Wisdom Exemplified

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Opening Prayer

Mighty God, the deepest longings of my heart are for You. Accept my worship and praise as I come before You now.

Read 1 KINGS 3:16-28

^[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.

Meditate

“Wisdom is the ability to view life as God perceives it” (Chuck Swindoll).

Think Further

It is good to come to a passage with no hidden questions. Here, we simply have a clear demonstration that Solomon really had been given the gift of wisdom. He really did have the gifts to be not only the greatest scholar among Israel’s kings but also the most discerning, the one best equipped to make right and good decisions. David had been accused of not being available to ordinary people (2 Sam. 15:3), but Solomon is pictured as listening to even these despised women. The problem seems insurmountable–how does one make a judgment when it is one person’s word against another? Solomon shows both a clear understanding of human nature and an awareness of the power and reality of love. One woman cared only for equality and her own rights, the other cared for the child–clearly, that was the mother.

I well remember an occasion when two students were both claiming that the other one had borrowed and copied their essay. As external examiner, I had to adjudicate. Sadly, I did not possess the wisdom of Solomon and both students were required to resubmit the essay, even though I had very strong suspicions as to which one was the cheat. One was unfairly let off the hook and the other unfairly penalized. I wonder what Solomon would have done?

Why is this story included? In the overall account it assures us of the extent of Solomon’s potential–he did have “wisdom from God” (28), enough to make him an awesome king. For us the story also brings hope. Without Solomon’s wisdom, we don’t have the answer to every situation, but there is reassurance in the picture that even though a problem seems insurmountable there could, just possibly, be another way of looking at it.

Apply

Do you pursue wisdom? How? What was your most difficult decision this year? How did you handle it?

Closing prayer

Lord, I don’t have Solomon’s wisdom, but help me to use the knowledge of You and the insight into human nature that I do have to make good decisions.

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