Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - How to Turn Disruption into Opportunity | The Life of Solomon | 1 Kings 3.16-28

Episode Date: June 16, 2021

Feeling pulled in every direction? And then yet another thing comes up. How can we turn those frustrating disruptions into opportunities? See what Solomon did in https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+3.16-28&version=NIV (1 Kings 3.16-28) as guest host Tanya Wilmeth continues our series on The Life of Solomon.  Interested in more content like this? Check out https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/podcasts/why-we-are-tested-learning-to-follow-jesus-luke-22-31-34/ (Why Are We Tested?) from our earlier series on https://www.thecrossingchurch.com/podcast-series/how-to-follow-jesus/ (How to Follow Jesus).  Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit ourhttps://www.thecrossingchurch.com/ ( website) and follow us onhttps://www.facebook.com/TenMinuteBibleTalks ( Facebook),https://www.instagram.com/thecrossingcomo/ ( Instagram), andhttps://twitter.com/tmbtpodcast ( Twitter) @TheCrossingCOMO and @TenMinuteBibleTalks.  Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now.

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. And I'm Patrick Miller. I hope that you enjoyed our series on favorite verses. One of our favorite speakers in that series was Tanya Wilmuth. In fact, we liked her talk so much that we've invited her to come on and co-host with us at 10-minute Bible Talks. So if you start hearing a new voice, which you will hear today, that is Tanya. Just a quick reminder of who she is.

Tanya is a mom, a former English teacher, and she's also a Bible teacher. And I think that you are really going to enjoy learning from her. She's got a different style and amazing insights that I don't think Keith or I could bring to the table. So enjoy listening to her today and from that point forward. If there was a Netflix series on The Life of Solomon, I think the account of the two prostitutes and the newborn baby would be the best move for a pilot. episode. The story has everything we love about a good action show. A king, his lowly subjects, two women and a baby, a drawn sword, and a last minute life-saving decision. They're a bit older now, but when my kids were younger, they loved reading the Action Bible. And for sure, this story in

First Kings three doesn't disappoint. So here's what's been happening as the new king, Solomon has killed or had a bunch of people killed because David told him they were a threat to the kingdom. He also asked God for wisdom and God graciously told him he would give it abundantly. Now Solomon has an opportunity to put his wisdom to the test. It's not as surprising to us today but it certainly would have surprised the people in Solomon's time that such a as seemingly insignificant matter in the realm of royal duties would have time and access to his throne. From his culture's perspective, not only were these subjects involved in the case lacking in wealth and power, but they were women, and more than that, they were prostitutes.

According to the standards of the time, just being in their presence would have been considered a breach of judgment and character. Of course, we can't fail to mention here that Solomon's willingness to meet with them points us to Jesus' willingness and desire to help another woman at the well, who also would have been considered too far gone for his time and care. The text tells us the women were living on their own, So presumably coming from the brothel where each has just given birth to a baby. The problem is one woman's baby is dead, the other woman's baby is alive,

and we don't know the rightful mother of the living child. Let's listen to what the first woman says to Solomon. Oh, my lord, this woman and I live. in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Then, on the third day, after I gave birth, this woman also gave birth. And we were alone. There was no one else with us in the house. Only we too were in the house. And this woman's son died in the night because she lay on him. And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me while your servant slept and laid him at her breast and laid her dead son at my breast. When I rose in the morning to nurse my child, behold, he was dead.

But when I looked at him closely in the morning, behold, he was not the child that I had born. I read this and I move to immediate pity for this woman who's been riding an emotional roller coaster and needs justice to return what is rightfully her child. It's unclear how she knows that at midnight the other woman swapped the baby since she was obviously in a very deep sleep but still her account is so incredibly convincing. Maybe Solomon felt the same

because he later wrote in Proverbs 1817. The one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him. In this case, the other woman didn't exactly examine anyone, but Solomon did give her time to speak. She was less verbose and simply said, No, the living child is mine, and the dead child is yours.

yours. That's all the information the writer gives us, so we are, as readers, put in the same position as the king. We don't know which woman is telling the truth. To assume one story over another, because of the way it was told, is nothing other than prejudice. We read in Isaiah 11.3, he shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide disputes by what his ears hear. Like many situations we come across, King Solomon couldn't rely only on the evidence before him. The argument between the two women, it escalates until Solomon says, Bring me a sword. I can imagine both a stunned silence and a gasp inside the room.

To this point, Solomon. has been fairly quick to use his sword to eliminate problem makers. Just the sight of it certainly would have alarmed everyone, especially the baby's mother. His words did no less to take away the fear, as he commanded, divide the living child into and give half to the one and half to the other. At this point, the true mother's heart was moved beyond, her own desires toward sacrificial love for the child. And she said, Oh, my Lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death. The king now had clarity, and he said, give the living child

to the first woman, and by no means put him to death. She is his mother. God provided an opportunity, and Solomon had the wisdom to sort this out. By hearing the women, he had an amazing ability to do exactly what he had asked God for, to discern between good and evil. Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God not only gave it, but gave it extravagantly. Solomon should have no doubt that only God could provide so clearly and abundantly for his real needs.

What could have felt like a disruption to his busy work schedule was actually an incredible opportunity for Solomon, the women, and the others in the room to experience the goodness of God. If you have teenagers or toddlers or coworkers or friends or parents, you probably know what it's like to be disrupted. Disruptions are the things you didn't have planned that look like threats to what you really want to either do or accomplish. Maybe you want a bowl of cereal, but your roommate wants to chat about her boyfriend. Or maybe you want to finish your project, but your coworker asks for your help to approach his boss about something concerning. Or maybe you have toddlers and your entire life is a disruption.

I don't want to over-dramatize this as if every single part of your day needs to turn into a spiritual conversation. But don't we at least need to recognize that the God, who made us and gifted us with patience or wisdom or leadership or hospitality also puts opportunities before us to use those gifts to make his world better. He's on a mission to restore the world and his people and we get to be part of that as we pause to put God and others before ourselves. You're not going to do it all the time or do it well all the time

But the more you recognize the people in your life As God's image bears And their needs as part of God's heart for restoration The more you will see God in your own life And the more people will see God Instead of just you The account ends in first kings With the people of Israel being utterly amazed at their new king

It says in chapter 3 verse 28, And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered And they stood in awe of the king Because they perceived that the wisdom of God Was in him to do justice What could seem like an insignificant moment In Solomon's reign points us to the power and wisdom of God As Solomon trusted God to God to

provide just wisdom, he reflected God's character to the people around him. As we learn to trust God over our own plans and desires, we are growing more like Jesus and our lives are going to point people to a greater king. In 2 Corinthians 4.6, Paul recounts what God said at creation as it relates to Jesus and to us who bear his image. Paul writes, For God, who said let light shine out of darkness, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Not always, but I sometimes remember and take the time to pray with my kids before they go to bed. I usually ask God to let His light shine through them so others may see Jesus. I wonder if that happens less in them winning the spelling bee or scoring the soccer goal

and more in the less significant things like conversations, choices, and even disruptions. I wonder if God will use smaller or maybe even harder things in our lives to let his light shine. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.