Friday, November 6, 2015

I Kings 3: Asked And Answered

If you have heard nothing else about Solomon, you probably know that he is regarded as extremely wise, or the wisest man who ever lived, according to the Bible.  I Kings 3 gives us the background as to how that reputation came about.

When Solomon ascended to the throne of his father David, he was still young and sought to follow in his father's footsteps.  He had seen how the Lord had blessed David, and Solomon wanted to inherit those same blessings.  So he would worship the Lord on the high places with incense and a thousand burnt offerings (vs. 3-4).

After one such experience in Gibeon, God appeared to Solomon in a dream and invited him to ask for anything he wished.  Solomon must have already been quite wise by this point, because, in his humility, he asked to be given wisdom to govern the people and to be able to discern right from wrong.  This request pleased the Lord, who granted it, in addition to other things that Solomon might have been tempted to ask for, but didn't, such as wealth, long life, and victory over his enemies.  Upon returning to Jerusalem, Solomon worshiped the Lord before the ark of the covenant.

Later, Solomon's wisdom was put to the test when a case was brought before him involving a question of maternity.  In those days before genetic testing, a dispute had arisen between two prostitutes over which one had a child who died and whose child was still living.  There was no way to tell who was telling the truth, as both women were saying, "The dead son is yours and the living one is mine."  It was a classic "she said, she said," story.  How could Solomon discern the truth in this matter?

Cleverly, he found a way.  He professed an inability to come to a decision based on the testimony of the women and declared that the only fair way to solve the dilemma would be to cut the living child down the middle and give half to each woman.  One woman agreed with the king. "You're right - that's the only fair solution. Neither of us shall have it," she said, while the other woman was horrified at once and renounced her claim to the child so that he might live, even if it was with the other woman.  Instantly, Solomon knew who the mother in this case was and decided accordingly: a real mother would want her child alive no matter what.  The news of his decision spread among the people and the fame of his wisdom started to grow.

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