WRITTEN FOR OUR LEARNING 1
“NOW, O LORD MY GOD, You have made your servant King, instead of my father David, BUT I AM A LITTLE CHILD; I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO GO OUT OR COME IN.”
1 Kings 3:7 (NKJV)
READ: Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16
Some people think if you acknowledge your weakness or inability to do a thing is cowardice or stupidity.
Acknowledging your inability, especially before God, is welcomed and expected by Him.
God already knows our weaknesses, whether one acknowledges it or not (Proverbs 5:21; Ezekiel 11:5).
God knows our frailties, He knows our inabilities: “FOR HE KNOWS OUR FRAME [understands our constitution]; HE REMEMBERS THAT WE ARE DUST" (Psalm 103:14 NKJV).
Solomon told God He was a little child and does not know how to go out or come in.
Now, calling himself a little child does not mean he was young in age and knowledge, neither does it mean he was a novice.
In fact his father had already called him [Solomon] a man of wisdom in the previous chapter, 1 kings 2:9, now Solomon before God saying, he was a little child, and does not know his way around.
Acknowledging your weakness or inability can bring ridicule before men; men may mock you, ridicule you, if you declare your inability.
However, God will not, because it is a sign of humility in the sight of God. If you declare your inability, God will embrace you, enable you, give you strength to do what you think you cannot do (Exodus 4:10-12; Proverbs 3:5-7; Jeremiah 1:6-8).
If you believe in your own ability, you are boastful of it, without acknowledging God; He will allow you to be humbled:
19 FOR IT IS WRITTEN: “I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND BRING TO NOTHING THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRUDENT.”
20 WHERE IS THE WISE? WHERE IS
THE SCRIBE? WHERE IS THE DISPUTER OF THIS AGE? HAS NOT GOD MADE FOOLISH THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD?” (1 Corinthians 1:19,20 NKJV)
Solomon said, he does not know how to go out and come in (1 Kings 3:7):
• Does that mean he was daft or dunce? No, he was not.
• He was only acknowledging His frailty and inability; He was not being wise in his own eyes:
5 TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; 6 IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATHS. 7 DO NOT BE WISE IN YOUR OWN EYES . . . " (Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV).
• Some men think if you cry before God—kneeling down or prostrating before God and shedding tears to plead—you are not being macho or manly enough.
The truth is:
• God wants acknowledgement, honour and respect.
• If you fail to acknowledge Him, your efforts could be made futile.
• Some are currently being resisted and frustrated, and they thought the devil is against them; but it is God Who withdraws His backing in order to humble them, because they fail to acknowledge Him.
• Their inability to acknowledge God gives the devil access to have a field day in their lives.
When Solomon acknowledged
His inability and leaned on God for understanding and wisdom; God gave him more than he asked or requested for (1 Kings 3:12,13).
The Bible says, God was pleased with Solomon’s request. It means God expected that from him (1 Kings 3:10).
Content of Solomon's request and the answer given by God:
7 NOW, O LORD MY GOD, YOU HAVE MADE YOUR SERVANT KING INSTEAD OF MY FATHER DAVID, BUT I AM A LITTLE CHILD; I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO GO OUT OR COME IN.
8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted.
9 THEREFORE GIVE TO YOUR SERVANT AN UNDERSTANDING HEART TO JUDGE YOUR PEOPLE, THAT I MAY DISCERN BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL. FOR WHO IS ABLE TO JUDGE THIS GREAT PEOPLE OF YOURS?”
10 THE SPEECH PLEASED THE LORD, THAT SOLOMON HAD ASKED THIS THING.
11 THEN GOD SAID TO HIM: “Because you have asked this thing, AND HAVE NOT ASKED LONG LIFE FOR YOURSELF, NOR HAVE ASKED RICHES FOR YOURSELF, NOR HAVE ASKED THE LIFE OF YOUR ENEMIES, BUT HAVE ASKED FOR YOURSELF UNDERSTANDING TO DISCERN JUSTICE,
12 BEHOLD, I HAVE DONE ACCORDING TO YOUR WORDS; SEE, I HAVE GIVEN YOU A WISE AND UNDERSTANDING HEART, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.
13 AND I HAVE ALSO GIVEN YOU WHAT YOU HAVE NOT ASKED: BOTH RICHES AND HONOUR, SO THAT THERE SHALL NOT BE ANYONE LIKE YOU AMONG THE KINGS ALL YOUR DAYS."
1 Kings 3:7–13 (NKJV)
In the above passage of the Bible, we can learn a couple of things:
• Many pray they could not receive because they pray amiss—their requests could not please God (James 4:3).
Thus, If your request, what you ask in prayer, does not please God, He may not grant it.
• Failure in prayer is as result of inability to know God’s will. And a prayer that is not in line with God’s will—God’s Word is God’s will—would not be answered (John 15:7).
• Solomon did ask for understanding heart to Judge, lead the people of God. Ability to discern between good and evil. In summary, what he did ask for was the wisdom to lead the people of God (1 Kings 3:9).
• God was pleased with his requests, because it was not centred on the self, and He granted it (1 Kings 3:10-12).
• The request was so delightful to God that He even gave him other things he did not ask for (1 Kings 3:13).
You will not fail. Peace.
TO BE CONTINUED