Participants: Pr. Stephen Bohr
Series Code: GAB
Program Code: GAB000002
|
01:11 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:15 Father in heaven, what a blessing it is 01:17 to be in Your house. 01:20 What a blessing it is to have Your holy word. 01:24 And Father, we realize that our puny human minds 01:30 cannot understand the deep things of God. 01:34 And for this reason we ask You today 01:37 for divine wisdom as we open Your holy word. 01:42 We ask that it will not return unto You void. 01:46 We thank You for hearing our prayer 01:47 for we ask it in Jesus name, Amen. 01:53 I invite you to turn in your Bibles with me 01:55 to 1 Kings Chapter 3, 1 Kings Chapter 3. 02:02 Today we're going to study the story of Solomon. 02:09 And basically we're going to see in our study 02:11 that the life of Solomon had three distinct stages. 02:18 The first stage of Solomon's life 02:21 is the early years of his reign. 02:24 The second stage is a sad stage of his life. 02:28 It's when he went astray from the way of the Lord. 02:33 And the final stage is when he is an old man 02:37 and once again he returns to the ways of the Lord. 02:43 So you can consider Solomon's life 02:45 like two mountain peaks and in the middle a valley. 02:50 But praise the Lord that he started out on a peak 02:53 and he ended up on a peak as well. 02:57 1 Kings 3:5 describes 03:00 how God appears to Solomon in an evening dream 03:06 and God actually offers Solomon 03:09 anything that he wants before the asking. 03:16 It says there "At Gibeon 03:18 the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, 03:23 and God said, 'Ask! What shall I give you?'" 03:31 Now if God gave you that option what would you ask for riches, 03:38 money, a nice home, a brand new car, 03:46 a full scholarship to go to school? 03:50 If God had said to you ask Me for whatever you want 03:53 and I will give it to you what would you ask for? 03:58 Well, Solomon's request would be considered strange today. 04:05 Notice 3: 7-9. 04:09 "Now, O Lord my God, 04:13 You have made your servant king instead of my father David, 04:19 but I am a little child, 04:22 I do not know how to go out or come in. 04:27 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people 04:30 whom You have chosen, a great people, 04:33 too numerous to be numbered or counted. 04:38 Therefore give to your servant an understanding heart 04:45 to judge your people, 04:48 that I may discern between good and evil. 04:53 For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 05:01 Solomon asked God for wisdom, 05:05 for understanding to distinguish 05:09 between right and wrong, to judge correctly. 05:16 And we're told in verse 10 05:18 that what Solomon asked for pleased God. 05:25 It says there, "The speech pleased the Lord, 05:30 that Solomon had asked this thing." 05:36 Does anyone lack wisdom, 05:39 ask from God who gives it abundantly. 05:43 And so Solomon asked God for wisdom, 05:46 the ability to distinguish between right and wrong 05:49 to judge God's people, 05:50 because he considered himself a child. 05:52 And so now God is gonna say 05:55 I am going to give you what you ask for, 05:58 ask and you shall receive. 06:01 Notice verses 11 to 13, "Then God said to him, 06:07 'Because you have asked this thing, 06:12 and have not asked long life for yourself, 06:16 nor have asked riches for yourself, 06:19 nor have asked the life of your enemies, 06:23 but have asked for yourself 06:24 understanding to discern justice, 06:28 behold, I have done according to your words, 06:33 see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, 06:41 so that there has not been anyone like you before you, 06:45 nor shall any like you arise after you.'" 06:51 You have asked for a wise and understanding heart 06:54 to discriminate between good and evil, 06:56 to judge correctly 06:58 and I have given you what you have requested, 07:03 what you had want. 07:05 But you know what's interesting? 07:07 God not only gave Solomon what Solomon asked for, 07:12 He also gave Solomon 07:14 what he could have asked for and didn't. 07:18 Notice what we find in verses 13 and 14, 07:23 God says, "And I have also given you 07:27 what you have not asked, both riches and honor, 07:34 so that there shall not be anyone like you 07:37 among the kings all your days." 07:42 It makes me think of that verse 07:44 that we all know, probably by memory. 07:48 Matthew 6:33 we don't even have to look it up. 07:52 It says, "But seek first the kingdom of God 07:57 and His righteousness, 07:59 and all these things shall be added to you." 08:04 Solomon asked God for wisdom first 08:07 and God said not only will 08:09 I give you the wisdom that you asked for 08:11 but I'm also gonna give you riches 08:14 and honor as the added things. 08:17 You see, when we put our priorities in the right order, 08:21 God not only asks us or gives us 08:24 what we ask for 08:25 but He also gives us what we don't ask for, 08:29 the added things. 08:31 And believe me the wisdom 08:34 that God gave to Solomon was unbelievable. 08:39 Notice what we find in 1 Kings 4:29-34, 08:44 and the wisdom that God gave Solomon. 08:47 It says there, "And God gave Solomon wisdom 08:51 and exceedingly great understanding, 08:55 and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 09:01 Thus Solomon's wisdom excelled 09:03 the wisdom of all the men of the East 09:06 and of all the wisdom of Egypt. 09:10 For he was wiser than all men than Ethan the Ezrahite, 09:16 and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, 09:20 the sons of Mahol, 09:22 and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 09:26 He spoke three thousand proverbs, 09:30 and his songs were one thousand and five. 09:35 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar three of Lebanon 09:39 even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall, 09:43 he spoke also of animals, 09:45 of birds, of creeping things, and of fish." 09:50 In other words he not only became wise 09:52 in the things of God, 09:53 he also became wise to lecture our nature. 09:57 He saw the inner most workings of nature, 10:00 he understood God in nature. 10:03 And verse 34 says, "And men of all nations, 10:08 from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, 10:13 came to hear the wisdom of Solomon." 10:19 Wow, wiser than the men of all of the nations. 10:24 God certainly gave Solomon what he asked for. 10:28 Notice chapter 10 and verses 23 and 24, 10:31 amplifying this point 10:33 about the wisdom that God gave to Solomon. 10:36 It says there in verse 23 of chapter 10, 10:41 "So King Solomon surpassed 10:45 all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom." 10:51 Now notice this, "Now all the earth 10:54 sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, 11:00 which God had put in his heart." 11:04 Can you imagine, everyone on earth 11:07 at that time wanting just to see 11:10 because the word presence here can be also translated face, 11:14 actually people from all nations 11:17 wanting to just see the face of Solomon. 11:22 Amazing, what God gave this king. 11:27 But the question immediately surfaces, 11:31 what exactly is the wisdom that Solomon asked for? 11:38 What is wisdom? 11:41 Yes, it's the wisdom to know how to judge correctly, 11:45 but more specifically what is the wisdom, 11:48 what is the definition of wisdom that Solomon asked for? 11:54 There are several texts 11:55 in the writings of Solomon himself 11:59 that explain what that wisdom is. 12:03 Notice Proverbs, chapter 9 and verse 10, 12:07 Proverbs 9:10, 12:09 we know at least the first part of this verse 12:13 but many times we forget the second part 12:15 which is an explanation of a first half. 12:18 It says there in Proverbs 9:10, 12:21 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." 12:27 Which means that if you don't have the fear of the Lord 12:29 you don't even have the beginning of wisdom. 12:31 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" 12:34 and then notice the last half of the verse, 12:36 it says, "And the knowledge of the Holy One 12:39 is understanding." 12:40 So you can interchange wisdom and the fear of Lord. 12:47 Now, go with me to Proverbs 8 and verse 13, Proverbs 8:13, 12:53 what is this fear of the Lord which is the same as wisdom? 12:57 It says, there in Proverbs 8:13, "The fear" listen to this, 13:02 "The fear of the Lord is to," what? 13:05 "Is to hate evil" pride and arrogance 13:12 "and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." 13:16 What is the fear of the Lord or wisdom? 13:19 It means to hate what? It means to hate evil. 13:23 Notice Job 28: 28, 13:27 now Job was written by Moses but it's a same thought, 13:30 it says there in Job 28:28, 13:33 "And to man He said, 'Behold, 13:37 the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom'" 13:41 and now we have the explanation 13:43 "And to depart from evil is understanding.'" 13:49 Do you see that the fear of the Lord which is wisdom 13:51 is the same thing as departing from evil 13:54 which is understanding? 13:57 Notice also Psalm 111: 10, 14:01 Psalm 111:10, 14:05 it says there, "The fear of the Lord 14:08 is the beginning of wisdom." 14:10 and now notice, 14:13 "A good understanding have all those 14:17 who do His commandments." 14:20 What is the fear of the Lord? 14:22 What is wisdom? It means to hate evil. 14:25 And it means to do what? To do God's commandments. 14:31 In a nutshell the biblical concept of wisdom is 14:36 that wisdom is the divine gift 14:40 that gives man the capacity 14:42 to distinguish between good and evil 14:46 and to choose the good and to reject the evil. 14:52 In other words, the ability to discriminate 14:54 or distinguish between good and evil 14:57 and the capacity to choose the good and to reject the evil. 15:04 You know it's interesting to notice 15:05 that immediately after this episode 15:07 where Solomon asked God for wisdom 15:09 and God gave him wisdom plus the added things. 15:12 A case came before Solomon 15:15 which demanded the wisdom that God had given to him. 15:19 It says, in 1 Kings Chapter 3 the two mothers 15:22 came to the king for judgment, 15:25 one of them have rolled over on her baby at night 15:28 and it suffocated him and while the other mother was sleeping 15:32 she took the other mothers live baby 15:35 and put it next to her and her dead baby 15:37 she put next to the other mother. 15:39 And now they came to the king for the judgment 15:42 so that the king would decide 15:43 to whom the baby belonged, the live baby. 15:47 Now how would you have decided, 15:49 there were no DNA tests back then, folks? 