1 Kings 3
Solomon made an alliance with Egypt ensuring peace and sealed with marriage. He also went up and made offerings to God and walked in the way of God much the same as his father, David had.
In a dream God spoke to Solomon offering the one thing he desired most. Solomon's response is that God has been good to him and David and that what the young Solomon needs most to lead the nation in the way that God wants is wisdom and this is what he asks for.
God is delighted by this answer and says that since Solomon did not ask first for long life or riches or fame or power that he would be given all the above as side orders to wisdom.
Solomon now shows his wisdom in judging a case between two prostitutes - each had a son, but one mother had killed hers by rolling on him while they slept and the swapped her dead son for the living son of the other prostitute, so Solomon is faced with 2 women each claiming a living child was hers and a dead child belonged to the other.
Solomon's solution? - kill the living child and cut him in half and give each woman half each.
At this the real mother said to let the child live and her friend have him, while her friend was all for the King's suggestion.
In his book Pyramids, Sir Terry Pratchett actually plays a riff on this story - the hero of the story Pteppic, king of Djelibeybi (Literally Child of the Djel) is asked to judge a case of an oxen that was claimed by 2 farmers. Pteppic told them to slaughter the animal and share the meat between both farmers. "They'll call me Pteppic the wise he thought"
The high priest interprets this to mean that the most devout farmer owned the animal which was to be sacrificed to the Gods (and presumably the priest would eat beef!)
Solomon made an alliance with Egypt ensuring peace and sealed with marriage. He also went up and made offerings to God and walked in the way of God much the same as his father, David had.
In a dream God spoke to Solomon offering the one thing he desired most. Solomon's response is that God has been good to him and David and that what the young Solomon needs most to lead the nation in the way that God wants is wisdom and this is what he asks for.
God is delighted by this answer and says that since Solomon did not ask first for long life or riches or fame or power that he would be given all the above as side orders to wisdom.
Solomon now shows his wisdom in judging a case between two prostitutes - each had a son, but one mother had killed hers by rolling on him while they slept and the swapped her dead son for the living son of the other prostitute, so Solomon is faced with 2 women each claiming a living child was hers and a dead child belonged to the other.
Solomon's solution? - kill the living child and cut him in half and give each woman half each.
At this the real mother said to let the child live and her friend have him, while her friend was all for the King's suggestion.
In his book Pyramids, Sir Terry Pratchett actually plays a riff on this story - the hero of the story Pteppic, king of Djelibeybi (Literally Child of the Djel) is asked to judge a case of an oxen that was claimed by 2 farmers. Pteppic told them to slaughter the animal and share the meat between both farmers. "They'll call me Pteppic the wise he thought"
The high priest interprets this to mean that the most devout farmer owned the animal which was to be sacrificed to the Gods (and presumably the priest would eat beef!)
No comments:
Post a Comment