SOLOMON JUDGES WITH WISDOM AND JUSTICE

SUNDAY JULY 15, 2012

THEME:                JUSTICE ENACTED

TOPIC:                 SOLOMON JUDGES WITH WISDOM AND JUSTICE

TEXT:                   1 KINGS 3:16-28; 2 CHRONICLES 9:8

MEMORY VERSE: “When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.” — 1 Kings 3:28 (NIV)

LESSON AIMS: After participating in this lesson, each student will be able to:

    1.   Retell the story of Solomon’s ruling concerning two women who both claimed the same baby.

    2.   Explain how Solomon’s ruling showed divine insight.

    3.   Join with others to pray for divine insight for church and/or political leaders.

INTRODUCTION

Solomon recognized the vast scope of the task that lay before him as the new king of Israel. King David, his deceased father, had set the bar high by virtue of his exemplary life (other than the incident involving Bathsheba and Uriah, which the Bible does not try to downplay). In addition, David had made extensive preparations to transfer the kingdom to Solomon, recording plans for building the temple and arranging various groups of officials who would serve in the kingdom. These included priests, gatekeepers, and musicians. (The lists of these individuals and the account of David’s other preparations are recorded in 1 Chronicles 23-29.) Much had been given to Solomon; no doubt much was expected from him.

In spite of the generous assistance provided by his father, Solomon still recognized his deep need for help from the Lord. So when the Lord spoke to him one night in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted, Solomon prayed, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:9).

Solomon’s understanding heart, especially the ability to “distinguish between right and wrong,” was put to the test in the incident described in today’s text. It is recorded in the Scriptures immediately following Solomon’s dream, so it appears to have occurred fairly early in his 40-year reign as king of Israel, which began around 970 BC.

[Please note that you are free to reproduce this lesson for your Sunday school classes. The talk points (in red prints) are to help your discussions.]

A.    SOLOMON’S WISDOM TESTED – 1 Kings 3:16-22

1.    Under what circumstances, if any, should the fact that people are engaged in immoral behaviour affect how justice is administered? (In the church; In civil lawsuits; In criminal cases.)

 

B.    SOLOMON APPLIED HIS-GIVEN WISDOM – 1 Kings 3:23-28

1.    What was a circumstance where you thought it wise not to insist absolutely on “justice”? How did things turn out? (In a family situation; In the church; In the workplace.)

2.    When did you experience a situation of someone using knowledge of human nature to get at the truth? (Situation involving parent and child; Situation involving teacher and student; Situation involving boss and employee.)

3.    What was a situation where divine wisdom from Scripture helped you make a difficult decision? (A situation involving simple misunderstanding; A situation involving someone’s hidden sin; A situation involving the secular authorities; A situation involving children.)

C.    TESTIMONY ABOUT SOLOMON’S WISDOM – 2 Chronicles 9:8

1.    How does your relationship with Jesus make a difference when you face a difficult decision? (In your motives; In your credibility; In your interpersonal skills.)

CONCLUSION

Solomon’s verdict in today’s lesson demonstrated a healthy combination of compassion and justice. Solomon figured that his proposal to cut the child in two would reveal the love of the mother and the bitterness of the pretender. He was right. Compassion saw that the child was returned to his rightful mother; justice saw that the liar was exposed for what she was.

Today we may not face circumstances exactly like those confronting King Solomon. But we are sometimes faced with difficult circumstances involving having to determine whether or not someone is telling the truth. Numerous scams and con artists take advantage of unsuspecting victims, especially the elderly. Churches have been abused by such professionals, who make preying (rather than praying) a way of life.

How can the church exercise both compassion and justice in such situations? If we are going to err (and we most certainly will), is it better to err on the side of compassion or on the side of justice? Each congregation must look carefully at its surroundings and determine how best to address the needs for help that exist. In some cases, churches in a community can share information and pool resources in order to make sure that dishonest people who move from church to church do not take advantage of others’ generosity.

Sometimes a fear of “being used” can keep Christians or churches from acting. This is unfortunate. Jesus has called his followers to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-14). This should become a matter of prayer as we determine what needs to be done. If we are not certain what to do in a particular area, perhaps we can investigate what other churches have done and network with them. Will we make mistakes in the process? No doubt. But isn’t this better than to make the larger mistake of doing nothing at all?

Prayer

Father, we live in a time that requires us to be wise as snakes and harmless as doves. Help us to maintain that balance as we minister to a broken world. Help us to represent a Christlike perspective to your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Thought to Remember

True wisdom includes viewing others as God sees them.

NEXT WEEK: NEXT WEEK: JULY 22, 2012: A KING ACTS ON A WIDOW’S BEHALF – 2 Kings 4:1-37; 8:1-6