Two young women lived in squalor. They were roommates, not friends. They had no family, no money, no safety net. After selling their jewelry and trinkets, they ran out of food. Finally, they liquidated the only asset they had. They fed their bodies by selling their bodies, eventually birthing boys within days of each other. In the middle of the night, one of the new mothers smothered her day-old child while sleeping, woke up, and switched the two babies. The next morning, the other mother looked closely at the dead child beside her and realized it was not hers. She took her case to King Solomon. After the two women fought over the living child, Solomon pronounced judgment:
“Bring me a sword.” A hush fell over the crowd. A sword was presented and Solomon spoke to the man holding it:
“Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other!”
One of the women cried out. “My lord, give her the living baby, but please don’t have him killed!”
The other answered, “He will not be mine or yours. Cut him in two!”
The king held up his hand.
“Put the sword away. Give the baby to the first woman. She is his mother.”
“All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw God’s wisdom was in him to carry out justice” 1 Kings 3:28.
What is special about Solomon’s wisdom? The young king possesses a shrewd sense of human nature. But it’s more than that. The people saw that “God’s wisdom was in him.” Solomon is not merely a good judge of character. He has insight from God.
GOD’S WISDOM IS PRACTICAL.
When God gives you wisdom, it is the practical kind of wisdom that helps you solve pressing, real-world problems. (Real problems: the kind of problems YOU HAVE!) When you read about wisdom in the Bible, don’t think it’s something “so heavenly minded that it’s no earthly good.”
God’s wisdom—Biblical wisdom—is practical wisdom for solving the problems we face every day. God’s wisdom is exactly what you need!
*The artwork above is from young-catholics.com
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