The clever maternity test that rescued an abducted baby
Nearly 300,000 paternity tests are performed annually in the United States to determine a child’s biological father, but did you hear about the time a clever maternity test was used to identify an abducted baby’s real mother?
King Solomon lived and reigned 3,000 years ago. He was the third and last king of the united kingdom of Israel, after King Saul and King David. And he was renowned for his tremendous wisdom.
“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man …” (1 Kings 4:29-31).
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Solomon’s wisdom was on full display one day when two women stood before him and presented their dilemma. And in order to figure out which woman was lying, and which woman was telling the truth, the king employed a clever maternity test.
“One of them said, ‘My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us. During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. So, she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. The next morning, I got up to nurse my son — and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.' The other woman said, ‘No!’ The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.’ But the first one insisted, ‘No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.’ And so they argued before the king” (1 Kings 3:17-22).
Do you have any idea what you would have done in that situation if you were the king? Solomon knew exactly what to do.
“The king said, ‘This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’ Then the king said, ‘Bring me a sword.’ So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: ‘Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.’ The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, ‘Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!’ But the other said, ‘Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!’ Then the king gave his ruling: ‘Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.’ 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 (1 Kings 3:23-28).
Child abductions are satanic in nature. Jesus revealed these facts about the devil: “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The mother who lied to the king was guilty of a devilish and atrocious crime.
Sadly, such crimes continue to be prevalent in our world today. The movie “Sound of Freedom” is raising awareness about the abomination of child sex trafficking, as it tells the incredible true story of a former government agent who embarks on a dangerous mission to rescue hundreds of children from sex traffickers. What would possess a person to kidnap children and sell them as sex slaves? It is a nightmare straight out of the pit of Hell.
Like the woman who lied to King Solomon, human nature is capable of sinking into almost unimaginable levels of depravity. Abortion providers, like child abductors, surrender their soul to the devil in an effort to enrich themselves. And it doesn’t require the wisdom of Solomon to understand that the devil’s work is exactly opposite of what Christ produces in the hearts and lives of his followers.
Jesus loves children, as do those who follow the Savior. Satan hates children, as do those who become possessed with his evil intentions. Love or hatred. You are free to choose one or the other as you go about your daily life. The ultimate source of love and tender care is God, and the ultimate source of hate, child trafficking and abortion is the devil.
“God is love” (1 John 4:16). “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). If you would like to have your heart overflowing with the love of Christ, you will need to talk to him every day, if not every hour, once he becomes your Savior and your friend. He will drive hatred from your soul if you confess your sins to Him and rely upon him continually to cleanse your heart.
Even King Solomon, in all of his wisdom, went on to make some very big mistakes in his life. You see, he didn’t always apply the wisdom God had given him.
What about you? Have you allowed Scripture to make you wise for salvation? (2 Timothy 3:15). And are you applying God’s wisdom in your daily life? “The wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Does that description sound like your life today? If not, you can talk to the Lord about it right now.
If we lack compassion for children, including the unborn, we resemble the pretender who lied to King Solomon and cared only for herself. What about you? What lies, if any, are you telling yourself, and what lies, if any, are you telling King Jesus?
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Papillion, Nebraska.
