SOLOMON CHOOSES WISDOM The last chapter told us about the establishment of Solomon’s kingdom; Now, he starts his history as a king by his marriage to an Egyptian princess; together with a note concerning the state of the kingdom at the beginning of his reign (1 – 3). That is followed by offering sacrifices mixed with prayers in Gibeon, as a way to sanctify the kingdom through seeking the help and blessing from the Lord (4). Appearing to Solomon, and asking what He shall give him 5 – 8), Solomon did not ask for riches, but chose wisdom to be able to reign on his people (9, 10). God granted him what he asked for, and what he did not ask (11 -15); and to demonstrate his exalted spirit of wisdom, he issues a just verdict before the whole people (16 – 28). Gibeon was where the tabernacle of the meeting and the bronze altar were located at that time (1 Chronicles 21: 29); about 10 miles north-west of Jerusalem, although the ark of the covenant was in Jerusalem (15). 1- Solomon marries an Egyptian princess 1 - 3 2- The Lord appears to Solomon 4 - 7 3- Solomon chooses wisdom, and not riches 8 - 15 4- A demonstration of the exalted wisdom of Solomon 16 – 28 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 1- SOLOMON MARRIES AN EGYPTIAN ORINCESS: (1 – 3) Having his kingdom well-established, Solomon did not waste time to make a treaty with the Pharaoh king of Egypt, the most prominent military power at the time, which he did by his marriage to his daughter, who, has apparently accepted the worship of the living God. Feeling the growth of the power of Israel, Egypt, in its turn, welcomed such an arrangement, for, on the political aspect, that marriage gave stability to the two countries. According to some scholars, Solomon was wrong not to heed God’s commandment, saying, “Take heed to yourself, lest you take of his daughters (of the inhabitant of the land) for your sons, and their daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods” (Exodus 34: 16); “Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods, so the anger of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly” (Deuteronomy 7: 3, 4). And when Nehemiah took upon himself to reform the ways of those who returned from captivity, he came against those who got married to women from Ashdod, Amon, and Moab (Nehemiah 13: 23, 24), because of whom they have lost even their ability to talk Hebrew as they should. To them he said: “Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet, among nations there was no king like him, who was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel. Nevertheless pagan women caused even him to sin. Should we then hear of your doing all this great evil, transgressing against our God by marrying pagan women?” (Nehemiah 13: 26, 27). Yet, marriage to an Egyptian woman was not against the law, which banned marriage to Canaanite women (Exodus 34: 16; Deuteronomy 7: 3); while permitting marriage to a captive woman in war (Deuteronomy 21: 10 etc.). But to https://coptic-treasures.com/ do it according to the law, the bride was committed to deny the idols and to enter into faith of Jehovah, something which the daughter of Pharaoh has obviously done; on account of that we find Solomon, himself, in the early years of his reign, deny the idols; And that we hear nothing of the infiltration of any Egyptian paganism into Israel in the days of Solomon. That Egyptian wife was actually separated from all the other foreign wives who have drawn Solomon to their gods (11: 1) That politically motivated marriage was done by Solomon to concentrate his effort upon building the temple of the Lord, his own palace, the walls of Jerusalem, and the rest of his projects. “Now Solomon made a treaty with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and married Pharaoh’s daughter; then he brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house, and the house of the Lord, and the wall all around Jerusalem” (1) The Historian Josephus was wrong in writing that that king of Egypt was the last to carry the title of ‘Pharaoh’. The daughter of Pharaoh came to the city of David, Jerusalem, before the building of the temple of the Lord was finished in the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign (1 kings 6: 1; 37 – 38). The city of David was set upon the eastern mountain, namely, the true Zion, where the temple was loter built. Solomon built his Egyptian wife a house of her own, as it is said, “Now Solomon brought the Pharaoh’s daughter up from the city of David to the home which he had built for her, for he said, ‘my wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places to which the ark of the Lord has come are holy” (2 Chronicles 8: 11). https://coptic-treasures.com/ “Meanwhile the people sacrificed at the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the Lord until those days” (2) The high places: According to the divine commandment presented by God to the prophet Moses, before their entrance into the promised land: “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods on the high mountains and on the hills, and under every green tree …You shall not worship the Lord your God with such things. But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes to put His name for His habitation; and there you shall go. There, you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks” (Deuteronomy 