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1 Kings 3 (Part 2) Bible Study (Solomon's Wisdom) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Those who honor me I will honor. Those who despise me, I will
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lightly esteem. One of the primary ways that you
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honor God is you honor His Word. You love His Word, You tremble
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at His word. You consider the word of God the
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voice of God. And we are going to hear from
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the voice of God today in a exciting chapter in First Kings.
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So meet me in First Kings Chapter 3 as we posture our
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hearts to hear from the living God in First Kings Chapter 3.
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And we are going to begin and study starting from verse 16,
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First Kings 3 verse 16. Father, we bow before you in our
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hearts, and we pray for a special help from the Holy
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Spirit. Lord, we are privileged to be
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students of your word. But, Lord, you call us more than
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just students or servants. You call us friends.
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Thank you for making us friends. Thank you that you've adopted us
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to be your children. We are not orphans.
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We belong to you. And we pray that we would hear
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the voice of our father speaking exactly how we need to be taught
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and encouraged and built up, maybe even convicted, so that we
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can reflect the image of the one that we belong to.
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Lord, We ask for a special unction, even in a Bible study,
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that our hearts would be gripped by the truths in this time
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together, and we pray that you would be exalted and blessed and
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honored in it all. In Christ's name we pray.
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Amen. Prayer is a privilege.
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Prayer is a treasure. For the Christian, prayer is
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often the object of much scorn and mockery by those who deny
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God altogether. But what is the object of scorn
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is the delight of the Christian, the St.
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And one of the things that makes prayer such a privilege is that
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it is God's invitation to us to come to Him and to open our
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hearts, and to pour out what's in our hearts at His caring
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feet, and to be. Assured every single time that
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we don't not have to go to a brazen altar.
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We don't have to bring specific types of animals that at any
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place, anytime we can commune with God and we are promised His
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listening ear. But the exciting thing about
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prayer beyond that, beyond the access we have with God, as
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amazing as that is, is that prayer will be answered.
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God responds to prayer. He delivers.
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He will move, He will act, He will respond to.
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Consider this the creator and the sustainer of the heavens and
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the earth will actually bend down and act upon the desperate
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request of a creature. And you and I, beginning in
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chapter three of this witness a man who prayed, we studied, a
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man who realized the the great responsibility he had as a king
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and could not fathom pursuing and advancing in that calling
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apart from God's help God's hand on his life.
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And so he prays. He asked God for his help.
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He asked God to be endowed with certain discernment and skills.
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And what you and I are going to see now for the rest of this
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chapter is God answer that prayer.
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Oh yes, God told him that he was going to do it.
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But now we're going to see that answer materialize.
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We're going to see it now manifest.
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And that makes it a thrilling study.
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Because apart from salvation, I can't think of a more thrilling
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experience than knowing that God in heaven can actually answer
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and intervene in my life when you and I pray.
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God is going to answer Solomon's prayer.
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Solomon prayed. God answered and promised to
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provide and do more. And now we are going to behold
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how God is going to allow Solomon experience that answer.
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In a very dramatic scenario, Solomon now is going to know the
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endowment, the enablement that has been assured by God in and
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through him. And what we're going to do is
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really just read the case that's going to pull on the wisdom that
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Solomon received from God. But let's make this interactive,
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shall we? I'm going to read these verses
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before we see how Solomon's wisdom interacts with it.
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And let's try to investigate and and draw insights and details,
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Not just mere observations, but perhaps even some kind of
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instruction in the scene before us today.
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Let's read beginning of verse 16 and give your attention to this
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as we complete a few verses at a time.
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First kings 316. Then two prostitutes came to the
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king and stood before him. The one woman said, Oh my Lord,
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this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to
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a child while she was in the house.
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Then on the third day after I gave birth, this woman also gave
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birth. And we were alone.
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There was no one else with us in the house.
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Only we two were in the house. And this woman's son died in the
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night because she lay on him, and she arose at midnight and
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took my son from beside. Me while your servant slept and
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laid him at her breast. And laid her dead son at my
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breast. When I rose in the morning to
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nurse my child, behold, he was dead.
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But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was
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not the child that I had born. But the other woman said, No,
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the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.
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The first said no, the dead child is yours, and the living
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child is mine. Thus they spoke before the king.
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Any details, Anything that stands out to you that think
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that you think will contribute to the understanding of this
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passage, or at least color it in a way where we can draw some
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principles? What things stand out to you?
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What characteristics? Nobody else was in the house.
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That's repeated over and over. We were the only ones in the
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house. We were alone in the house.
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That's going to be huge. That's going to really determine
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how Solomon's going to really need to draw from God's wisdom.
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Good, if we can answer like that.
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Just rapid fire. Anything else standing out to
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you Doesn't have to be this incredible revelation, just
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observations. Yes, very good.
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Two prostitutes were able to enter and stand before the
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presence of the king. I believe that said something
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about Solomon as well. Sorry, go ahead.
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Not only that, they were arguing before the king, and I'll add to
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that. The king lets them argue, and he
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is silent. Good.
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Anything else? These are great observations.
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Observations that will be noted in this study.
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Anything else? Once telling the truth, one
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isn't, that's that's obvious, right?
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We're going to see how Solomon's going to discover who's telling
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the truth. Anything else?
