DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 11 August 2025: Demonstration of Divine Wisdom
Text: 1 Kings 3:16-28 (KJV)
Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17 And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house.
18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19 And this woman’s child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.
22 And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
KEY VERSE: (1 Kings 3:27,28).
Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment… and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him.
With the advancement in science today, DNA testing resolves paternity or maternity disputes more quickly. Laboratory investigations of the genetic codes of mother and child or father and child are used to determine the biological parent of a given individual. These tests can be between 99 and 100 percent accurate.
Back in Solomon’s day, there was no DNA testing machine, and two harlots came up before him with a maternity dispute over a living child. Both women claimed to be the child’s mother. How would the king settle the matter? In a demonstration of great wisdom, he commanded that the child be sliced into equal halves for the two women. Predictably, the true mother recoiled at the suggestion to kill her baby, while the culprit was happy with the decision. Solomon’s test was to arouse the natural mother’s instinct in both women. Their responses were sufficient to determine the true mother of the living child.
Solomon received the gift of wisdom by asking God, which was demonstrated in how he ruled Israel. The clouds may drop down titles and estates; wealth may seek us; but wisdom must be sought before all. In all areas of life, wisdom is vital. All should desire and seek it from the repository of enduring wisdom. The all-wise God is generous and willing to give. Today, people can ask Him and receive even greater wisdom than Solomon’s. The Bible says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5).
Remarkably, Solomon was wise to solve complex issues and build a peaceful and prosperous kingdom. However, he was not wise enough to keep his relationship with God intact. His example reminds us that wisdom cannot replace obedience to God, and little compromises eventually expose us to greater sins. It would be best to have more than political, native or intellectual wisdom that can only make you worldly famous. The wisdom you need is that which makes you wise unto salvation and keeps you from the path of destruction.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Titus 1-3
Daily Manna 11 August 2025
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