being proud or looking down on people. It is about understanding that you become a lot like the people you spend the most time with.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” And Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.
Look at the five people you talk to the most. Are they stretching you, challenging you, and praying for you? Or are they quietly shrinking your vision? If your circle is not growing you, either you need to grow your circle, or you need to be the one who brings the growth into it.
6. Create services or products for kings
This one is often missed, so let me explain it carefully. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” And Proverbs 18:16 adds, “A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.”
Notice the pattern. When you become excellent at what you do, your work opens doors that your connections could never open. Kings, in the modern sense, are decision makers, people with influence, resources, and platforms. They are the companies, the leaders, the high value clients who can afford to pay properly for excellence.
So do not build only for people who can barely afford you. Build services and products that are good enough, and priced well enough, for people who value quality. Solomon’s wisdom was so excellent that the queen of Sheba travelled a long distance just to see it for herself, and she left overwhelmed (1 Kings 10:1 to 10). When your value is that clear, people come to you.
7. Teach others how to succeed
Solomon did not hoard his wisdom. Ecclesiastes 12:9 says, “Because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.” He spoke three thousand proverbs, and people from all nations came to hear him (1 Kings 4:29 to 34).
This principle is powerful for two reasons. First, teaching multiplies your impact, because you are no longer the only one benefiting from what you know. Second, teaching sharpens you. Proverbs 11:25 says, “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” When you pour into others, you get poured into.
You do not need to be a professor to do this. If you have learned how to start a business, manage money, build a skill, or walk with God, someone behind you needs what you know. Share it through a blog, a video, a class, or a simple conversation.
A Word of Caution
I would be doing you a disservice if I did not mention this. Solomon’s story does not end perfectly. In his later years, he drifted from the Lord, and 1 Kings 11 tells us his heart was turned away because of his many foreign wives. The man who started with the greatest wisdom ended up making some of the foolish decisions. The lesson is clear: wisdom has to be maintained. Prosperity does not replace obedience, and success does not remove your need to stay close to God. Keep your heart humble, keep asking for wisdom daily, and stay anchored in the word.
Conclusion
Solomon’s life shows us that prosperity is not an accident. It flows from wisdom, and wisdom flows from a heart that seeks God first. He asked for understanding, and God gave him that and everything else with it.
So invest in different businesses, invest in knowledge, be diligent like the ant, plan with care, walk with wise friends, build excellent products and services for people who value them, and teach others what you learn. These are not just ancient ideas, they are working principles that still produce results today.
And if you have not done so lately, take a moment right now and pray the same prayer Solomon prayed: Lord, give me an understanding heart. Then watch how God begins to prosper you in every area of your life.
