Character Needed - Bible Sketches 12

CHARACTER NEEDED – BIBLE SKETCHES

Character Needed, by Robert Allen, published by Regular Baptist Press, includes 33 skits illustrating the truths of each of the verses in Proverbs 15.  These Character Needed – Bible Sketches are designed to accompany those contemporary plays, illustrating the same character traits by use of a Bible story.  

CHARACTER NEEDED

THE WISDOM TEST

Proverbs 15:12

I Kings 3:16-28

Character Trait:  Respect

Cast of Characters

                                    Narrator

                                    Herald

                                    King Solomon

                                    First Woman

                                    Second Woman

                                    Guard

NARRATOR:             The ram’s horn trumpets blared to prepare the way for King Solomon.  White-robed priests led the procession down the carpeted aisle to the golden throne.  Carved, crouching lions lay on either side of the steps leading up to the great chair in which he would sit.  Crowds of people pushed and shoved to get a better view.  Everyone knew what a great test King Solomon would face that day.  God had just given him tremendous wisdom in answer to his prayer, and now that wisdom was going to be tested.

HERALD:                  Ladies and Gentlemen!  Long live King Solomon!

SOLOMON:               Today we have gathered to hear a very strange and unusual case.  I want to make it clear from the beginning that it is not the wisdom of Solomon that will be deciding this matter.  Your king has no wisdom except that which is given to him by God.  I have just returned from the tabernacle in Gibeon where God appeared unto me and granted my desire—to have the wisdom to rule well this people over whom He has made me king.  It is that wisdom which will be tested this day.  Let the women be called.

NARRATOR:             As the king sat down on his throne, wrapped in a jeweled, purple robe, two women stepped out from the crowd.  They were plain women, poorly clad, and one of them carried a baby.

SOLOMON:               All right.  We want to hear the truth today.  Please explain as best you can what this argument is all about.  You may begin.

FIRST WOMAN:       Yes sir, your majesty.  Well, you see, this woman and I live in the same house and we each had a baby.  She had a baby and I had a baby.  And while we were sleeping the other night, during the night, her baby died.  She woke up and found her baby dead, while I was still sleeping.  So she took her dead baby and put it in bed with me, and stole my baby who was still alive.  You can imagine how terrible I felt in the morning when I woke up and found a dead baby.  But then I looked again, and it wasn’t my baby at all.  That’s my baby.  The one she is carrying.

SOLOMON:               Is there anyone else around who can identify the children?

FIRST WOMAN:       No, your majesty.  Just the two of us live in the house.  The two of us and my baby.

SECOND WOMAN: That’s not fair.

SOLOMON:               All right, lady.  You may tell your story now.

SECOND WOMAN: It wasn’t that way at all.  I didn’t wake up during the night.  We both woke up the next morning and her baby was dead.  This is my baby, and you can’t take him away from me.

FIRST WOMAN:       No, it’s my baby.  Yours is the dead one.

SECOND WOMAN: No!  This baby is mine.

FIRST WOMAN:       You’re lying.  He’s my baby.

SECOND WOMAN: He’s mine!

FIRST WOMAN:       No, he’s mine.  My son is alive and your son is dead.

SECOND WOMAN: That’s false.  Your’s is dead, and mine is alive.

SOLOMON:               Quiet!  Quiet, now!  Be quiet and let me think.  You both say that you were the only ones in the house.

FIRST WOMAN:       Yes sir.

SECOND WOMAN: Yes, your majesty.

SOLOMON:               Then there is no way to tell which of you is lying.  There are not any witnesses to be called.  So there is only one possible way to bring justice in this matter.  Guard?

GUARD:                    Yes, your majesty.

SOLOMON:               Bring me your sword.

GUARD:                    Yes, sir.

SOLOMON:               Now, bring the baby up here in front of the throne.

NARRATOR:             The woman who was carrying the small baby stepped up to King Solomon, confident that he was going to tell her the baby was hers.

SOLOMON:               Guard, take the sword and cut the baby in two pieces.  Give one to each of the women.  If they can’t decide who the baby belongs to, then we will give each of them half of the child.

NARRATOR:             As the guard raised his sword it grew absolutely quiet in the great hall.  No one could believe that the king would actually tell the guard to cut the child in half, but that was exactly what they had heard him say.  Higher and higher the guard lifted the sword, until suddenly…

FIRST WOMAN:       Oh, my lord, the king.  Please don’t kill the child.  Let her have the baby.  Give her the living child, but please don’t kill it.

SECOND WOMAN: Oh, no you don’t.  Go ahead and divide it.  That’s what you said you would do.

NARRATOR:             With a single motion of his hand, King  Solomon stopped the guard from bringing down the sword.  Then, very gently, he stooped and picked up the baby in his arms, and carried him to the woman who had pleaded with him not to kill the child.

SOLOMON:               It is now obvious to all of us which of these women has the heart of a mother.  Because you would rather have lost your child to this woman than to have her killed, you, my good lady, have proven that you are the mother.  Here is your child.  And now, my good people, let us give thanks to God for His wisdom.  For it is the wisdom of God which has passed the test this day.