Wisdom of Solomon

Everyone knows that Solomon was the wisest man who ever walked the Earth. In the classic story of the two prostitutes bringing a live baby and arguing over whose baby was alive and who's was dead, Solomon gives this order:
1Ki 3:24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king.
1Ki 3:25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."

Solomon's wisdom was not seen in his final verdict. That was the easy part. His wisdom lay in that he knew that applying the right kind of pressure would make the real mother react with overwhelming Compassion or the fake mother to have mercy and reveal the truth. The first of these scenarios happened and the verdict was easy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Humility

Prov 12:1 says "he who hates correction is stupid." As I read this verse this morning I was reminded of the new series we are preaching on at the Rock: "Greatness - The Way Up is Down". Jesus said "...whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43-44 So if we want God to exalt us and be men and women of influence, we must humble ourselves (bring ourselves low) in our relationship to God and others. Prov 18:12 reads "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor." What does a humble man look like? At a minimum a humble man: is Teachable (allows others to mold his life) is a Servant (serves others both physically and spiritually) is Submissive (submits to proper authority - both divine and human) Puts Others First (doesn't grab the biggest and best slice of pizza first) Seeks Advice (doesn't think or act like he's a "
Read more

Bad Shepherds

Do you know what bad shepherds do? They beat their sheep, they neglect the needs of their sheep, they don't even care when the sheep wander off. They are too concerned about themselves to care for their sheep. Now why do I care about shepherds and sheep? Because God compares spiritual leadership with shepherding sheep. In fact before his final ascension Jesus told Peter three times in various ways "Feed my sheep" in John 21. As I read Ezekiel 34:1-10 this morning I was reminded of just what kind of leader God wants me to be: 1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the s
Read more

God's Looking for a Few Good Men

As I was reading through Job this morning I began to realize how deep this man's character was. His integrity and uprightness came from the core of his inner being - and he knew it. When his friends misdiagnosed his suffering as a result of his wickedness and secret sins he responded to their verbal accusations by saying: "I will never concede that you are right; I will defend my integrity until I die. I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live." Job 27:5-65 NLT As I kept reading I noticed the righteous character of Job (especially as seen in chapters 29 and 31). Job was a man: of compassion of justice who would not lust after women who was honest (without deceit or falsehood) who was faithful to his wife who treated his employees with dignity and fairness who helped the poor, the widow, and the fatherless who trusted God for his security and not his wealth who did not worship any other god who did not hold grudges nor
Read more