Solomon's request

As a kid, I have always heard about Solomon. How he prayed to God that He would give him wisdom above everything. And how it was pleasing to God. And Solomon is the wisest man we have known from Bible.

As I am growing in Lord, I am now really wondering if Solomon asked for the best thing!! Looking at the life of David, I some times wonder if Solomon should have asked for a heart that will seek the Lord. What Solomon asked for was a wise and discerning mind. He did get what he asked for. But discernment alone did not give him what was needed to apply wisdom when needed most.

I have given a gist of what I am thinking. I will go with the flow. What are your thoughts on this?

As a note, this is my favorite Christian forum. I am seeing lack of new topics. I will try to post a few Biblical topics to discuss. I hope every one can join!
 
As a kid, I have always heard about Solomon. How he prayed to God that He would give him wisdom above everything. And how it was pleasing to God. And Solomon is the wisest man we have known from Bible.

As I am growing in Lord, I am now really wondering if Solomon asked for the best thing!! Looking at the life of David, I some times wonder if Solomon should have asked for a heart that will seek the Lord. What Solomon asked for was a wise and discerning mind. He did get what he asked for. But discernment alone did not give him what was needed to apply wisdom when needed most.

I have given a gist of what I am thinking. I will go with the flow. What are your thoughts on this?

As a note, this is my favorite Christian forum. I am seeing lack of new topics. I will try to post a few Biblical topics to discuss. I hope every one can join!
Solomon let the riches he was given cloud wisdom as well as the women that he married.
 
As a kid, I have always heard about Solomon. How he prayed to God that He would give him wisdom above everything. And how it was pleasing to God. And Solomon is the wisest man we have known from Bible.

As I am growing in Lord, I am now really wondering if Solomon asked for the best thing!! Looking at the life of David, I some times wonder if Solomon should have asked for a heart that will seek the Lord. What Solomon asked for was a wise and discerning mind. He did get what he asked for. But discernment alone did not give him what was needed to apply wisdom when needed most.

I have given a gist of what I am thinking. I will go with the flow. What are your thoughts on this?

As a note, this is my favorite Christian forum. I am seeing lack of new topics. I will try to post a few Biblical topics to discuss. I hope every one can join!
Proverbs ch8 is a good study when discussing wisdom. Solomon was as you observed gifted with wisdom above others, but with any gift comes responsibility. The responsibility to use the gift as intended. I'd say Solomon exchanged his gift of wisdom for the curse of foolishness.
Not to speak ill of one whom Jesus held up as sort of example but I am reminded of how greatness can corrupt one.
Eze 28:12. "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
Eze 28:13. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared.
Eze 28:14. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
Eze 28:15. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.
Eze 28:16. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
This has little to do with Solomon except that he became unrighteous through his excessive pride.
I'm not suggesting that Solomon was a little satan, just seeing a parallel in the slide from greatness.
Maybe that is why Jesus taught
Mat 23:10. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.
Mat 23:11. The greatest among you shall be your servant.
Mat 23:12. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

I might get tarred and feathered by some for this:( Ohh well.
 
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As a kid, I have always heard about Solomon. How he prayed to God that He would give him wisdom above everything. And how it was pleasing to God. And Solomon is the wisest man we have known from Bible.

As I am growing in Lord, I am now really wondering if Solomon asked for the best thing!! Looking at the life of David, I some times wonder if Solomon should have asked for a heart that will seek the Lord. What Solomon asked for was a wise and discerning mind. He did get what he asked for. But discernment alone did not give him what was needed to apply wisdom when needed most.

I have given a gist of what I am thinking. I will go with the flow. What are your thoughts on this?

You certainly have something there... Whenever you look at quotes in the bible pertaining to Solomon - Especially those of Jesus.... You will notice that he is always slightly disparaged... He seems to be the reference point for something that people hold in high esteem - but didn't meet the mark....

For example...

Luke 12:27 "Consider the lilies, how do they grow? They labor not, nor do they spin, and I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these;"
 
David and Solomon.

Psalms of David and Proverbs of Solomon.

A humble heart and wisdom.

What’s my point, am not sure : ) we need both or maybe I that I prefer the Psalm verse over the Proverb verse....

Psalm 32:1-2King James Version (KJV)
32 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.


Proverbs 1:7New King James Version (NKJV)
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
 
Coming back to my thread.. Looks like everyone seems to agree with me that Solomon probably did not ask for the right thing :D

It is striking to compare lives of Solomon and David

Literature - Completely different. David was God centered. Solomon was more man centered.
Relationship with God - Solomon's was a downhill path. Started gloriously and ended down the hill. David's was up and down. Started from bottom and ended up high.
Repentant heart - Solomon never had remorse for any of his actions. David was the one who realized all God looked for is a contrite heart.

I sort of get a feeling that Solomon's life was blessed only because of David! I might be going one step ahead here.. But David had such promises and Solomon had received so many blessings at the beginning of his life itself. But then, Solomon did not obey God's commands. That caused the downfall.
 
