Who do I choose? Who was right? Who was lying? And possibly most worrisome, what do I do?
"My Lord," a small woman, one whose grief was evident, pointed to the sleeping babe in the guard's arms. The poor soldier had to step in and take the baby when the two woman started to physically fight. "The child is mine." Her steely eyes held resolve and determination.
"No! The child is mine! The dead child is yours!" The other woman shrieked. She was hysterical and the look of desperation in her eyes was truly terrifying.
What do I do?
Lord, help me, Solomon prayed inwardly.
Then he knew what to do.
"Bring me a sword!"
Confusion mixed with a strong look of horror on the faces of the crowd, and the looks were complimented with a loud gasp.
He stood up, and soldier placed the sword in this hands. He motioned to the two women. "You say the child is yours, but you also claim the child to be yours." Solomon reigned control of his emotions, masking them with the most disinterested look he could manage. "The child will be divided into two, and each woman will take half."
Lord, let this work! Solomon watched the faces of the women closely...
"Lord, no!" The hysterical woman with the desperate eyes started to sob.
"Yes!" The determined, the grief-stricken woman said. "This way neither of us will have the child. Divide him!"
"NO!" The other woman screamed again before throwing herself in front of the soldier. "Give the child to the other woman, but please do not kill him!"
Solomon smiled. There she was.
Based on 1 Kings 3:16-28
I remember always being amazed and horrified when I read/heard this story as a kid. How could Solomon know that one of the woman would defend this baby? How did he even come up with this plan? Why wasn't the other woman more guilt-stricken about condemning a baby to death because of her own selfishness?
When I was in youth group as a kid, Marie Thompson was my youth pastor. She always had a special skill, a super power if you will.
She knew who was telling the truth, and who wasn't.
It was truly at the level of Santa Clauses' proposed "abilities."
I always wanted to know how she did it? How was she just able to look into the eyes of a person, and see into their soul? Now as an adult, I know.
God.
People can be so convincing when they lie. The he-said-she-said can throw anybody into confusion. The devil was so convincing with his slight twist of the truth, that even Eve just wasn't able to resist, and she decided to take that forbidden fruit. Point is, it is incredibly hard to know what's what in life. Today, in this day and age, we especially need to know what is of God, and what is not.
Do what Solomon did. Ask God for that wisdom. It really is that simple.
"And intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Proverbs 18:15
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." James 1:5
If you want to be the one in the know, ask God for wisdom. Ask Him for understanding. Ask Him for knowledge.
And then do what Solomon did next.
Use it.
V. Joy Palmer
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