You can turn to 1 Kings chapter 3. 1 Kings chapter 3. Last time we gathered together, we saw Solomon take the throne. Specifically, two things were given to him or two things were displayed in chapter 2, the means by which he would secure the throne. The first is the necessity of obedience to God's law, chapter 2, verses 1 to 4.
And then in the second place, the elimination of the enemies of the kingdom. And certainly Solomon went on a bit of a purge. to dispatch or to get rid of Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab, and Shimei. And here in chapter 3, we see a very pivotal section in Solomon's reign. It's the beginning of his ministry or beginning of his reign.
God comes to him and asks him or tells him to ask God, what shall I give you? So we'll read chapter 3 and then look at it in some detail. Beginning in verse 1, now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter. Then he brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. And Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places. Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar.
At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, Ask, what shall I give you? And Solomon said, You have shown great mercy to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have continued this great kindness for him, and you have given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child.
I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore, give to your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?" The speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.
Then God said to him, because you have asked this thing and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice. Behold, I have done according to your words. See, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked. both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
So if you walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. And Solomon awoke, and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. Now two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him.
And one woman said, oh my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened the third day after I had given birth that this woman also gave birth and we were together. No one was with us in the house except the two of us in the house. And this woman's son died in the night because she lay on him.
So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had born. And the other woman said, no, but the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.
And the first woman said, no, but the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son. Thus they spoke before the king. And the king said, the one says, this is my son who lives, and your son is the dead one. And the other says, no, but your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.
Then the king said, bring me a sword. So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other. Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son.
And she said, oh my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him. But the other said, let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him. So the king answered and said, give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him, she is his mother. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
Amen.
Introduction
So very hopefully familiar passage of scripture, I mean this is one of the you know, most popular sections in the Old Testament, specifically this verdict rendered by Solomon in the case of these two women. But as we have looked at 1 Kings thus far, as I said, Solomon has assumed the throne. Remember that in chapter 2, I know it's going back a little ways, but in chapter 2, the way by which Solomon secured the throne was by eliminating the kingdom. are eliminating the enemies of the kingdom. Now several times in chapter 2 it says that his kingdom was established.
Notice in verse 12, then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David and his kingdom was firmly established. It says that again in verse 24 where Solomon says, who has established a house for me, again in verses 45 and 46, the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever Verse 46, thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon. So when we get to chapter 3, and we see the Lord God's approach to Solomon, specifically in verse 5, saying, ask, what shall I give you? God obviously approved of the means by which Solomon secured the kingdom.
It was necessary to eliminate those enemies. He's not going to have stability. He's not going to have peace. He's not going to have a good reign if these enemies are continuing on.
So in chapter 3, we have two main sections in the teaching. The first is the prayer for wisdom in verses 1 to 15, and then secondly, the proof of wisdom in verses 16 to 28. Now technically, the proof of wisdom extends to chapter 4 as well. When we see Solomon appoint his cabinet, when we see Solomon administrate the affairs over Israel, this is again another evidence that God had indeed supplied him with wisdom.
So chapter 3, the first section, is the prayer for wisdom. Chapter 3, the second section, is the proof of wisdom.
The Occasion: Life in Israel
Now note first the occasion in verses 1 to 4. It gives us a general overview of life in Israel at this particular time. In the first place, notice the marriage to Pharaoh's daughter. Now, Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh's daughter.
Then he brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem. Now, commentators are somewhat split on this particular section. versus 1 to 4. Some treat it very positively, others see it somewhat negatively. We can say, concerning this marriage, that it was politically motivated.
Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh, king of daughter, and married Pharaoh's daughter. We've seen that throughout Samuel. Oftentimes, kings would marry other kings' daughters to forge political alliances. As well, this marriage was most likely not Solomon's first marriage.
When we hear of Rehoboam, Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, but he had a different mother. And so perhaps Solomon was already married at this particular time. He's probably very young, probably around 20 at this particular instance, but nevertheless, this was most likely not his first marriage. This may foreshadow later problems in the life of Solomon.