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Well, let me remind you again, this is how you and I get
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something from the Bible. We talk to the Bible in a way.
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We engage with the scriptures, we ask questions, and that will
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make all the difference between you just scratching up a
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devotional. Time and actually getting gold
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from the Bible. Well, let's do this together.
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Let's revisit verse 16. Then two prostitutes came to the
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king and stood before him. Were these women moral or moral?
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Immoral. Immoral.
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They were prostitutes. They were harlots.
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And they made a decision in their lives what to do with
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their bodies. And the decisions that they
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would make with their bodies brought turmoil upon themselves.
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Is it not true? But not only did they experience
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distress in their own lives, it's spilled over into the lives
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of others, namely, these precious babies.
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These precious babies, in fact, one of these woman.
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Was so careless with her body and it reflected even in how she
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treated the body of another innocent, precious child.
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Because we we just read that one of these woman turned over
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without caution and laid on top of a child and smothered that
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baby to death. And so we see here that there is
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this attitude of selfishness at play here.
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And one of the one of the unfortunate things about
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selfishness is that selfishness doesn't just affect self.
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Other people have to. Endure the suffering that comes
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from a person who is absorbed into themselves.
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And so we see that these people who made the decision to live as
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prostitutes, not only did that affect their lives, that affect
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the lives of those in their close context, but not only did
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it affect the lives of those in their close context, they became
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a stain to society. This is, this is a public affair
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now. This is a scandal and how true
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it is of sin. Sin is not just in the air,
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right? It starts in the heart.
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This is where it overflows from. Jesus made that emphatically
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clear. And sin is slippery.
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Contrary to the false hope that many sinners have, the
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repercussions of sin cannot be contained.
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They can't be contained. You can't determine where your
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decisions will take you. You can't determine the
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collateral damage that your decisions and disobedience can
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bring. And so we see this here. 2
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prostitutes who lived in one home together are now on the
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public stage nationally, so to speak, the Supreme Court of
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Israel. And this is a reminder to us
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that the stench and the sting of sin has a tendency to spread and
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permeate beyond what you had hoped or imagined.
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May we shun it from the beginning at the same time you
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brought it up, sister. It's interesting to see Solomon
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willing to engage with this dilemma as a king.
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You know Solomon with his stature, with his with his
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responsibility. He had every right to ignore
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these citizens who are staying to this God centered culture.
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He could have just shooed them away and let them endure their
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pain, but instead he brings them and gives them a chance to
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receive justice. And already you and I have a
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glimpse of a king to come. Do you not?
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One who is infinitely more holy and just than King Solomon, who
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will also receive sinners, and he will eat with them, and he
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will give him a chance to experience new life through
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repentance and faith. Here are two prostitutes who
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came before King Solomon. But the King of Glory, when you
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read through the pages of the New Testament, comes to the
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prostitutes. She is coming, one of these
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women's coming to receive justice.
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And our King leaves the throne and comes to those who are not
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searching for him to begin with and sits with them in the homes
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of tax collectors, in the homes where the religious leaders
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would stick their nose in the air and look down upon.
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Already we see just just a little stitch of what makes
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Jesus greater than Solomon here. And now we read and we continue.
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What do we notice? One of these woman's speak up.
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The one woman said, Oh my Lord, this woman, verse 17, I live in
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the same house. They live in the same house.
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OK, clearly they don't have husbands.
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And it makes you wonder what kind of house this was.
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Probably a brothel, probably some kind of an inn where
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inappropriate behavior regularly took place.
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And so we know that this House is not a respectable abode.
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It's questionable and we we're told that they live together.
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And what's more important than determining what kind of home
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this was was the fact that this child she says that she born
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came into this world at a certain point and this other
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roommate of hers had another child.
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And what's the days of difference between these
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children? Three days?
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Three days? When it comes to infants 3 days
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apart, is there much significant features that distinguish them?
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Not really. Three days.
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Very little to work with. If this one baby had been a few
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weeks older, you wouldn't even have controversy here.
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But you have two children. You have two babies coming to
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this world three days apart. Very difficult to even
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distinguish. I mean, only a mother can look
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closely and see the difference as she confesses later.
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But in terms of what this means for Solomon, you have very
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little evidence. To work with in in terms of
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making the right judgement and if it wasn't difficult enough to
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have very little evidence. We heard it from our brother.
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You have no eyewitnesses. What does she say?
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Over and over again she said he she says it here at the end of
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verse 18 and we were alone. There was no one else with us in
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the house. Only we two were in the house.
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No evidence, very little to work with in terms of evidence, and
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no witnesses. This is what Solomon has to deal
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with. How will he make a right choice
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without risk? How will he solve this?
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Where can he go with this? All he has now is 2
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contradictory statements being made and you got to pick one.
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You got to choose someone, and this is what thrilled my heart
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when when studying this Out of all the potential circumstances
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and predicaments, this is the one that the Lord brings to
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Solomon to prove that his wisdom is in fact true.
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It couldn't have been a little bit easier, no.
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He gives them an almost impossible puzzle.
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For what purpose? So that when the solution would
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come about, Solomon would be absolutely convinced that the
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wisdom he had. Was exceptional and given by
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God. There would be no room for doubt
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that if God will come through with what I asked for, then
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certainly I have received my answer.