15:53 The king had to exercise wisdom in judgment. 15:56 Deciding who was right and who was wrong, 15:58 what was good and what was evil? 16:00 And so the king he says to his soldier, 16:03 come here bring your sword, 16:04 I want you to cut this baby in two pieces 16:07 give half of the baby to one of the woman 16:09 and half of the baby to the other 16:11 and problem solved. 16:15 And the mother, the real mother of the child said 16:17 no, no, don't do it, don't do it. 16:21 Give the baby to the other mother, 16:24 even though it wasn't hers. 16:27 But the other mother said no, cut him in half 16:29 and give us half and half. 16:33 The king knew that only a mother's heart 16:35 would be willing to give up a baby to preserve his life. 16:40 So we have an example of him, 16:42 employing the wisdom of God 16:44 to distinguish between good and evil, 16:46 between right and wrong in judgment. 16:50 But the wisdom that God gave Solomon was conditional. 16:55 Notice 1 Kings 3:14, 17:00 it says there, "So if you walk in My ways," 17:04 notice there's a big if there, 17:06 "If you walk in My ways, 17:09 to keep My statues and My commandments," 17:14 which is wisdom we notice, 17:15 to keep the commandments to reject evil, 17:17 that is wisdom. 17:19 "So if you walk in My ways, 17:20 to keep My statues and My commandments, 17:23 as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." 17:29 Do you know that God actually gave Solomon 17:32 a way to retain his wisdom? 17:35 Do you know that when a king of Israel began 17:37 reigning or began to rule, 17:41 they were given a copy of the book of the law 17:44 which is the book of Deuteronomy 17:46 which is an amplification of the Ten Commandments 17:49 in real life situations, 17:52 and the king was to carry this with him 17:54 all the days of his life, 17:56 he was to read from it everyday 17:59 and when special difficult cases 18:01 came before him he was to consult 18:04 the Book of Revelation which was his wisdom. 18:08 Notice how this is found in Deuteronomy 17:18-20, 18:13 God gave Solomon a way to retain his wisdom 18:16 it was by consulting the Lord 18:19 understanding the way of the Lord, 18:20 understanding the scriptures of the Lord. 18:23 In other words, keeping intoned with the Lord, 18:26 it wasn't his riches, 18:27 it wasn't his power, it wasn't his fame. 18:30 Notice Deuteronomy 17:18-20, "Also it shall be, 18:37 when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, 18:40 that he shall write for himself 18:41 a copy of this law in a book," it's the book of Deuteronomy. 18:45 "From the one before the priest the Levites." 18:48 In other words there was an original copy 18:50 he was read, he was to copy it. 18:52 "And it shall be with him 18:55 and he shall read it all the days of his life, 18:58 that he may learn to fear the Lord his God 19:01 and be careful to observe all the words of this law 19:04 and the statues that his heart 19:07 may not be lifted above his brethren 19:10 that he may not turn aside from the commandment 19:12 to the right hand or to the left, 19:14 and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, 19:17 he and his children in the midst of Israel." 19:20 In other words, the wisdom was contingent on reading 19:25 and assimilating the message of God 19:27 as it was found in the book. 19:31 Unfortunately, the life of Solomon 19:35 had a second very sad stage. 19:40 You see God had warned Solomon 19:43 and the kings of Israel of two grave dangerous. 19:49 Number one, trusting in riches, 19:56 and number two, 19:57 forming unholy alliances with world links. 20:05 Notice Deuteronomy 8:18 and this book which Solomon 20:09 would have had because he copied it, 20:11 it says there in verse 18, 20:13 "And you shall remember the Lord your God, 20:17 for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, 20:22 that He may establish His covenant 20:24 which he swore to your fathers, 20:26 as it is this day." 20:29 In other words, remember that it's God 20:31 who give you riches don't focus on the riches. 20:35 By the way immediately 20:36 before Solomon went astray from the Lord, 20:40 we find a statement about his yearly income. 20:45 1 Kings 10:14, 15. 20:49 Notice what the yearly income of his kingdom was, 20:52 immediately before it speaks about his apostasy. 20:57 It says in 1 Kings 10:14, 21:00 "The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly," 21:05 this is a very interesting number, 21:07 "that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred 21:09 and sixty-six talents of gold." 21:16 Interesting, 21:19 and in that's only the tip of the ice berg, 21:21 "Besides that from the traveling merchants, 21:23 from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia 21:26 and from the governors of the country." 21:29 He was definitely rich. 21:33 But immediately after this we are told that he came 21:35 to depend upon his riches 21:39 and its one thing that led him astray 21:41 from God material possessions and richest. 21:45 The other thing that led Solomon astray 21:48 were his unholy alliances with the surrounding nations. 21:53 Notice 1 Kings 11: 1- 5, 21:55 by the way in the Book of Deuteronomy 21:57 the book that he would have carried around, 21:59 God forbade the kings of Israel 22:01 from following alliances with the nations 22:03 and for marrying the women from other nations. 