The saga continues and the drama intensifies as the people of God who clamored for a King so they could be like the other nations around them got what they asked for—human rulers with all their human frailties. We saw what happened to Saul as ultimately an evil spirit came upon him and the Spirit of the Lord left him. We witnessed what David did to violate the trust that had been placed in him as a man after God’s own heart. But perhaps there is hope when one of David’s sons steps up to be his successor as king. The logical choice was the eldest surviving son Adonijah, who was described as being “very handsome” like his father David. He had the support of both the military and the priests. Without David knowing it, he put himself forward to be the next king until David’s wife Bathsheba joined forces with Nathan the prophet to remind David that her son Solomon was to be his successor.
2 Samuel 23 records what the historian calls the last words of King David before he gave the charge to his son and successor Solomon:
1 These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel’s singer of songs: 2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.’” (2 Samuel 23:1–4)
Could Solomon be that kind of king who would rule in righteousness and the fear of the Lord? Could he be that bright, shining light in the face of the darkness and in the midst of the storm? The capacity for godly leadership was certainly there and there were some encouraging signs from the early days of his reign.
There’s this Divine encounter recorded in 1 Kings 3
5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” . . . 9 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?” 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:5, 9–14)
He asked for wisdom and he was granted wisdom, along with riches and honor and the prospects of a long life. You may recall how with his gift of wisdom he rightly discerned which of two mothers was the mother of a baby who died and which was the mother of the baby who lived. 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice. (1 Kings 3:28)
In this summative statement we get a glimpse of the spiritual and intellectual stature of Solomon as the proverbial “Renaissance Man” long before the Renaissance:
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any other man, . . . And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. 33 He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. 34 Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:29–34) WOW! What a tremendous testament to Israel’s king.
Much of his wisdom is recorded in the book of Proverbs in which he instructs his son with the lessons of life. Here is how this collection of wise sayings is introduced:
1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:1–7)
But it is another book attributed to Solomon’s authorship that demonstrates how he continued to wrestle with God in spite of his great wisdom, his numerous blessings and his many successes.
Solomon spent his life searching for meaning.
Here is how the book begins:
1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-2)
And here is how the book ends:
8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 12:8)
Everything in between is Solomon’s quest for the meaning of life. To be sure, Ecclesiastes is not affirming or celebrating the meaninglessness of life. As John Stott observed in a sermon on this text, it is affirming that if you are a secular humanist or an atheist, then it is likely that life has no meaning for you. It is affirming that life lived without God has no significance, no purpose, no value. Why? Because only God can give meaning to life. That doesn’t keep Solomon from seeking for meaning elsewhere.
This wise, judicious, and discerning leader concluded that wisdom is meaningless.
16 I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. 18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. (Ecclesiastes 1:16–18)
Many people believe that knowledge is the answer to mankind’s dilemma. With more education, more knowledge and more wisdom, we will be able to solve all our problems and meet our deepest needs. The Humanist Manifesto II (written in 1973) proclaimed that “Reason and intelligence are the most effective instruments that humankind possesses … critical intelligence, infused by a sense of caring, is the best method that humanity has for resolving problems.” It draws the conclusion that “No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.” But have we solved the world’s brokenness by education and more learning?
Solomon is not disparaging education and learning but he is saying that any attempt to find meaning in reason alone is “chasing after the wind.” One commentator noted that the term ‘striving’ may actually be related to the Hebrew verb that means ‘to pasture, shepherd’. In other words, trying to find meaning in reason alone is as futile as trying to shepherd the wind! It is like trying to herd cats! So, if wisdom is not the answer to the eternal questions of life, what else is there to try?
This hardworking, industrious, successful king concluded that work is meaningless.
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:3)
10 . . . My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 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)
I am sure you know people who pour themselves into their work and that is all there is to their lives; it is what defines them. Perhaps some of us are trying to find meaning and significance through our work. John Currid tells about his conversation with an African student who was puzzled by how Americans greet each other when they first meet. The first question Americans often ask each other is, ‘what do you do for a living?’ When he asked him what his countrymen say to one another at a first meeting. His answer was startling: ‘Are you a Christian?’ Fulfillment is not found in our work. This is also like “chasing after the wind.”
This self-proclaimed hedonist who sought pleasure in all the wrong places concluded that wining and dining and chasing women is meaningless.
1 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. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 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. . . . 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. (Ecclesiastes 2:1–3, 10)
You may remember this fact from Solomon’s reign as king:
1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. (1 Kings 11:1–4)
Our pursuit of pleasure may not be that extreme but the lesson that many of us still need to learn is that pleasure may provide a measure of immediate gratification but brings no long-lasting satisfaction and fulfillment of purpose. Pleasure seeking does not result in finding the meaning to life; it does not satisfy the soul or bring true contentment.
Again Solomon is not saying that there is anything wrong with pleasure, enjoying life, and laughter. He declares that there is ‘a time to laugh … and a time to dance’. What he is saying is that when you try to find the meaning of life through hedonistic means it is futile; it is a fleeting, unfulfilling thing.
This wealthy entrepreneur concluded that even wealth is meaningless.
Here is what Solomon said,
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
Solomon would have been the premiere, featured guest on “The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9 describe the riches and fame of Solomon when the Queen of Sheba came to seek his counsel. We see glimpses of his wealth in such statements as these:
And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. (1 Kings 10:10)
14 The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents, 15 not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the land. (1 Kings 10:14–15)
He had hundreds of shields made of gold to be placed in the palace he built along with a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with gold. He had a fleet of trading ships, 1400 hundred chariots, 12,000 horses imported from Egypt and all the resources to build the temple.
All King Solomon’s goblets were gold, and all the household articles in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. Nothing was made of silver, because silver was considered of little value in Solomon’s days. (1 Kings 10:21)
King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth. (1 Kings 10:23)
He was filthy rich but all that he had could not satisfy. Like the rich king Solomon, when the multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller was asked, ‘How much money is enough?’ he replied, ‘Just a little bit more.’ That is the corrupting, controlling power of wealth.
So, after all his wrestling with God, after all that he tried, what is the last word?
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14)
After all is said and done, we must revere God (fear God) and obey him; that is the whole duty of man. We must love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. At the end when we face judgment, for those who know Christ (the Living Word and True Wisdom), there is great hope and eternal promise; for the unbeliever, there is no hope. So choose wisely and life faithfully.