What can we learn from King Solomon about how to seek truth in the face of complexity?
There are two stories of King Solomon which reveal his compassionate calibration of right and wrong in order to adjudicate truth. King Solomon combined wisdom, compassion, and faith in God to help him lead the Children of Israel.
King Solomon and the two feuding mothers:
King Solomon was approached by two woman both claiming to be the mother of the baby (1 Kings 3 Verses 16-28)
King Solomon asked for a sword so that he could cut the baby in half so each mother could have a portion of the baby. The true mother yelled “Stop…Give the baby to her”. In this fashion, King Solomon was able to clearly identify the true mother because of her obvious compassion towards the baby and not selfish focus on her own beliefs.
Today, we each have the opportunity to become a “King Solomon”.
Can we properly identify the true mother who cares about the lasting legacy and opportunity for generations to come?
The trajectory of a false mother’s is clear … and tragic:
I hope that you will stop the sword of cutting the baby in half and save our society from a further and insurmountable ignominious fall.
What did King Solomon dream for from God during a dream?
I looked to the Torah to explore when King Solomon had a dream. (1 Kings 3)
Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
King Solomon replied, “Please give your servant a listening heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
King Solomon did not ask for riches or power or honor. He asked for something surprisingly simple. Something that would help him connect with himself and with his community. King Solomon’s listening heart allowed him to help communicate more fully with his community.
Splitting the proverbial baby in order to find fallacious fairness of two sides will truly, and singularly, result in wrong.
King Solomon was setting a test for the two mothers. It was a rationale exercise with an emotional connection. King Solomon certainly did not actually intend to cut the baby in half with his sword. He opened his listening heart to be aware of the emotional calibration of the mothers.
In Genesis 22:1, God put Abraham to a test. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. One could also make the argument that God did not actually want Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. God really wanted to see whether or not Abraham had faith. Upon understanding that Abraham was even willing to sacrifice his son Isaac, his biological future, God sent the Angel to stop the sacrifice.
May we all learn from King Solomon’s test when facing complexity to spiritually combine our of faith in God, rational analysis with our mind, and emotional connection from heart.
1 Kings 3:
5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”
6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a listening heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”15 Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream.