It's pretty surprising to contrast 1st kings 3 with 1st kings 11 - the first proclaims Solomon's love for The Lord and his committment to The Lord... Now.. Granted - Solomon was a really young guy at the time.... Under 20....

Then - fast forward to 1st Kings 11 - where it proclaims that later in life - Solomon fell away from The Lord and practiced idolatry with his wives....

On a whim - I read Ecclesiastes.... I was hoping on hope to change my mind when I got to the end.... But... When you get to the end - it's a big let down... 10,000 flavors of self-will and all end the same way... Emptiness.... It simply ends - Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.... But, because the preacher was wise - he continued to teach people wisdom and knowledge, etc etc.....

So.. At the end of Solomon's life - no repentance... No seeking after the Face of The Lord.. NO seeking Fulfillment from God... Simply continue to teach the "Wisdom" because it's wise to do so..... He weighed all the options - and that was the "Right" answer....

Once again.. No passion behind it.. No love of the Lord... Simply the Emptiness that comes from "Knowing" the right answer but not being able to reconcile it in your mind....

What I read when I got to the end was the lament of the Educated Athiest that I am all too familiar with... All the searching in the world and all he finds is Emptiness....
 
I just recently studied 2 Peter 1 and it has a parallel.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
Here we see knowledge, or wisdom, sandwiched between virtue and self-control. These seem to be missing for Solomon. It is obvious he didn't have self-control with all the wives he married.
 
According to Rabbinic tradition (as well as what we gather from what is written in the book itself), it was an aged Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes in the twilight years of his life - a book that seems to be a never ending lamentation of all the vanity and suffering that is the common lot of all humanity. But the final two verses of the book are a revelation of not only Solomon's repentance toward God, but a warning to all those who should fall away and fail to return God in like manner:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."
 
But the final two verses of the book are a revelation of not only Solomon's repentance toward God, but a warning to all those who should fall away and fail to return God in like manner:

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

In fact, it is no repentance... It's simply the "Right thing to say"....

Read 12:9
"And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs."

This is the key to understanding 12:13-14....

Because Solomon was WISE - he knew the RIGHT answer.... He knew the "RIGHT" thing to teach people....
Because he was WISE - He knew the right thing to do was to continue teaching the "Right" things.....
Even though - per 12:8 - "Vanity of Vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity"

Think about the echo of that.... Emptiness of emptinesses, all is emptiness....
and it echos in 12:13-14:
Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement...."

That's a cold statement... There's no warmth for God... No longing for His Spirit... No heartfelt supplication.... No longing for Love and Obedience.... No seeking His Face....

Nope... Just "Fear God and keep His commandments"
Why? "for this is the whole duty of man."
Duty.... It's the grind.... Obeying God is your Duty... There's no love there....
It's the "Right" thing to say.....

And.. Why would God have declared that Solomon had broken the covenant with God if Solomon truly had repented and kept His commands and judgements?
 
In fact, it is no repentance... It's simply the "Right thing to say"....

Read 12:9
"And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs."

This is the key to understanding 12:13-14....

Because Solomon was WISE - he knew the RIGHT answer.... He knew the "RIGHT" thing to teach people....
Because he was WISE - He knew the right thing to do was to continue teaching the "Right" things.....
Even though - per 12:8 - "Vanity of Vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity"

Think about the echo of that.... Emptiness of emptinesses, all is emptiness....
and it echos in 12:13-14:
Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement...."

That's a cold statement... There's no warmth for God... No longing for His Spirit... No heartfelt supplication.... No longing for Love and Obedience.... No seeking His Face....

Nope... Just "Fear God and keep His commandments"
Why? "for this is the whole duty of man."
Duty.... It's the grind.... Obeying God is your Duty... There's no love there....
It's the "Right" thing to say.....

And.. Why would God have declared that Solomon had broken the covenant with God if Solomon truly had repented and kept His commands and judgements?
Friend, we read that "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous". Also, "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." These texts hardly imply that our love relationship with God which is our duty and reasonable service, is "a grind". Solomon's words are the key, not that he was yet unrepentant, but that he'd repented and surrendered his heart once again to the Lord:
  • Ecclesiastes is Scripture and Scripture is "given by inspiration" of the Holy Spirit - since the Holy Spirit is given only "to them that obey Him", and not to the unrepentant backslider, it is impossible for Solomon to have penned these inspired words of Scripture under the aegis of the Holy Spirit if he'd not first repented.
  • Unrepentant backslides don't endeavor to write books which prove the futility of hedonism or that success apart from God's love is any success at all. To the contrary, they immediately begin to sweat and look around for the nearest exit when the subject comes up.
  • It would seem that the quickest way for Solomon to go from the "wisest man" who ever lived to the "most foolish" would be for him to ignore his own closing words of his book, which are both a reminder of our duty to God and a warning to those who neglect that duty.
Does God's mention of Solomon having broken the covenant explicitly say that he never returned to the Lord?
 
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