Words of Wisdom

When I was young, my mother had an old Bible with pictures in the center and throughout the text.  One of those pictures was like the one seen here.  I remember asking her what that picture was all about, and her telling me.  Inquisitive minds wanted to know!  The following is a paraphrase of that story (1 Kings 3: 16-28):

"Two prostitutes came to King Solomon, wanting an argument to be settled.  The two women lived in the same house, and they each had a baby, three days apart.  One of the babies died during the night, so his mother took the dead child, and placed him in the bed with the other woman.  She then took the living child to her own bed.  They argued back and forth in front of the king, each claiming that the living child was her own.  Finally, the king asked for a sword to be brought to him.  He said, 'Cut the living child in two and give half to each of these women.'  Then the woman who was really the mother of the living child cries 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!'  (vs. 25-26, NLT).  Then, the king knew who the real mother was and spared the baby's life."

Just prior to this event, Solomon had asked God for wisdom, and God granted his request.  "God gave him a wise and understanding mind, such as no one else has ever had or ever will have" (vs. 12).  The people were awed when they realized the great wisdom God had given Solomon, to be able to render decisions with justice.  Just like with King Solomon, it's important for our leaders to have wisdom and discernment regarding life's situations.  May we pray regularly for those in authority.   

God, may we seek your wisdom and put it into action.  Teach our leaders to seek your guidance, first and foremost, instead of just going by man's advice.  Give us discernment in our daily walk with you.  Amen!