Now that the kingdom is firmly established in Solomon's hands, we learn that he made an alliance with Pharaoh, king of Egypt and married his daughter who came and lived in Jerusalem with him. Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, except he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. While he was at Gibeon, after his sacrifices, God spoke to him in a dream and said, "Ask for whatever you want Me to give you." Solomon asked for wisdom to know how to lead his people, and the Lord was so pleased that he promised to give him riches and honor too. There will be no king of Israel like Solomon. When he awoke, he realized the Lord had spoken to him, so he went to Jerusalem, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and then he gave a feast for all his court. Solomon's first recorded act of wisdom and justice is a familiar story of two women who each had a baby. They lived in the same house and slept with their child. One woman woke up and realized her baby was dead, but in the morning light, she realized it was not her baby, but the other woman's. When they were before king Solomon, he asked for a sword to be brought and commanded the baby be cut in two. One woman said great, and the other woman cried out to stop. She would rather have her child live with the other woman, than dead. Solomon then gave the child to the woman who spared the child's life. The last verse of chapter 3 says, "When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice."
Now that the kingdom is firmly established in Solomon's hands, we learn that he made an alliance with Pharaoh, king of Egypt and married his daughter who came and lived in Jerusalem with him. Solomon loved the Lord and walked in the ways of his father David, except he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. While he was at Gibeon, after his sacrifices, God spoke to him in a dream and said, "Ask for whatever you want Me to give you." Solomon asked for wisdom to know how to lead his people, and the Lord was so pleased that he promised to give him riches and honor too. There will be no king of Israel like Solomon. When he awoke, he realized the Lord had spoken to him, so he went to Jerusalem, and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and then he gave a feast for all his court. Solomon's first recorded act of wisdom and justice is a familiar story of two women who each had a baby. They lived in the same house and slept with their child. One woman woke up and realized her baby was dead, but in the morning light, she realized it was not her baby, but the other woman's. When they were before king Solomon, he asked for a sword to be brought and commanded the baby be cut in two. One woman said great, and the other woman cried out to stop. She would rather have her child live with the other woman, than dead. Solomon then gave the child to the woman who spared the child's life. The last verse of chapter 3 says, "When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice."