A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon recounts a summary of his spiritual struggles in life
which he encountered in his pursuit of happiness. Out of that experience, he arrives at two
fundamental conclusions about life. First, contentment and real fulfillment in life is found in the
gifts and heritage of God (cf. Ecc. 2:24-26; 3:22; 5:18-20). Second, the fundamental duty of man
is to express his reverential trust in God by observing the principles of Scripture in the practice
of his lifestyle (12:13). Ecclesiastes is the spiritual autobiography of a wise man who failed to
apply much of his wisdom in life.
PERSPECTIVE
Solomon’s reign was powerful, but his life ended in tragedy. He was brilliant, yet he
lived contrary to the wisdom God gave him. He began with the dedication of the temple and
sought the wisdom of God, but became selfish, greedy, and inhuman. Whereas Saul was only a
military king who represented the twelve tribes as he led them in guerilla attacks, David united
the kingdom and did what Saul omitted. David centralized his rule in a palace, in a city, and with
a centralized place of worship. But Solomon extended the border of the kingdom beyond David’s
conquest and obtained peace. He effected international trade with a fleet of ships; became a
patron of the arts with books, literature, and poetry; built cities, warehouses, a copper industry,
and fortification. Whereas David ran the kingdom out of his courtroom, Solomon delegated and
administered a bureaucracy that was well organized and well managed. He had a court of
servants, a harem, managers, and slaves to work his fields and build his cities. He was a benevolent
despot. He had immense tax burdens on the people. His foreign wives influenced him to
worship false gods and dabble in pagan theology (1 Kings 11:1-8). Before his death the kingdom
began to rot and after his death it divided.
When God makes a person great, he should not abandon the principles that God used to
make him great. The wisdom that made Solomon great was discarded and he lost the blessing of
God.
FORTY