12: 2 – 7). The commandment came, not to offer their sacrifices except at the door of the tabernacle (Leviticus 17: 3-5); Was it therefore, a sin on the people to offer them on the high places? According to some, those commandments were to prepare the people to practice the concentrated worship at a specific location (the temple of Solomon) when it is built; And consequently, it was not counted as sin, to practice the collective worship, and to offer the sacrifices anywhere before that temple was built; as proved by the worship of Jehovah on the high places, after the days of the judges (Judges 6: 25; 13: 16; 1 Samuel 7: 10; 13: 9; 14: 35; 16: 5; 1 Chronicles 21: 26), with no feelings of remorse on the part of those who offered them. * The fathers Patriarchs, the prophets, the judges, and the kings, have offered sacrifices on the high places, up to the days of Solomon, on account of that the temple was not yet built. * According to some, the term, ‘high places’ does not mean a high mountain or hill, but it means every location on which sacrifices were offered https://coptic-treasures.com/ * Solomon offered 1000 burnt offerings on the great high place (4), where God appeared to him, to ask what he shall give him; without showing that He was offended by that action. * Abraham, the father of fathers set altars on the high places (Genesis 12: 8; 22: 2). * What preoccupied David’s mind was to practice worship before the ark of the covenant, that was not yet settled down at a specific place, without being bound to a specific mountain or hill. “And Solomon loved the Lord walking in the statutes of his father David; except that he sacrificed and burned incense at the high places” (3) Solomon was called ‘Jedidiah’ (2 Samuel 12: 24), namely, (the Lord’s beloved). Now we see him pay the Lord’s love back with love; for he loved the Lord dearly; and translated that love by walking in the statutes of the Lord, the way his father David did, and charged him to do (1 kings2: 2-3; 1 Chronicles 28: 9-10). Despite Solomon’s great love for God, yet he erred by offering sacrifices and burning incense at the high places, banned by the law, on account of that the pagan worship was connected to high places (Leviticus 17: 3 – 14; Deuteronomy 12: 13 – 14; Ezekiel 6: 3 – 4; Hosea 10: 8). Confessing that he is a young man of little experience, and the responsibilities of reigning are too great and formidable; Solomon sought from the Lord to grant him an obedient heart and wisdom, to be able to lead the people of God; and to discern between what is good, and what is evil. + If David – God’s friend, and Solomon – God’s beloved, were overcome by sin like all men, their falls are meant to warn us, and their repentance https://coptic-treasures.com/ leads us to salvation. For, who, in such a deceptive life can confirm his immunity to falling into sin?! (St. Jerome) 2- THE LORD APPEARS TO SOLOMON: (4 – 7) “Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on the altar” (4) As God presented much to Solomon, Solomon paid Him back a little from that much, namely, a thousand burnt offerings. Some may wonder: was that not a waste of the animal resources?! Would it not be more prudent to offer those sacrifices to the poor?! This may be, according to the human material logic, that may considers even a prayer a waste of time, and the offerings a waste of animal resources. They do not perceive the value of mutual love between God and man, which could never be valued in money or time! Offering 1000 burnt offerings on one altar in a single day, carries many meanings: * The figure 1000 refers to spiritual and heavenly issues; it refers to offering the sacrifice of the spiritual heart, which walks in the heavenlies. * Burning all this number in one day, refers to the work of God, “the Consuming fire”, He who dwells upon us, as a personal altar, to devour by His fire our offerings of love, accepted with pleasure by Him. * If the burnt offering refers to the heart, wholly enflamed by the fire of love; such a great number of sacrifices refers to God’s thirst for our continuous love. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Solomon presented those animal sacrifices, and the priests slaughtered and offered them on one altar (1 kings 8: 5); a task that would take several days; on account of that each burnt offering has to be completely consumed by fire, which, according to the law, would never be quenched, but burns day and night. Gibeon: A city on a hill, that had its fame by the presence of the old tabernacle of the meeting, including the bronze altar, made by the prophet Moses in the wilderness (1 Chronicles 16: 39; 21: 29; 2 Chronicles 1: 3-6); moved from ‘Nob’, and set on that high place. That hill, with an elevation of 500 – 600 feet, the highest point in the region, is about one mile far from Gibeon. “At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; And God said, ‘Ask, What shall I give you?!’” (5 We would expect that Solomon, being a young man, to gather some statesmen around him, and start the ordinance of affairs. But Solomon put God ahead of everything else; and set forth to the altar of the Lord in Gibeon to spend days and nights worshipping God, offering sacrifices, and asking Him with zeal to grant him the divine wisdom, That