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I want you to never forget that when God in His Providence
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places you before something that seems absolutely impossible to
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resolve, because that is by design as you walk in obedience
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to His will. Remember this as a principle
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that if I am standing before something that seems to be a
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tight and tricky trial, how am I going to get out of this one?
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Understand that by design, God LED you there so that when you
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do come through, and you will, as long as you hold His hand,
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both you and all the witnesses in your world will be able to
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say, God did this, God did this. And that's why James can say
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something. So bold as count it all.
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Joy, my brothers, when you face trials of various kinds, What
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specimen, What kind of human being can actually count it?
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Joy When you face a trial, I'll tell you which one the Christian
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not because of the Krishna, but because of the Christ in the
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Christian's life. And so you really can't lose as
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a Christian in your pilgrimage, because even things like this,
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that seem like you don't know how you're going to get out of
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this. You don't know how God's going
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to be glorified in this. You don't know how you're going
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to be able to exemplify Christ likeness in it and come out
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successful, come out shining with his glory.
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You will, because God often times brings us to these moments
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so that you would come out believing him more and
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confounding others who might have doubted him.
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This is where Solomon's at. This is immediately following
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his request to receive wisdom. And God says, I'll show you
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wisdom and I'll show you that I'm with you and I'll prove
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myself in and through you. Here are a couple of prostitutes
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with no witnesses, with little to no evidence.
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Now watch me work. Watch me work.
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So you can smile, my brother. You can smile, my sister,
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because of the Lord is. With you that he'll bring you
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through. And that's what Solomon's going
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to experience in a moment here. But look at this scene, this
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interesting scene in verse 22. But the other woman said no.
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The living child is mine and the dead child is yours.
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The first said no, the dead child is yours and the living
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child is mine. Thus they spoke before the king.
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So an argument breaks out in the throne room.
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And that is often the case with people.
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This is an extreme situation, but.
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Tense relationships, accusations, lies, personal
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offences are unfortunately far too common, especially believer.
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Listen to me very carefully. As long as you live in
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community, what you see here between these two women going at
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it back and forth will be something that you will witness
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on more than one occasion. I'm just preparing you, and what
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we need is what Solomon has here.
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As we do life with other people, Solomon's a leader.
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Here's a king. He has governing authority.
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He has a different kind of responsibility.
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But this, this kind of context and situation is something that
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you and I share in to some extent.
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When we deal with people as Christians, and we're called to
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bear one another's burdens, and we're called to confront sin,
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we're called to listen to those who need some advice.
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We need wisdom. You and I need wisdom from God.
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Or else we'll do damage to ourselves and damage to others,
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and ultimately damage to the testimony of Christ.
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And so this is not just you and I studying an interesting story
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and applauding it from a distance.
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This is you and I saying, OK, yes, Solomon, receive a wisdom
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that will never be repeated, but there is still an invitation for
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me to receive wisdom. And I want to show you that
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Solomon is exercising a wisdom that can be reflected on our own
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lives before he even utters a word.
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I believe Solomon is operating in wisdom before he even says
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anything. You say how?
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Look at the last part here, verse 22.
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Thus they spoke before the King. Solomon's wisdom here is in his
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silence. In his silence he has two women.
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Here. They're both claiming something
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contradicting each other and Solomon on his throne.
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Let's one speak her mind and share her perspective and lets
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the other speak her mind and share her perspective.
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And this man is living out the principle that you see in two
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verses in one chapter of the book of Proverbs.
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The one is Proverbs 1813 and the other is a very well known one.
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In Proverbs 1817 wisdom is not given to everybody, but it is
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required of everybody. You and I are called to be a
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wise people. And so let's glean some
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practical wisdom. Here a couple ways that you can
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assure yourself you can measure wisdom in your life.
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Proverbs 1813 reads. If one gives an answer before he
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hears it is his folly and shame if one brings an opinion, a
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judgement before taking the time to gather as much necessary
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data. It's foolishness.
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It's foolishness. And often times people want to
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try to prove their wisdom by interjecting halfway through
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somebody's explanation to try to show that they are prophetic in
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some sense. I guess I don't get it.
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And the Bible says no, no, no, you have to actually wait and
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hear before you give an answer. And part of waiting and hearing
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before you give a judgement or opinion.
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I'm telling you, so many Christians have made a mess of
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so many relations because of they refuse to be wise in this
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respect. One of the ways in which you and
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I listen carefully before we give an answer is verse 17.
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What does verse 17 say? The one who states his case
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first seems right until the other comes and examines him.
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The one who states his case first seems right until another
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comes and examines him. It's a part of listening is also
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including different perspectives depending on the nature of the
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situation and how providential is this in a time in which we
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are receiving hourly updates on a world scale.
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There seems to be this pressure to make statements and to give
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commentary on absolutely everything that comes your way.
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You don't need to do that. You don't.
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But because everybody's been given a platform, right, Which
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is a blessing and a curse at the same time.
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Because people who should have a voice can now have a voice, and
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people who shouldn't have a voice.
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They unfortunately have a voice. Be be careful.
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Be wise. There's wisdom in silence.
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There's wisdom in stepping back and examining.
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There's wisdom in taking your time instead of allowing your
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emotions to spring you into statements, to make judgments,
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only to find ourselves to be foolish and shameful.
