1 Kings 3
3
Solomon’s Rule Consolidated
1Now Solomon became a son-in-law to Pharaoh king of Egypt [and formed an alliance] by #3:1 Pharaoh gave the Canaanite city of Gezer to his daughter as a dowry. Located on a major trade route it was strategically important to the economies of both Egypt and Israel (see 9:16).taking Pharaoh’s daughter [in marriage]. He brought her to the #3:1 This was on the south side of the eastern ridge of Jerusalem.City of David [where she remained temporarily] until he had finished building his own house (palace) and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2But [in the meantime] the people were still sacrificing [to God] on the high places (hilltops) [as the pagans did to their idols], for there was no [permanent] house yet built for the #3:2 See note Deut 12:5.Name of the Lord.
3Now Solomon loved the Lord, walking [at first] in the statutes of David his father, except [for the fact that] he sacrificed and burned incense in the high places [ignoring the law that required all sacrifices to be offered at the tabernacle]. [Lev 17:3, 4] 4The king went to Gibeon [near Jerusalem, where the tabernacle and the bronze altar stood] to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, “Ask [Me] what I shall give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer
6Then Solomon said, “You have shown Your servant David my father great lovingkindness, because he walked before You in faithfulness and righteousness and with uprightness of heart toward You; and You have kept for him this great lovingkindness, in that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 7So now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king in place of David my father; and as for me, I am but a little boy [#3:7 Solomon was already a father (see 11:42; 14:21).in wisdom and experience]; I do not know how to go out or come in [that is, how to conduct business as a king]. 8Your servant is among Your people whom You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 9So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart [with which] to judge Your people, so that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge and rule this great people of Yours?” [James 1:5]
God’s Answer
10Now it pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 11God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself a long life nor for wealth, nor for the lives of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to recognize justice, 12behold, I have done as you asked. I have given you a wise and discerning heart (mind), so that no one before you was your equal, nor shall anyone equal to you arise after you. 13I have also given you what you have not asked, both wealth and honor, so that there will not be anyone equal to you among the kings, for all your days. 14If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David #3:14 Lit walked.did, then I will lengthen your days.”
15Then Solomon awoke, and he realized that it was a dream. He came [back] to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he prepared a feast for all his servants. [2 Sam 6:17]
Solomon Wisely Judges
16Then two women who were prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17And the one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18And on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were [alone] together; no one else was with us in the house, just we two. 19Now this woman’s son died during the night, because she lay on him [and smothered him]. 20So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from [his place] beside me while your maidservant was asleep, and laid him on her bosom, and laid her dead son on my bosom. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead. But when I examined him carefully in the morning, behold, it was not my son, the one whom I had borne.” 22Then the other woman said, “No! For my son is the one who is living, and your son is the dead one.” But the first woman said, “No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.” [This is how] they were speaking before the king.
23Then the king said, “This woman says, ‘This is my son, the one who is alive, and your son is the dead one’; and the other woman says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the one who is alive.’ ” 24Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25Then the king said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to the one [woman] and half to the other.” 26Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply moved over her son, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; cut him!” 27Then the king said, “Give the first woman [who is pleading for his life] the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28When all [the people of] Israel heard about the judgment which the king had made, they [were in awe and reverently] feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to administer justice.
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1 Kings 3
3
1Solomon made a marriage alliance#3:1. “Marriage alliance”: the word here literally means “make oneself a daughter's husband.” with Pharaoh of Egypt. He married Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to live in the City of David until he finished building his palace, the Lord's Temple, and the walls surrounding Jerusalem. 2In those days, however, the people still sacrificed on the high places because a Temple to honor the Lord hadn't yet been built.
3Solomon showed he loved the Lord by following the instructions of his father David, except that he sacrificed and burned offerings on the high places. 4The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for it was the leading high place. Solomon presented one thousand burnt offerings on the altar there.
5The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon. God said to him, “Ask what you want me to give you.”
6Solomon replied, “You showed your servant David, my father, great trustworthy love because he lived his life before you with faithfulness, doing what was right and committed to principle. You have continued to show this great trustworthy love by giving him a son to sit on his throne to this day.
7Now, Lord God, you have made me king in place of my father David. But I am like an inexperienced young boy who doesn't know what to do.#3:7. “What to do”: literally, “going out or coming in.” 8I, your servant, am here among your chosen people, a great people that are so many they cannot be counted. 9So please give me a mind that's receptive so I can rule#3:9. Rule not so much in terms of imposing control but in governing wisely. your people well, understanding the difference between right and wrong, for who can rule this difficult people of yours?”
10The Lord considered that what Solomon asked for was good. 11So God told him, “Because you asked for this, and you didn't ask for a long life, or wealth, or the death of your enemies, but instead you asked for understanding to know what is right, 12I am giving you what you asked for. I am giving you a mind that is wise, with an understanding of what is right, more than anyone else before you or after you. 13I am also giving you what you did not ask for, wealth and status—so much so that no king will compare to you for the whole of your life. 14And if you follow my ways by keeping my laws and my commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life.”
15Then Solomon woke up and realized he'd had a dream. He went back to Jerusalem, and stood in front of the Ark of the Lord's Agreement and he presented burnt offerings and friendship offerings, and he held a feast for all his officials.
16Later two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him for judgment.#3:16. “For judgment”: implied by the fact they came before him. 17One of the women spoke up, saying, “If it please Your Majesty: I share a house with this woman. I had a baby while she was living in the house. 18Three days after the birth of my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were together; there was no one else in the house, just the two of us. 19During the night this woman's son died because she rolled over on him. 20She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I was sleeping. She lay him close beside her to cuddle him, and she lay her dead son close beside me. 21When I got up in the morning to nurse my son I saw that he was dead. When I looked closely at him in the light I realized it wasn't my son.”
22The other woman argued, “No! My son is the one that's alive. Your son is the one that's dead.” The first woman objected, “No! Your son is the one that's dead. My son is the one that's alive.” They went on quarrelling in front of the king.
23The king intervened, saying, “So this woman says, ‘My son is the one that's alive. Your son is the one that's dead,’ while the other woman says, ‘No! Your son is the one that's dead. My son is the one that's alive.’”
24“Bring me a sword,” the king ordered. So they brought him a sword. 25“Cut the child that's alive in two, and give half to one woman and half to another,” he commanded.
26But the woman whose son was alive had so much love for him as a mother that she cried out to the king, “Please, Your Majesty, give her the boy! Don't kill him!” But the other woman said, “He won't be mine or yours—cut him in two!”
27The king gave his verdict. “Give the child that's alive to the first woman,” he ordered. “On no account kill him, for she is his real mother.”
28When everyone in Israel heard about the verdict the king had delivered, they had great respect for the king, because they recognized the wisdom God had given him to judge rightly.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com