22:07 So Solomon would have had that in his book 22:10 that he carried around, that he copies from the original 22:12 that the Levites had. 22:14 It says in 1 Kings 11:1-5, 22:17 "King Solomon loved many foreign women, 22:23 as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, 22:25 women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, 22:29 and Hittites from the nations of whom 22:33 the Lord had said to the children of Israel, 22:35 'You shall not intermarry with them, 22:39 nor they with you. 22:41 Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.' 22:45 Solomon clung to these in love. 22:49 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, 22:52 and three hundred concubines," 22:55 that's a thousand, folks. 23:00 Wow, and many of these he did not live with, 23:03 they were just because of alliances with other kings 23:06 they gave the king their daughters. 23:10 And of course, Solomon reasoned he said, 23:12 see if I form these alliances with these nations, 23:15 these nations will come and contact with Israel 23:17 and they will be converted to God. 23:20 I can even adopt some of their customs of these nations 23:24 and that will make them feel more comfortable with Israel 23:28 and then we can share with them the God of Israel. 23:31 And he felt the same about these women, 23:33 if I bring these women into Jerusalem 23:36 they're going to come to knowledge of the true God 23:38 and they're going to accept the true God. 23:40 Well, the fact is that it worked the other way around. 23:46 It says then "And he had seven hundred wives, 23:48 princesses, and three hundred concubines 23:51 and his wives turned away his heart. 23:54 For it was so, when Solomon was old, 23:57 that his wives turned his heart after other gods, 24:01 and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, 24:04 as was the heart of his father David." 24:09 There's an interesting comment by Ellen White 24:11 in Prophets and Kings, page 53 24:13 which I would like to read you about 24:16 what happened with Solomon. 24:19 She says as inclination 24:22 gains the ascendancy over reason. 24:28 We preach a whole sermon on that. 24:31 "As inclination" that there is impulses 24:35 "gained the ascendancy over reason, 24:37 self-confidence increased." 24:40 Look at all my riches, 24:41 look at all my power, look at all my fame. 24:46 "and he sought to carry out 24:47 the Lord's purpose in his own way. 24:51 He reasoned," listen to this, 24:54 "he reasoned that political and commercial alliances 24:58 with the surrounding nations would bring these nations 25:01 to a knowledge of the true God, 25:04 and he entered into unholy alliance 25:08 with nation after nation. 25:11 Often these alliances were sealed by marriages 25:14 with Hittites princesses, the commands of Jehovah 25:17 were set aside for the customs of the surrounds peoples. 25:25 Is it just possible that today the same could happen with us 25:29 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 25:32 that we begin adopting worldly music 25:35 and worldly entertainment and worldly practices 25:40 and perhaps even adopt certain things into our schools 25:44 because we feel that they were, 25:46 that these things, adopting these things 25:48 will make our church more popular 25:51 and attract people to our church? 25:54 I believe that is not only a possibility 25:56 but it is happening. 25:59 You see God said be not unevenly yoked with unbelievers. 26:05 Don't adopt their practices, don't adopt their customs, 26:10 don't become linked with them. 26:13 Yes, you'll reach out to them in evangelism 26:16 but do not allow them to infiltrate you 26:19 with their customs and their practices. 26:24 And so Solomon gradually slid into apostasy. 26:30 The apostasy didn't happen over night. 26:34 It was a slow, gradual almost imperceptible process 26:41 where he lowered his God and he forgot the source 26:45 of his wisdom and prosperity. 26:49 Same thing happened to Solomon 26:50 as what is described in the book, 26:52 Creeping Compromise by Joe Crews. 26:57 Solomon later referred to this as little foxes 27:01 that spoil the vines 27:03 letting down the God in little things, 27:06 things that were considered insignificant. 27:09 Lowering the standards just a little bit 27:11 to make the world links feel comfortable 27:14 within the realm of the remnant. 27:19 I like the way Ellen White describes 27:20 this gradual sliding into apostasy. 27:23 Prophets and Kings, page 55, 27:26 this is how she describes it, 27:28 "So gradual," I want you to notice the terminology, 27:32 "So gradual was Solomon's apostasy 27:37 that before he was aware of it, 27:39 he had wandered far from God. 27:43 Almost imperceptibly" you noticed the word gradual? 27:48 Now, she says, "Almost imperceptibly, 27:51 he began to trust less and less" not all overnight, 27:56 he trusted and then didn't trust overnight, no. 27:59 It says, "He began to trust less and less 28:02 in divine guidance and blessing, 28:04 and to put confidence in his own strength. 28:08 Little by little 28:11 he withheld from God that unswerving obedience 28:14 which was to make Israel a peculiar people, 28:17 and he conformed more and more 28:22 closely to the customs of the surrounding nations. 