What is the meaning of 1 Kings 3:20? So she got up in the middle of the night - Darkness is the ally of sin; by choosing night, the woman thinks she can hide what she is about to do (John 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:7). - Scripture often places decisive, even destructive, moments in the night (Genesis 3:8; Exodus 12:29), reminding us that apart from God’s light, human hearts scheme in secrecy. - The verse opens with a deliberate, premeditated act, highlighting the depth of her desperation and the reality that sin is never an accident but a choice (James 1:14-15). and took my son from my side while I was asleep. - Sleep is ordinarily God’s gift (Psalm 127:2), yet here it becomes the mother’s vulnerability; her guard is down, and evil seizes the moment (Matthew 13:25). - The theft of the child violates “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) and “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17). - The action underscores how sin preys on innocence and trust, foreshadowing Solomon’s need to expose hidden motives (Hebrews 4:13). She laid him in her bosom - The bosom is the place of warmth, nurture, and intimate bond (Isaiah 40:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:7). By placing the living child there, the woman attempts to cloak herself in a mother’s tenderness she no longer possesses. - This counterfeit affection pictures the broader human tendency to mimic righteousness while lacking its reality (2 Timothy 3:5). - It also prepares the stage for Solomon’s test: true maternal love cannot be faked when the child’s life is on the line (1 Kings 3:26). and put her dead son at my bosom. - The switch is both cruel and symbolic: a lifeless child occupies the place designed for life, mirroring Romans 1:25—exchanging truth for a lie. - The mother awakens to death against her heart, a jarring picture of how sin’s wages break into peace without warning (Romans 6:23). - In God’s providence, this dark act becomes the catalyst for displaying the king’s God-given wisdom (1 Kings 3:9-12), proving that the Lord can turn evil schemes into platforms for truth. summary 1 Kings 3:20 portrays deliberate deception carried out under cover of night, exposing the lengths to which sin will go to satisfy selfish desire. The verse contrasts counterfeit motherhood with genuine maternal love and sets up the moment where Solomon’s wisdom—and God’s justice—will bring truth to light. |
    |