Two prostitutes who lived together came to Solomon with an unsolvable dilemma. Both women had babies at about the same time. During the night, one of the women laid on her baby and suffocated it. The other woman claimed this woman switched babies with her, claiming that the live baby was hers. Both women lay claim to the live baby. There were no witnesses to the alleged switch. Without modern DNA tests, there was no way to figure out who the live baby’s mother was. They expected Solomon to sort it out.

Solomon had asked God for discernment to rule his people. He needed God’s wisdom to deal with this situation. After all, Solomon couldn’t tell which woman was lying (one of them had to be). So, he ordered someone to bring a sword to cut the baby in two, giving half to each woman. One woman said “Go ahead! If I can’t have him, no one can!” The other woman said, “No! Don’t kill the baby, give her to the other woman.” So, Solomon knew the second woman was the true mother. He ordered the live, whole baby be given to the second woman.
Application: Father, thank you for giving wisdom to those who ask you. Please give us wisdom and discernment to see and carry out your work.
One Word: God gives wisdom and discernment