Scripture:

1 Kings 3:16-27

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 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.19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 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. 21 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.” 22 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. 23 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.’”24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” 26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love 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!” 27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother. 

"Something Has to Die"

Today, we have a strange but powerful story about two women, well, two prostitutes who come before Solomon with a problem. It seems that one of their babies had died in the night, had been suffocated accidentally, and they are before Solomon, who is now the wisest man who ever lived, and they plead their case. However, the thing I want to highlight is the mother of the baby, her response: vv 26: 

The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” 

She was willing to give up her baby rather than see him die, willing to lose him anyway so that he could live.  Love is sacrificial. When you really love someone or something, you will make sacrifices for that love.   

Jesus said in (Matthew 16:25) if we want to save our lives, we must die. Another peculiar statement, but fitting for this portion today.   To live things in us must die, old nature, old habits, even sometimes our wants, our needs, so that we can truly live.   I believe this story demonstrates this sacrificial love, one that puts others before itself, that dies to itself, so that the object of its love can live.  That is what God did in Christ, loved us so much He became our sacrifice. 

To live, we must learn to die, to die to our old self, to die to selfishness so that we can truly live in Christ. This is what I would say is our God shot: that we should live sacrificially, love that way too. 

Lord, give us a heart after you, after your Kingdom, let us live as you lived and love as you loved, sacrificially, let us value others, let us value life, not waste it. Let us love with all that is within us, be willing to let go of what doesn't belong and cling to what does, in Jesus' name, Amen!