28:26 Yielding to the temptations incident to his success 28:30 and his honored position, 28:32 he forgot the Source of his prosperity." 28:38 Do notice the expressions gradual, 28:40 almost imperceptibly, less and less, 28:42 little by little, more and more. 28:46 Apostasy does not happen over night. 28:49 It happens as a process 28:51 while we start lowering the standards, 28:54 lowering the bar that God had established 28:58 and eventually were so far out there 29:01 that we don't even realize it until many times it's too late. 29:08 Solomon had a tremendous change in his life. 29:12 Allow me to read you, in fact he became a hedonist, 29:16 he became a playboy if you please. 29:21 He adopted the philosophy of life, 29:22 "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die." 29:27 He said so himself. 29:30 Notice how Ellen White describes 29:32 Solomon in the second stage of his existence. 29:35 This is Prophets and Kings, page 58, 29:38 she says, "From being one of the greatest kings 29:40 that ever wielded a scepter, Solomon became a profligate." 29:47 What is a profligate Pastor Jenson? 29:52 Degenerate, could use that word, right? 29:56 She continues saying, 29:58 "Solomon became a profligate the tool and slave of others. 30:05 His character, once noble and manly, 30:09 became enervated and effeminate." 30:15 You know what that word means, right? 30:19 "His faith in the living God was," 30:21 now listen to this, "His faith in the living God 30:24 was supplanted by atheistic doubts. 30:30 He even to the point where he is doubting the existence of God, 30:34 she continues saying, "Unbelief marred his happiness, 30:39 weakened his principles, and degraded his life. 30:43 The justice and magnanimity of his early reign were changed 30:47 to despotism and tyranny." 30:53 So happens when step by step you abandon the standards 30:57 that God has established in His holy work 31:01 it eventually leads down the road to ruin. 31:05 And so Solomon adopted a playboy philosophy, 31:08 he lived for pleasure and for comforts. 31:12 He did not deny himself absolutely anything. 31:17 His philosophy by his own admission 31:19 was "eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die." 31:24 Let's read some verses where Solomon describes 31:28 his philosophy of life during this period. 31:31 Ecclesiastes Chapter 2, 31:33 all of these will be from Ecclesiastes, 31:35 Ecclesiastes 2:8, 31:38 notice how Solomon is describing his life. 31:40 You know, it doesn't really sound like 31:41 someone who is committed to God, 31:43 it almost sounds like a humanist. 31:47 He says, "I also gathered for myself 31:50 silver and gold 31:53 and the special treasures of kings 31:55 and of the princess. 31:57 I acquired male and female singers, 32:00 the delights of the sons of men 32:02 and musical instruments of all kinds." 32:05 In other words, now he is into music 32:08 and he's into dancing, he's into partying 32:12 as we're gonna see in a moment. 32:13 Notice 5:18, he says this, "Here is what I have seen. 32:21 It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, 32:27 and to enjoy the good of all his labor 32:29 in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life 32:34 which God gives him, for it is his heritage." 32:39 So according to him what is the philosophy of life? 32:42 It is fitting to eat and drink 32:45 and to enjoy the good of all his labor 32:48 in which he toils under the sun. 32:51 Ecclesiastes 8:15. 32:54 This doesn't even sound like a Christian. 32:56 It doesn't even sound like somebody committed to God. 32:59 He says, "So I commanded enjoyment, 33:03 because a man has nothing better 33:05 under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry, 33:11 for this will remain with him in his labor 33:13 all the days of his life 33:15 which God gives him under the sun." 33:19 In 2:10, 11, Solomon describes 33:24 even more vividly his philosophy. 33:27 Ecclesiastes 2:10, he says, "Whatever my eyes desired 33:34 I did not keep from them," did you notice that? 33:42 "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them 33:46 I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, 33:50 for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, 33:53 and this was my reward from all my labor." 33:58 And then notice what he says, 33:59 "Then I looked on all the works of my hands 34:02 that I had done and on the labor 34:05 in which I had toiled 34:06 and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. 34:11 There was no profit under the sun." 34:15 Eat drink and merry for tomorrow we die, 34:18 don't deny to your eyes anything that is enjoyable. 34:21 Have a good party all of the time. 34:25 That doesn't sound like a Christian philosophy of life, 34:28 should it even be in the Book of Ecclesiastes 34:32 a book that is found in scripture. 34:35 How far did Solomon actually go from God? 34:40 In Review and Herald February 8, 1906 34:44 we find this remark by Ellen White 34:46 about Solomon's apostasy. 34:49 She says, "Solomon's apostasy was so complete, 34:54 his heart became so hardened in transgression, 34:59 that his case seemed well-nigh hopeless." 35:09 You know, Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs 35:13 as one who knows what it's like to live out in the world, 35:19 what it means to be a humanist, 35:22 what it means to have that philosophy 35:24 eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. 