If all we had was chapter 3, it could be taken very positively, but we have chapter 11. We know that Solomon does not end well. He has an affinity for foreign wives, and he multiplies them, and they lead to his downfall in terms of his idolatry toward other gods. So, while there's not a lot of comment in chapter 3 verse 1 concerning the goodness or the badness of this particular situation, we have the later history of Solomon that indicates that things are probably not good.
As well, if this is his second wife, we have the Deuteronomy passage in Deuteronomy 17, 17, where kings of Israel are forbidden to multiply wives. Again, it's probably not the sexual aspect, though that's included, but it's those political alliances forged with pagan kings. That's why Deuteronomy 17 specifies the king of Israel is not to take them, to multiply wives in that regard. As well, Deuteronomy 7 and the mandate for holy war.
When Israel went into the land of Canaan, they were not to have political alliances. They were certainly not to have religious alliances or social alliances with the people of the land. Egypt was one of the enemies of Israel. Now, at this particular time, after David is gone, Solomon begins a new reign, and this is an indicator that there is at least an agreement between Egypt and Israel at this particular time.
Notice as well, verse 2, with reference to the worship of Israel. It says, Meanwhile, the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days. Remember that in Deuteronomy 12, it was specified that there would be one location for Israelites to worship. There would be a central sanctuary.
Well, prior to that central sanctuary, we see that the people are worshiping on the high places. literally mountaintops or hilltops, and they would establish shrines there, and they would worship God in those places. Now, most of the time this is frowned upon. Even in this particular section, it is frowned upon when it's referred to with reference to Solomon. Notice in verse 3, Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places.
Now, David didn't sacrifice and burn incense at the high places. David maintained fidelity to the Lord in that regard, but however, Solomon did walk in the statutes of his father, except in that particular regard. But it does strike us, or it should strike us in verse three. Solomon loved the Lord.
One of the commentators says this is the only place in the Old Testament where it's expressly stated that a king loved the Lord. Now certainly David loved the Lord. If you read the Psalter, David loved the Lord. If you read the life of David, you see that he loved the Lord.
But it's expressly stated here, Solomon loved the Lord. It's a great way for a king to begin his reign, an expression of his love and his fidelity to the Lord God Most High. And then notice, as well, or with reference to these high places, this may also foreshadow his eventual downfall. In chapter 11, after he multiplies the wives, he goes up and he constructs these shrines on the high places, but to other gods.
Again, if we only had chapter 3, it wouldn't necessarily be a negative thing, but we do have chapter 11. And perhaps the author here is beginning to foreshadow something that will come in the life and career of Solomon.
The Prayer for Wisdom
Now note the prayer of Solomon. Verse 5 says, At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, Ask, what shall I give you? Isn't that the blessing of our God? He doesn't install a man upon the throne and then leave him to his own devices.
God is gracious, God is kind, and God expresses His goodness by coming to Solomon specifically and saying, ask, what shall I give you? It's kind of like what we read in Mark chapter 10. We had the little ones over tonight, Owen and Sophia were babysitting them for a couple of nights and Micah read Mark 10. the account with blind Bartimaeus. Remember Jesus is walking through the city and Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is walking through the city and he says, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
And the crowd tells Bartimaeus to be quiet. They tell him sternly that he ought to just be quiet, almost as if to suggest that the Lord is too busy to listen to a blind beggar like Bartimaeus. I love what Bartimaeus does. He cries the louder, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
The text says that Jesus stopped, walks over to Bartimaeus, and asks him, what would you have me to do? This is the kind of God that we have. He comes to Solomon and he says, ask, what shall I give you? Jesus comes to Bartimaeus and he says, what shall I give you?
What do you want from me? And of course, Bartimaeus says, I want to see, and the Lord grants him his vision. Well, that's what God does in this instance with Solomon. He asks him specifically, what shall I give you?
Now note, with reference to this prayer of Solomon, it truly is an amazing thing. I think we ought to appreciate the way it's structured and the way that Solomon prays. I think it's instructive for us as fellow prayers to follow this particular pattern.
