More On King Solomon

I am always struck by how different things jump out at you each time you read the Bible.  I have lost count of how many times I have read it.  But each time I find stuff that I swear wasn't in there before.

This time through what has really struck me is the difference in tone between Proverbs and Ecclesiastes even though they were at least partially written by the same guy, King Solomon.  Here is a verse I read today. 

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11(NKJV)

4I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. 

5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 

6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 

7I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 

8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and £musical instruments of all kinds.

9So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

10    Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.      I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,     For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;     And this was my reward from all my labor.

11    Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done     And on the labor in which I had toiled;     And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.     There was no profit under the sun.

So we again have the dark, brooding, oh woe is me what's the point King Solomon.  Just the opposite of the optimism we see in Proverbs. 

The question that stands out to me is what could cause an optimist to become a pessimist like that?  If you've ever known a true optimist you know that it seems to be an inborn thing that they can't help.  Off the top of my head I can't think of any optimists that I know who became pessimists.  So why the change in King Solomon's writings?

Here is a guess, but it is only a guess.  First off re-read the above passage.  Notice how it is all in past tense?  He is recounting what he has done in his life which makes me think that this must have been written towards the end of his life. 

Do you remember what Solomon's life  was like in the later years?  Where he went wrong?  He married women of other faiths, and then let them set up alters and temples to their gods in Jerusalem.  And worse, even though Solomon was favored by God, Solomon allowed himself to be influenced by his wive's religions.

So my guess is that what we are seeing in Ecclesiastes is King Solomon in his later years suffering a bit of spiritual confusion or spiritual sickness if you will. 

The other thing that strikes me is the utter hopelessness and despair he seems to feel.  He details all that he has done and follows with lots of "oh what's the use".  Take a look at this verse.

Ecclesiastes 2:16(NKJV)

16    For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,     Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.     And how does a wise man die?      As the fool!

Here we see that King Solomon the wise is demonstrably wrong!  Just about everyone has heard of wise King Solomon but who can name a fool from back then?  So contrary to what King Solomon claims, there IS more remembrance of the wise than the fool.

What Solomon writes next however is spot on.  In the end, we are all dead, the wise and the fool.  As I say, Solomon is spot on, as far as he goes with it.
 

The one big difference that we have today that Solomon didn't have back then is that we have Jesus.  For us it doesn't end in the grave.  For us it doesn't end in hopelessness.  For those of us who believe in Jesus, we get eternal life. 

Have you asked Jesus into your life yet?  Would you like to feel hope instead of hopeless?  Then just ask Jesus to guide you.  Have a conversation with Him and let Him know what you are looking for, what you need.  "Dear Jesus…."