Proverbs 18:17 – The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.
When Solomon first became king, one of the first issues he dealt with was deciding between a baby, two mothers, and which one was the biological mother. Long story short, one mother accidentally rolled over while sleeping, suffocating her child. She then proceeded to swap her dead baby for the other baby while the other mother was asleep. The next day, they were both claiming to be the biological mother of the living baby, and they presented their cases to Solomon. As a wise man, Solomon thoughtfully and carefully examined both cases to decide who was the real mother. (1 Kings 3:16-28).
I’m sure as Solomon listened to the first woman she seemed very compelling—don’t we all? I’m sure she spoke with lots of emotion and as the new age saying goes “spoke her truth”. However, as a wise man, Solomon took the time to hear both of them out. And as people who are called to live in integrity and truth, God commands the same of us.
When it comes to deciding on the truth, it shouldn’t matter if someone is related to you, your best friend, or a close colleague. God is not in the business of taking sides, God is the CEO of truth. While the world talks about standing on business, Jesus stands on truth—because He is the truth (John 14:6).
Maybe you’re a leader within your church attempting to help resolve a conflict; make sure to consider both sides. Maybe your friend has accused another friend of something and they’re coming to you to vent. Love them well, but be sure to receive both sides of the story before making accusations; you don’t have all the facts. Maybe you’re a couple battling a difficult season of conflict—make sure you seek godly counseling together. This allows you to share your concerns, but also allowing the other person to fill in the gaps from their perspective. This enables the counselor to have a clearer picture of the underlying issues at hand to seek reconciliation.
Scripture reminds us that it’s extremely foolish to make accusations or choose sides before hearing all the facts—so let’s not be foolish!
Proverbs 18:13 – Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. (NLT)
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