Bible Studies
The Wisdom of God Was In Him (1 Kings 3:16-28)
Series: Studies in First KingsIntroduction:
1. Previously, God said to Solomon, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.” 2. Solomon asked for “an understanding heart” to judge God’s people and to discern between good and evil. 3. God’s response was to give Solomon “discernment to understand justice,” “a wise and discerning heart,” so that there was no one like him before, nor any like him after him. 4. The author(s) proceeds to give an example of Solomon’s wisdom. Read 3:16-28. 5. This famous account has been used in law schools as a learning device. It is the topic of professional legal articles and evaluations, most of which focus on the question, “Did Solomon get it right? Was his judgment correct?”a. Professor Ann Althouse, in an well-reasoned article entitled “Beyond King Solomon’s Harlots,” evaluated the account interpreting it from a feminist perspective. A man occupies the center stage as the judge of women. The women are presented as prostitutes desperately attached to babies and then divided into two categories, the good self-sacrificing ones and the bad ones who lie and cheat and get their way.
b. Professor of Law at Washington and Lee University, L. H. LaRue looked at the account from a different perspective. Assuming that Solomon was correct he evaluated the case from a logical perspective, concluding that from a logical standpoint Solomon could not reach the decision that he reached. He suggested that Solomon must have been good at reading faces.
Discussion:
I. When evaluated from a purely human perspective the account leaves some questions unanswered.A. Upon the basis of the information given in the case how could Solomon logically come to the conclusion that he did?
1. The first woman said, “The dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”
2. The other woman said, “No, the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”
B. Now any judge would want more information than that.
1. In a modern court we would say, “Let’s check the DNA.” No there is no DNA evidence . . .
2. Talk to other witnesses. No other witnesses . . .
3. It is a dilemma.
4. The first woman’s story could be true, but it also could be a lie. People have kidnapped babies before and people sometimes manipulate the court system to get what they want.
5. The other woman could be only defending herself against false charges.
C. Even after Solomon introduces the idea of dividing the baby between them it is still not clear which one is telling the truth.
1. What if the first woman is just compassionate and willing to give up pursing her lie in order to save the baby’s life? People can do that. They can present a lie and then give it up if things are not going the way they expect.
2. What if the other woman has experienced a series of injustices in the hands of the court. Imagine this as a woman of dignity yet captured, forced into slavery and now forced into prostitution for survival, abused, raped. She is intensely angry and in the heat of the moment says, “Well divide him then. I could have expected something like that, I can never get any justice here anyway. At least his death will deliver him from this injustice and oppression.”
D. You might think, “No mother could ever think like that,” but they do. You might think, “Mothers should always be willing to give up their sons in order to save their lives.” But not all are willing to sacrifice themselves for their children (cf. 2 Kings 6:28-29).
E. Some have suggested that Solomon may not be deciding who the biological mother is, but who will be a good mother to the child.
E. So the very purpose of the account is to present a dilemma unsolvable by the best human
II. The author has the answer: Solomon did not come to the conclusion he did on the basis of “normal” human wisdom, “the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice” (v. 28).A. This is his whole point.
B. He has already told of God’s appearing to Solomon and saying, “Ask what you wish Me to give you.”
C. This is merely an illustration of his point.
D. He says that “all Israel” came to this conclusion (v. 28).
E. His own personal summary (4:29-34).
F. I really appreciate the legal articles that I have read on the case of the two harlots. They serve as clear illustration of the very point that the author is making. Solomon had wisdom that came from God. It is evidenced in many ways.
1. It surpassed the wisdom of all the renowned wise men.
2. He wrote 3,000 proverbs.
3. He wrote 1,005 songs.
4. He spoke of trees—He was a dendrologist.
5. He spoke of animals, birds, creeping things and fish—He was a zoologist, an ornithologist, an entomologist and an ichthyologist all rolled into one.
6. I can only imagine what Solomon’s speaking schedule was like. “Men came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon” (v. 34). Pick a subject and Solomon could present a lecture that would stimulate your thinking. Not interested in creeping things? No problem. How about human behavior? Legal judgments? Or music?
7. Solomon must have been “The most interesting man.”
III. “This is all very interesting, but what does it mean to me?”A. The wisdom of God transcends the wisdom of man.
1. Paul speaks of the value of the wisdom of God as it is reflected in the word of the cross (1 Cor. 1:18-2:13).
2. Through the revelation that God gives there is insight that transcends what we can arrive at on our own.
3. “We have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Pet. 1:19).
B. We learn something about the nature of God in this text and about how His wisdom is to govern His kingdom.
1. Since Solomon is judging on the basis of the wisdom of God it should be understood that God is concerned about justice and right.
2. One of these harlots would kidnap the child of the other. She cares not for his life, but would deprive both mother and child of good. Jealous and angry she wants to bring the grief she feels on the other mother.
3. Such is not to characterize the kingdom of God. Instead there is the administration of justice. Isaiah describes the Messianic kingdom as ruled by the word of God and thus it is a kingdom of peace(Isa. 2:3-4).
4. If you find yourself in the role of this second woman . . . repentance is necessary for citizenship in the kingdom of God.
C. Thus, in this text, we learn that it is the wisdom of God that results in good things.
1. It results in good things for children.
2. It results in good things for the citizens of the kingdom.
3. It results in good things for all peoples.
4. It even results in good things for harlots.
Conclusion:
1. Will you accept the wisdom of God? 2. Will you accept forgiveness for your anger, hatred, jealously? 3. Would you enter the kingdom that provides justice and blessings for harlots?
