The Heart of Wisdom (1 Kings 3:16–28)
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
A judge in a small town once said, “In every case I hear, I’m not just listening for the truth—I’m listening for the heart.” In this story, King Solomon didn’t just rule with intellect—he ruled with heart, and it revealed the true mother and the true nature of wisdom. Like his father David, Solomon gave the common people access to the king. God had given Solomon a special gift of wisdom and now he could put it to use.
I. The Dilemma (vv. 16–22)
16 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. 17 And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. 18 Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 19 And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. 20 So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21 And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king.
A. The two prostitutes.
For Solomon to receive two prostitutes at his throne was certainly an act of condescension. Like Jesus, he welcomed “publicans and sinners”, except that Jesus did more than solve their problems: He changed their hearts and forgave their sins.
These two women lived together with other prostitutes in a brothel, they became pregnant about the same time and both delivered babies. One can’t help but feel sorry for the little ones who came into the world in such a place, without fathers to provide for them and protect them. But the kind of men who would visit prostitutes might not be the best fathers!
B. Their Situation.
This story is one of the best known in the whole Bible. Two prostitutes have had babies. One woman quite carelessly smothers her child in the night, then switches babies while her colleague sleeps. Now both women claim the living child as their own.
Since there were no witnesses to the birth of the two babies or the death of the one, the case couldn’t be tried in the courts in the normal way. It would be one woman’s word against the word of the other, even though it was obvious that one of the women was a liar.
II. The Strategy (vv. 23–25)
23 And the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”
A. Wisdom is Often Tested in the Tensions of Life.
Solomon’s first real test isn’t in battle or diplomacy—it’s in a personal, emotional conflict. Sometimes God’s wisdom shows up most clearly in the messy, complicated moments of life.
Solomon proposes a shocking solution: “Bring me a sword”. Let’s divide the child in two. It sounds cruel—but it’s not intended to be carried out. It’s a test to reveal the true mother.
B. Wisdom Understands the Heart, Not Just the Facts
Solomon wasn’t relying on logic alone—he understood that a real mother would never allow her child to die, even if it meant giving him up. True wisdom doesn’t just look for answers; it looks for what is true in the heart.
Using the divine wisdom God gave him, Solomon bypassed the word of the women and went right to their hearts, for the heart of every problem is the problem in the heart. By suggesting that they “divide the baby” between them, Solomon revealed the heart of the true mother and gave her baby to her.
III. The Revelation and Result (vv. 26–28)
26 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”
But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” 27 So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.” 28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
A. True Love Is Willing to Sacrifice.
One woman cries out, “Don’t kill the baby! Give him to her.” The other says, “Go ahead, divide him.” Solomon knows in that moment who the real mother is. Compassion reveals the truth.
The real mother was willing to give up her rights to save her child. Real love is not about winning—it’s about giving. She begs Solomon to give the baby to the other woman. In startling contrast the careless, dishonest woman is willing to take her “half.” Her cruelty has been revealed, just as the other mother’s kindness has emerged.
B. When We Walk in God’s Wisdom, Others Will See God Through Us.
When this verdict becomes public knowledge, the nation was in awe of the king. Most importantly, this respect stems from the knowledge that wisdom like Solomon’s can come only from God. Israel now understands, as does the reader, that “the wisdom of God is in his heart to do justice.
God’s wisdom brings peace, justice, and truth. And when we live by that wisdom, it reveals His character to the world.
King Solomon's wisdom was more than cleverness. It was a glimpse of God's heart—a heart that discerns truth, loves sacrificially, and brings justice. Let us be people who don’t just make good decisions but carry the heart of wisdom—God’s heart—into every room we walk into.
