Broken Kingdoms: WK2 - WED
Kingdoms of The Sword - 1 Kings 3:16-27
Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. “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. Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.
“But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. 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. 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.”
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.
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. All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”
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!”
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!”
Today’s story demonstrates that God has done what He promised. Solomon is wise beyond his age. However, there are two principles in this interaction that we could overlook if we rush through it.
First, notice the parties involved in this case. They are roommates with a conflict. Both are new mothers, one of whom has experienced the tragic loss of her newborn due to accidentally suffocating it in her sleep. Overcome with grief, the offending mother creates a plan, swaps the infants, and acts as if nothing happened, hoping the other mother remains unaware. However, luck is not on her side. A heated disagreement ensues and eventually comes before the king for resolution.
Did you notice the detail I left out? These women are prostitutes, not courtiers or noblewomen. They don’t come from wealth or noble lineage. They have the lowest reputations, and yet, they end up in the king’s court. It was unheard of for a sovereign to be in the company of women like these in public, let alone give them time and attention to hear their quarrel.
Take note: leaders in the Kingdom of Christ pay attention to the problems of prostitutes. They may be beneath the proper and the proud, but Jesus always makes time for the lowly, the oppressed, and the despised. He spends energy on both the guilty and the innocent. While the world around us models leadership based on favoritism, mutual back-scratching, and what you can do for me, Jesus shows us a different way. Solomon demonstrates the wisdom of our Savior by stooping to meet the needs of “the least of these.” (Matthew 25:31-46)
A second principle stands out. At the crucial moment, Solomon calls for his sword. We are left to wonder what thoughts crossed these two women’s minds. Was he about to kill them both for wasting his time with this she said, she said argument? No. Solomon had no intention of using his sword to harm or divide. He used it to discern. The threat of ending the remaining child’s life was enough to reveal the true mother.
Many Christians today use their sword (the Bible) to shame, divide, and push people away. But God’s kingdom practices the kind of discernment that heals, reaches out to the distant, and shows deep, forgiving love. I wonder how often Jesus can be heard muttering, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Be careful how you swing that thing around.”
Some time later two prostitutes came to the king to have an argument settled. “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. Three days later this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there were only two of us in the house.
“But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. 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. 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.”
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.
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. All right, bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to the king.
Then he said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one woman and half to the other!”
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!”
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!”
Today’s story demonstrates that God has done what He promised. Solomon is wise beyond his age. However, there are two principles in this interaction that we could overlook if we rush through it.
First, notice the parties involved in this case. They are roommates with a conflict. Both are new mothers, one of whom has experienced the tragic loss of her newborn due to accidentally suffocating it in her sleep. Overcome with grief, the offending mother creates a plan, swaps the infants, and acts as if nothing happened, hoping the other mother remains unaware. However, luck is not on her side. A heated disagreement ensues and eventually comes before the king for resolution.
Did you notice the detail I left out? These women are prostitutes, not courtiers or noblewomen. They don’t come from wealth or noble lineage. They have the lowest reputations, and yet, they end up in the king’s court. It was unheard of for a sovereign to be in the company of women like these in public, let alone give them time and attention to hear their quarrel.
Take note: leaders in the Kingdom of Christ pay attention to the problems of prostitutes. They may be beneath the proper and the proud, but Jesus always makes time for the lowly, the oppressed, and the despised. He spends energy on both the guilty and the innocent. While the world around us models leadership based on favoritism, mutual back-scratching, and what you can do for me, Jesus shows us a different way. Solomon demonstrates the wisdom of our Savior by stooping to meet the needs of “the least of these.” (Matthew 25:31-46)
A second principle stands out. At the crucial moment, Solomon calls for his sword. We are left to wonder what thoughts crossed these two women’s minds. Was he about to kill them both for wasting his time with this she said, she said argument? No. Solomon had no intention of using his sword to harm or divide. He used it to discern. The threat of ending the remaining child’s life was enough to reveal the true mother.
Many Christians today use their sword (the Bible) to shame, divide, and push people away. But God’s kingdom practices the kind of discernment that heals, reaches out to the distant, and shows deep, forgiving love. I wonder how often Jesus can be heard muttering, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Be careful how you swing that thing around.”
- Would you rather accidentally arrive at an event overdressed or underdressed? Why?
- Describe a situation or occasion where you felt out of place. Why did you feel that way? What actions did you take?
- Which verse or verses of Scripture remind you to show mercy and kindness to others? What would you like to say to Jesus about it?
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