First Kings
Chapter Three: Solomon’s
Wisdom (part 3)
by
Jim Bordwine, ThD
Introduction
At
some point in our lives, we have all heard a story that we’ve never forgotten.
Hearing that story once was enough because it was unusual or shocking or in
some way extraordinary. When I was a young boy, for example, my father told me
a story about an incident that occurred when he was a young man working on his
father’s farm. He said that one day, he and a friend were exhausted after
working for many hours in the summer heat. The first thing his friend did when
they were finished was grab a bottle of buttermilk he had chilling in a nearby
stream.
My
father said his friend emptied that bottle of ice cold buttermilk in one
attempt. Within a few seconds, this man started showing signs of distress by
holding his stomach and complaining of extreme pain. A few minutes later, he
was dead. The extreme contrast between that cold buttermilk and his overheated
body caused him to go into shock and he did not recover.
I
heard that tale only once and I never needed to hear it repeated. The details
were so unusual that they imbedded themselves in my mind permanently. I have
never read of such an account in my life, so I’ve wondered if pop might have
stretched the truth just a bit. Be that as it may, I know for certain that I
have never forgotten that story and I have never taken a drink of buttermilk.
I
am reasonably sure that I am not the only one who had a similar reaction to the
story we are going to consider this morning. After being assured of his
possession of extraordinary wisdom, Solomon’s first case was unusual, to put it
mildly. I am referring to the story in which Solomon had to discern a child’s
true mother when two women were claiming him as their son. Once you hear this
report, you have very little difficulty remembering the details even if you
never hear them again.
This
incident accomplishes two primary things. First, it settles a question that
could easily have confounded anyone asked to render a judgment. Second, Solomon’s
decision clearly illustrates his incredible discernment and this leads to
reports of his wisdom being spread throughout the kingdom. This is not the kind
of story people heard every day; and when they heard it, a particular and
favorable perspective on their new king was established in their minds.
02. Solomon’s Judgment (vv.
16-28)
The Case Put Before
Solomon
16 Then two women who were harlots came to the
king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and
I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the
house. 18 It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also
gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in
the house, only the two of us in the house. 19 This woman’s son died in the
night, because she lay on it. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and
took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her
bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 When I rose in the morning to
nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the
morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman
said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But the
first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, And the living one is my
son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
You
have to admit that this is a most unusual story. Although our focus is
naturally on Solomon’s display of wisdom, there are other elements that
contribute to the character of this report. For example, the two women who come
to Solomon are both harlots. That truth introduces a complicating factor since
the integrity of both women naturally becomes suspect. Neither woman could be
trusted to tell the truth, no matter how passionately they pleaded their case.
This
part of the story, by the way, reminds me of something we as a nation are
facing routinely these days. A politician will be exposed as an adultery, but
immediately we start hearing statements like this: “His private life has
nothing to do with his service to this country” or “What he does in private is
none of our business.” This is an entirely unbiblical point of view. Scripture
does not teach that we can compartmentalize our immorality. If I deceive my
wife, I will deceive you if it advances my desires. Only a fool believes that a
man who betrays his wife and family in the most grievous manner can still be a
good leader. Because the two mothers in this story were harlots, whatever they
said had to be taken cautiously and that was the proper perspective to hold. It
is perfectly justifiable to reserve judgment regarding a person’s report when
they are known to engage in immoral conduct. The word of such a person simply
isn’t trustworthy. This is the situation facing Solomon.
Another
element complicating the situation was, of course, the death of a newborn
infant. There was genuine heartache and mourning connected to a baby’s demise. In
fact, Solomon uses the mother-child bond to settle this case.
At
first, Solomon hears two incompatible reports. The first woman explains that
she and the second woman live in the same house and that she had recently given
birth to a child. Three days later, she explains, the second woman also gave
birth. So, we have one house, two infants, and two new mothers. The first woman
speaking emphasizes that no one else was in the house. This detail is important
due to what comes next.
She
claims that the second woman’s son died when his mother accidentally smothered him
during the night. And this is where the story takes a turn and becomes quite
complicated. According to this mother’s testimony, after the infant died, his
mother exchanged him for the living infant. The living infant was taken and the
dead infant was put in his place. The next morning, the woman telling the story
says that as she prepared to nurse her baby, she discovered that this infant
was dead. “When I looked at him carefully,” she states, “behold, he was not my
son, whom I have borne.”
