God Uses People: Solomon

The story could have been taken from today’s tabloids – it was so bizarre and unbelievable!

           

There were two prostitutes living together in a dirty, run-down part of town. Both were pregnant and finally gave birth just a few days apart. Everything was going as well as they could, considering their miserable circumstances. One night, though, one of the women rolled over in bed on her baby, suffocating it. 

 

She woke up in horror the following day and was terribly distraught – her baby was dead! But then, in an instant, the sound of her friend’s baby, sleeping in a nearby room, gave her an idea: she would take her dead child, wrapped in her blanket, and sneak into her friend’s room. There, she would switch her lifeless child for the live one – surely the other woman would not notice! She would claim that it was the other woman’s baby that had died in her sleep, and the now lifeless child was hers! It seemed like a good plan, and it worked – until morning!

           

In the darkness of the early dawn, the other woman awoke to find the dead child in her bed – she was so distraught! But then, as light filled the room, she recognized the child – it was her friend’s baby! 

She immediately figured out what had happened and thus began the fight of her life for her child!

           

There was no way the other woman would admit to the switch – a baby was at stake! So, they took the case to court before King Solomon. He was already known as a wise and fair judge – he would fix this! Solomon heard their emotional plea – the one whose child had been stolen was distraught, and the other, who had made the switch, was enraged with her accusations! 

 

The crowd hung on this story – what would the wise king do? How would he know which woman was lying? He considered the circumstances and considered the women and their demeanor as they told their stories. Then, he prayed to God for wisdom. Finally, he announced: “Bring me a sword!” He explained that because neither would relent, he would have the child cut in two – each woman would have to be satisfied with one-half of a now-dead child. In horror, the mother of the baby pleaded with the king and asked him to give her baby to the other woman. She explained that she would instead give up the child and have it live with the other woman rather than be killed. The other woman, surprisingly, cried out for the king to cut up the child and be done! 

           

This final word helped King Solomon decide; he ordered the baby to be given to the mother who wanted to save the child. He understood that only the true mother would do anything to keep the child’s life – even if it meant the child would be given to another woman.  

           

The crowd was amazed, and this story made news for years! In fact, over time, Solomon became known as one who had been given a special gift of wisdom from the One God – and people traveled from all over the world to hear him speak.

           

That is quite a story, isn’t it? There is at least one great truth we can glean from this story. When we consider how God moved in Solomon’s life, we learn that the God who loves us can give us the wisdom to face the circumstances of this life. We can pray to God and ask for wisdom and guidance, and He will, in some way, help us do the right and good things. We do not have to live at the mercy of our emotions or the schemes of those around us. God can help us think, discern the truth, and make a decision that will enable God to work with us and guide us through whatever troubles us. 

 

Wisdom is a gift that God can give to those who trust in Him.

 

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