Praise Before Petition
In the first place, Solomon recognizes the goodness of God. In other words, he doesn't just get to what he wants. He doesn't just get to verse 9. Verse 9 is his petition.
Verse 9 is the direct response to God's question, what shall I give you? But before verse 9, he wants to spend time musing upon the goodness, the faithfulness, the kindness, and the graciousness of God Most High. He highlights the kindness that God has shown to David. Notice in verse 6, you have shown great mercy.
This is that hesed, that covenant love, that steadfast love. Great mercy to your servant David, my father, because he walked before you in truth and righteousness and in uprightness of heart with you. Gil rightly points out, God didn't reward David with this mercy because David did such and such, but David did such and such because he had received this mercy from the living and true God. But you see, before he makes his petition, he reminds himself of God's kindness.
He rehearses and reflects upon God's goodness. He acknowledges the covenant. that God made with David. That's what's behind verses six and seven. Notice at the end of verse six, you have continued this great kindness for him and you have given him a son to sit on his throne as it is this day.
Isn't this the background to this, the Davidic covenant? The promise to David that a son would rise up and occupy David's throne. He would reign, he would rule, he would govern according to the plan and mind of God. So Solomon here recognizes or acknowledges this Davidic covenant.
And then notice that he recognizes that it is by grace that Solomon sits upon the throne. Verse 7, now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king instead of my father David. You see what he's doing? Before he gets to petition, he rehearses the goodness of God, not only to David, but we might even extend it and say to Abraham.
Well, Abraham's not mentioned there, but a great number of people are mentioned in verse 8. Notice, and your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. If you hear that language or you read that language in scripture, you ought to think Abraham. Because the promise was given to Abraham that God would give him a great number of descendants.
They would be like the sand on the seashore and like the stars in the sky. And so what Solomon does before he asks for his petition, or before he sets his petition before God, is he rehearses God's kindness. He praises God for his faithfulness and for his fidelity. Davis captures it this way.
He says, Solomon's prayer then is a proclamation of the fidelity of God. Listen to this, because I think this is very important. Not just because it's a Ralph Davis quote, because I think he gets what's going on here in verses 6 to 9. If God came to you tonight and said, what shall I give you?
Would you immediately jump to petition? Even if it was a good petition. Wisdom, God. Or would you reflect upon who God is?
Would you muse on His faithfulness and His kindness to Abraham, to David, to the nation of Israel, to all of the people of God? Would you praise Him for what He has done prior to giving the petition? He says, Solomon's prayer then is a proclamation of the fidelity of God. His prayer begins with praise of Yahweh's dependability.
That is proper in itself. God should be so praised. But it is also useful for the prayer, for as we praise in prayer, We are encouraged in petition. You see, as we reflect upon who God is, as we rehearse what God has done, it emboldens us and it fortifies us and it provokes from us the petition we are going to offer.
In other words, as Spurgeon says, we pray as those who have tried and proven their God. He goes on to say, it is also useful for the prayer, for as we praise in prayer, we are encouraged in petition. For we realize as we rehearse Yahweh's record that we are coming to a faithful God. Praise then becomes the basis of confidence.
You see, as he considers what God has done for David, what God has done in response to Abraham, what God has done for the nation of Israel, he has confidence that God will do this for Solomon. You see, it's good for us to begin with praise. It's good for us to rehearse God's kindness. It's good for us to consider these things as we go before Him in prayer.
Davis later says, it is this remembering that nurtures both gratitude and confidence. You see, when we consider who God is, it will help us to approach God in light of that reality. And now notice,
Acknowledging Need and Focus
he not only recognizes God's faithfulness, but he acknowledges his own need in 7b and 8. He says, notice, I'm saying, notice, he says, but I am a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. Now, I don't believe he means he's a little child in terms of years.
Gil refers to Jewish commentators who suppose that Solomon was 12 when he took the throne from David. But that doesn't make sense because Rehoboam took the throne. That was Solomon's son. Rehoboam took the throne when he was 41.
