When we moved to middle Tennessee about five years ago, my wife and I resolved that we would not clutter our garage to the point of not being able to park our vehicles in it. It’s good to have principles, right? Of the homes we have had with garages, we have never been able to park both vehicles in them—one at the best. We have made good on our resolution, but it has come at a price—door dings, or more accurately, small chips, on my car. My youngest son opened my wife’s door into the driver side of my car enough to leave an area around my side mirror looking like a golf ball. We recently traded in my wife’s vehicle for a minivan with sliding doors, which means no more door dings for me. So I picked up some touch up paint from the car dealer, thinking that I was about to take care of those chips and get my car looking as good as new again. I was wrong. Way wrong. My first mistake was putting too much touch-up paint on the chips. I brushed out the paint to try to even it out and it resulted in a much larger area of touch-up paint showing on my car. The problem is that the touch up paint, even though it is from the dealer, doesn’t quite match and it is not as shiny as the car. So I have since attempted to sand, put clear coat on that area, and wax it. All to no avail. My choice now is to either leave it as it is, or spend a few hundred dollars to have a professional paint the two affected panels. My problem is that I lack the expertise—the knowledge and skill—to paint my car right. I thought I could do it. I though it would be rather easy. But I was wrong. Now I am facing the consequences of my unwise actions.

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.

From the beginning of Scripture to the end, we see a God who longs for justice and righteousness in the world and who calls us as his people to join him in seeking it. And that’s part of what it means to be God’s people.” — Kristen Deede Johnson [1]

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. [1] Kristen Deede Johnson, “Justice and Our Callings: Exploring a Biblical Theology of Justice from Genesis to Revelation,” in “Kristen Deede Johnson: Exploring a Biblical Theology of Justice,” Intersect, November 15, 2018, http://intersectproject.org/faith-and-culture/kristen-deedejohnson-exploring-a-biblical-theology-of-justice.