This
really is an amazing story. You have two newborn babies and two mothers. You
have one house in which no one else lives except these two mothers and their
babies. In this circumstance, something horrible has happened; and what has
happened implies the involvement of one of the two adults present. There are no
other possible suspects in the death of the one infant. As it turns out, the
only two possible suspects are telling completely opposite stories.
Last
year, the state of Texas freed a man originally convicted of attacking his
girlfriend in 1980. He had served 27 years in prison. According to the court, DNA
tests, not available when the crime was committed, proved that this man was not
guilty. Since this technology became available, nearly 200 people have been
released from prison based on tests involving DNA. Moreover, this technology is
used routinely these days to establish paternity and the existence of familial
connections. In our story, one woman is pointing to the other and saying “You
did this,” and the other woman is pointing back and saying “I did not do this,
you did it!” And both women are claiming that the living child is theirs. The
only possible witness is a newborn, so he cannot help.
Just
consider how quickly this matter could have been resolved if Solomon had been
able to call in a forensics team. Not only would they determine who suffocated
the infant but they would also easily determine which infant belong to which
mother. But Solomon had no such resource. Without evidence, without a witness,
without surveillance tape, and without a confession, how can the truth be
known? Obviously, this situation calls for extraordinary insight.
We
are, to repeat, primarily interested in the way Solomon handles this situation,
but we can hardly pass over the incredible wickedness at work here. It would
take a particularly immoral and supremely selfish person to ease her grief by
trying to pull off such a dreadful deception. The shocking nature of this
accusation might, in fact, serve the guilty party. People would be hesitant to
believe that anyone would do such a thing. Nevertheless, in spite of the second
mother’s denial, the first woman maintains that the living infant is hers.
“The
living one is my son, and the dead one is your son,” the second mother insists.
Clearly, she is determined to press on with her deception. Just as
emphatically, however, the first mother to speak replies, “No! For the dead one
is your son, and the living one is my
son.” This, therefore, is one of the first cases to come before Solomon.
Finding a resolution so that justice is maintained would appear to be a nearly
impossible task. As I said, Solomon has two parties standing before him telling
two completely different stories.
The Solution Proposed
23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is
my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No!
For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’” 24 The king said,
“Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, “Divide
the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26
Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was
deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child,
and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor
yours; divide him!” 27 Then the king said, “Give the first woman the living
child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.”
After
reading Solomon’s response, we might be struck with the simplicity of his
solution. He takes advantage of a mother’s love for her child. And the way in
which he utilizes that love reveals the truth behind these two opposite reports
he has received.
Solomon
summarizes what he has heard by noting that both women are claiming that they
are the mother of the living infant. That is the whole point, of course.
Neither woman wants to accept the dead infant. That in itself is a repulsive
fact in this situation. Having said that, however, no fault is to be attributed
to the mother of the living son. She is behaving just as she should; she is
arguing aggressively for the truth. It is the second mother who behaves
shamefully and attempts to lessen her grief by placing it upon the heart of the
innocent mother.
Simple
yet brilliant is how I would describe Solomon’s solution. Rather than question
the women at length, which would not have resulted in agreement upon one story,
Solomon proposes satisfying both mothers to a degree. Since we cannot determine
whose baby is alive and whose baby is dead, Solomon offers, we will do the next
best thing and give both mothers some satisfaction. After calling for a sword,
Solomon says: “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and
half to the other.”
At
that moment, each woman’s motivation is revealed. The first mother could not
stand to see the infant cut in half. She was motivated by love for her child,
of course. The second mother, however, was motivated by something else—she was
motivated by her desire to cause another to share in her grief. Therefore, she
was willing to see the living infant put to death as Solomon commanded. She
exclaimed: “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” She actually
preferred seeing that infant cut into pieces rather than be alone in her grief.
It is a particularly twisted mind that believes it is easier to mourn if others
are caused to mourn with you.
As
said previously, Solomon understood human nature well. He was counting on the
protective instinct of the infant’s real mother. When the first mother spoke up
and said “give her the living child, and by no means kill him,” he knew who was
telling the truth and who was lying. Solomon must have been supremely confident
that the real mother would reveal herself in some fashion; and he was correct.
When one woman was willing to see the infant put to death and the other
horrified by such a prospect, the king had his answer.
The Reaction of the
People
28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which
the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of
God was in him to administer justice.
When
word of the way Solomon handled this matter spread, the people recognized an unusual
application of wisdom. As the writer tells us, they discerned that Solomon
possessed the wisdom of God. And so his fame as the wisest man to ever live
began.