And Solomon's reign was for 40 years. Solomon's probably again about 20 years old at this particular time. It's not a reference to his age in years, it's a reference to his lack of experience. The 20 year old man, he's not his father David.
And remember the shifting nature of the kingdom at this particular time. Solomon's reign was a reign of peace. What was David's reign? David's reign, he was plopped into the kingdom and he had to fight Philistines, he had to fight Ammonites, he had to fight Edomites, he had to fight, fight, fight.
That's what was happening when David was the king. Things are different in Israel. When we get to chapter 4, you'll see that Solomon appoints 12 governors in each of the tribal allotments. I mean, it corresponds loosely to the tribal allotments.
And those 12 governors levy taxes upon those tribal allotments in order to provide for Solomon's household. We might say, well, what is that all about? Well, they couldn't just go kill Philistines and take their gold and finance the kingdom. In this reign of peace, taxation was the means by which revenues came in to sustain the kingdom at this particular time.
Solomon's reign was not about going out and killing Philistines. Solomon's reign was one of administrating a body politic, a civil polity in a way that he was inexperienced to do. So he acknowledges this in verse 8. He says, I'm a little child.
I do not know how to go out or come in. Gill says it is best, therefore, to interpret this of the sense he had of the weakness of his understanding and of his incapacity for government. As the next clause explains it, I know not how to go out or come in, in the administration of government, to execute his office as a king, in allusion to shepherds, as kings are sometimes called, going in and out before their sheep. So he acknowledges his need, but as well, notice his focus.
And I think Solomon's a great example here in terms of what we ought to look for in leaders. Notice verse 8, And your servant is in the midst of your people, whom you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. And then notice, verse 9, "...therefore give to your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?" What's Solomon's focus?
Solomon's focus is on the glory of God, to be sure. He is a God-lover. To be a God-lover means to love God's people. And Solomon wants to do things in the right way.
He doesn't want long life for himself. He doesn't want riches for himself. Rather, he wants wisdom so he can best administrate the kingdom or administer the kingdom for the good of the people of God. He has lofty ideals in this section.
He acknowledges his need. The focus of his concern is on the people of God.
The Petition for Wisdom
And then the very petition in verse 9 is for wisdom. Therefore, give to your servant an understanding heart. or a hearing heart. You see, oftentimes we make this distinction between the heart and the head, don't we? The heart is sort of the seat of emotions, and the head is where all the rationality is connected.
That's not what the Bible says. That's not what the Bible means. The Bible kind of lumps it all together. The immaterial is spirit or soul or heart or head.
There's not this disjunction between the heart and the head. No, what he says here is give your servant a hearing heart to judge your people. Davis makes the observation, note that Solomon does not ask for a hearing or understanding heart in order to feel, but in order to rule and discern. You see, what Solomon, or what Solomon requests at the throne of grace when God says, what shall I give you, is he asks for wisdom.
I mean, is this us? Is this the way? I mean, if God did come to us tonight and said, what shall I give you? We say, I'd like a million dollars.
I'd like a new car. That old jalopy is about to break down. I'd like a new job. No, wisdom is what Solomon says.
Solomon wants to be able to serve the people of God. That's what a servant, this is what government really should look like. It's not the case that the people serve the government. I mean, we're so used to that.
We've been beaten into this model where the people exist to serve the government. That's not the way it's supposed to be. The government is supposed to serve the people. They are public servants.
That's not the way it is today, but this is what Solomon had intended. Therefore give to your servant a hearing heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this great people of yours? God, I need wisdom. In order to execute this task, I need wisdom from on high.
God's Response to Solomon
Now note the response by God in verses 10 to 15. This petition pleased God. Notice in verse 10, the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. Shouldn't this be our goal in prayer, is to please God?
The goal in prayer is not our emotional satisfaction or, you know, to check off the day timer or to be able to say to our wives or our husbands or our pastors, yeah, I prayed today. No, the goal of prayer ought to be the glory of God, right? Prayer doesn't change God. Prayer is a means by which we acknowledge our dependence upon God.
It's a means by which we worship God. It's a means by which we bring honor and praise to God. And in this instance, the speech pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. Notice that the petition was granted by God.
