THINKER'S ALMANAC - December 4

Subject:  Wisdom - Solomon’s Judgment

Event:   The Byrds song “Turn, Turn, Turn” hits number one, 1965

On this day in 1965, a song with lyrics written by an ancient king of Israel became a number one hit.  The song was “Turn, Turn, Turn,” by the folk-rock group the Byrds. 

The song’s music was written by the American folk singer Pete Seeger in 1961.  Seeger said that he had just gotten a letter from his music publisher, saying that he was having trouble selling Seeger’s protest songs.  Frustrated and angry, Seeger took out a Bible, turned to some verses in the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes, and improvised a melody; within fifteen minutes he had a demo of the song that he sent off to his publisher.  The publisher loved the song and quickly sold it to the folk group the Limelighters, who recorded a version featuring the banjo.  The song did not become a hit, however, until the Byrds recorded their own arrangement, featuring their unique folk-rock style.

Of course, the writer of the song’s lyrics was not alive to see the song’s success, nor did he earn any royalties.  The writer was, however, royal.  He was King Solomon, the king of Israel, who built the First Temple in Jerusalem in the ninth century B.C. Solomon was known in his life for his massive wealth, but also for his prodigious wisdom.

The classic tale used to illustrate Solomon’s perspicacious judgment is found in Old Testament, I Kings 3:16-28:

Two women came before King Solomon, desiring his judgment on a vital personal matter.  The two women lived in the same house and each gave birth to a baby boy within days of each other.  The first woman explained to Solomon that the second woman’s baby had died in the night, three nights after it was born.  The first woman further claimed that the second woman crept into her room at night and exchanged her dead child for her living baby. Upon hearing the first woman’s story, the second woman countered, saying that the living child was hers, that the first woman was making up the story, and that it was actually her baby who died.

After hearing the conflicting testimonies of the two women, Solomon pondered how to tell which one of the women was lying and how to determine the child’s true maternity.

Next, Solomon issued an order to his courtiers:  “Bring me a sword.  Divide the child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”

Upon hearing this, the first woman begged the king not to kill the child and to instead give the baby to the second woman. The second woman approved of Solomon’s solution, saying, “Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.”

King Solomon now issued his final judgment, awarding custody to the first woman, saying, “Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.” 

Solomon’s judgment in this case clearly showed his wisdom and insight.  After hearing the pleas of the first woman to spare the child’s life, he knew she must be the true mother.  This was then confirmed by the second woman’s cold acceptance of the plan to slice the baby in two.  Obviously, this case was decided long before DNA testing, but as Solomon revealed, his psychological insight was as good as, and much quicker than, any DNA test.

Challenge - Counterintuitive Solutions:  Solomon’s decision to slice the baby in two was clearly a counterintuitive approach to solving the problem; nevertheless, in hindsight, we can see its wisdom.  Common sense is important, but it’s also important to see the sense in thinking that does not necessarily fit the mold.  What is another example of a situation in which counterintuitive thinking made sense?  Do some research and find a case that illustrates how pure logical thinking is not always the place to begin when problem-solving. 

Sources:

(1). 1-”Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season”) Songfacts.com