Who is capable?

2Chronicles 2:6 But who is capable of building such a structure: Why, the skies—the entire cosmos!—can’t begin to contain him. And me, who am I to think I can build a house adequate for God—burning incense to him is about all I’m good for! (The Message)

We see such a different picture of Solomon here in Chronicles than we did in Kings. I see a young man, in awe of his warrior father, a strong and charismatic leader, who has come to the throne after a bloody, divisive struggle among his older brothers, all of whom have been killed. He asks for wisdom because he doesn’t know how he’s going to rule this “mob of people”. Perhaps he is still struggling with his grief over the bloodshed, the loss of his father, whom he perhaps idolized. So he expresses here his feeling of total inadequacy to the task: not only is God beyond anything humans can build to contain him, but Solomon is only fit for the simplest of tasks, burning incense.

The funny thing is, I know as I read that this Solomon is going to be greater than his father in some ways; he is going to rule over the flowering of Israelite culture, the writing down of the first sacred texts, and a time of unprecedented peace. Rulers come from all over the known world to marvel at his wisdom and skill as a ruler. This is the man who here feels so inadequate? So we have to look at the standards he is measuring himself by—the skills of his father, David. But what David did was to set the stage for the flowering Solomon reigns over. I think of the Medicis: Cosimo, the father, accumulated all the wealth as a very sharp businessman in Florence, but it was his son, Lorenzo, who reigned over the flowering of the Renaissance (spending nearly all the money Cosimo made – and aren’t we glad he did!)

I think we all find ourselves in a similar place as young people. I am measuring myself by the standards of the culture that forms my foundation, but not the culture of the future, where I will reach my flowering whatever it is. As young people, our parents loom like giants over us, already so experienced, already so knowledgeable, who are we to think we know how to do things for ourselves, break out in new directions? And here I am, at a time of life when my parents are both gone, and I am now in that position of elder, and what do I know about the life my son needs to lead to move forward into a future I may never know? Like Solomon, I am more and more aware of the inadequacy of my abilities to manage my life, which is why I find myself leaning more and more heavily on the God who cannot be contained, who is wider and broader and deeper than any human knowledge or understanding that I might find.

Prayer: Dear God, You have blessed me with this glimpse into the soul of Solomon, and given me a perspective that goes far beyond my everyday worries and concerns. Help me grasp hold of this perspective and let it guide me through my days, so that I reckon my inadequacy in the face of your all saving power and love. Amen.