READ: ECCLESIASTES
2:1-11
“And spoke to them after the counsel of the
young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke:
My father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise with scorpions” (1 Kings 12:14).
One of the greatest tragedies in the land of Israel happened when king Solomon ruled over the land. He was the wisest of men but because he departed from God, his reign that should have brought great fortunes to his people brought great yokes upon them. They virtually became slaves and servants in their own land at a time the nation was having her greatest financial and material windfall. Solomon had several great things to learn from his father. But those that had the greatest impact on him were the vices or weaknesses.
The evil seed of oppression David sowed into the family of Uriah, several years later found expression in Solomon. He did not only oppress a family, he oppressed a nation. He was so happy to have the whole nation serve him whereas he was king so that he can serve his people. He made so much wealth. In fact, 1 kings 10:27 says silver was heaped in Jerusalem like stones, and the best of wood, cedars, became very common like ordinary wood. But was the wealth shared round? No. It was for public display, but meant for his pocket alone, while the nation lived in poverty.
A look at today’s reading talks of the selfishness and self-centredness of king Solomon. He turned the nation’s treasury into his personal account and at time, he did not know what to do with money. David saw Uriah’s wife and did everything possible to marry her. Now Solomon says he became so obsessed with the spirit of materialism that he became helplessly enslaved to it. Verse 10 says: “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them…” He beat his father’s polygamous record by having 1000 wives and concubines. You can be sure that several of his wives were product of several ‘Uriahs’ that lost their wives to his madness. When he died, the nation assembled to ask for the yokes he put on them to be broken. What are your children learning from you? If you have a weakness and fail to expose and deal with it, do not be surprised to see your children grow in that weakness beyond your dreams. King David will be sad to hear that his son Solomon had 1000 wives and did all he did. But his son only took a cue from him. What cue is your child taking from you?
One of the greatest tragedies in the land of Israel happened when king Solomon ruled over the land. He was the wisest of men but because he departed from God, his reign that should have brought great fortunes to his people brought great yokes upon them. They virtually became slaves and servants in their own land at a time the nation was having her greatest financial and material windfall. Solomon had several great things to learn from his father. But those that had the greatest impact on him were the vices or weaknesses.
The evil seed of oppression David sowed into the family of Uriah, several years later found expression in Solomon. He did not only oppress a family, he oppressed a nation. He was so happy to have the whole nation serve him whereas he was king so that he can serve his people. He made so much wealth. In fact, 1 kings 10:27 says silver was heaped in Jerusalem like stones, and the best of wood, cedars, became very common like ordinary wood. But was the wealth shared round? No. It was for public display, but meant for his pocket alone, while the nation lived in poverty.
A look at today’s reading talks of the selfishness and self-centredness of king Solomon. He turned the nation’s treasury into his personal account and at time, he did not know what to do with money. David saw Uriah’s wife and did everything possible to marry her. Now Solomon says he became so obsessed with the spirit of materialism that he became helplessly enslaved to it. Verse 10 says: “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them…” He beat his father’s polygamous record by having 1000 wives and concubines. You can be sure that several of his wives were product of several ‘Uriahs’ that lost their wives to his madness. When he died, the nation assembled to ask for the yokes he put on them to be broken. What are your children learning from you? If you have a weakness and fail to expose and deal with it, do not be surprised to see your children grow in that weakness beyond your dreams. King David will be sad to hear that his son Solomon had 1000 wives and did all he did. But his son only took a cue from him. What cue is your child taking from you?
MEMORIZE:
ECCLESIASTES 2:11 –Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought,
and on the labor that I had labored to do: and behold, all was vanity and
vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
