Imagine sitting in the front row of a Ted Talk where one of the world’s most respected, powerful, wealthy, and famous people was sharing an hour-long talk about life and wisdom. He then astonishes you and the audience by saying that much of his life was wasted; he was chasing the wind. He refers to the futility of it all and expresses sorrow for his vanities. He pleads with you to take an entirely different path. We just described the theme of a book in the Bible, Ecclesiastes, written by Solomon, a King, son of King David.
The Queen of Sheba Is Impressed!
In another book of the Bible we learn that it started off far better for Solomon. God favored him and granted him wisdom. He was respected, powerful, rich, and famous. Here is a fun snippet (from 1 Kings 10) that provides us with insight. “Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions; there was nothing hidden from the king that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.” (1 Kings 10)
Wait, 700 Wives? 300 Concubines?
So far, so good. But then the “wheels came off”. He took 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of whom led him into idolatry, "The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command." (1 Kings11:9-10). So God punished Solomon by raising adversaries and causing grief for Solomon for the remainder of his life. (1 Kings 11:14-15), and causing the kingdom to be divided under Rehoboam, Solomon’s son (1 Kings 12). If you are challenged by temptation (and aren't we all?), check out these scriptures with audio.
If this story sounds a bit “Shakespearean,” it’s because Shakespeare's writings were heavily influenced by the Bible (in particular, the wisdom books, Ecclesiastes, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and Song of Solomon). The book of Ecclesiastes takes less than an hour to read, so let's challenge each other to read or re-read it. In it, Solomon, the man who “had it all,” laments that life apart from God is purposeless, without direction, and all is vanity. Solomon sums it up by telling us that if we put God first, things go well, but things will go very poorly if we don’t do that. (Ecclesiastes 8:10-13).
Dog Catches Car
Consider if 100 years is represented by the period at the end of this sentence. James 4:14; “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” Now, imagine eternity, the most extended time you can imagine multiplied by trillions, then more trillions, then more trillions, only to realize that the math is finite and eternity is longer; it never ends. Solomon, and indeed the Bible as a whole, is not just admonishing us about how things can go for us during this vapor of a lifetime, but for eternity. Heaven is real. Hell is real.
The dog may catch up with the car, but eventually, one hopes, the dog realizes that there is grave danger in the pursuit and that it's futile; there's no pay-off. What are we chasing after? Solomon unequivocally tells us to make God the highest pursuit of our hearts, souls, and minds before it's too late.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the instruction and wisdom in your Word. Forgive me for not having my heart, soul, and mind set on you. Help me to pursue you and all things worthy and to avoid that which is sinful and wrong. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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