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And so we're we're living in a different era of world history
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now again because everybody has a platform.
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And now not only your own little world, not only your family, now
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you you are given access to what's happening across the
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world. And so be very, very careful
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because what you and I say and do ultimately reflects the one
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that we love and serve. I don't want to be too specific
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in this. I I think I I'm communicating
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clearly enough, and Solomon here is showing that as a general
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rule, when you and I are presented with a predicament of
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problem, especially in our own world, Listen, ask, listen more,
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inquire more, and patiently endure the temptation to try to
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give a premature opinion or judgement.
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Because if you and I desire to be wise, then what I just
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explained from these two verses will help you do this and
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applying it will clear your understanding so that your
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vision will be more precise. In order that you can provide a
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more specific and sound suggestion or an answer as what
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Solomon does here. Look again in verse 23 First
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Kings. Look at verse 23.
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Then, the king said. The one says this is my son that
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is alive and your son is dead, and the other says no, but your
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son is dead and my son is the living one.
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What's Solomon doing there? He's making sure he got his
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facts right. I just want to make sure I'm
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clear here. So this is what you're saying
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and this is what you're saying. And once that was affirmed, he
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was able to now execute in wisdom, in wisdom.
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Don't make decisions with your feelings.
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Please, please don't do that right.
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Ask the Lord for the ability to make statements, decisions,
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moves, reactions, interactions with truth, with truth.
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And the more truth you gather, the more confident you can be in
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your answer, the more you save yourself from looking like a
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fool. Is this what I'm hearing?
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This is what you're saying about the child.
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This is what you're saying about the child.
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The silence here tends to agree that this is the case, and I
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could not help but also at this point, think about Jesus.
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Think about Christ and how he is greater than Solomon.
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Do you know how? Because Christ will one day
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return as king. And when he returns as king, he
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will return as the king who judges the whole world.
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He'll be a righteous dictator. And the beauty about King Jesus,
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which is often found here, prophetically speaking, at least
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in types and shadows with Solomon, is that he does not
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need to and he will not need to do what Solomon does here and
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what you and I have to do on a regular basis.
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Let me prove that What do I mean by that?
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And Isaiah 11, verse one and three.
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This is a picture of Christ in terms of what he will do, his
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ministry, what it would look like.
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And in these first three verses you have what Christ will do in
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his first coming, and also what he will do in his second coming.
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Let me read these verses with you, verse one of Chapter 11.
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There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a
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branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
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And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of
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wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the
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Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
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And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
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Well, the fear of the Lord can't be what most people think the
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fear of the Lord is if Jesus delighted in it.
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This might disturb you, but it's OK.
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It's Bible. Do you realize that Jesus Christ
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in humanity feared the Lord? How many of us viewed Christ
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that way? How many of us understand Jesus
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in that sense? Jesus Christ feared the Father
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and he delighted in it. So clearly the fear of the Lord
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is a good thing. I'm very passionate about the
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doctrine of the fear of the Lord.
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If you can't tell, and this is the sevenfold ministry of the
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Holy Spirit. You see this later on in
26:30
Revelation, The sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.
26:33
It's explained here in Isaiah 11.
26:35
But notice this in verse 3. And His delight shall be in the
26:37
fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his
26:41
eyes see, or decide disputes by what His ears hear.
26:49
So when Christ does come, and he will come as King, there would
26:51
be no outward appearance or persuasive speech that will
26:55
alter or influence the accuracy of his assessment of every
26:59
single problem that will come before him as king.
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Jesus doesn't need a jury. Jesus doesn't need eyewitnesses.
27:08
Jesus doesn't need security footage.
27:10
Jesus doesn't need fingerprints. Why?
27:12
Because the Lord Jesus knows what is in the heart of man, and
27:16
he can discern perfectly the depths of the human heart.
27:20
Oh, and when it comes to rule and reign, how swift that
27:24
justice will be, how pure it will be.
27:28
No one will be able to say anything about it.
27:30
No one will be able to blame him for anything.
27:31
No one will be able to correct them.
27:33
He will be able to bring justice.
27:35
Without the need to see anything or hear anything.
27:39
And that is true of Jesus when he comes to rule and reign.
27:42
But that is true of Jesus now. You and I can't hide from him.
27:47
This is the essence of the fear of the Lord.
27:49
In one way. Jesus is with me wherever I go.
27:51
He's with you wherever you go. If you really believe that
27:55
you're going to live differently, I promise you you
27:58
will. And so I can't wait for Christ
28:02
to come and to bring true justice to the earth.
28:05
He will come, Maranatha. May he come sooner than later.
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The king on this particular occasion, did not have.
28:15
That much to work with. He didn't have the ability that
28:17
Jesus alone has, so he doesn't have eyewitnesses.
28:22
He has very little evidence. So what does he have to do?
28:26
He has to create his own evidence.
28:30
Solomon has to create his own evidence, and he's going to do
28:34
that in a very unorthodox way. On the surface it may actually
28:38
seem to be barbaric and just out of bounds.
28:44
Verse 24 and the king said, bring me a sword.
28:53
I wonder what the suspense was like at that point.
28:55
Bring me a sword. So a sword was brought before
28:59
the king, and the king said divide the living child in two
29:06
and give half to the one and half to the other.