I
want to point out that the wisdom involved in Solomon’s solution is not the
idea he came up with to cut the infant into pieces. The wisdom involved in his
solution was his understanding of human nature and a mother’s love for her
infant, in particular. Solomon devised a way to cause that mother-child bond to
be exposed in an unmistakable manner. The woman who was lying about the
incident had no such bond with the infant; she was chiefly interested in sharing
her sorrow, as I said before, with someone else.
Application
In terms
of application, I would offer first a thought about how our conduct establishes
our reputation and our reputation, in turn, has enormous impact on the life we
experience.
In our
story, we read of two women both identified as harlots. Within the community,
they were known to be prostitutes. That is what they needed for a living, and
everyone knew it. Every vocation carries with it certain expectations from
others and certain assumptions. Harlots were believed to be immoral the calls
they violated some of the most basic laws of God. Part of their reputation,
therefore, was being a lawbreaker, and lawbreakers are typically not trusted.
In fact, is expected that a lawbreaker will do or say that which is to his
advantage; he cannot be counted on to do that which is right simply because it
is right, nor can he be counted on to speak the truth at all times.
Our
behavior seriously affects the way we are viewed by others. And what they
believe about us largely impacts the way they treat us. If we have established
a reputation as a liar, should we expect people to believe us when we assure
them we are telling the truth? If we have a reputation as a thief, should we be
offended when a person is reluctant to leave us alone with their most prized
possessions? While we may be known for one particular sin or sinful habit, our
entire lives are affected. People will doubt our uprightness in all areas and
we will be considered generally unreliable.
This is
why maintaining a good reputation is so important. And a reputation is formed
by our choices and conduct. The two women in our story could not complain when
Solomon did not give more weight to their claims. He had no reason to believe the
words of either of them. This passage, therefore, supplies us with an
opportunity to remind ourselves that one of our goals in this life ought to be
the creation of a God-pleasing reputation. We are called to honor Him in all
that we do and that includes every choice would make and the consequences of
every choice we make.
There are
two things I would ask you to do in light of this point of application. One,
take this exhortation seriously. Understand that your reputation is one of your
most prized possessions in this life—and that is because it reflects on God.
Your belief system determines how you behave. As a Christian, your belief
system is found in Scripture. Therefore, your life should glorify the God of
the Bible. It’s really that simple.
Two, please
consider right now whether there is an element in your reputation that should
not be there. Are you doing something or failing to do something that is
causing people’s opinions of you to be something other than glorifying to God?
As I said, we are not called to please ourselves with the time God gives us. We
are expected to honor Him with the time He provides. On occasion, therefore, we
need to examine ourselves to make sure we’re living for Him and not for self.
Related to
this matter is a second application involving sins corrupting powers. I already
emphasized that Solomon was right not simply to believe what either of the
women claimed the calls they were immoral people. As a result, everything they
did was tainted by their sin of harlotry. Even though they did not go around
telling lies all the time, people rightly doubted their word. The effects of
sinful behavior are not isolated to one small portion of our lives. We cannot
be liars, but also be completely trustworthy in other areas of our lives that
do not involve speaking. We cannot be thieves, but also be reliable in areas
not involving taking that which does not belong to us. Sin corrupts us
thoroughly.
There are
too many examples to be counted where a Christian begins by dabbling in some sin
and ends up ruining his life. Thinking that we can control sin while engaging
in sin is absurd. The only sure control of sin is sins absence. Keep sin out of
your life and you will avoid an eventual disaster. Try to play with sin, a
little here and a little there, and you will be overcome in time. The solution
is one of those fundamental teachings of the Bible—obey the Word.
A third
application has a do with the lying mother’s willingness to go to such extremes
to get what she wanted. She could not have her infant returned because he was
dead. The next best thing, in our thinking, was making sure she wasn’t the only
one suffering. You’ve heard the phrase “misery loves company.” There is truth
in that statement. One of the loneliest time in our lives is when we are
grieving and we are the only ones in such a state. This mother had a solution
for her torment.
We can
suffer if we fail to understand the depths of sin in man. We are fooling
ourselves if we think everyone we encounter is completely open and trustworthy
just because they tell us they are open and trustworthy. Scripture warns us
more than once about the deceptiveness of some people. We’re not to be vengeful
or overly suspicious of everyone we meet, but we are supposed to be wise. This
type of wisdom begins with a thorough acquaintance with human nature as
explained in Scripture. The Bible tells us exactly what we are like and,
therefore, prepares us to live productively in a world filled with sinners.
