S169P1 – The signs of a king: wisdom
1Kgs. 3:24-28
And [Solomon] said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
God allowed his people to have kings not because that was his choice for them but because they were stubborn. The kings He had lead Israel and Judah, even those who were obedient and honorable in part and ended their reigns well, certainly had their faults. Corruptible as they were and following a variety of lusts, some of these men still gave us a glimpse of what the King of Kings would carry. None of these men would be a perfect king like Jesus, but they exhibited aspects of a good king. This matters for us because we are royalty just like our Lord, and we are expected to display these attributes of his. The theory is that the world should recognize a prince because of how well he emulates the king.
This story about Solomon shows us how wisdom works with justice. One of these women was trying to fool the king, but he knew how to ferret out the deceiver of the pair. He used logic to elicit words from these women which would reveal their hearts. It reminds me of the conversations Jesus had with those who tried to argue him into a corner. [Mt. 12:25, 22:18; Mk. 2:8] He knew what the intentions of their hearts were. He knew that they were not after the truth. This is the same wisdom in justice that God will use on that day when we all stand before him in judgment. None will be able to deceive him. He will see and know exactly what lies in every heart, and his judgment will be just.
The scriptures tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. [Pro. 9:10] Those who fear him can be sure that He will give them the wisdom necessary to live this life in righteousness. We use this wisdom when we exercise judgment in running from sin, in sacrificing now for a later reward, in deciding whom to follow as an earthly shepherd. As the world was and continues to be amazed at how wise Solomon was, we can elicit the same response if we walk in the wisdom that Jesus has made available for us. It is a sign that we are in the service of the wise king. Father, help us to forget the foolishness of our youth and to grow in the fullness of wisdom that You impart to those who love You.