is why Solomon was worthy of seeing the Lord in a dream. In Gibeon, where the high place, the tabernacle of the meeting and the bronze altar were located (2 Chronicles 1: 3), Solomon offered a multitude of sacrifices, the Lord appeared to him. God longs to appear to everyone; and, on His part, He is ready to proclaim His presence to His believers; Yet, on our part, if we have to give God the priority in our life, and not be preoccupied with our daily worries; We have, first, to ascend, as though to Gibeon, to spend days and nights with Him; For then, shall find Him come down to us, to transfigure in our hearts, to talk to us; and to proclaim to us His amazing generosity, and His longing to grant us Himself. https://coptic-treasures.com/ Let us ascend by the Holy Spirit of God up to the spiritual ‘Gibeon’, so that our hearts be lifted up to heaven, and that the mire of this world would not be able to blind our eyes, and keep us from beholding Him, He who condescends to transfigure before them. On the high places of ‘Gibeon’, we offer precious burnt offerings in the sight of God. As our Christ has offered Himself a sacrifice of love to reconcile us to His heavenly Father, we would have the privilege to offer our life “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service” (Roman 12: 1). We long to have our whole being enflamed by the divine fire, as though on a divine altar, to become a sacrifice of love, rejoicing to the heavenly creatures. Having our hearts preoccupied all day long with the exalted love of God, wherever we are, when our hearts are lifted up in ‘Gibeon’, God will appear to us in a dream. In the tranquility of the night God looks down on the believing heart to sanctify it by His divine righteousness; so that the believer would say together with the prophet David: “Let Your eyes look at the things that are upright. You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me, and have found nothing; I have proposed that my mouth shall not transgress” (Psalm 17: 2, 3). In the tranquility of the night, while man’s senses are silenced, God would appear to the mind to talk to it. Presenting to us his living experience, (Mar) Isaac says: [Silence your tongue, to let your heart talk; And silence your heart, to let God talk]. God appeared twice to Solomon in a dream … And according to St. Gregory bishop of Nyssa about the different kinds of dreams, he says that our body members and our brain are like a musical string instrument, on which, during the day, the mind plays a magnificent harmonious symphony. Going to sleep, this instrument would not be able to produce any sound, unless the memories of the https://coptic-treasures.com/ day come back to present themselves to the mind while sleeping, as a dream, the way the strings keep on producing a gentle echo, directly after the hand of the musician stops touching them. God said: “Ask, What shall I give you?” (5). … If Solomon, all day long, was preoccupied with prayers and offering sacrifices, seeking wisdom from God, Why does God say to him, “Ask, What shall I give you?”. .All day long, Solomon presented his empty vessels to the Lord to fill them with the heavenly oil; and here, asking him just before giving him, is to confirm his free will to enjoy what his heart asks. That is why the Lord Christ said to His disciples: “until now you have asked nothing in My name; Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be full” (John 16: 24). ; And St. John the apostle says: “Now, this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to his will He will hear us” (1 John 5: 14). Nothing preoccupies the minds of the children of God, whose hearts are enflamed with the divine love, like the enjoyment of beholding God. Moses the prophet in the Old Covenant started his ministry by beholding God through the burning bush; and kept seeing God practically through His dealing with him on a daily basis in his personal life, and in his ministry among the people. He enjoyed the divine glory that reflected upon his face to make it shine. Moses enjoyed encountering God on Mount Sinai. Yet his final request was “Shoe me Your face”; a request that was fulfilled to him in a magnificent way after about 2000 years, when he and Elijah appeared to behold the Lord Christ transfigure on Mount Tabor, and to speak to Him. Solomon the sage enjoyed beholding the Lord twice: after being enthroned a king, and when he dedicated the temple. The thirst of the true believer to behold God in every possible way, will therefore not cease until he encounter His heavenly beloved, face to face; an encounter https://coptic-treasures.com/ that will not only happen in the life to come, but is an extension of the life actually lived every day by the believer. St. Erinaos discerns between three kinds of vision, each of which is, however, included in the other two: a- The prophetic vision through the Holy Spirit. Like the vision received by Moses the prophet on the rock, as a reference to seeing God through the incarnation (the rock of His human coming); a symbolic vision, in which the real face of God is only seen through a sacramental way . When Moses the prophet requested a more clear vision, it was fulfilled to him when the Lord transfigured to him together with the prophet Elijah on Mount Tabor. b- The vision of adoption