Verse 12. He says, Behold, I have done according to your words, see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. Probably idiomatic, probably hyperbolic, not to indicate that There would never be anybody wise again. We know that the Lord Jesus certainly was a greater than Solomon in terms of wisdom.
But what he is saying is because you have asked for this thing, I'm going to heap it upon you. I am going to pour it out upon you. Isn't this how our God gives? And it's interesting that in a parallel passage in James 1, we are told that if anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who does what?
Who gives to all liberally and without reproach. He doesn't just dole out a little bit, but he gives it liberally. He pours it out. That's the sense of verse 12.
When Solomon asks for wisdom, God says, you better open wide because I'm pouring it out upon you. It's not going to be the case that anyone before you or anyone after you has been as wise as you have been. It pleased God that Solomon asked this thing and God poured out wisdom upon him. But as well, notice what we find.
Well, verse 11, I unfortunately missed that. Then God said, because you have not asked this thing, you've not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice. You see, it's almost as if God is saying, you know, anybody else would have asked those things, right? Anybody else would have asked for riches.
Anybody else would have asked for honor. Anybody else would have asked for the elimination of the enemies. But Solomon, you asked for wisdom. You got this right.
This is a good sign. This is a good foreshadowing of how things are going to go under Solomon's reign. Now certainly later, as he ends, it's a bad thing. But that interim period, Solomon's reign was most blessed and most excellent.
Now notice the petition was supplemented by God, verses 13 and 14. And I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. You see that? Isn't this Matthew 6, 33?
Seek first the kingdom of God, and then these things will be added to you. Jesus cautions us and tells us, don't worry about what you'll eat, don't worry about what you'll wear, don't worry about tomorrow, but rather seek first the kingdom of God, and then these things will be added to you. You see, Solomon has sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and God has supplemented this by giving him riches and honor. Now this isn't technique, this isn't formula.
Go to God with some, you know, highfalutin, noble virtues, with the thought that He's going to give you everything else. We're not mercenaries at the throne of grace. That's not what this is designed to teach us. Rather, it's designed to show us the liberality, the generosity, the kindness, and the overflowing graciousness of God.
God says, I'll not only give you wisdom, but I'm going to give you all those things you didn't even ask for. I'm going to give you those things you didn't even request because that's how good God is. That's how He deals with them in this instance. But there is a condition.
Notice in verse 14. So if you walk in my ways to keep my statutes and my commandments as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. I will prolong your days. Solomon, you must be a faithful king.
Solomon, you must be obedient. Solomon, you must do what David did. Again, David had his downfalls and his shortcomings, but David is paradigmatic or a pattern of righteousness for the kings in Israel. And then the petition was sealed by sacrifice to God.
Again, verse 15, Solomon awakes, indeed it had been a dream. Now it wasn't a dream like you and I would have a dream. We were running and somebody was chasing us. It was a visionary dream.
It was God coming to the king via this particular means to reveal to him these specifics and to deal with him in such a way. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. Some see movement in the right direction in this particular instance. In verse 4, he's at Gibeon to sacrifice at the Great High Place.
Now he comes to Jerusalem and he stands before the Ark of the Covenant. And there he offers up burnt offerings, peace offerings, and he made a feast for all his servants. So it's movement not only geographically but theologically. He's left the high place at Gibeon.
He's now in Jerusalem before the ark of the Lord where he ought to be. So that is the prayer for wisdom.
The Proof of Wisdom
Let's look at the proof of wisdom in verses 16 to 28.
The Impossible Case
In the first place, we have this death of a son in verses 16 to 22. Verse 16 begins with now. That connects or that links this episode with the preceding. There is a specific and a conspicuous flow in the narrative.
The author wants us to see that Solomon prays for wisdom, God has answered by giving him wisdom, and the proof now is in the pudding. What Solomon renders in terms of this particular verdict is an evidence that he is operating according to the wisdom that God Most High had given him. It says, two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. I think we all know the story.
