June 20: Discerner of Intents

Then the other woman said, “No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” And the first woman said, “No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king. 1 Kings 3:22

We are here given a situation of two individuals, side-by-side, making the same claim when it is not possible for both to be right. Solomon’s gift of understanding to discern justice is certainly being tested!

Through prophetic lenses, let us view the roles of the characters in this story: Solomon, sitting as king on the throne to administer justice, symbolically represents God. The two women—both claiming that the living son belongs to them—represent two types of characters within the house of God: the true and the false. And the living son is Jesus. In God’s household, there are those who merely claim to have Jesus as their own, and then there are those who truly have Him.

Solomon repeated each one’s claim back to them (v.23) to make clear that each is claiming the living child. At this point, he does not know who is telling the truth and who is lying, but God knows.

Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. v.24

The sword symbolizes the word of God, and the central figure throughout that word is Jesus.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child and by no means kill him!” 1 Kings 3:25-26a

This woman was willing to sacrifice herself to protect the life of her baby. Her unwillingness for him to be harmed showed that she was willing to appear guilty. Lying before a king is a very serious charge, punishable by death. Although she had been telling the truth from the start, her outburst made it appear that the lying woman was the real mother after all. But the honest woman would rather die herself than see harm come to the child. Taking on Christlike attributes, she stood ready to lose her life for the sake of her baby. Although Jesus committed no sin, He willingly bore sin’s punishment on behalf of the guilty.

Do you think it hurts Jesus when His professed followers believe, teach, or act in a way that contradicts His word? Ask yourself if you would be willing to die, rather than hurt Him. Hopefully the answer is YES! The last-day church will stand patiently upon His word, even at the threat of death (see Matthew 24:9, Luke 12:4, John 16:2, Revelation 6:11, 13:15, 14:13).

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21