A Real Mother Stands Up

I Kings records that Solomon, king of Israel, whom God had blessed with great wisdom, was presented with a dilemma early in his reign. He was called upon to judge a dispute between two harlots, both claiming to be the mother of the same living baby. Using the wisdom granted to him by God, Solomon devised a way to determine who the true mother was.

A real mother loves her child and will sacrifice anything so that her child might live. In the text beginning in verses 24 and 25, we see the wisdom of King Solomon on display as he determines a way to identify the true mother of the living child. It almost resembles a reality show: Will the Real Mother Please Stand Up? I Kings 3:24–25 states:

“[24] And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. [25] And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”

Solomon was ingenious. By offering each woman half of the living child, he knew that the true mother would reveal herself. A real mother’s love for her child would not allow harm to come to that child, regardless of the consequences. Even if she never saw the child again, she would rather another woman raise the child than see the child die.

Real love is displayed when the true mother responds in I Kings 3:26:

“Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.”

The true mother’s willingness to surrender her child so the child could live reflects the sacrificial nature of genuine love. In many ways, it mirrors the love God demonstrated toward humanity through Jesus Christ.

Real motherhood is not defined merely by biology, but by:

• Loving her child unconditionally

• Sacrificing everything for their child

• Suffering for the betterment of their child

Let All The Real Mothers Stand Up for Their Children!!