Series: 3:16- Numbers That Bring Hope [#11]
THE HOPE THAT COMES FROM WISDOM
1 Kings 3:16
Introduction:
This morning, we are going to continue our series from chapter 3 verse 16 of each Book of the Bible.
1 Kings 3:16-22 (NIV)
“Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. "During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son--and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne." The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.”
There is hope in…
1. An unbiased judge.
This story begins by telling us that the problem was between 2 prostitutes. It is surprising that King Solomon would even hear the case of women let alone prostitutes. As the 2 women argued about what was true and what was a lie; King Solomon just listened.
Christians, we live in a similar situation- We are people who do the wrong things, live in unacceptable situations, and battle among ourselves; and yet God the Father still listens to us. Have you ever thought about the fact that sometimes you and another Christian go to God the Father with a disagreement? Each person expects God to rule in their favor. The great part about this is that God is an unbiased judge. God looks at our hearts, not our checkbooks, color of skin, etc... This is why each of us should go to God in prayer.
1 Kings 3:23-25 (NIV)
“The king said, "This one says, `My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, `No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'" Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."
There is hope in…
2. A wise judge.
Earlier in this chapter, God told Solomon that he could ask for anything and he would receive it. Solomon chose to be wise. Solomon immediately applied his new found wisdom to this situation. Solomon used this to draw out the fraud. Sometimes, God uses the situation to draw out the fraud.
1 Kings 3:26-28 (NIV)
“The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!" Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother." When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice."
There is hope in…
3. A righteous judge.
Solomon didn’t just make a judgment and move on. He made sure that he made the correct judgment. As a side note here, I want you to notice that the mother of the living child chose the child’s life over her wishes.
Conclusion:
God is a righteous and just judge. Christians, you do the right things and allow God to take care of the judging.
