Early Corruptions (1-3)

The author of Kings wastes no time in jumping into the little corruptions that were present in Solomon’s reign from the beginning. The first was his political marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter and the alliance it represented with Egypt. This would have been shocking to Israel. Pharaoh’s daughter was brought to David’s palace and lived there before Solomon had a new place built (1). Because no permanent temple had been built to offer sacrifices, the Israelites were sacrificing at all the suspected high places. This likely meant their worship was being corrupted with pagan influences. While Solomon followed and loved the Lord as his father David had, this small discretion is mentioned as a practice Solomon also followed. Solomon’s Egyptian wife (11:4) is never mentioned as bringing her idols with her, but there is little doubt she was part of what turned Solomon’s heart to adding pagan religious practices to his worship (2-3). These small beginning notes of Solomon’s life give us insight into his later departures.

A Night at Gibeon (4-15)

At Gibeon, six miles northeast of Jerusalem, the Tabernacle of Moses stood without the Ark of the Covenant, which was kept in the City of David in a tent at Zion. Solomon went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices there, for Gibeon was the great high place where the huge brazen altar was located (2 Chronicles 1:3). Solomon would go there from time to time to offer 1,000 burnt offerings as an act of worship, hoping to receive God’s blessing on his reign (4). During one of those great offering festivals, Yahweh showed up in a dream and asked Solomon what he would like to be given from Yahweh (5).

Solomon responded in a three-part request that can be divided into a past, present, and future prayer.

• “You have shown”—Solomon opened with this phrase to rehearse in prayer Yahweh’s faithful love to David, even in giving him a son (Solomon) to sit on his throne. Solomon recognized he was where he was because of Yahweh (6).

• “You have made your servant”—Solomon used this phrase to express how Yahweh made him king even though he was but a “little child” without the wisdom necessary to lead God’s great people (7-8).

• “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind”—Solomon used this phrase to express what he would like from Yahweh in the future—wisdom to govern God’s people, making him a person who could discern the right and wrong thing to do (9).

Yahweh was pleased with Solomon because he had not asked for things to benefit himself like riches and health, but for what would best benefit Yahweh’s people (10-11). Solomon was then given what he had asked for—wisdom—but wisdom unlike any king who had governed before him (12).

Yahweh had also promised him three things he had not asked for as he walked with Yahweh in obedience as his father had (13-14).

• Riches

• Honor

• Health (13-14)

Solomon awoke from his dream, marched back to the city of David, and offered sacrifices of devotion and thanksgiving (15).

Wisdom and Justice for Harlots (16-28)

Of all the stories that could have been recorded, this one was chosen. It is about two single women who became pregnant as they were earning a living with sex. They were operating a small brothel, and they both had baby boys three days apart (16-18). The baby of one of the women was smothered and died sometime before midnight. The woman who smothered her baby traded the dead baby out and took the living baby for herself (19-20). The woman whose baby was stolen realized the baby she found in bed with her, the dead one, was not her own, and further realized the woman who had smothered her baby had traded them out (21).

The wild part of this story is that two low-rent prostitutes were given justice before Solomon. He took their case seriously. In front of Solomon, an argument ensued as each mother presented her case, claiming the baby as her own; Solomon had no way to know, just by looking, which one was telling the truth (22-23).

His response, now a part of historic lore, was an act of wisdom. Solomon called for a sword to be brought so the mothers could see it. Then Solomon called for the sword to be used to divide the baby and give each mother half a dead baby (24-25). Of course, the real mother, not wanting her son to die, was willing to give him up. The rival mother, who was only interested in depriving her business partner of a child, showed no mercy. Justice became easy for the king to discern, and the baby was returned to his real mother (26-27).

This act of justice was used by the author of 1 Kings as an example of how Solomon used wisdom to find the right and wrong answer so he could measure out justice to Israel. These were the kinds of decisions that caused Israel to be in awe of Solomon and recognize God’s wisdom in him (28).