Again, it's a very famous, very popular story in scripture. But the one woman says, Oh my Lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened the third day after I had given birth that this woman also gave birth. Now notice, and we were together.
No one was with us in the house except the two of us in the house. You know what that means, right? There's no witnesses. This is an impossible scenario.
Isn't it? It is an impossible scenario. Most likely, they'd already gone through the court system. They're at King Solomon now.
There were lower courts in Israel. Not every situation that needed to be adjudicated was taken to the king. There were lower courts and even higher courts. There was a whole structure that Deuteronomy specifies before you'd ever get to the king.
The fact that they've come to the king is probably indicative of the fact that all of these lower courts couldn't make heads or tails out of the situation. You have a plaintiff and you have a defendant. You have her word against her word. There are no witnesses.
It is an impossible case, isn't it? I mean, you have to appreciate that. We become familiar with the passage and we note the wisdom of Solomon, but we don't really focus upon just how difficult this would have been for any court to try and render a proper verdict in. So no witnesses.
Notice, verse 19, and this woman's son died in the night because she lay on him. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your maidservant slept and laid him in her bosom and laid her dead child in my bosom. Now there's no possible way she could have known that. I mean, she was asleep, right?
Unless she was cognizant and conscious, sleep conscious. She conjectures according to the scenario, right? The subsequent event of her now nursing a dead child, recognizing that it's not her child, gives her the fodder for verse 20. It had to happen that way.
But again, it complicates the situation. Because if you're a judge and you hear a woman say this, probably you'd suggest, how do you know when you were asleep? I mean, this case is fraught with technical difficulties if you are going to try to render a verdict in this particular situation. Verse 21, and when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was dead.
But when I examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had born. So you see the plaintiff says it's a case of switch. It's not my child who died, it was her child. And then she took the dead child and put that dead child at my bosom and took my living child.
And now the other woman, the defendant says in verse 22, no, but the living one is my son and the dead one is yours. your son?" And the first woman said, no, but the dead one is your son and the living one is my son. Thus they spoke before the king. You get something of the feel of this. It's a her word against her word.
In the absence of witnesses, this would be an impossible case. Do you appreciate that? Do you see that? I mean, we bank on DNA linking criminals to a crime scene.
Well, prior to DNA, you'd have to have witnesses. You have to have something that puts the criminal at the crime scene in order to get a conviction. And here we have just a very difficult situation.
Solomon's Judgment
Now note the judgment of Solomon in verses 23 to 27. He basically reviews the situation. Verse 23, the one says, this is my son, who lives? And your son is the dead one.
And the other says, no, but your son is the dead one. And my son is the living one. Yep, he gets it. He understands the scenario.
Woman one says, my son. Woman two says, my son. Now note his request for a sword. Now at this particular juncture, these two women are probably frightened.
Because you see, they don't know the story. They don't know that he's going to suggest that we cut the living child in half and divide them in two to give two pieces to these women. They're probably thinking that one of them is going to die. Why else would a king take a sword in a court case if the death penalty wasn't going to be implemented?
So the king says, verse 24, bring me a sword. So they brought a sword before the king. Again, the narrative reads quickly, but if you were actually there and you saw these two women, you'd probably see the sweat beads starting to form. One or the other is probably thinking, how did he figure this out?
I'm going to die. Notice, verse 25, something nobody expected whatsoever. The king said, divide the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other. Now, many commentators suppose he already knew who was guilty and innocent at this particular point.
I don't know. The text reads this way. He says, do this. And this is the means by which he will ascertain who the guilty party is in this particular situation.
But again, you wouldn't be expecting this, would you? This is the wisdom of God. And we know He doesn't actually kill the living child and take the top half and give it to woman 1 and the bottom half and give it to woman 2. But this is the wisdom of God operating.
This is the means by which He is going to bring to light the reality of the situation. And it's brilliant. Again, we get it in our heads, we've read it several times, we've probably heard it preached, and we miss the brilliance of it. This is designed to elicit the true mother's compassion for her child.
And this is precisely what it does. Verse 26, Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son. And she said, O my Lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him. But the other one said, eh, let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.
