IT IS TRUE that the bible says Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. God granted him his wish for this: “I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” (1 Kings 3:12) More often than not, when Solomon’s character is brought up in discussion, so too is the fact that this ‘wisest man’ had serious character flaws. We can examine those from a human perspective, but better from God’s perspective. Solomon was led by his foreign wives into worshiping false gods. “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.” (1 Kings 11:9)
Does this mean that we can discount much of Solomon’s wisdom, or must we take into account that wise Solomon, like you and me, was only human, and subject to pleasing others at personal expense? Furthermore, what form of wisdom did God grant him; was it all-inclusive or specific?
What Solomon asked of God, specifically, was for wisdom for governance. “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” (1 Kings 4:9) From the Hebrew text rather than a translation, we find that ‘wise,’ in this case is an adjective that means *“subtle, skilled in administration, learned, prudent ethically and morally”; ‘discerning’ (from the Hebrew ‘niphal’ tense) a verb that means **“to be discerning, intelligent, discreet, have understanding.” Both of these are applied to ‘heart’ (the object influenced), which is complex, but for our purposes might best mean “understanding” or “perceiving.” And this wisdom he applied admirably in the extreme. “Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the East… of Egypt… than anyone else. From all nations people came to listen.” (1 Kings 4:30, 34)
What do we conclude from this at this point? Perhaps this: Solomon was really good at his job, but not so much in the complexities of his personal life. This feels familiar to us. We find some disturbing parallels with our own lives. If Solomon’s life exhibits such flaws, perhaps we should turn away from his wisdom. Or, maybe, there’s something else we can learn from his examples, good and not so good.
Solomon’s greatest failure was that ‘his heart had turned away from the Lord.’ He “did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.” (1 Kings 11:6) Scripture says that in David, “the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart.” (1 Sam. 13:14, c.f. Acts 13:22) God granted Solomon a heart of wisdom; God found in David a man with a heart predisposed to his own, “fully devoted to the LORD his God.” (1 Kings 11:3) There is a vast difference between the hearts of these two men. David’s heart was formed in personal struggles far different than Solomon’s, and he was devoted to the LORD before receiving the material possessions he enjoyed later in life. Solomon was raised in the rarified privilege of the courts of the king’s palace. This does not mean he didn’t also have his struggles, but they were of a different nature, and for a different time and purpose of God’s favor extended to his nation than that of David.
Both men had their moral failures, it seems from scripture that David’s were more egregious. But David was also more repentant than Solomon, who’s meditations seem more philosophical than intensely personal. David cries out, “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” (Psa. 51:17) Solomon, old and near death, more analytically states, “here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” (Ecc. 12:13)
The Book of Ecclesiastes opens with Solomon’s grinding lament, which then continues through all 12 chapters: “’Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” (Ecc. 1:2) This sounds much to us like the nihilism that permeates our world culture in our own time. Is there anything we can learn from Solomon, who seems to have ended up as a spiritual burn-out?
Consider another aspect of wisdom, one that comes from living through the ups and downs of life here on earth. After the salutation and introduction, the next verse questions: “What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?” (Ecc. 1:3).
What do you and I gain from our labors? We will never be in positions of great power. We are ordinary people, struggling to make meaning out of life as we work at our daily jobs and are held in tension in our various relationships. Here’s something to consider from Solomon’s long requiem, something that may lift us above the weight of dirge. But only if it is applied to living. Bridging chapters 5 and 6 is a comparison and contrast of worldview that gives us pause for thought.
First this: “when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.” (Ecc. 5:19-20)
Second, consider: “God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.” (Ecc. 6:2)
It is no mistake that the translators of the canon of scripture break the chapters at this point, for the point made is dialectically keen. It is even more intense at the level of philosophy, which is Solomon’s ever-present tone. But it is profound at the level of faith and obedience, specifically at the point of trust in the relationship between each one of us in relationship to God. God is sovereign, he permits, he provides. But there is an approach to understanding human life and its challenges in which we play a pivotal part. ‘They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.’
This glad contentment within boundaried circumstances is rare. It was not Solomon’s way, he only observed it. But it is possible that it can be our way. What say you?
Q. What is my heart-condition towards God?
*Strong’s 2450
**Strong’s 995
Leave a Reply