King Solomon, the Wisest Man That Ever LivedSample

Solomon’s wisdom

“And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.” (1 Kings 3:28)

God had given Solomon extraordinary wisdom. This is illustrated by an interesting story about two women who both claimed to be the mother of the same baby. Solomon had to determine who the real mother was. He did so in a dramatic way: he ordered that the baby be cut in half and both women be given one half. Of course, the real mother did not want the baby to die! She would rather give him to the other woman. This made it clear which woman really loved the child. Solomon was able to return him to his own mother.

When this incident became known in the land, the people concluded that the wisdom of God was in Solomon. After all, only God knows what’s in people's hearts. He pierced through lies and deceit with ease. Through his genius, Solomon also knew how to bring out the truth.

1 Corinthians 12 lists wisdom, knowledge and spiritual discernment as gifts that the Holy Spirit can give to believers in order to serve the church. When we lack wisdom, we are encouraged to ask God for it (James 1:5).

What do you do when you need wisdom? What role does your faith or fellow believers play in that? What else might help you?