Suggested reading: 1 Kings chapter 3 verses 16-28
We have already witnessed this week, the importance of obeying God’s command to ‘ASK!’ Our failure to obey means that we miss the opportunity of experiencing the generosity and faithfulness of God, who will give far beyond what we ever expected. Solomon asked for wisdom to rule well. He asked and God gave; indeed, He made him the wisest man there had ever been, or would be, in the future!
This God-given wisdom enabled him to make sound judgements, even in the most difficult cases, such as the one in today’s reading. It gave him the ability to be:

1. An approachable judge, verse 16 – even a harlot felt she could approach him with a seemingly insoluble problem! It was said of Jesus Christ that He was ‘the friend of tax collectors and sinners’.
2. A listening judge, verses 17-22 – he gave the women every opportunity to pour out their complaint, before he spoke; indeed, he did not speak until verse 23.
3. A discerning judge, verses 24-28 – God gave him the wisdom to discern which one of the two women was telling the truth, by touching their hearts – the true mother could never have agreed to dividing the child in half, even if it had meant the loss of her child. Ungodly men would conclude that Solomon’s judgement was ‘a touch of genius’ but the truth is that such judgement could only come from God as an answer to prayer!

It could be said that the seemingly impossible situation confronting Solomon was resolved by four simple words: ‘BRING ME A SWORD’, verse 24 – the presence of the sword made the difference. The SWORD in the Bible is a picture of the Word of God, which reveals the truth and exposes error; indeed, all wise judgement is based on what the Bible says. It is there we hear the wisdom of God. All we have to do, when faced with a difficulty, is to say, ‘BRING ME THE SWORD’ and ASK God to show us the answer in the Bible!