Solomon's gift of wisdom begins in humility.
His humility has two components.
The first is a recognition of the hand of God in his life. He didn't make himself king, God has brought about that circumstance as a "great mercy." At this point in his life Solomon is able to see his dependence upon God. He also sees a relationship between the blessings that he has received and his father's sincere attempts at walking before God "in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart." The clear implication is that his own successful tenure on the throne and a safe handoff of the kingdom to his heir will depend upon his own perseverance in walking the same path. No doubt his father's final words to that same effect (I Kings 2:2-4) are still echoing in his heart.
The second component of his humility is a recognition that he is not equal to the responsibilities that have been placed upon his shoulders. He is now responsible for an entire nation - hundreds of thousands of human beings who look to him to make decisions and judgments that will affect their daily lives, the shape of their society, their freedom and their safety. The weight of that responsibility staggers him: "I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in."
The foundation beneath wisdom is humility - a sense of one's own lack, an recognition of one's dependence on God, and an acknowledgement of the need to walk with God, in the path God has laid out, in order to secure his blessings.
Not only does Solomon note his own youth and inexperience as a factor in his feelings of inadequacy, he asks an interesting question - "who IS able to judge this thy so great people?" (v. 9). Perhaps years of watching his father rule had convinced him that the task was beyond the unaided wisdom of any man.
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