See, it's brilliant, isn't it? Cut him in half and divide up the parts. The true mother is going to say, no, don't cut him in half. Give him to the other woman.
I have love for him and compassion for him. Even if he's not living with me, I want him to live. This is a mother's heart. The other one says, eh, cut him up and give us each a part.
This is indicative of who the true mother was. Verse 27. So the king answered and said, give the first woman the living child and by no means kill him. She is his mother.
It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. And not just brilliant, you know, this many years away, but it was brilliant to Israel at the time. Notice verse 28, their response.
And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, and they feared the king. Why did they fear the king? This doesn't mean they were going to run and hide from him. This means they revered him.
They honored him. They counted him worthy of their allegiance. They feared the king. Why?
For they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice. Beautiful! This is the display, this is the proof, this is the manifestation of the wisdom that the Lord God had given. And notice very specifically, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
It wasn't something he learned at college. It wasn't something he learned online. He didn't Google this. It was given to him by God.
Paul House says, this comment reinforces the statement in 246 that the kingdom is now firmly established in Solomon's hands. Most importantly, this respect stems from the knowledge that wisdom like Solomon's can only come from God. Israel now understands, as does the reader, that the wisdom of God is in his heart to do justice. So Solomon prays, give me wisdom.
God answers liberally, and we see it displayed in this case of the two harlots with the living child.
Application and Lessons
Well, a couple of things, and then we close. In the first place, and I'm taking this right from Davis, if you have Davis's commentary on 1 Kings, I suggest you read chapter 3. The way that he breaks down Solomon's prayer I think is brilliant. In the first place, he highlights the true incentive to prayer is the generosity of God.
The true incentive to prayer is the generosity of God. The fact that God bids us to pray. The fact that God has shown us His kindness when we've prayed before. The generosity of God is the true incentive to prayer.
He says, secondly, the true foundation of prayer is the faithfulness of God. Why do we pray? Because we know God's faithful. Why do we call upon him?
Because we know he's good, or his word is good. And then he says thirdly, the true anxiety of prayer is the people of God. What he means by that is Solomon's anxiety, Solomon's anxiousness, Solomon's design and desire was for God's people. I tell you, if we had political leaders like Solomon today, we'd all be the better for it.
What does Solomon want to do? Does he want riches? Does he want honor? No, he wants wisdom so that he can facilitate this kingdom and provide for God's people.
Beautiful. And then the true goal of prayer is the pleasure of God. The speech pleased the Lord, verse 10. Davis summarizes, ask what I should give you.
He says, ask for his generosity lures you. Ask and remember his goodness to date. Ask for the sake of his people. Ask above all in order to please him.
New Testament Parallels
A couple of New Testament parallels. I've already referred to them, but it's good for us to look at them. Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6.
Interestingly enough, Solomon is in this particular section. Verse 25, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they? Isn't that beautiful? We're more valuable than birds. Peter's wrong.
God has affinity for his image bearers. He's not anti-bird, but he's pro-man. He's about us. He loves his image bearers.
Which of you, by worrying, verse 27, can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spend.
And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek.
For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." You see, it's about priority. We seek God first. He doesn't not give us bread.
He doesn't not give us clothing. But He says to seek Him first, and then these things will be added to you. It's the same priority with Solomon. I want wisdom, God.
I want to honor you, God. I want to provide for your family. And God says, because you didn't ask for riches, because you didn't ask for honor, I'm going to give you wisdom, and I'm going to give you abundantly. Oh, and by the way, I'm going to give you riches, and I'm going to give you honor too.
That's God's way. And then James 1, already alluded to, but very similar in terms of its focus with reference to the people of God. We're not kings. We are not the king of Israel.
We don't have the same situation or the same circumstance that Solomon faced, but we have the same need for wisdom. And we are given this blessed promise in James 1 too. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God." We need to remember this lack of wisdom is in the context of trial. It's in the context of suffering. It's in the context of hardship. It's not divorced from verses 2 to 4.