It is the
naďve person, the one who believes we are all basically good at heart, who has
his world view shaken over and over again. He tries to maintain a view of man
in which man has no innate corruption. But man’s behavior is characterized by
impurity and lawlessness. Therefore, the naďve person—that is the one who
refuses to believe God’s Word—has to search for an explanation and that typically
leads him to blame something other than individual. We live in a culture where
this philosophy is out of control. Responsibility for actions is a rapidly fading
concept; in its place are a myriad of excuses.
I say that
in order to encourage you to know what the Bible says about our condition. You
will be far better off developing relationships knowing the nature of the
person with whom you are speaking. What the Bible teaches us about fallen human
nature is a most necessary prerequisite for all types of
relationships—friendships, marriages, business partnerships. This knowledge of
man’s condition also is a tremendous resource when we are faced with conduct
that seems to have no logical foundation.
Recently,
the 10th anniversary of the so-called Columbine massacre passed. Ten
years later, people are still searching for an answer to explain why two young
men would do what they did. At that time, the whole world was captured by this
incredible display of evil. But even then, even while bodies were still being
carried out of the school, worldly experts were busy speculating what had gone
wrong in the lives of these boys. Any knowledgeable Christian could have stood
up and explained that this act was the fruit of hearts alienated from our
Creator. Not every sinner commits such heinous acts, but the scary truth is,
the potential resides in every unregenerate soul.
If you
want to be able to make sense of this world, if you want to be able to explain
to your children what they are witnessing, if you want to foster calmness in
the midst of chaos, then, once again, you must know what the Bible teaches
about human nature. It is your duty as a Christian to know what God has
revealed to us. You are supposed to be knowledgeable, not ignorant. You’re
supposed to be able to provide guidance. You meet this responsibility only by
knowing the Word.
Fourth and
finally the two women give us a perfect contrast between two perspectives;
their examples are extreme, but still informative. One woman was completely
unselfish, and the other completely selfish; one demonstrated concern for
another over self, and the other demonstrated concern for self exclusively. One
mother was willing to endure the loss of her infant son in order to preserve
his life; the other mother was willing to see an infant perish rather than face
her grief alone.
So many
times in Biblical stories we see pictures of the gospel. The story is one of
those examples. While it is fallen human nature to be selfish, self protecting,
and determined to please self no matter what the cost, that kind of behavior
would never deliver us from condemnation. To be delivered from condemnation
required someone willing to receive that judgment in our place, and such a
person would have to be absolutely selfless.
And the
gospel, we are told about such a Man. The gospel tells us that we were lost and
without hope of avoiding the consuming wrath of a holy God. It tells us
further, however, that One appeared on this earth in our flesh who was chiefly
concerned about our well being. That Man was Jesus Christ, of course. He was
willing to ignore something horrific so that we could be set free. He was
willing to receive judgment in our place so that it would not fall upon our
heads.
While we
have a profound sense of gratefulness toward our Savior, we do not respond to
what He did primarily with words of thanksgiving. We are to respond to the gift
of salvation by serving the Lord. The
Bible describes His work as having purchased us; we belong to Him and our lives
are to be spent that which pleases Him. And that is the ultimate question and
the ultimate issue we need to face every week. Are you responding to Christ’s
sacrifice of Himself for you by pursuing holiness? Is your life a testimony to
that sense of gratefulness that surely must reside in your heart?
Jesus
provided the supreme act of selflessness when he went to the cross for us.
We’re not to repay Him, as it were, by being selfish people. On the contrary,
we are to be like Him.
Prayer
Hymn for Communion
Conclusion
Our
calling, once again, is to be like our Savior. That means we pattern our speech
and our conduct after His example. The world in which we live supplies abundant
opposition to such a lifestyle. Therefore, we need routine encouragement and
assurance. We get this help from the Lord’s Supper each week.
This
sacrament leads us to consider the selfless behavior of our Savior, behavior
that we are supposed to mimic. This sacrament reminds us that Jesus gave Himself
for us; we are to give ourselves for others. This sacrament reminds us that
Jesus considered our good before His own; we are to consider the good of others
before our own. The sacrament reminds us that Jesus came to do the will of His
father; and we are to have that same desire.
We would
not be observing the sacrament had Jesus not been successful in the things I
just mentioned. There is both encouragement and assurance. We are encouraged to
do that which honors Him and we are assured that in Him we are secure for
eternity.
Matt. 26:26 While they were eating,
Jesus took some bread, and
after a blessing, He broke it and
gave it to the disciples, and
said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27 And when He had taken a cup and given
thanks, He gave it to them,
saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I
will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I
drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”