That Demands A Verdict

1 Kings 3:16-28

Solomon Judged with Wisdom

The previous text (3:1-15) talks about King Solomon asking God for wisdom in order that he could possess good discernment in judging cases and ruling the nation. Subsequent to this was the story of two women who fought over a living child.

The intention of the author is that he wanted to prove that Solomon indeed had received the wisdom from God was obvious (v28).

It was a complicated case for interrogation, as nobody had eye witnesses nor material evidences to prove who was supposed to be the real mother of the living baby. There was no DNA test, no CCTV at that time, so how then should the judge make his verdict?

The woman who first filed the legal proceedings against the other was the plaintiff, but she could be the mother of the dead baby who was guilty of cheating!

The Transcendent and Redemptive Power of Love

There were two women and two babies living in the same house. As the night loomed over, death engulfed one of the two babies and the spirit of deception came upon one of these two women.

It happened when the woman fell asleep. She laid on her baby and the baby died. She was a reckless mother. She was aggrieved but she proceeded to exchange her dead baby with the living baby of the other woman.

Morning dawned and revealed the ugly deed done secretly at night.

The other woman awoke to discover a dead baby in her embrace when she tried to feed it. However, it was not her child! Immediately they argued over it.

This other woman said, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.”

We are now watching a tragic show of human relations filled by deception and power struggles, with two women trying to justify the dead or the living son to be either “yours’ or “mine”.

In fact, every one of us does somehow encounter predicaments and conflicts whereby we are unable to make proper discernment. We simply have to live in absurd or ambiguous situations. It is like a drama played out in our workplaces or our national political arena.

Who is right and who is wrong? Which one is fake news?

Since they could not settle between themselves, they brought their case before King Solomon. The king did not judge who is right and who is wrong, nor did he intervene in their fight. He knew too well that it was an absurd undeterminable case.

He simply rephrased their words, “This one says, “My son is alive and your son is dead,” while that one says, “No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.” (v23)

The way the king dealt with their case was much more absurd than the case itself. He gave an order, “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” (v25)

The king intended to create a room for the truth to be revealed in the midst of their fight.

The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two! (v 26)

Then the king gave his verdict, “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him. She is his mother.” (v 27)

The first woman loved her son so much that she was even willing to give up her right for justice in order to keep her child alive.

We come to realize that “love” has transcending and redemptive power. Sacrifice made out of love will not be in vain, but it shall supersede the absurdity and power struggles of the world. In the end, truth shall be revealed and broken lives shall be made whole.

When the first woman laid down her rights to fight for justice out of her “love” for her child, her motherhood love was revealed, and thus truth was also revealed. Doesn’t God love us like this too?

God loves us, and that was the reason He created the heavens and the earth for us to live with His blessed presence. Then, man was separated from God after he had sinned against Him. Thus, God sent us His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, and the Son gave up His life to be crucified on the cross so that He could save us sinners and reconcile us to God.

Today we might encounter certain difficulties in life. We are hard pressed and we are upset, and our situations seem to be so unreasonable and absurd.

Sometimes, conflicts found in our church may end up like absurd and endless nonsenses. Often, our first reaction is to fight back, and we even seek to take revenge until all parties are badly injured, where good and bad are destroyed alike.

However, we can choose to be merciful and loving, and we can forbear and give precedence to one another out of our thoughtfulness for them. We can wait patiently for the truth to be revealed, that all deceptions and evil practices will be exposed eventually.

If there is strife found in our family or in the Church, which is our spiritual home, and all of us hold adamantly to our own stands with no one compromising, the Parents might say, “It is alright. We just cut this family into halves”. How then shall we respond?

If you were to say, “Lord, don’t cut it into halves. Give the child to him. I am willing to forgo my right!”, then you are showing that you are the true child of our Heavenly Father.

All of us are sinners. It is very easy for us to be self-deceived in thinking that we are righteous while our counterparts are the ones who are unrighteous. Consequently, everyone will see himself/herself being victimized. By then, who is the victimizer?

If we know the seamy side of humanity, we will definitely be taken aback and say, “Who has the right to assert his/her absolute righteousness before God?” That is why Christ warned us not to judge others or take revenge casually.

Do not give up if you have chosen to be tolerant and merciful to others, because God will open the door to bring you justice and your “son” will surely be given back to you. Moreover, the reason for many conflicts is absurd and unnecessary.

