When Solomon began his reign in Israel, he needed help to manage the nation. Recognizing his inadequacy for such a massive task, Solomon went to God and asked for wisdom. The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request, and he answered his prayer (1 Kings 3:3-14).
What is wisdom? Wisdom is the skill of applying God’s knowledge effectively to concrete, real-life situations in a way that genuinely benefits oneself and others. In Solomon’s case, he needed wisdom to apply the Mosaic Law to the nation of Israel and the myriad needs they faced. Soon after Solomon asked for wisdom, he was faced with a mind-bending scenario that would highlight his need for it.
The Situation
Two prostitutes, presently living under the same roof, came to the king and asked him to render a judgment on their behalf (1 Kings 3:16ff). One prostitute claimed that she had just given birth and, while she was sleeping with her child, the other prostitute in the house (who had also just given birth) secretly swapped her dead child for the other woman’s child.
The next morning, when the first woman woke up, she saw that her child was dead. But she quickly observed that the dead child was not her child. She then surmised that the other prostitute had accidentally smothered her child by lying on him and had then exchanged her dead child for the first woman’s child during the night.
On the face of it, this seems like a straightforward case. Let’s summon the witnesses and find out what really happened. Once Solomon could determine on the basis of two or three witnesses what occurred, he could render his verdict. The problem, however, was that no one had witnessed the event (1 Kings 3:18). All Solomon had to work with, then, were two conflicting claims, with each woman vying for her own benefit.
What could Solomon do? The law clearly addressed theft, and justice required the perpetrator to restore the victim’s goods (Lev 6:2-4). But the law also required witnesses to render a just judgment (Deut 19:15). This requirement of multiple witnesses protected people from false accusations and provided the evidence needed for a sound decision.
Without these witnesses, Solomon had no basis to decide which story was true and which was false. He was faced with a serious question of justice (kidnapping, false testimony), but he had no recourse to a specific passage from Scripture that would enable him to render a verdict.
The Solution
Solomon needed wisdom. He needed the divinely granted skill of applying God’s revealed truth to a situation where Scripture offered no direct teaching.
God had answered Solomon’s prayer for wisdom earlier in the narrative. Solomon’s remedy for the impasse would be a demonstration that God had given him the blessed ability to expose truth in a situation where truth was difficult to discern.
Recognizing that the truth could not be determined with certainty by merely listening to the women’s respective claims, Solomon did something unexpected. “Bring me a sword,” the king said. The plan? Just divide the child in two so the women could have an equal share.
Immediately upon hearing Solomon’s proposal, the first woman cried, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” The second woman, however, callously remarked: “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him” (1 Kings 3:26). Solomon’s plan had worked. By recommending the death of the child, Solomon exposed the child’s true mother and the imposter. The question of justice was now answered: give the child to the first woman—she is the real mother.
While Scripture is replete with practical instruction, theological knowledge, and robust doctrine, we still need wisdom to apply this truth and these commands to the vast array of decisions we make each day—especially when Scripture doesn’t provide a direct answer to our present need.
What should I do in this tense conversation with my coworker? How should I structure my day and allocate my time? Where should I live? How much money should I spend on a car? How do I handle my disobedient child in this very challenging moment? How often should I visit my parents? How should elders structure the worship service on Sunday? How often should two people meet for discipleship? How can I tell which of my children is telling the truth when they have conflicting stories? How long should I stay at my current job? Where should we go on vacation? How do I (as a lawmaker) propose laws that genuinely benefit the members of my state or nation? These questions require deep knowledge of God’s Word and the wisdom to apply that truth to our current situation.
Feeling Desperate?
Solomon was overwhelmed with the prospect of shepherding God’s people. In light of such a massive responsibility, Solomon felt woefully inadequate.
And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude (1 Kings 3:7-8).
Solomon’s comment that he was but a little child illustrates how deficient he felt to carry out the task of managing Israel. He was probably twenty at the time—a young man but not a child as such—yet he recognized that this work was beyond his means and inherent skill. He desperately needed wisdom.
Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people (1 Kings 3:9)?
God was pleased with this request. Why? Because it glorified God as the supreme source of wisdom and as the one who would enable Solomon to fulfill his impossible task. Solomon would be glorified, yes, though not because he was inherently glorious (as his request for wisdom indicated), but because the Lord would establish his kingdom, grant him wisdom, and increase his prosperity.
We should, like Solomon, feel some desperation as we consider the many responsibilities the Lord has laid before us and the countless decisions we must make as we aim to be faithful to him. We may not be the king of a great nation, but God has entrusted to us many significant responsibilities and opportunities to steward for his glory and for the benefit of others.
Your job, family, church ministry, children, education, relationships, finances, health, free time, neighbors, and your various tangible and intangible assets have all been entrusted to you by Christ himself, and they are all to be multiplied for him (Matt 25:14-31). Does that make you feel desperate? It should. And that desperation should lead you to seek diligently and longingly for wisdom.
In the next article, we will consider how Scripture instructs us to seek wisdom.