Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 3; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 78; 2 Thessalonians 2
Scripture: 1 Kings 3:23-28
23 The king said, "This one says, 'My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, 'No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.' "
24 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other."
26 The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!"
But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!"
27 Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."
28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.
Observation: What a wonderful story! At our Bible study just last night, I was sharing this story as an example of God's wise justice. Solomon's people saw an insolvable problem. There was no way to figure out which of the two women was the real mother of the one living child. But Solomon came up with an answer that no one had thought of: "cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other!" Yikes! Solomon's court staff were mortified! But the king asked for a sword, so a sword is brought. Solomon, paying close attention to both women's reactions, quickly points out the one person especially distraught at the suggestion and identifies her as the real mother. Everyone is amazed at the cleverness of this strategy that ferreted out the truth. How could anyone have thought of such an approach? All are in awe of Solomon and his wisdom -- so much so that the fame of Solomon's wisdom became spread throughout the known world.
Application: There will be a similar experience for us in the future. When the end of the age finally comes to pass, and the world stands before the Righteous Judge, we will see how God will determine the true heart condition of each person who ever lived. It will be obvious, as was the case of Solomon and the two women, but it will be so amazingly brilliant, so totally honorable, so incredibly just, that everyone watching will marvel at God's unfathomable wisdom and understanding. We will stand amazed in the presence of the Lord. As the scripture says: "Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25) . Any righteous concept of justice that we have will be satisfied and then some. There will be no basis for appeal or argument, nor will there be any inclination to do so. Those who love the Lord will be inspired to greater admiration and praise of their Lord. Those who do not love the Lord will have no choice but to acknowledge God's grandeur and majesty and their opposition will be silenced. "...every knee shall bow... and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..." (Philippians 2:10-11) For me, I choose to bow now and I look forward to witnessing the amazing justice of our righteous Judge on that day.
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You have already formed the plan to administer full and complete justice at the end of this age. I honor You as the One who has both the total picture of what needs to be done as well as the means to bring about justice. Thank You that You are worthy of trust and faith, and that Your nature is holy, righteous, kind, and good, and that when we behold You, we shall be caught up in Your glory and majesty. May we hold on faithfully until that day.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
Amen! He will answer all questions about those who are good people but didn't know Jesus, those who never had a chance to hear about Jesus, etc. And we will all stand amazed at His wisdom and acknowledge the mercy, goodness and justice of His actions. I think we will all be surprised at who is as well as who is not in Heaven. We can only judge by what we see but He knows everyone's heart and intentions, which is why I want Him to reveal my heart to me. I can't even know myself as well as He does (I tend to justify myself with false thinking sometimes).
Post a Comment