SOLOMON’S GOD- GIVEN WISDOM
1 Kings 3:16-28
When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice. (28)
chapter 3
16. Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.
17. One of them said, "Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me.
18. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.
19. "During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him.
20. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.
21. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son - and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne."
22. The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.
23. The king said, "This one says, ’My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ’No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’"
24. Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king.
25. He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."
26. The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"
27. Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."
28. When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
1. Two prostitutes who lived together came to Solomon with an unsolvable dilemma. Both women had babies at about the same time. During the night, one of the women laid on her baby and suffocated it. The other woman claimed this woman switched babies with her, claiming that the live baby was hers. Both women lay claim to the live baby. There were no witnesses to the alleged switch. Without modern DNA tests, there was no way to figure out who the live baby’s mother was. They expected Solomon to sort it out.
2. Solomon had asked God for discernment to rule his people. He needed God’s wisdom to deal with this situation. After all, Solomon couldn’t tell which woman was lying (one of them had to be). So, he ordered someone to bring a sword to cut the baby in two, giving half to each woman. One woman said “Go ahead! If I can’t have him, no one can!” The other woman said, “No! Don’t kill the baby, give her to the other woman.” So, Solomon knew the second woman was the true mother. He ordered the live, whole baby be given to the second woman.
Prayer: Father, thank you for giving wisdom to those who ask you. Please give us wisdom and discernment to see and carry out your work.
One Word: God gives wisdom and discernment