Now, we need wisdom when we're doing math problems, and we need wisdom when we're dealing with our children, and we need wisdom when we are doing our jobs. It's not wrong to pray for wisdom in those particular scenarios, but in this particular context, it's when we fall into various trials. We need wisdom to navigate in the midst of trials, so that we don't complain against God, so that we don't whine against God, but that we can evaluate the situation and learn the lessons that He has for us. But he says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
You see, there's no change. Somebody told me this just recently, made this, God of the Old Testament versus the God of the New Testament. It's the same God, the same gracious God in both testaments. The God who comes to Solomon and says, I'm going to heap wisdom upon you liberally, is the God who through James says, to us suffering Christians, I'm going to heap wisdom upon you liberally.
I'm going to give you what you stand in need of. I'm not going to leave you on your own. I'm not going to forsake you. I'm not going to let you flounder or founder.
I'm not going to let you just, you know, whine and cry and grumble. I'm going to be there for you. Let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." So there are New Testament parallels to what we find here in 1 Kings. As well, I've already mentioned this, it bears repeating, the traits of a worthy leader. He seeks wisdom from God. Seminary education, college education, university, book learning, study, all that is essential.
Men need to understand the things that they will do when it comes to leadership. But ultimately, it's seeking wisdom from God that makes the decisive, that's the decisive factor for a leader, isn't it? It's, you know, what do we find in the book of Acts when, you know, they saw that these apostles were untrained men, but they had been with Jesus. They didn't go to the rabbi schools.
They didn't get PhDs. They had been with Jesus. That's where wisdom comes from. It's when we're with Jesus.
As well, a worthy leader seeks wisdom in order to benefit others. It's not just about themselves. That is conspicuous here with Solomon. Solomon doesn't want for himself.
Solomon wants for the good of his kingdom. And then he utilizes wisdom, not political expediency, to govern and administrate. He doesn't look at these two harlots and say, well, you know, I got a really difficult situation because harlot one here is favored by this particular group of people and harlot two wrote that, no, no, it's not political expediency, it's the wisdom of God. It's what's right.
That's what we need today. And then as well,
Praying for Leaders
I think we ought to appreciate from this passage that we should pray for leaders. we should pray. If they're not going to pray for wisdom from God, then let us fetch wisdom from God for them. Lord God Most High, give wisdom to the Prime Minister. Lord God Most High, give wisdom to the President.
Lord God Most High, give wisdom to political leaders, because they need it. If they don't have it, they're going to continue to plunge the society into the sort of moral decay and debauchery that we already see all around us. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 1 to 7, we're to pray for kings and for all who are in authority, we ought to pray for their salvation. We learn from 1 Kings 3 in the pattern of Solomon that we ought to pray for their wisdom.
And then
Typological Significance
the final aspect of this particular section is the typical significance. It is intriguing that what we find with reference to Solomon having wisdom in order to administer the kingdom is something said concerning the Messiah in Isaiah 11. He receives the spirit of wisdom in order to execute justice and judgment and equity. And then in Matthew chapter 12, very specifically, the Lord Jesus says, the Queen of the South will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
So Solomon points forward. This wise king, or this man who asked for wisdom, points us toward the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge our head according to the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for 1 Kings 3. We thank you for a leader that does seek wisdom from on high. And God help us, likewise, to seek wisdom from you, to know that you do give liberally, that you do not upbraid your children. When we come to you repeatedly, you don't mock us, you don't cast us off, but you always give what is needful for your children to function.
We ask that you would go with us now. We pray that you'd gather us together on the Sabbath day, that we may worship you, We pray for all of your people in our local church that struggle physically. We ask that you would look with favor upon each one. And do bless the Trask family, God, at this time of grief and loss.
We thank you that Uncle Martin has passed into the presence of his Savior. We thank you that even now he is gazing upon the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. But we know, God, his family hurts. We know that these are sorrowful times.
We pray that though they grieve, it would not be like the world, that they would be mindful of the fact that He is with the Son of God in glory. Please bless Christine, please bless the children and the grandchildren, and may you comfort the entire family. And we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.