29:12
Was there any gasp? I don't know.
29:15
The people break out in sweat. I don't know.
29:19
But I can imagine that there was much discomfort.
29:25
The king said divide the living child into and give half to the
29:28
one and half to the other. And this would prove to be
29:32
absolutely genius on Solomon's part.
29:34
But you know. Somebody earlier this week.
29:37
I don't even know if they knew we were talking about this at
29:39
this Bible study came with an interesting question, and I
29:41
presented to you because we know here that Solomon's purpose is
29:46
not to actually go through with this, right?
29:49
Solomon doesn't actually believe that this is the solution to
29:51
this problem. But what he is doing here is
29:55
that he is going to bring a test to measure the presence or the
29:59
lack of motherly affection and qualities of a true mother.
30:05
This is what he's doing. He's about to expose who here
30:09
truly has a heart of a mother. But the question was, this seems
30:14
a little bit deceptive on Solomon's part.
30:17
Because Solomon. Wasn't really going to do this
30:21
and the question was an interesting thought if this is
30:24
Solomon coming with a deceptive tactic to achieve his judgement.
30:31
He wasn't actually going to kill the baby, but the source of this
30:34
controversial approach was from God, evidently because this
30:37
wisdom would come from God. Does God here then promote a
30:40
form of dishonesty? There we say lying to achieve
30:46
certain ends. Do you understand the question?
30:49
I thought that was a thought provoking question.
30:52
How would you answer that? Any idea?
31:05
OK, but that's testing a faith. But what about actually?
31:10
OK, so you're looking at, from God's perspective, from
31:12
concealing certain matters, right?
31:20
OK, so you guys now are touching on the idea of God testing us
31:25
because he tested Abraham, right?
31:27
It's a test. So this is the.
31:29
So your answer would be this is more like a test than anything
31:31
else. This is, this is not, this is
31:33
not the Lord implementing, you know, duplicit things or he's
31:38
trying to be clever and sneaky. Would you guys agree with that?
31:42
I think that's a helpful answer. This is a test and I would.
31:45
Take it even further than that, because when you look at the
31:47
context and consider Solomon's position and responsibility,
31:51
then there's more light to be shed on this.
31:55
Solomon was a governing authority.
31:58
That was given the duty to do what?
31:59
To exercise justice in the land, to actually cleanse the land, to
32:02
even hunt for evil and to purge the land of evil right.
32:06
That was one of his responsibilities at least.
32:09
And as king with that sole and unique authority, he was also
32:13
granted with that certain approaches, certain permissions
32:19
to make his task effective. And maybe a modern example would
32:24
help. Because upon hearing that
32:26
question, this modern example came to mind.
32:28
Because in certain operations you have our police who will
32:32
undergo undercover, Undercover plans and investigations for the
32:39
purpose of what? Discovering evil?
32:43
Gaining evidence that would not be gained otherwise.
32:46
And you can almost say going undercover is what deceptive
32:51
you're camouflaging. To pretend to be something that
32:55
you're not, but with a righteous end, with a righteous goal in
32:59
mind, and none of us would criticize that, right?
33:03
None of us would look at that kind of a strategy and condemn
33:06
it, and rightfully so. And so the way I view Solomon
33:10
here, if this is a problem, we're seeing Solomon presenting
33:14
this in a in a certain way. Look at Solomon as a detective.
33:20
Seem here as somebody who is. Doing an investigation.
33:24
And part of that investigation is infiltrating, right?
33:28
It's to get deeper, go to the heart of the matter, discover
33:30
things that are cloaked, discover things that are not
33:33
easily perceived for the sake of what?
33:35
Executing justice. And God is behind that,
33:41
especially for those who hold certain positions that allow
33:43
them to punish evil and to establish that which is good.
33:47
And so the Lord enable Solomon here because of his unique
33:52
position and authority. To do so, and to do so very
34:04
well, yes, brother, you had your hand up.
34:08
Can you read it please? Psalm 1826.
34:10
With the purified you've shown yourself pure, and with the
34:13
truth you make yourself. Seem torturous?
34:17
Torturous, Yes. So is your question pertaining
34:20
to Solomon reflecting that truth?
34:29
Oh, I see. So you're saying because of the
34:30
nature of their sin and how they are dealing with things in a
34:35
crooked way, Solomon is responding in a crooked way as
34:38
well? Yeah.
34:39
I don't know if I would apply that certain verse to this, but
34:41
I think you are on to something in that Solomon has to, he has
34:45
to go about this in a different way to almost expose them at
34:50
their level, right. And and so he he is now doing
34:53
something that is wise. And coming down to a certain
34:59
level, meeting them at a certain level, and then from there
35:02
really pulling the sheets and exposing them and unveiling the
35:04
true nature of their heart posture.
35:07
So this is genius. And Solomon has all the
35:10
permission to do this. It's end is righteous, it is God
35:15
glorifying and it is good and it fulfills his role as a king.
35:19
And wisdom is the application of knowledge, right?
35:22
That's really what it is. A simple definition of wisdom is
35:24
the application of knowledge. You can be a knowledgeable
35:25
person. I know knowledgeable people.