35:28 He's not some philosopher speaking from an ivory tower. 35:31 The Book of Proverbs all of the counsels 35:33 that we have are the voice of experience, 35:37 his experience. 35:39 He knows what he's talking about, 35:41 because he says I went through this myself. 35:45 I thank the Lord that the life of Solomon 35:49 had a third stage. 35:51 Wouldn't it be depressing and sad 35:52 to have the life of Solomon 35:54 and in this condition of apostasy against God? 35:59 We're told that when Solomon was an old man 36:03 he had wasted the best years of his life 36:07 when he could've served the Lord. 36:10 At the end of his life he came back to God. 36:15 God is relentless. 36:17 You know, God doesn't give up on anyone. 36:19 This is one of the lessons 36:20 that we should learn from the life of Solomon 36:22 is that God will pursue us through the end. 36:27 Let's talk a little bit about 36:28 the third stage of the life of Solomon. 36:32 There's a very interesting book in the Bible 36:35 which perhaps many people don't study very much, 36:38 it's the Book of Ecclesiastes. 36:41 Do you know that this was one of our last books 36:43 to be accepted as part of scripture 36:45 in the Old Testament canon by the Jews? 36:48 There were three books that they left 36:50 till the very last to accept this part of biblical canon. 36:52 One was Esther because it doesn't mention 36:54 the name of God. 36:55 Another was the Song of Solomon 36:57 because it's kind of erotic in some places 37:00 and the third is the Book of Ecclesiastes 37:04 because you read Ecclesiastes 37:06 and it appears to be pessimistic. 37:10 It breathes existential pessimism and desperation. 37:14 It doesn't seem to have the philosophy of the life 37:17 that the rest of the Old Testament has. 37:19 And therefore the Jewish scholars 37:22 who were under divine guidance 37:24 determined the Old Testament canon weren't sure 37:27 whether Ecclesiastes should even be in scripture. 37:31 In fact the key word in this book is the word vanity. 37:34 It's used over 35 times in this small book of 12 chapters. 37:40 The word vanity simply means vapor, or breath. 37:46 How many of you have ever tried to grab a vapor? 37:50 How many of you have ever tried to grasp a breath? 37:55 By the way the name Abel is the same Hebrew word. 38:00 The name Abel means breath or vapor. 38:06 The life of Abel evaporated 38:09 and it appeared like there wasn't gonna be 38:10 any justice although we knew-- 38:12 we know that there was going to be and there will be. 38:17 The Hebrew word hebel translated vanity 38:22 means something temporary, something transitory, 38:25 something that is empty, something illusory, 38:29 something that has absolutely no substance. 38:35 And the word is used over 35 times 38:38 and it's interesting to notice how Solomon uses it, 38:41 when he uses it, it doesn't appear to square 38:43 with the Christian philosophy of life. 38:47 Notice Ecclesiastes 1:1, 2. 38:50 Let's read several verses, where he speaks about vanity 38:55 and you tell me if this sounds like 38:56 a Christian philosophy of life. 38:58 It says there, "The words of the preacher 39:01 the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 39:05 'Vanity of vanities,' says the preacher, 39:07 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.'" 39:11 Would you agree that all is vanity? 39:15 Would you agree as Christians that all is a vapor 39:17 and all is meaningless and all is empty? 39:20 Of course not. 39:22 Notice 1:14, Solomon says, 39:25 "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun 39:29 and indeed all is vanity, and grasping for the wind." 39:33 In other words, he's saying life is empty, 39:35 life is meaningless. 39:37 I've seen what life is like, it's like grasping for the wind. 39:40 How many of you have been able to grab the wind? 39:44 Ecclesiastes 2:11, Solomon says, 39:49 "Then I looked on all the works of my hands 39:51 that my hands had done 39:53 and under labor in which I had toiled 39:56 and indeed all was vanity and grasping for wind, 40:00 there was no profit under sun." 40:03 He says I looked at life and life was meaningless, 40:06 empty, a vapor. 40:10 Life was absurd. 40:14 That doesn't sound like a Christian philosophy of life. 40:17 And then in verse 17 40:18 we're told that Solomon actually contemplated suicide. 40:23 It says there in verse 17, 40:25 "Therefore I hated life because the work that was done 40:31 under the sun was distressing to me, 40:33 for all is vanity and grasping for the wind." 40:38 You read Ecclesiastes it's a book of pessimism, 40:41 anxiety, depression and desperation. 40:45 According to many portions of the book 40:47 life is meaningless and absurd. 40:52 It does not square with the rest 40:54 of the Old Testament and the meaning of life. 40:59 Notice Ecclesiastes 8:14, 15. 41:04 Here Solomon once again describes things in a way 41:06 which you know don't really make sense 41:09 within a Christian lifestyle, a Christian worldview. 41:13 It says there, "There is a vanity which occurs on earth, 41:17 that there are just men to whom it happens 41:19 according to the work of the wicked, 41:22 and again there are wicked men 41:24 to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous." 41:28 Notice the righteous suffer evil things 41:31 and the wicked suffer good things 41:33 or reap good things. 