Surprising Statements in the Bible
King Solomon’s surprising statement. Split the living boy in two. I Kings 3:16-28
Two prostitutes that lived together each gave birth to a baby boy.
One mother inadvertently smothered her baby while sleeping.
She switched her dead baby with the other mother’s live baby while the other mother was asleep.
When the other mother wakes up, the baby on her bosom is dead. She looks at him-he is not my baby.
She says to the other woman give me my live baby and take you dead baby. The other refuses.
They go to King Solomon for a resolution.
Solomon answer: Get a sword and split the living boy in two and give each woman half of the lad.
The living boy’s mother screams: “My Lord give her the living child and in no wise slay him.”
Solomon says this woman is the mother give her the child. Wise resolution by King Solomon. The people said: “The wisdom of God is in him.”
This unusual event occurs long before the modern era of abortion when many unexpected fetuses are aborted.
Should a person today who was spared being aborted when his mother, a young college student was impregnated by a foreign student, be a strong pro-abortion advocate? There are well known individuals today that fit that category.
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, I have appointed you a Prophet to the nations.”
Psalm 139:13 “For You formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mothers womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
When I hear women publicly brag after the Supreme Court decision about Roe v. Wade of having had multiple abortions, some when in their teens, the thought comes to me: when they go to meet their Maker, what will they say to Him and the children?
Better live dog than dead lion.
Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
Below is the voice recording Living dog better than dead lion.
Isaac Blessing Jacob.
“And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn, I have done according as thou badest me: arise I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.” Genesis27:19.
Jacob pretending to be Esau.
Isaac is old essentially blind and about to die. He wants to bless his eldest son Esau-the cultural practice. Esau the hunter is asked by Isaac to go hunt and bring him a meal of venison and he will bless him.
Rebecca Esau & Jacob’s mother hears this and goes to Jacob her favored son, convinces him to pretend to be Esau and deceive his father so that he could receive the blessing. Gen. 27:5-10.
Jacob is reluctant but proceeds with his clever mother’s help to deceive his father and receive the blessing.
Esau then comes to his father Jacob with his venison meal.
“Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said. Who? where is he that has served me venison before you came…and I blessed him, and he shall be blessed.
Esau is angry but Isaac said to Esau “Behold I have made him thy lord…” Esau vows to slay his brother after his fathe dies.
Why did the deception by Rebecca and Jacob succeed and why did Isaac not try to undo the blessing of Jacob?
Jacob was a man of faith. Esau was a worldly man. Isaac knew this in his heart and accepted the outcome as the will of God.
I will not let thee go untill Thou bless me. Jacob wrestling with the Angel. Genesis 32:26.
Jacob had fled from his brother Esau after Jacob pretended to be Esau and deceived his father Isaac to receive Isaac’s blessing. Jacob went to Haran to his uncle Laban. After marrying Rachel & Leah and serving Laban for 20 years, God told him to go back to the land of his father and He would bless him. Gen. 31:3.
On the way back Jacob is in great fear of his brother Esau who he had deceived.
The Angel of God appears to him in the night. They wrestle all night long. Jacob will not let the Angel go until He blesses him. The Angel said: “Thy name shall be no more called Jacob but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed”. Gen. 32:28.
Why did the Angel come and wrestle with Jacob? God had already promised to bless him. Gen. 31:3.
God wanted to deal with Jacob’s fear, confirm his promise to bless him and change his name to Israel, the father of the nation. Through Jacob God would continue His covenant with Abraham. Gen. 12:1-3.
Worship in high places.
King Solomon loved the Lord walking in the statutes of David his father, only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. I Kings Ch.3 vs.3.
King Solomon began as a Godly king but succumbed to vanity and pagan worship. It took him 7 years to build the temple for the worship of God. His father King David wanted to build the temple but God told him your son will build the temple(I kings 8:19). It took Solomon 13 years to build his own house.
The Canaanites worshiped their gods in high places. The Israelites adopted that practice as they turned away from Jehovah God. II kings 23:13- “The high places that were before Jerusalem…which Solomon the King of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians and for Chemos the abomination of the Moabites…”
Jeroboam king of the northern kingdom of Israel built a high place altar at Bethel that made Israel sin(II Kings 23:15).
Many Israelites corrupted their worship of God and adopted Canaanite idle worship at high places.
Contemporary places of worship vary from house churches and small Bible chapels to mega churches and hugh cathedrals.
Worship in high places exists today.
Biblical perspective:
Luke 18:10-14. “Two men went up to the temple to pray…”: the proud Pharisee and the humble publican. The humble publican went to his house justified rather than the other. “everyone that exalted himself shall be abased and he that humbeleth himself shall be exalted.”
John 17:9. “I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them that thou hast given me, for they are mine.
I Peter 5:6-7. “Humble yourself then under God’s mighty hand so that He will lift you up in His own good time. Leave all your worries with Him because He cares for you.”
James 4:10. “Humble yourselvs before the Lord and He will lift you up.”
Below is the message audio Worship of self-made idols
Below is the underlined link to the typed notes pdf