35:27
They're not wise. They stumble, trip, bump into
35:30
things, socially speaking, financially speaking,
35:34
spiritually. They stuff their head with a
35:36
bunch of information that they're they're very good and
35:38
being able to rehearse facts and bring things to your attention.
35:41
But wisdom is being able to take all of that.
35:44
And to apply it to certain situations, ultimately
35:48
glorifying God. What is Solomon going to do
35:53
here? Divide the living child into and
35:55
give half of the 1 to the one and half to the other?
35:58
What is the knowledge behind this strategy that is bringing
36:03
him to formulate this kind of a plan?
36:05
What is he working with in order for him to bring this about?
36:10
The heart? Sure.
36:12
Think deeper. Who's he dealing with here?
36:14
What? What's the situation?
36:15
You have two women who are claiming to be what mothers.
36:18
They're claiming to be mothers. Solomon's Dilemma is who is the
36:23
true mother? What knowledge does Solomon have
36:28
here concerning a mother that is bringing him to this kind of
36:34
request? Motherly instinct, right?
36:39
Yes. OK.
36:42
And one of them is also a killer.
36:44
All right, so hold on. You have here, Solomon,
36:48
understanding something about the nature of a mother.
36:50
She has intrinsic love, sacrificial love, something
36:57
wired in her that's willing to do anything for her baby, right?
37:02
Any mother in here would know that.
37:05
And Solomon, knowing that now is taking that general truth and is
37:09
going to bring it to this situation.
37:12
That's what wisdom does. And as our brother said also,
37:16
these two mothers are blaming each other.
37:20
For the murder of a child. And the essence of this murder
37:26
is that there was carelessness involved, right?
37:29
Criminal negligence. One of these ladies apparently
37:32
rolled over during the night and smother the child to death.
37:37
So the way this is wired is that it would not only reveal who has
37:43
this true motherly instinct and nature.
37:48
But it also show who is the one who is less concerned of the
37:52
life of a child this is. Wise this is so good.
37:56
This is like, who said the Bible is boring?
37:58
Shame on you. Bible is not boring.
38:01
And so Solomon now is operating in wisdom and in a moment of
38:05
suspense the unmasking will take place.
38:08
And so he makes this strong suggestion, almost in the form
38:12
of a command. And verse 26 happens then the
38:15
woman whose son was alive said to the king because her heart
38:20
yearned for her son. Oh my Lord, give her the living
38:26
child, and by no means put him to death.
38:29
But the other said he shall neither might be mine nor yours
38:34
divide him. So let's look at these two women
38:41
separately, because not only do we have the success of Solomon's
38:45
wisdom before us, there's some things to learn between these
38:48
two women. Right?
38:50
So the first response is this woman, the same woman who opened
38:53
up this case to Solomon, pleading her innocence, is now
38:57
pleading for the life of her baby.
39:03
You have here the ingredients of true love.
39:07
Even in this story, you can. You can pluck something out of
39:10
it to apply in your own understanding of what true love
39:14
is. What's true love?
39:16
That you prioritize the well-being of someone else, even
39:20
if it's at your own expense. That you're willing to protect
39:24
and provide for someone else, even if it costs you.
39:27
Because that's what love does. It gives even if in that giving,
39:31
you have to surrender something. Can you think of something more
39:37
excruciating than a mother giving up her baby to the care
39:42
of someone else? And you can't do anything about
39:45
it? Can you?
39:47
Can you imagine that seeing a baby being handed over to the
39:51
supervision of someone else? And you know that this person is
39:53
careless. You know this person does a
39:56
really want to this child, and for the sake of that baby's
40:00
life, you're willing to pay that price?
40:04
Why? Because she loves that baby.
40:07
She loves that baby. That's what love does.
40:10
It surrenders. It prioritizes, it cost.
40:17
And what's so amazing about this woman is that she reflects the
40:20
exact opposite attitude of many people who are pro abortion.
40:27
Instead of yearning and protecting the life of babies,
40:31
they see them as a burden and they're gladly willing to
40:35
slaughter them in order to protect self.
40:41
You know, Paul told Timothy that one of the signs of the last
40:46
days, he lists all these different vices and one of them
40:49
stands out in light of this. It's in Second Timothy 33, it's
40:53
in the ESV, it's this. And you'll see if it goes on the
40:55
screen or if you want to turn there, you can turn there as
40:57
well. That one of the marks of the
40:59
last days is that there will be people in Second Timothy 33 who
41:03
will be heartless. I like how the King James words
41:09
it. Void of natural affection, Void
41:17
of natural affection. Things that are natural, like
41:22
the love that a mother would have for a baby, love in your
41:25
family. Things that are almost just
41:28
embedded in human nature. As we approach the end of all
41:31
things will become more and more rare, become less and less
41:38
common, and Jesus even said that there will be a coldness of love
41:43
for other people. As we approach the culmination
41:46
of the age, we tend to only think about rumors of wars and
41:50
wars. And that is true.
41:52
That is a mark. But the quality of men, one of
41:56
the marks, is that they will be void of natural affection.
42:01
That's a sign of the times, my friend.
42:03
The fact that we've slaughtered millions and millions of babies
42:07
is not divorced from prophecy. It's prophetic.
42:12
We're living in prophetic times and we tend to miss it.
42:17
But Paul spells it out clearly, and this woman here is is
42:22
showing that she does have natural affection.
42:24
I want that baby to live. And contrast it now with this
42:30
other lady and verse Kings 26th of Chapter 4.
42:34
And the second part You heard it, but the other said, He shall
42:37
be neither mine nor yours. Divide him, divide him can.
42:43
You imagine that. I mean, you've been making a
42:47
case that this baby is yours. And the moment you hear that
42:51
this baby can be killed, you don't even hesitate.
42:56
Here's the principle behind it. She professed one thing, but her
42:59
actions betrayed her. She confessed one thing, but her
43:05
deeds denied whatever confession or conviction she had.
43:10
And I looked at this verse and I thought to myself, we, here we
43:12
go, yet another example that time and certain opportunities
43:17
will either confirm or deny the legitimacy of your confession or
43:23
conviction. All takes is time and all takes
43:25
is certain opportunities to really show the sincerity of
43:29
what you might have confessed and the convictions you might
43:33
have had and even fought for, claimed to have.
43:37
Wow, isn't that fascinating? This woman claimed to be the
43:42
mother this woman claimed to be for the love of her child and
43:46
once this was brought forth she was exposed.
43:52
Jesus speaks about different soils and one of the seeds, the
43:57
word of God, would fall on rocky soil, and the rocky soil he
44:01
describes are those who receive the word of God initially with
44:04
what? Rejoicing.
44:07
That's the initial reaction This is.
44:09
Amazing. This is fantastic.
44:12
Yes, I want to follow this Jesus.
44:14
And in Luke's version, we were told they endure for a while.
44:21
Time. But when persecution arises on
44:25
account of the word, they're uprooted.
44:28
Certain opportunities, certain circumstances.
44:32
Here you have this woman. She had the confession strong if
44:35
I she was willing to go to court for it.
44:38
But when the opportunity, the time came, she was exposed of
44:42
being hollow and false. Why was she fighting for this
44:49
child then? Any idea why go through all this
44:52
effort? Why put yourself out there?
44:56
Why risk being exposed like this?
44:59
Well, let's make this certain. Did she love the child?
45:02
Oh, please say no. No, right?
45:05
Divide the child. Let it happen.
45:06
I'll take the 1/2. Who says that?
45:09
Who thinks like that? You would think that they would
45:11
both fight for the life of the child.
45:12
No one says forget it. So if this woman was willing to
45:17
be careless with this baby, surely she was careless with her
45:20
own. And that's what it reveals.
45:25
That's the wisdom of Solomon here.
45:29
Look at the difference here You have one mother who reflects
45:31
selfless love, and you have another woman who reflects
45:34
selfish ambition. One is so beautiful, the other
45:39
one is so ugly. May the spirit of Christ conform
45:41
us to that which is lovely. Look at verse 27.
45:46
Then the king answered and said, give the living child to the
45:49
first woman and by no means put him to death.
45:52
She is his mother. I would love to be in that
45:57
courtroom to see the faces of people.
46:00
I would love to see the woman of that mother who was faking it
46:02
the whole time. Did her jaw drop?
46:05
Did they want to break out into tears?
46:08
We're not told, but what we are told is verse 28 and all Israel.
46:12
Heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, And they
46:16
stood in awe of the king because they perceived that the wisdom
46:20
of God was in him to do justice. When God gifts you with
46:25
something, when he empowers you in a certain way, not only will
46:30
he confirm it to you in one way or another, he'll confirm it
46:33
through the witness in the testimony of other people.
46:37
Remember that. Listen, if you believe God has
46:39
given you a call and he's giving you something special, something
46:42
supernatural, you don't have to parade it.
46:46
You don't have to advertise it. People will eventually recognize
46:49
it and see it, and that's the best way to do it.
46:54
That's the best way to do it is trust in God's Providence and
46:57
leading your life that it will be identified.
46:59
And let me give you a hint that if you're a person that's
47:02
wondering how is it that I can identify the gifts in my life,
47:05
God has ordained that the primary place for that to be
47:08
recognized is within the local church.
47:11
Because this is the primary arena where your gifts are
47:15
recognized and are utilized and other people benefit from it.
47:21
So if you're a person again who is eager Lord, what is it that
47:23
you have for me? How have you?
47:25
Furnished me. What is it that you want me to
47:27
do? Well, the longer you stay in the
47:29
local church and the more you build relationships with people,
47:32
and the more you respond to opportunity to serve, the closer
47:34
you will come. And if you're a true Christian,
47:35
I'm sure you want to know why you're here on the earth.
47:40
Side note, not really. In the main part, everybody saw
47:46
the wisdom that Solomon had a unique story, a unique measure
47:52
of wisdom. But an invitation for us still
48:03
to access wisdom for ourselves. I want to end here in this New
48:07
Testament text. Turn with me to James chapter
48:09
one. I referenced it earlier.
48:14
Many people know this verse, but they don't understand the
48:18
immediate context of this verse. Look at James chapter one, verse
48:23
2 counted all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various
48:29
kinds for you know James one verse 3.
48:33
For you know that the testing of your faith produces
48:36
steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its
48:40
full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in
48:45
nothing. Now it is an end there.
48:48
So what's that? What's he talking about here?
48:50
He's talking about what? Christians going through.