It may be that we have been staying together for a long period of time, and we can easily spot each other’s weaknesses and these have caused us conflicts. We think that those who stay far away from us are perfect but it only turns out to be our personal prejudice and pride.

We ought to choose to love one another when we live under the same roof as a family. For love enables us to overcome the absurdity, predicament and injustice in the world. It allows the truth to be revealed eventually and it brings forth reconciliation. Do you believe it?

We need to realize that the church is a big family which encompasses brothers and sisters coming from all walks of life and we are different in personalities and characters. We need to be tolerant to love those who are unlovable and to be willing to give up some of our personal rights. By doing so, we will be in line with God’s will and the church will be strengthened and grow from strength to strength!

The Ends Cannot Justify the Means

Both the women mentioned here were prostitutes, and it implied that they were morally impaired.  However, as prostitutes, they were willing to give birth and raise their children, and this showed that they possessed the honorable nature of motherhood, which was worthy to be praised.

But the story line went like a path winding along mountain ridges, and the hidden despicable secrets found in that woman’s heart overtook her noble sentiment of motherly love. It drove her to do something that was utterly devoid of conscience.

That woman who deceived made her mistakes again and again blatantly when she went through her trial in court. Her conscience was seared the moment she agreed to have the baby cut into halves and refused to grant the wish of the other’s. Her attitude was rather to have the baby dead than to have him lived. She had fallen away further and further from God!

We cannot but ask this question: How would she face the child guiltlessly in future even if she had successfully taken him over? After all, she was not the real mother of the baby. Would she be able to feel at ease and to live without regrets with the child whom she had stolen through deception?

The child was neither a toy nor a pet, and his happiness needed to be respected. He was not to be used as a means to fulfill his parent’s wishes or to meet their personal desires!

The action of that woman, from the way she loved her own baby to the way she snatched the baby from the first woman to made it hers, had proven a fact that when one loves or upholds something dearly for one’s own self , it may cause him or her to make wrong decision.

For example, those who are involved in ministry might have their motive to serve others and to shepherd God’s flock at the beginning, but as times go on, their good intention is gone. The desire of humanity to receive glory, honor, and praises may cause them to forget their initial motivation.

Moreover, people often turn out to be self-righteous, exclusive and deceptive, and they will arrogate their rights to power and credit because they want to monopolize “the son they love and cherish”. 

No matter what, we all have our own “beloved and cherished child” in our respective fields. It could be our business interest, career position, ministry position, or some dreams and specialties that are yet to be realized. What are the ways and approaches we have chosen in order to get them or to keep them for ourselves?

We often make big mistakes because we allow our ends to determine our means. For example, both the French Revolution and the Chinese Cultural Revolution were led by people who had noble goals and passion. But ultimately, they resolved to shed blood by using violent approaches and they killed lives in order to fulfill their idealism.

Religious passion is good but it is often misused to justify some coercive means, and to make reasonable oppression of freedom an exchange for superficial piety.

In a mean way, some people said this, “It is alright to sacrifice a few thousands innocent lives and cause some environmental damages in order to have economic growth and political stability for 30 years.”

This is wrong because the ends cannot justify the means! Sacrificing innocent lives is unjust.

The noble motive of getting the “beloved and cherished son” has to be done with noble means. Things we get by unscrupulous means will cause us regrets! For example, church growth is a noble goal, but we have to work hard to achieve it biblically and not unscrupulously.

Let’s pause here and reflect. What is our most beloved and cherished “child”? How do we strive to get it? Do we harbor jealousy, bitterness or anxiety when we fail to get our beloved and cherished “child”?

The solution will be to hold on to the truth and insist on getting our beloved and cherished “child” through means that are pleasing to God. Do not give up our principles of faith and do not resolve to ungodly, unethical and unbiblical means.

Furthermore, we can channel our heart’s desire to loving and trusting Christ. We need to know that Christ is the Lord and Savior of our lives. He promises to take care of us, to bless us with abundant lives, and He shall save us to the very end. Christ’s grace is sufficient for us in any adversaries.

Do not allow any “child” we love and cherish to become our idol and replace Christ in our lives. When we trust God as such and rely on Christ, we will be able to be set free from the bondages of sin. Our lives will shine brightly inside out, possessing freedom and joy as our life qualities.