Going Deeper – 1 Kings 3:16-28

Title and Text: “A King’s Wisdom” – 1 Kings 3:16-28

Connect:

• Read vv 16-23 paying attention to the repetition.  What effect does this have on you?  Might the writer have intended this?  Why?

Cultivate:

• How does Solomon apply the gift he requested from the Lord (3:9) to this predicament?  What enabled him to break the case open?
• Solomon’s verdict is shocking (vv 24-25).  Moreover, it hardly seems wise until we realize it was a ploy to determine the real mother.  What decisions have affected your life that at first seemed ridiculous or reprehensible that later proved positive and fruitful?
• Pastor Nate suggested that the characters in the story are kept vague intentionally (no names or identifying adjectives) in order that we see ourselves in the story.  Have you ever been in the position of one of these women, arguing your case?  Or in the position of the king, faced with an incomprehensible dilemma?
• Upon Solomon’s handling of this case, the Israelites “stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice” (v 28).  Who receives justice in this story?  What examples of wisdom leading towards justice can you recall?

Commission:

• What knowledge do you have that remains disconnected from your daily life?  If wisdom is “applied knowledge” consider how you can make use of that knowledge in your daily life in a way that promotes justice (1 Kgs. 3:28) and peace (Jas. 3:17-18).