41:38 He says, "I said that this also is vanity." 41:45 So what does he do as a result? 41:46 He said, "So I commended enjoyment, 41:50 because a man has nothing better under the sun 41:53 than to eat, drink and be merry, 41:56 for this will remain with him 41:58 in his labor all the days of his life 42:00 which God gives him under the sun." 42:03 In other words, because life appears to be absurd 42:05 let's live it up and have fun. 42:09 That sound like a Christian philosophy of life? 42:13 Absolutely not. 42:14 You say why in the world 42:15 do we have Ecclesiastes in the Bible? 42:17 I'll explain why. 42:18 You see, in Ecclesiastes Solomon is describing his life 42:23 separated from God. 42:26 He's writing in his old age 42:29 and he's saying this is the way that I looked at life 42:34 when I went astray from God 42:35 during the second stage of my life. 42:37 He's looking back at his old age. 42:40 By the way do you know that he wrote the Book of Proverbs 42:42 and he wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes 42:44 when he was an old man, and he had returned to God? 42:48 He did not write those early in his reign. 42:52 You see, he is showing what a life 42:54 separated from God is like. 42:56 It is meaningless, it's empty, it's worthless, 42:59 it's like grasping for the wind. 43:03 But I praise the Lord that Solomon doesn't end his book 43:07 with pessimist and emptiness and meaningless and anxiety. 43:13 He ends his book in a majestic way 43:16 by appealing to the young people 43:18 on the basis of his own experience. 43:20 Notice Ecclesiastes 8:11-13, 43:26 "Because the sentence against an evil work 43:30 is not executed speedily," 43:32 that is because the sentence against an evil work 43:35 is not executed right away, 43:38 "therefore the heart of the sons of men 43:40 is fully set in them to do evil." 43:42 So you say, you know, 43:43 evil isn't punished so we might as well practice evil. 43:48 Though-- then he says this, 43:49 "Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, 43:52 and his days are prolonged, 43:54 yet I surely know that it will be well 43:59 with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 44:03 But it will not be well with the wicked, 44:05 nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, 44:10 because he does not fear before God." 44:13 Now he's talking sense. 44:16 He's saying now I'm telling you, 44:18 what life is truly about. 44:22 And when he reaches the end of the book 44:24 he's actually going to use a little bit of irony 44:27 with the young people. 44:29 Notice Ecclesiastes 11:9, 44:33 he's speaking almost with sarcasm here. 44:36 He says this, 44:41 "Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, 44:45 and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, 44:50 walk in the ways of your heart, 44:53 and in the sight of your eyes." 44:56 You know what he's saying to the youth? 44:58 He's saying be yourself. 45:02 Do your own thing, live it up, have fun like I did. 45:10 He's speaking with sarcasm by the way, folks. 45:14 He continues saying, 45:16 "But know that for all these things 45:19 God will bring you into judgment. 45:24 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, 45:28 and put away evil from your flesh, 45:32 for childhood and youth are vanity." 45:34 In other words, they are dangerous 45:35 in childhood and youth is what he is saying. 45:39 And then comes the famous words, 45:43 he says, youth, yeah, live it up follow your heart, 45:46 follow your eyes, but God is gonna bring everything 45:49 at the judgment someday, remember that. 45:52 And so now he counsels the youth, 45:54 he says, remember now your Creator 45:57 in the days of your youth. 46:00 Before the difficult days come, 46:03 by the way that's when you become old. 46:07 Before the difficult days come and the years draw near 46:11 when you say I have no pleasure in them. 46:14 In other words, when you look back like me, 46:15 and you'll see your life and you say 46:17 I have no pleasure in this life. 46:21 Folks, Solomon is not some philosopher 46:23 speaking from an ivory tower. 46:27 His is the voice of experience. 46:31 He's describing his own bitter life alienated from God 46:34 and he's counseling the youth not to go down the same road. 46:39 He's saying there a life centered in pleasure 46:41 and alienated from God may appear desirable and fun. 46:46 But in the end it will bring bitterness, 46:49 depression and meaningless to life. 46:54 And of course Solomon ends his book 46:58 majestically in chapter 12 and verses 13 and 14, 47:02 where it says, if you've missed my point up till this, 47:05 up to now, he says, now let me give you a summery 47:08 of everything that I've said in the book. 47:12 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. 47:16 Fear God and keep His commandments. 47:20 For this is man's all. 47:26 For God will bring every work into judgment, 47:30 including every secret thing whether good or evil" 47:36 And the book ends. 47:39 He's ending with the definition of wisdom, 47:42 fear God and keep His commandments 47:45 for this is the whole duty of man 47:46 for God is going to bring every work into judgment. 