28 Solomon and the Wise Judgment [1 Kings 3:16–28]
The Bible passage: [1 Kings 3:16–28]
The Story:
When King David died, his son Solomon became king of Israel.
[1 Kings 3:5-9]: The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?” Solomon replied, “You have shown faithful love to my father David. You have continued this faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne. Lord God, You have now made me king in my father David’s place. But I am young and have no leadership experience. I am one of Your chosen people. A people too numerous to be counted. So, give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great nation of Yours?”
[1 Kings 4:29]: “God gave Solomon wisdom, very great insight, and understanding as vast as the sand on the seashore.” (CSB)
One day two prostitutes came to the king and stood in front of him as a judge.
One woman said, “Please my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was in the house. On the third day after I gave birth, she also had a baby, and we were alone. No one else was with us in the house; just the two of us were there. During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep. She laid him at her breast, and she put her dead son in my arms. When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, I discovered he was dead. That morning, when I looked closely at him, I realized that he was not the son I gave birth to.”
“No,” the other woman said. “My son is the living one; your son is the dead one.”
The first woman said, “No, your son is the dead one; my son is the living one.”
They argued in front of the king.
The king replied, “This woman says, ‘This is my son who is alive, and your son is dead,’ but that woman says, ‘No, your son is dead, and my son is alive.’”
The king said, “Bring me a sword.”
They brought the sword to the king.
Solomon said, “Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
The woman whose son was alive spoke to the king because she felt great compassion for her son. “My lord, give her the living baby,” she said, “but please don’t have him killed!”
But the other one said, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”
The king responded, “Give the living baby to the first woman, and don’t kill him. She is his mother.”
All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they were in awe of the king because they saw that God’s wisdom was in him.
The Lessons:
- Solomon asked for wisdom and God gave him that. Because Solomon asked for wisdom instead of riches and other earthly things, God blessed him with those as well. Solomon still made a lot of bad choices during his life.
- [Psalm 37:4] says, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires.” (CSB) My paraphrase: focus on Godly things and God will give them to you.
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