May 5, 2022

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

Now we know from this familiar story that the second woman was telling the truth. 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 our prophetic glasses, let us view the roles of the characters in this story: Solomon, sitting as king on the throne to administer judgement, 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 baby is Jesus. In God’s household, there are those who only claim to have Jesus, and there are those who really 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.

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

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 take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17

The sword in our story symbolizes the word of God. The central figure throughout that word is Jesus.

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

Now the woman who truly had the living son [Son!] showed that she was willing to sacrifice herself to protect him from harm. Her unwillingness for him to be harmed showed that she was willing to look 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 other woman was the mother after all; but she would rather suffer the consequences than hurt the child. The true woman was taking on Christlike attributes, for He committed no sin, but willingly suffered on our behalf.

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