Wait…Cut WHAT in Half?!?!

King Solomon and the Two Prostitutes

Wise Guy

Solomon was the third king of Israel. He was the wisest man who ever lived. The God of Israel said:

“I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” — 1 Kings 3:12 New International Version

He didn’t gain the wisdom on his own. God gave it to him because Solomon valued wisdom to rule God’s people over riches, the demise of enemies, or a long life.

Put to the Test

Later in Solomon’s reign his wisdom was tested in an usual way.

Two prostitutes were granted an audience before Solomon. They wanted him to settle an argument.

Both women recently had babies. But during the night, one of the mothers rolled over on her son and accidentally killed him. So, while her housemate slept, she crept over and switched baby boys.

Now the woman whose baby had been taken was rightly alarmed when she awoke and discovered that her son was dead. But she calmed down and looked closely at the boy. She realized that the dead child wasn’t her son!

The roommate swiped her child!

So that’s why the two women stood before Solomon. Each claimed that the living boy was her son and argued over the child.

What to Do?

Solomon carefully listened to the women.

Since both claimed to be the mother, the king devised a morbidly brilliant way to determine who was telling the truth: he’d cut the baby into two pieces.

Then he’d give one half of the baby to each woman.

The true mother of the child objected: “No! Don’t harm him. Let her have the child.”

But the woman who’d switched babies was good with the ruling: “Fine. Cut him in half. I won’t have him and neither will she.”

And that told Solomon all he needed to know.

The actual mother loved the child and didn’t want anyone to harm him. So the wise king ordered that the infant be given back to her, the true 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. 1 Kings 3:28 New International Version

Something to Think About

Here’s the thing: the Lord continues to give wisdom today. As Christians, we have the privilege of relying on Him — and asking for wisdom to guide our choices.

Check out this article ‘Miraculous Multiplication’ or ‘He Ticked off the Queen and Got Beheaded’ here. You can also try ‘Beat Bible Study Boredom with Maps!’ here. Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.