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The Need of Wisdom
Solomon was young when he became king after his father, David. When God appeared to him in a dream and asked him what he wanted—anything—Solomon responded by asking for wisdom to rule over God’s people well. Solomon knew that he lacked the wisdom needed to lead God’s people—to judge over them properly. Ironically, that recognition in itself reveals a decent amount of wisdom. But no matter how wise Solomon may have been, it would never have been enough for the task of ruling over God’s people according to God’s ways.
Lacking the wisdom in painting a car is one thing, but as I think about how I have lacked wisdom in so many other, much more important ways, I resonate with Solomon here. I think of decisions I made in ministry—even with the best of intentions—that I now see were not the best. I think of how I have shifted in some of my theological positions over time. I think of how I have shifted in many of my political views over time. I am grateful for this growth in my life, but it also serves to remind me that I am far from adequate to lead others. Positions and decisions I was confident in before have proven to be incorrect or insufficient. My wisdom is lacking. So was Solomon’s. So is yours. So is the kids’ you teach.
Thankfully, God is not stingy with His wisdom. He gives generously of it today. All we need to do is ask (James 1:5-8). Do you need wisdom for how to help disciple the kids you teach? Just ask. Do your kids need wisdom for how to love God and live for him? All they need to do is ask. If we lack God’s wisdom, it is not because His wisdom itself is scare, but rather because our asking for it has been scarce.
The Limit of Wisdom
Wisdom, as vital as it is, is not enough though. We will see this in Solomon’s life. As wise as he was—and there was no one wiser—he still committed unbelievable sins. His wisdom was not sufficient to protect him from his own sin nature. His wisdom was unable to save him. And the wisdom we get from God won’t save us either. Only trusting in Jesus save. And only the power of the Holy Spirit protects us from sin. Wisdom matters, but wisdom by itself is lacking.
This is what Solomon teaches us. Saul taught us that externals are not enough—he looked like the king God’s people needed. But he failed. David taught us that no one can be good enough. As good as he was in so many ways, he was still an adulterer and murderer. Here Solomon teaches us that wisdom is not enough. The three kings of the united monarchy shout to us that we need something more—a greater leader. We need Christ Jesus.
Preschool Tip: For preschoolers, you may want to focus on the positive provision of wisdom—how God wants to help us make right decisions. Plant the seeds of dependence on God in the minds and hearts of your preschoolers and point them to the goodness of God in that He is always there wanting to help them make right decisions.
Kids Tip: For your kids, you can balance the goodness of God’s wisdom and how we can pray to Him and ask Him to guide us in every single area of our lives, with the limit of wisdom. We want our kids knowing that being right with God is not about making right decisions each day, but rather in trusting in Christ and receiving forgiveness and His righteousness.
-From Brian Dembowczyk at TGP website
#JesusJams for today!
CLICK HERE for this weeks story summary
Christ Connection: Solomon was a wise king who wanted to follow God’s plan, but Solomon was not perfect. God had a plan to send a greater and wiser king—Jesus. Jesus trusted God and followed God’s plan by dying on the cross for our sin.
If you have a bible at your house, turn to 1 Kings 2–3 . If you don't have one, that's okay! CLICK HERE.
Option 1: Craft
Use THIS PRINTABLE for a little craft project today! Have kids color their pots. They can then cut them out and glue them onto a piece of colored construction paper (if they want!). Have kids cut out small gold coins using yellow or gold paper and glue them to the top of the pot.
Remind Kids • Solomon could have asked for gold, money, or jewels but instead he asked for wisdom!
OPTION 1: Knowledge or wisdom? Write statements on index cards. One at a time, draw cards and read them aloud. Invite the kids to discuss if the statement reflects a bit of knowledge or a bit of wisdom. Define knowledge as understanding factual information. Define wisdom as knowing how to use information in the best way. • index cards
• pen Suggested statements: •Poisonous animals are often brightly colored. •If you see a brightly colored bug, do not touch it.
•The sun gives off kinds of light that can damage skin.
•When spending time outdoors, wear sunscreen.
Remind Kids •There’s a difference between knowing something and using that knowledge to make a wise choice. If you know that the weather is cold and snowy, but still choose to wear swim trunks and flip-flops, you are not behaving wisely.
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