Good morning. It is Thursday so that means it is the day for thinking about a chosen bible character. For today, I would like to have us consider a son of King David, Solomon.
We think of erosion as the washing away of soil, but I would say that erosion happens in life as well. Slowly, silently, character is swept away one grain of sand at a time. From a distance we may not be able to see that anything is going on, but when we draw near, we may see a surging washout of integrity and morality. I think that this describes Solomon.
Solomon was born with great opportunity and benefits. He was blessed with a keen mind, creative and bright, and with other quality abilities as well. If we could think of him as a river, he was powerful and well directed. Then passions became a flood, breaking over the banks in a destructive rush of immorality and idolatry.
Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba. Not from their first, sinful, union. Later, when the weeping was done and life had returned to a king’s version of “normal,” Solomon was born. His mother raised him with the throne in mind. He was trained to be king, and on the king’s death bed his father David anointed him to follow himself as the king of Israel. Jesus would later speak of Solomon’s glory (Matthew 6:29) and of his greatness and wisdom (Matthew 12:42). But his life was not always worthy of praise.
He got off to a wonderful beginning. In 1 Kings 3:5 God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks him what he desires. Solomon, in 1 Kings 3:7-9 gives a godly answer: “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am like a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” This answer pleased God and his desire was fulfilled.
Solomon became known throughout the world for his intellect and wisdom. Kings, queens, and dignitaries from everywhere would come to his court to listen to him. They would ask questions from every subject imaginable and Solomon was able to give them answers.
With such incredible wisdom and knowledge, it seems natural that Solomon would make excellent decisions regarding the business and politics of his kingdom. He became wealthy on a level that can scarcely be imagined. He was known as the commerce agent for the known world, conducting business and trade far and wide, always making certain that Israel, and the king, made great profits.
With such growing wealth came the growth of power. Solomon expanded the kingdom and its influence. He made treaties with foreign kings that caused great commerce and kept the peace. He had it all, or so it seemed.
The odd thing is this: as we read his words from the book of Ecclesiastes, we come to understand that he was not a happy man. In fact, Solomon was down-right miserable. He was said to have over 700 wives and 300 concubines. He used marriage as a way of “sealing the deal” with various contracts and treaties. It would appear that none of these relationships brought him joy.
It was Solomon who had the first, great temple of the Lord constructed. It was also Solomon who later had various idolatrous worship structures built throughout the kingdom. It was Solomon who became known as a sorcerer, soothsayer, and self-proclaimed exorcist.
Solomon had it all, and he had nothing, all at the same time. Those are his words, not mine. As we consider the life of king Solomon, we are left to wonder how someone so wise could be so stupid. As he searched his spirit he always seemed to feel as though everything he had was never enough. And this was true.
What we learn from Solomon is that joy is not found in having 1,000 wives, it is found in being blessed in a single, wonderful relationship. We learn that having more wealth than anyone in the world doesn’t mean much when none of it makes you feel good about yourself. We learn that even when a person is blessed with incredible opportunity there is great danger when that person becomes conceited and self-serving.
As we read the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, we get a hint that Solomon may have figured some things out. It seems that he had begun to understand that it is only when they are right with God that it can be true that a person is right with the world.
We may find ourselves daydreaming from time to time about what it would be like to have even a portion of the worldly wealth that Solomon had. But we need to read and understand the whole story. His life is a testament to the truth that it isn’t about how much you have, but rather how greatly you love and are loved.
God bless you with true riches, the love that flows from his heart.
Vern