1 Kings 3.1-28 tells us about the marriage of Solomon to Pharaoh’s daughter. It is said that Psa 45 was written on this occasion. It goes on to tell us about his love and obedience to the Torah and his prayer for wisdom. This wisdom will be demonstrated in the case of the two harlots. The daughter of Pharaoh was not Solomon’s first wife. His first wife is Naamah the Ammonitess, who he married before he became king. Rehoboam was born of her, and he succeeded Solomon (1 Kings 11.43). Marrying royalty was common because it could avoid hostility between the two nations.
However, Solomon has multiple wives and this would cause issues in Solomon’s life, and later Nehemiah was angry because the people of Israel intermarried with pagan nations, following Solomon’s bad example (Neh 13.25-27. These wives of Solomon also ruined his spiritual life (1 Kings 11.1-4), which started out so strong in our verses in 1 Kings 3.3-15). It was not forbidden to marry a foreign woman in the Torah, but she must convert to the God of Israel and gives up idolatry and paganism. Solomon brought her to Jerusalem, also not forbidden in the Torah, but he should not have done that and it was unwise. These foreign wives would turn his heart away from Yehovah (1 Kings 11.4).
Now, the people were still sacrificing at the “bamot” (high places) because there was no Temple at this time. Altars were allowed at this time because the Ark had no permanent house and it was not at the Mishkan. As long as these altars were unto Yehovah and not idolatrous they were allowed. Once the Temple was built, however, this practice was no longer allowed. In the Mishnah, Zevachim 14.4-8, it says, “Before the Tabernacle was set up, the high places (bamot) were permitted and the Altar service was fulfilled by the first born. But after the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were forbidden, and the Altar service was fulfilled by the priests; the Most Holy Things (Kodshai Kodashim) were consumed within the curtains, and the Lesser Holy Things (Kodshai Kelim) throughout the camp of Israel.”
“After they came to Gilgal the high places were again permitted; the Most Holy Things could be eaten only within the curtains but the Lesser Holy Things in any place. After the came to Shiloh the high places were forbidden. There was no roof beam there, but below was a house of stone and above were hangings, and this was the resting place. The Most Holy Things were consumed within the curtains, and the Lesser Holy Things and the Second Tithe in any place within sight of Shiloh. After they came to Nob and to Gibeon the high places were permitted; the Most Holy Things were consumed within the curtains and the Lesser Holy Things throughout the cities of Israel. After they came to Jerusalem the high places were forbidden and never again permitted; and this was the inheritance. The Most Holy Things were consumed within the curtains and the Lesser Holy Things and the Second Tithe within the wall of Jerusalem.”
Solomon loved the Lord and followed the Torah and he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, other than the one in Gibeon and the Mishkan. This is something David never did. Solomon went to Gibeon in 1 Kings 3.4 to sacrifice there because that was the “great altar.” That was where the Mishkan was and he offered a thousand burnt offerings (Korban Olah) on that altar.
In Gibeon, Yehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream. He asked Solomon to ask him for anything. Solomon had full use of his reasoning mind under this divine impression. He was in a spiritual state of mind and in God’s mercy. Yehovah is really talking to him. God was going to work something into Solomon. Believers read this and say, “I wish I had a dream with promises like this” but we do have promises like this (Matt 7.7; John 15.7; 1 John 5.14). We have several important concepts in this exchange.
Solomon says his father “walked before you in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward you.” We have gone over David’s life and we know all about his failings and imperfections. Solomon could say this because David lived by “emunah” (faith, confidence) and not by a system of works righteousness. God looks at our desire to keep the Torah by faith, not in our ability to keep every point of it. Solomon also says he was “but a little child” meaning in knowledge and understanding of the Lord. This should be our attitude, no matter what we think we know. He says he does not know “how to go out or to come in.” This is a shepherd term meaning he did not know how to “govern and manage a flock of sheep (people).”
So, in essence, he asking for understanding, which in Hebrew here is the word “Shama” meaning “to hear or to have discernment.” He wants a heart to speak and to judge according to the truth and righteousness found in the Torah. The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request of “Shama” so he said he would make Solomon like no other before him, or after him. However, Solomon must walk in the Torah “as your father David walked.” You see, Yehovah saw that David was an imperfect man with many grievous sins, but he said David walked in the Torah by faith (emunah), and Solomon said he has seen this (3.6). So Solomon awoke and it was a dream, but it was a prophetic dream. He will soon find out he possessed the discernment and wisdom he asked for.
In 1 Kings 3. 16-28 we have the story of two women who were “harlots.” The word “zonot” could also mean “innkeepers.” This story is also prophetic. One woman is a type of a believer with faith, and the other woman an unbelieving apostate. As we see in the story, both live in the same house (household of God/faith) and they stood before the king (Matt 7.15-23). It happened that on the third day (Hos 6.1-3- alluding to the third day when Yeshua returns) one gave birth, and the other gave birth and were together. There was no stranger with them in the house (no guests in the inn), so there were no witnesses.
She goes on to say that “this woman’s son died (Yeshua was rejected and killed by Israel) in the night (darkness/no understanding) because “she lay on it.” Then she says this other woman came in and “took my son from beside me (alludes to replacement theology where the “Yeshua of the Scriptures” is replaced by the “Jesus” of replacement theology apostate Christianity and they try to make him “theirs”) and laid him next to her. Then she arose to nurse her child and realized the dead son was in her bosom. When she looked at him, she realized it was not her son. Then the other woman spoke up and said, “No! For the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” Believers in Yeshua by faith argue that the Messiah (Yeshua) is theirs, and unbelievers say the Messiah is theirs (Jesus).
Then Solomon requested a sword. This “sword” alludes to the Word of God in the Scriptures (Heb 4.12-13; Eph 6.12). The “sword” is a sharp mind in the Torah, exposing the true intentions of the heart. David did the same thing in 2 Sam 19.29. Solomon said, “Divide (what the word does in Heb 4.12) the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” This was done to try their affections. Then the woman whose child was living spoke to Solomon and said she was upset and did not want the living child killed. But the other woman said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours: divide it (notice she says “it” and not “him?” This shows distance in affection and that the child was not hers). The Solomon said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is the mother.”
Yeshua gives us a clue as to who the “real mother” of Messiah is in Luke 8.21. He said, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the Word of God and do it (obey the Torah).” This carries the concept of “hear and obey.” We have the same situation today. There is a “son” that “two mothers” argue over. There are those who have true faith and follow the Torah of the true mother Israel (Rev 12.17), and those who follow a “lawless” (“anomos” in Greek meaning “no Torah”) mother of a religion called Replacement Theology Christianity (Rev 17.1-5) and other religions. In order to know who he is we must examine the Yeshua (the living son) being presented, and the “Jesus” (the dead son) being presented. What do we use to examine this question? We use the the Scriptures, but we must have wisdom, insight, discernment, knowledge and understanding to know who the true “mother” is. This chapter gives us a glimpse of Solomon’s ability to judge the people (3.12).
We will pick up here in Part 4.
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