The Wisest Man Ever, And He Still Tried It
Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba, and he ruled the kingdom after his father David. Did you know that Solomon was the wisest person to ever live? He met with God early in his life, and was blessed like no one before him.
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. I Kings 4:29
The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart. I Kings 10:24
People from far and wide came to see King Solomon, and to hear his wisdom. Not only did Solomon receive unsurpassed wisdom, but he also received riches and honor. Did you also know that these things weren’t enough for Solomon? As is the case with the human heart, or the deception by the enemy, Solomon wanted more, and determined to go after more.
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:12-14
Solomon made the decision to leave what he already had, and go after “more”. He was a judge over the people because of his great wisdom, and he heard about right and wrong all of the time, but that wasn’t enough. Solomon wanted to see it for himself.
All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. Ecclesiastes 1:7-8
Solomon made a tragic decision by turning away from the Lord, and going after all the world had to offer him. God’s Word tells us that being a friend with the world, is equal to being God’s enemy. Why? The world doesn’t tell us who we are. The world does not define us as individuals, and actually cannot meet our deepest needs. We weren’t made to worship what the world has, but were made to be the individuals that God created us to be. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon tells us what he found out when he turned away from the Lord, and took a crash course in sin.
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:3
I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. Ecclesiastes 2:1-3
Solomon put the world to the test, and when he had aged, he looked back over his life and found out that he did a lot of “meaningless” stuff. He heard about it, he judged it, and then he tried it out for himself. Solomon departed from the foundation that he had established, and took up residence on a foundation that could crumble at any moment. Solomon’s heart was divided, he allowed it to be so, and he went after what ultimately would not satisfy.
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11
Solomon found out the hard way what being a friend to the world was all about, and the consequences that came right along with it. He looked back over his life and declared over, and over again that everything was vanity, and meaningless. He had God, he had everything he needed, but he desired more. It’s pure rebellion when we shake our fists in the face of God, by turning away from all that He has done for us, and instead making ourselves the top priority, and deciding that our ways are the ways to go, no matter what.
So after years of living in sin, and fulfilling the desires of the flesh, Solomon came upon this deduction: A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
Solomon figured it out. He came back to his original foundation, even though he decided to learn the hard way. Can we really enjoy a life free from vanity, but full of lasting meaning, and joy? We can through Jesus Christ. He came and made the way for us, and told us that all we had to do was ask.
“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” John 16:24
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24
“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” John 12:46
———-> Let us always remember what we do have, and cultivate hearts that are undivided. Let us remain committed to our hope, that is in Jesus Christ alone, and look back over lives where He was at the center. Let us resist the lure of the world, the lies of the enemy, and the desires of the flesh in all situations, and let us find everlasting joy in Christ alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The Wisest Man Ever, And He Still Tried It by Dave Earley
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