Sunday, August 18 ~ Become imitators of God, as beloved children.​—Eph. 5:1.

[GrumpysWife]

Sunday, August 18

Become imitators of God, as beloved children.—Eph. 5:1.

 

Humans were made in God’s image. Accordingly, because Jehovah is compassionate, interest in others’ well-being is rooted in human nature. Even those who do not know the true God often show compassion. (Gen. 1:27) We find many accounts in the Bible where a sense of compassion shines through. Recall the account of the two prostitutes who argued before Solomon over which one of them was the actual mother of a child. When Solomon put them to the test by ordering that the baby be cut in half, the real mother’s compassion was stirred. That moved her to act, even at the cost of giving the child up to the other woman. (1 Ki. 3:23-27) Or recall Pharaoh’s daughter who saved baby Moses’ life. Though she realized that the infant she had found was a child of the Hebrews and should not be kept alive, “she felt compassion for him” and decided to raise the child as her own.—Ex. 2:5, 6. w17.09 8-9 ¶2-3

[Bek]

When I read this text this morning, I immediately thought of several questions.  Was prostitution legal in Israel under Solomon? Why were prostitutes not put to death for immorality? Why were they even allowed to come before the king himself to resolve a dispute over an out of wedlock child?