by: Russell McLaughlin

Solving the Problem!

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Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:5 (NKJV)

            A man in the Middle East died and left his 17 camels to be divided between his three sons.  The oldest was to get ½ of the camels, the middle son was to receive 1/3, and youngest was to get 1/9 of the camels.  But 17 was such a difficult number that they could not decide how to divide the camels fairly. 

            After much debate they agreed to consult a wise man in their village.  His suggestion was a surprising approach to the problem.  The wise man offered to help by temporarily giving the boys one of his camels. This brought the total to 18 camels and suddenly the solution became obvious and easy.  The first son got ½ of the total, which was 9 camels.  The second son got 1/3 of the 18, which was 6.  The youngest son received 1/9 of the 18, which is 2 camels.

            Add it up yourself, 9+6+2=17.  But, of course, the 18th camel was left after the dividing.  That was no problem, because that was the wise man’s camel, and it was only on loan anyway.  So, he took it back, and the problem was solved!

            Isn’t that an interesting story?  It serves to remind us that some solutions are beyond the facts that we are considering.

            The next time your life gets problematic, messy, or confusing, don’t try all the solutions you can think of and then conclude there is no answer.  Instead look to God for wisdom by praying and studying His word for solutions (James 1:5-8; John 8:31-32, 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:15-17).  It just might be that God can add something you have either forgotten or never knew.