I chose mine after reading a post by JWN user Solomon, so added King to the front. In KS, I could think of no other character from the OT who, while praised for his wisdom, actually reflects the horrific brutality that was prevalent in that culture.
Think of it: what would happen to a modern-day Judge who decided a child-custody issue by threatening to cut the child in half? He'd be removed from the bench, and likely charged with threatening murder of a child, and intentionally inflicting emotional distress upon the women (well, the mother).
Worse is, the women seemingly BELIEVED he WOULD cut the child in half, as if that was not an unusual event, but standard procedure in the Hebrew judicial system.
Just goes to show: people are willing to overlook horrific brutality, as long as it's in a book they've been told is the pinnacle of morality, fairness, justice, and wisdom.
