Solomon Judges Wisely
Introduction:
Today’s passage is very familiar to many people. It is a story of King Solomon using his God-given wisdom.
Two prostitutes come before King Solomon with a dispute over a living baby. Both women had given birth, but one child died during the night. Each claims the living child as her own.
1 Kings 3:16-28 NLT
Solomon Judges Wisely
16 Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. 17 “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.
19 “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. 20 Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. 21 And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
22 Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
23 Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other. 24 All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”
26 Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”
27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”
28 When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.
Examine the Scriptures
1 Kings 3:16-28 NLT
Solomon Judges Wisely
16 Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled.
The Israelite king represented the highest court of appeal.
It was possible to bypass lower judicial officers.
Difficult or unresolved cases could be brought before the king.
Lower judicial officers did exist:
Deuteronomy 16:18 NLT
Justice for the People
18 “Appoint judges and officials for yourselves from each of your tribes in all the towns the Lord your God is giving you. They must judge the people fairly.
This is not the only time individuals appealed to the king of Israel:
2 Samuel 15:2 NLT
2 He (Absalom) got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe.
2 Kings 8:1-3 NLT
The Woman from Shunem Returns Home
8:1 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” 2 So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land.
- Two prostitutes came to King Solomon to have an argument settled.
17 “Please, my lord,” one of them began, “this woman and I live in the same house.
While the law condemned prostitution (Leviticus 19:29 and Deuteronomy 23:18), it still existed in Israel.
Brothels were common in ancient Near Eastern cities.
Though these women were the most despised class of women in Israel, Solomon demonstrated his kindness and availability to all people.
- Deuteronomy 23:18 says that prostitutes were detestable to the Lord.
- Solomon was willing to give these women a fair hearing—showing justice is for all people.
Solomon’s court was open even to the lowest members of society.
I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.
There were no other witnesses. This a judge’s worst-case scenario. It was one person’s word against another person’s word.
- There were no other witnesses. This was a case of one person’s word against another person’s word.
The testimony of a prostitute would not have much credibility to most people.
The Lack of Evidence: Because they were alone in the house, there were no witnesses. In ancient Near Eastern law, cases usually required two or three witnesses. Without them, it was one person’s word against another’s—a “hard case” that only a divinely inspired king could solve.
Deuteronomy 19:15 NLT
15 “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Paul quotes Deuteronomy 19:15 in 2 Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 13:1 NLT
13:1 This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”).
19 “But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. 20 Then she got up in the night and took my son from beside me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. 21 And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t my son at all.”
22 Then the other woman interrupted, “It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.”
“No,” the first woman said, “the living child is mine, and the dead one is yours.” And so they argued back and forth before the king.
Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
- Solomon is dealing with deceit, desperation, and lies, with no witnesses to support either argument.
23 Then the king said, “Let’s get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead one belongs to the other.
Solomon was a good listener.
Solomon restates the case.
The issue is accurately defined.
This highlights the difficulty: there are no witnesses, no proof—only two opposing claims.
Human judgment alone cannot easily resolve this.
Solomon:
treats both claims equally.
avoids premature conclusions.
positions himself as a fair and neutral judge.
- Solomon sets the stage for a deeper test—not of facts alone, but of the heart.
24 All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
25 Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”
- Solomon proposes a shocking solution: divide the living child in two, giving half to each woman.
Solomon understands true motherhood will reveal itself through compassion.
Solomon knows that the real mother’s love will do almost anything to protect the life of her child.
- True wisdom involves understanding human nature, not just applying laws.
God-given wisdom discerns more than surface facts—it reaches the heart.
26 Then the woman who was the real mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, “Oh no, my lord! Give her the child—please do not kill him!”
But the other woman said, “All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us!”
Note the contrast.
- The real mother immediately pleads for the child’s life, even if it means surrendering him to the other woman. The false claimant agrees to the division.
True love is self-sacrificing; false love is self-centered.
27 Then the king said, “Do not kill the child, but give him to the woman who wants him to live, for she is his mother!”
Through his God-given understanding of human nature, Solomon identified the true mother. Solomon understood why people behave as they do and how they will respond in various situations.
The child’s mother did not want to see her baby killed so she was willing to give it to the other woman.
The woman who was not the baby’s mother had no compassion for the child.
- Solomon identifies the real mother based on her compassion and gives her the child.
- God’s gift of wisdom enabled Solomon to uncover truth where evidence was lacking.
28 When all Israel heard the king’s decision, the people were in awe of the king, for they saw the wisdom God had given him for rendering justice.
- The people of Israel realized that the wisdom of God was in Solomon.
- Solomon’s wisdom became known throughout his kingdom.
Solomon was admired as a wise administrator of justice.
- The Lord had answered Solomon’s prayer for a discerning heart.
1 Kings 4:29-31 NLT (next chapter)
29 God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore. 30 In fact, his wisdom exceeded that of all the wise men of the East and the wise men of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than anyone else …
God had given Solomon the wisdom he promised:
1 Kings 3:12 NLT (previous lesson)
12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have!
1 Kings 10:23-24 NLT (future passage)
23 So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. 24 People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.
Application
Wisdom is a gift from God.
Wisdom is more than intelligence or knowledge—it is the God given ability to make right judgments in difficult situations.
God’s wisdom enables us to see beyond appearances to the heart of a matter.
Verses to consider:
James 1:5-8 NLT
5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
Proverbs 9:10-12 NLT
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
11 Wisdom will multiply your days
and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.
James 3:17 NLT
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
Biblical wisdom = knowing God + trusting His Word + living it out daily.