48:54
Trials is that. Does that tell you and I that
48:56
we're going to go through trials?
48:58
Yes. You're going to go through
48:59
trials of various kinds, various kinds of trials.
49:05
It might not look like the next person beside you because you
49:09
have a unique family, right? You have a unique marriage,
49:13
right? You have special children,
49:15
right? You work at a specific place,
49:18
right? So it's various kinds.
49:19
That's encouraging to you and I. Not just certain kinds of
49:21
trials, various kinds of trials. There's a spectrum of suffering
49:25
that this is for, but I can rejoice.
49:27
I can count it all joy. But that joy also is not just in
49:33
the truth that I can see the end of it.
49:35
There's going to be something produced in me as a result.
49:37
But look at verse five. If any of you lacks wisdom, let
49:40
him ask God, who gives generously to all without
49:44
reproach, and it will be given him.
49:46
Is James starting a random thought after this?
49:49
No, no, no, no. This is tied into the fact that
49:52
he just finished saying when you go through trials, Christians
49:55
count it all joy. So the instruction is still
49:58
within the context of you and I going through trials.
50:00
And one of the things that I do in trials, one of the commands
50:03
that God gives me as I go through these tribulations, is
50:06
not just to by faith counted all joy, but to ask God for wisdom.
50:15
So the asking God of wisdom is within the context of me going
50:19
through a trial when I go through something that, like
50:23
Solomon, seems difficult, unanswerable, challenging,
50:29
uncomfortable. I am commanded that if I don't
50:34
know what to do, how to respond, how to pivot to ask God for
50:39
wisdom. So here's what this tells me
50:42
too. That when I go through trials,
50:44
God allows trials. God expects me to talk to Him.
50:50
God expects you to talk to him when you go through a season of
50:56
trials. And it could be that many people
51:00
keep going through trials because you haven't caught that
51:03
yet. You still don't know how to go
51:05
to him and talk to him in your trials.
51:11
A lot of stubborn people. I know a lot of strong people.
51:14
And that's not a compliment, because it takes so much for
51:19
them to get on their knees and to ask God.
51:23
But here's the invitation. If any of you lacks wisdom, let
51:25
him ask God, who gives generously to all, to do what?
51:28
To know how to navigate through this trial.
51:29
Primarily, try to come out of the most successful, the
51:33
shiniest you can come out of it because that's what wisdom will
51:36
do. Wisdom will protect you from
51:38
making pitfalls, from making foolish decisions, and will
51:41
bring about the greatest success in your sanctification, if any
51:45
of you. I love that.
51:46
Not just kings and not just pastors.
51:50
If any of you likes it, let him ask God.
51:58
When was the last time you endure turbulence relationally
52:06
in the context of the Church, and you stopped and you ask God,
52:13
God, I need your wisdom. I don't know how to do this.
52:17
My flesh is telling me this. God, this is a very tangled and
52:22
complicated thing. Like Solomon, I have to make a
52:27
choice here. I have to stand on one side
52:30
here. The nature of my status in this
52:35
mess is that I am required to answer to it.
52:38
Lord, give me wisdom, please. That's God's will.
52:45
Notice it's not a suggestion, right?
52:49
If any of you lacks wisdom, if you feel like it, you can.
52:53
You can call God. No, let him ask.
52:57
It's an invitation, but it's also command your your
52:59
Commission to come to the Lord. And here's the beauty of it.
53:03
He will bring about and deposit in you something for that
53:07
specific trial. Some of you are very young here,
53:11
so you're hearing this and you're thinking, OK, live life
53:15
long enough and this will be a treasure.
53:19
Do life with professing Christians long enough and this
53:24
will be a refuge for you. But I even say as the world is
53:31
going through many trials and as Christians are stuck in the
53:36
middle. Let's ask God for wisdom and he
53:47
will give it to us. Lord, we thank you.
53:50
For this Bible study and we thank you that.
53:54
In this small portion of Scripture, you have awakened our
53:58
hearts to the beauty of your wisdom.
54:02
It's very possible, Lord, that there are people in here who are
54:05
suffering in one way or another and they feel like they're
54:09
suffocating because they don't know what move to make next.
54:13
They don't know how to answer. They don't know how to counsel.
54:15
They don't know whether they should give or not give.
54:17
They don't know whether they should keep or not keep.
54:19
They don't know if they should respond or not respond.
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Lord, we ask for all the things that we might be going through,
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things that are unspoken, unknown to our neighbors.
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Give us wisdom. Give us wisdom and help us
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believe that when we ask you, you can answer that you are a
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God who says if any of you to the least, to the greatest, to
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the minister, to the stay at home, Mom, you are willing to
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give the same gift and we pray we would know what to do.
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Lord, as we go tomorrow to serve you, give us power, energy.
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May we be like Stephen and have our faces shine like an Angel.
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It made people witness a people who are not of this world, a
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royal priesthood, those who are unashamed and bold for truth,
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those who have the same cry as this mother who in love are
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willing to sacrifice time and energy to say let that baby
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live. And so, Lord, we thank you that
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your word is eternal. It is timeless.
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It applies in every way for all things and all generations.
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Lord, we want to glorify and give you thanks as we worship
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you. In Jesus name we pray.
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Amen. Amen.
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Let's stand, fellow soldiers in Christ.