through the incarnated Son. c- The vision of the Father in the kingdom of God, in the life to come; namely, the eschatological vision. “And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You. You have continued this great kindness for him, and you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day’” (6). Asked by the Lord what He will give him, Solomon started by giving Him thanks upon His gifts to his father, counting what God gave to Solomon as a divine gift, as being given to David his father, of the upright heart. Solomon inherited from his father the mouth blessing God for His gifts; he who said: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who has given one to sit on my throne this day while my eyes https://coptic-treasures.com/ see it” (1 kings 1: 48). In his veins runs the blessing of the Lord on His gifts; to bless Him, not only by day, but even in his dreams by night, to say, together with his father David, “I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons” (Psalm 16: 7) With great reverence Solomon talked to God about his father, who walked in His ways, saying, “He walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You”. He talked with a heart flowing with thanksgiving to God who showed His great mercy to His servant David. That is how it is befitting of us to thank and praise God for the sake of His dealings with our fathers and mothers and all the past generations. “Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant a king instead of my father David; but I am a little child, I do not know how to go or come in” (7) After blessing God for the sake of His gifts to his father David, by setting his son a king; With great humility he proclaimed that he, as a little child, does not know how to go or to come in without help; he is like an infant training to walk, in need of someone to hold his hand to lead him. He counted himself a child with no understanding nor experience; he, whom his father called him wise (1 kings 2: 9). 3- SOLOMON CHOOSES WISDOM, AND NOT RICHES: (15-18) “And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (8-9) https://coptic-treasures.com/ Solomon did not say ‘my people’, but “Your people”; for he is not the real king, bur His representative, an ambassador of the King of kings, who works in the midst of the people of God, not his own people. If the Lord has chosen that people and that king; it is the Lord who works and cares for the people, and is worshipped by him whom he has chosen, who is in need of understanding and wisdom to minister to the people of his Master. He perceived that “the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverb 2: 6); and according to the words of the apostle, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1: 7). God is the Fountain of every wisdom, knowledge, and understanding; and the true wise are just channels through which God flows His wisdom and understanding over many. As according to St. John Chrysostom: [The divine wisdom is a shield to the men of God who walk with uprightness, a help for them to get conquest. For, as we hold fast to, and keep wisdom, it holds fast and keeps us as well], And, according to St. Clement of Alexandria, [Those who are justified by philosophy, knowledge will lead them to godliness as a helper]. Solomon did not seek wisdom in general to boast with it on others, but to minister to the people of his Master with the spirit of godliness, and to judge among them with the spirit of faithfulness. The king in the old times used to act as a judge among the people, particularly in the major issues. + The true faith and the sound teaching, proclaim that both graces are from God; as according to the Holy Book: “From His mouth come knowledge and understanding”; and, “Love is of God” (1 John 4: 7). + “The Lord gives wisdom; and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2: 6). From Him men get the longing, itself, for understanding, melded with godliness. https://coptic-treasures.com/ (St. Augustine) “And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon has asked for this” (10) Solomon’s request, that came in a dream, revealed what was in the depths of his heart of the spirit of thanksgiving to God, the reverence to his father, the humility, and the desire to minister to the people of God with faithfulness and wisdom. God was pleased with what Solomon carried of holy will; as well as with his offerings coming from the purity of his heart, and with his prayers, supplications, day and even by night in his dreams. Solomon’s wisdom, who has got the gift of a wise heart, was shown in: * He asked God to grant him the understanding heart by which he could reign unto the people of God (3: 9).. * He bore an inner insight with the spirit of discernment (3: 16-28). * He surpassed all other wise men (4: 29-31). * He uttered 3000 proverbs (4: 32); 1005 songs (4: 32), among which are the two psalms 72 and 127. … Many people came to him from all over the world to hear his wisdom, like the queen of Sheba (10: 1-9). … Many of the proverbs of Israel, Etheopia, and Arabia, have their origin with Solomon the sage. * With wisdom he stood before the temple (6, 5). * With wisdom he raised the prayer of dedication (8: 22-53). * By the proclamation of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the books of proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of songs. * He proved to have an understanding in many scientific fields, like Botany, Zoology, and Ichthyology (4: 33; Proverbs 30: 24-31; Ecclesiastes 2: https://coptic-treasures.com/ 4-6). * He issued an incredible judgment in a case between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of an infant (3: 16-28). But his wisdom was however smeared by:: * The exaggerated luxurious way of life (32; 4: 22; 10: 21) * His marriage to foreign heathen women (11: 1, 2; Nehemiah 13: 23-26). * His exaggerated sensitivity (11: 3). * His deflection to idol-worship (11: 4-10). * He used to do what seemed right in his own eyes (11: 33). * His oppression of the people (12: 4). “Then God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies; but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, Behold I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you” (11-12) Because Solomon asked for himself understanding to discern justice; namely, asked for the practical wisdom, through which he can practice the life befitting of a believer, God granted him the practical and mental wisdom, so that there has not been anyone like him, nor shall any like him arise after him; until the time comes when He who is greater than Solomon Will come (Matthew 12: 42; Luke 11: 31). + Solomon got his authority, not by a lot, nor by force, but by the Holy Spirit of God. … https://coptic-treasures.com/ “To know wisdom and instruction” (Proverb 1: 2). Those who easily know the true heavenly knowledge, will also get to learn the secrets of the Word; “To perceive the words of understanding: (Proverbs 1: 2). For things uttered in a vague language by the Holy Spirit, will be perceptible for those who have upright hearts by the Lord. (St. Hypolitus) “And I have also given you what you have not asked; both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days” (13) Asking the kingdom and righteousness of God, We shall get, as well, all the temporal blessings, material things, and true honor (Matthew 6: 33). Asking from God His exalted heavenly grace; He will grant us, beside it, all our temporal needs. For enjoying the divine grace, all the earthly goods will be for our good; whereas without it, those goods will enslave our souls. “So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes, and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen Your days” (14) God promised to lengthen his days if he walked in His ways, kept His statutes and commandments, as His father David did; But having failed to fulfill that promise, he consequently died about 59 or 60 years .of age. Having asked the right thing, you can see how fast Solomon has got his wish. This teaches us to pray: with zeal, and for the right thing. https://coptic-treasures.com/ “And Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream; and he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants” (15). After consummating the spiritual service in Gibeon, in the tabernacle of the meeting, Solomon set forth to the other center of worship in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, where there was the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6: 13), There he set a great feast together with peace offerings. In Gibeon all the sacrifices had to be completely burnt as a sign of dedicating the whole heart to God. But concerning the peace offerings, portions of the meet of the sacrifice were given to the Levites, https://coptic-treasures.com/ the strangers, the fatherless and the widows (Deuteronomy 1: 29), a sign of the bond to the practical church life, to the giving, and to the care for the needy, Solomon awoke, and it was indeed a dream from God, in which he enjoyed a divine proclamation, or a divine appearance. He awoke exultant by the Spirit, having seen the Lord, and having got in touch with His love and compassion. And wishing for all the people to partake of his inner joy, he set for them a great spiritual feast. The living leader is he who enjoys joy in the Lord, and make his brethren partake of his joy. Solomon started practicing judgment with the wise heart granted to him by God; by which he got the fear of his people, a reflection of the glory promised to him by God. 4- A DEMONSTRATION OF THE EXALTED WISDOM OF SOLOMON: (16 - 28) “Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. And one woman said, ‘O my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened, the third day after I had given birth that this woman also gave birth. And we were together, there was no one with us in the house, except the two of us in the house’” (16, 18). “’And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was dead. But when I had examined him https://coptic-treasures.com/ in the morning , indeed he was not my son, whom I had borne’. Then the other woman said, ‘No, but the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son’. And the first woman said, ‘No, but the dead one is your son and the living one is my son’. Thus they spoke before the king” (19 - 22) All the people were waiting to hear what Solomon would rule, probably expecting him to cast a lot to know who the true mother was. “And the king said, ‘The one says this is my son who lives, and your son is the dead one; and the other says, No, But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one’. Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword. So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, ‘Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and the other half to the other”. Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son, and she said, O my lord, Give her the living child, and by no means kill him’; But the other said,’ Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him’. So the king answered and said, ‘Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him, she is his mother’. (23 - 27). When the king ordered to divide the living child, many who were there were probably disturbed within themselves, and counted the king’s order strange, and even unwise, for it entails killing a guiltless child; And they probably wondered in their depths, ‘Is this the wisdom of the new king, the one chosen by God? Is this the wisdom he received from God when He appeared to him in a dream? … In the law it came: “If one man’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies; then they shall sell the live ox and divide the money from it, and the dead ox they shall also divide” (Exodus 21: 35). If that concern an ox, how could the king order dividing a https://coptic-treasures.com/ living child to die, and neither women will get him?! Yet, proclaiming his final verdict after knowing the true mother, all perceived his wisdom, and that, “the hearts of the kings are unsearchable” (Proverbs 25: 3). The heart of the true mother, yearning with compassion for her son, asked the king to give her own son to the other woman rather than seeing him killed. It is as though she says: I would rather see her have him than to see him dead; She had hope, eventually, to enjoy him; as it is written, “There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to their own border” (Jeremiah 31: 17). ‘And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered, and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice’” (28) According to St. Ambrose, It is the right of the Lord Christ alone, the true Joshua, to divide the promised land among the tribes; the true Solomon alone, who divides the Word by the sword of the Spirit, saying: [The right to divide concerns the Lord alone; and expresses this by the terms: the Word, namely, by the spiritual sword of the true Solomon]. According to St. Ambrose, the true Solomon chose the church for which He bore true love, by the Spirit of discernment; And that the woman whose son is living is St. Mary whose soul is pierced by the sword of God. Presenting to us a fatherly interpretation of the episode of Solomon the sage and the two women, Father Caesarius bishop of Arle says: [Now, if you optionally choose to listen, I intend to present to your ears what the saintly fathers said in this concern: https://coptic-treasures.com/ The woman who cried out to let the child live, refers the (catholic church); and the other evil woman who cried out to have him divided, refers to the Arian heresy. The (catholic church) is like a very godly mother, who cries out before all heretics, saying: [Do not make Christ less than the Father; Do not divide His unity; Do not divide the One God into diverse levels, and different forms. Keep Him whole with you. If you wish to have peace, Do not divide His unity. If you have the whole, everything will remain yours. Great is the wholeness of His might; When all possess Him whole; and everyone possesses Him as well. The evil heresy cries out, ‘No, Divide Him’ (26). What does “Divide Him” mean, but that the Son is not equal to the Father? Taking the equality of the Son and the Father away, is to deny that the Father is good and wholly mighty. If God the Father is capable of giving birth to the Son like Him, and did not intend to do that, He, therefore, is not Good; And If He intends to do that, and could not, He, therefore, is not Mighty. Be sure, brethren, that no one among the Arians can answer this fact; but, once they find themselves caught in a corner by the true logic, they resort, like a slippery serpent to some kind of distorted words. Be put to shame, O violent and evil Arian heresy. You are all evil, for not being a mother! You demand dividing the newly born, whom you have not begotten. Your heart has become cruel]. ------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 Kings 3 GRANT ME YOURSELF, O WISDOM OF GOD https://coptic-treasures.com/ + In Gibeon, Solomon sacrificed to You 1000 burnt offerings; Grant me to present to You my life, an unceasing burnt offering; Appear to me as You did to Solomon; Who, in humility, felt like a little child; Who is in need for Your heavenly wisdom to reign on Your people; What should I ask, but to acquire You, O Wisdom of God?! + By You, I can reign on the people in my heart; By You. I can judge with wisdom; By You I can discern between good and evil; I have nothing more to seek but to acquire You; By You, O Wisdom of God, I can live and have progress in everything. + By Your wisdom, Solomon knew how to give the infant to his true mother; He could discern between the true and the false mother; Grant me the Spirit of discernment, to recognize the church, the true mother; To recognize the one with the spirit of truth, from that with the spirit of deception.
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