The Listening Heart
King Solomon’s Gift and Judgment
RUBY CARMEN retells the biblical story of King Solomon, who asked God for a listening heart and became known for his exceptional wisdom.
Many centuries ago, in the ancient kingdom of the Israelites, there lived King Solomon, the beloved son of King David and Queen Bathsheba. When Solomon was born, Nathan the prophet blessed him with the special name “Jedidiah,” meaning “Beloved of the Lord.”
As King David’s life drew to a close, he called his son to him. Holding Solomon’s hands, he spoke softly and with urgency, “Listen to me, my son! My time to leave this world has come. Be strong, be brave, be courageous, and be devoted to the Lord completely. Remember to walk with the Lord every moment of your life, with all your heart and all your soul. The Lord will lead you and your people to peace and prosperity.”
After King David’s death, Solomon became King. King Solomon and his royal advisors went to offer prayers in the city of Gibeon. In prayer, being both humble and sincere of heart, Solomon sought divine guidance as to how he could best rule his people and the land. That night, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and said to him, “My child, ask me for whatever your heart desires.” In the presence of the Divine, Solomon was deeply moved and felt spiritually uplifted. He knew that the Divine had appeared before him for a greater, higher purpose and responded to the Lord with special attention.
In an attitude of humility, Solomon spoke, “O Lord, I am blessed to receive your love and generosity. Your divine grace was showered on my Father until his last moments, and now you have chosen me to sit on the throne and rule over your people. How may I fulfill this task when I am nothing but an inexperienced and immature child? How can I meet the needs of my people and solve their problems?” King Solomon recognized that only the Lord has the ability to realize the needs of every soul.
Humbly, Solomon voiced his heart’s desire to the Divine: “O Lord, give me a listening heart so that I may follow your path, so that I may serve you and humanity. May I have the ability to hear the real voice, which is found in the depths of the heart—the real voice, that small still voice that tries to make itself heard but often cannot because of the noise and clutter of the mind.”
On hearing Solomon’s words, the Lord was pleased. “You could have asked me for riches, for more land, for fame and glory, for a long life, for victory over your enemies, but you did not. You asked me for a listening heart. With great joy, I grant you this wish: a listening heart, a heart that seeks wisdom and knowledge that may know right from wrong.” The Lord continued, “You have asked for a listening heart, not for yourself but so that you can serve me and do my work. Solomon, you will be the wisest among men! Never before was there a human being as wise as you, and never will there be anyone to compare to you. The people will remember you for years to come.”
“O Lord, give me a listening heart so that I may follow your path,
so that I may serve you and humanity.
May I have the ability to hear the real voice,
which is found in the depths of the heart—
the real voice, that small still voice that tries to make itself heard
but often cannot because of the noise and clutter of the mind.”
The divine gift soon revealed its power. One day in the royal court, the King was approached by two mothers seeking justice. Each held a baby in her arms—one alive, the other dead. The first woman addressed the King, “Your Majesty! May I speak? We live in the same house. We were alone when I gave birth to my child.” With tears pouring down her face, she continued, “Three days after my baby was born, at midnight, this woman (pointing at the other) gave birth to her child. When I awoke the next morning, she told me that my baby had died in his sleep and that her baby was healthy.” She went on, “Seeing the baby in my bed had died, I was brokenhearted. Then I looked closely at the face of the baby and realized it was not mine! The child she is holding in her arms is mine. She must have taken my baby from me in my sleep, and now I have this dead child.”
King Solomon looked closely at the other woman with piercing, questioning eyes. The second woman spoke, denying what the first woman had said and claiming that the opposite was true. She declared that the first woman was, in fact, a liar, that she was simply trying to take her baby from her. There stood in the royal court two mothers, both in tears, each calling the other a liar. With no witnesses and no evidence, how could the King determine who the real mother was? It seemed to be an impossible task.
The King called on his guard for a sword, announcing to all in the royal court, “There is only one child and two mothers. How can I give a child to one mother and then deny the other?” Summoning his guard, in a sad and solemn voice, he gave the order, “Cut the living boy in half now, and give one half to the first woman and the other to the second!” Almost immediately, as the guard took the baby boy to carry out the order, the first woman cried out, “Please, please, stop! Do not kill this child! I confess! The child is not mine, please let him live and be with his natural mother!”
The other woman stood unmoved as if she were made of stone and said, “Your Majesty, your judgment is correct. Cut the child in two, if I cannot have the child, then she cannot have the child either!”
The wise King stood up from his throne and swiftly made his way towards the guard holding the baby. Solomon roared, “Put the sword down now! By Divine Grace, I have heard the voice of the true mother!” In the royal court, there was a stunned silence at the King’s announcement. King Solomon spoke surely, “No mother would ever agree to have her child killed and cut in two. A mother’s love is a selfless love. The first woman was willing to give up her child so that he could live. She is the real mother!” The King declared. Let the child be given back to her!” The first woman, the real mother, was joyfully reunited with her baby.
Ruby Carmen
