A couple of things I thought about while reading today's passages:
"He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. " 1 Kings 11:3
I am pretty certain that I know Pamela better than Solomon knew any of his wives. Along with that, we have a mutual relationship consisting of respect, trust, and humility that you just cannot have with 700 wives. But an even more important characteristic in our marriage is our joint decision to put God first. King Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharoah's daughter. Solomon did not follow the Lord completely in His instruction to not intermarry.
The first 11 verses in this chapter spoke of the danger of a mixed marriage. Solomon's decision to intermarry resulted in the nation that he helped build, to become split after his reign. Taken from what should have been his sons, and placed into the hands of Solomon's subordinates.
It has always been on our prayer list for our kids to marry a strong believer and this is even more so now in our prayers as the dating years appear to be upon them.
"Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 1:2
The author for this book is finding that the meaning of life appears to be meaningless. They are unable to discover a pattern that makes sense. God is a mystery and death will eventually strike everyone.
"I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives." Ecclesiastes 2:3
The author is not content with what he is finding. He actively went out to search for answers. There were different areas of investigation; education, pleasures, working hard to gain material possessions - all to no avail. He does not want to stop searching until he finds the answer to the meaning of life.
Do you know anyone like this? I do. They are unsure just as the author is here. They travel, save money, purchase expensive vehicles, shop for clothes, engage in relationships, but are unable to find the answer.
If life seems to have no purpose to us, we too should be searching. With God's Word giving us light, we will find the answer!
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:"
Ecclesiastes 3:1
When God created the world, He also designed time; day and night. More important are significant periods in one's personal life; there is a time for everything. Even when we go through tough times, He wants us to make the most out of each opportunity that He places before us.
As each day passes, God is moving towards the final chapter in history. The most important fact is to realize that today is the day of salvation. Just like Pastor Ron's last sermon; "Don't stand around waiting for Me to return".
2 comments:
Ecclesiastes 2:11
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
To some this would sound depressing, but as believers we need to use it as a reminder of what is truly important in life and will last - our relationship with Jesus, who will save those who ask for forgiveness and commit themselves to Him.
For such a wise man, Solomon definitely made some very foolish decisions - apparently at least about 1,000 times! I cannot imagine having that many wives and concubines, nor could I image being one of those 1,000 women! Wisdom is useless when we don't actually use it.
Ecclesiastes keeps the temporal in perspective for us. So much of what we worry about is not really all that important. We need to live with eternity in mind.
4:11b He has planted eternity in the human heart
We were created with a longing for eternity. We were created with a longing for God. We were created to worship God. Unfortunately, so many people end up worshiping a substitute and then don't know why they're not happy. We will worship, it's a matter of what or Who.
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