Love That Never Fails

66. Wisdom From God

When God makes a promise, we can be sure that He will keep his word! It's another picture of His unfailing love for us! All of His promises are 'Yes' and 'Amen' in Jesus!

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When God said to Solomon that He would give him a wise and discerning heart, He meant it and we see that there was no delay in making this a reality, when a difficult situation came to his attention:

"Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, "Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

"During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."

The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours."

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

And so they argued before the king. The king said, "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.' ""
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭3:16-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What a very difficult situation! With no paternity blood tests to assist, how would Solomon know what to do?

"Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."

The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love 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!"

Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his 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 ‭3:24-28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Notice that the Israelites could clearly see that this kind of wisdom came from God. This was just the start of what they would see! Solomon's wisdom covered all areas:

"God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone else, including Ethan the Ezrahite—wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.

He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. From all nations people came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom."
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭4:29-34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The wisdom God had given Solomon, really stood out, even beyond his borders! When God promised His wisdom would be greater than anyone else, He kept His word and proved it by sending people to listen to him. Solomon's God given wisdom, while seeming to be a gift for him, ended up being a gift for countless millions who have read the Bible! In keeping His promise to Solomon, God's wisdom is available to all!

Let's pray,

Heavenly Father,

I give You praise and honour for Your Word which has continued being a blessing throughout the ages! You always keep Your promises and I'm thankful I can always rely on You to speak to me clearly through Your Word. Please help me to have the curiosity, wonder and devotion of the people who came from far away to hear the wisdom of Solomon. May his proverbs inform and influence my decisions so I may bring glory to Your Name.

Amen.