47:52 Like to read a statement from the book 47:54 Prophets and Kings, page 80, 47:57 where Ellen White describes the latter life of Solomon 48:00 after he returned to God, 48:01 she says, "Solomon's later writings reveal 48:06 that as he realized more and still more 48:09 the wickedness of his course, 48:12 he gave special attention to warning the youth 48:16 against falling into the errors 48:19 that have led him to squander 48:21 for nought Heaven's choicest gifts. 48:25 With sorrow and shame, he confessed 48:27 that in the prime of manhood, 48:30 when he should have found God his comfort, 48:34 his support, his life 48:36 he turned from the light of heaven 48:38 and the wisdom of God and put idolatry 48:41 in the place of the worship of Jehovah. 48:44 And now, having learned 48:47 through sad experience the folly of such a life, 48:51 his yearning desire was to save others 48:54 from entering into the bitter experience 48:57 through which he had passed." 49:02 You know youth that would be a good idea 49:03 for you to read the book of Proverbs 49:07 and the Book of Ecclesiastes 49:11 because there's a lot of wisdom 49:12 there of one who has been there and done that. 49:19 You know today the youth are lured 49:22 by so many temptations of the world. 49:25 You know, oh, it's so good to get out there 49:28 and party and have fun. 49:29 Listen, folks, Solomon's has been there, 49:32 he's experimented with it and he tells you, 49:34 that's not the way to go. 49:36 Will we learn from the voice of experience? 49:41 One of the greatest writers of the 20th century 49:43 was Ernest Hemingway. 49:46 He was born in 1899 in Illinois. 49:50 His parents were devoutly religious people. 49:54 In fact, they were very, very involved 49:58 in the first congregational church. 50:01 But Hemingway early in life parted 50:04 from the religious ways of this family. 50:07 He became a news reporter, and then a writer. 50:11 He married four times, 50:14 and was never happy with any of his four marriages. 50:18 He began drinking early in life 50:22 and in the 1940's according to those 50:24 who knew him he was obese, had high blood pressure, 50:27 and was deeply depressed. 50:30 He began hearing voices in his head. 50:34 For several years he lived in Cuba and also in Key West 50:37 where you can still visit some of the sites 50:40 that he made famous. 50:42 According to those who knew him best 50:46 he frequented the bars in Key West 50:50 and lived a profligate life. 50:52 In fact some of his writings are so up seen 50:55 that they still have not been published. 50:59 Those who knew him best describe him as unhappy, 51:03 vulgar, and an alcoholic. 51:09 Yet he started in a religious environment in the home 51:14 but chose to go astray. 51:17 In 1952, Ernest Hemingway 51:20 wrote that famous book The Old Man and the Sea 51:22 which would give him the noble prize 51:26 for literature in the year 1954. 51:30 I'm gonna tell you in a few moments 51:31 a little bit more about that book by the late 1950's 51:35 he suffered severe depression, 51:37 which led him in 1960 to be hospitalized in the Mayo clinic 51:42 where for two months he received 51:43 electric shock therapy for depression, 51:46 and he was released in 1961 51:49 but his depression got worst. 51:55 You see folks, I believe that the book 51:57 The Old Man and the Sea is simply 51:59 a symbolic autobiography of Ernest Hemingway. 52:04 Hemingway I don't know whether you're aware 52:07 was fascinated with the Book of Ecclesiastes. 52:11 In fact, he wrote a novel called The Sun Also Rises, 52:15 which title is based on the Book of Ecclesiastes. 52:19 And his life was pessimistic, 52:22 like much of the content of the Book of Ecclesiastes. 52:25 May be he didn't see those passages 52:27 where you had a discussion of fearing God 52:31 and returning to God. 52:33 The story of the Old Man and the Sea is of a Cuban-- 52:37 Cuban fisherman named Santiago. 52:40 His body is tattered and scared by years of fishing. 52:45 He's gone out now for 85 days 52:47 and he has not been successful in fishing anything. 52:51 His fellow fishermen say, 52:53 they scarf at him and they say, 52:56 oh, you're too old to fish, you're all washed up. 53:01 One day though the solitary fishermen Hemingway 53:08 goes out to see in his boat. 53:10 Suddenly he hooks a giant Marlin 53:12 such has never has been seen in those waters 53:16 and then begins the struggle of the old man 53:19 with the sea and with the fish. 53:24 He begins to imagine what it will be like 53:25 to exhibit this fish, his trophy 53:28 to his fellow fishermen to show that his existence 53:32 has finally culminated with success. 53:37 The old man struggles against the fish and the sea 53:40 he cuts his leathery hands on the fishing line, 53:43 the sun beats down mercilessly on his sweaty brow 53:47 his muscles generally strong and firm begin to ache, 53:51 but the old man continues his relentless battle 53:55 with the sea and the fish. 53:58 Finally, after several days the battle is over. 54:01 The old man wins, but the Marlin is so large 54:05 that the old man must tie the marline along side his boat. 54:11 Then the sharks attack, and began to eat the fish. 54:16 The old man with desperation takes out a knife 54:19 and begins thrusting at the sharks. 54:22 For a short time the sharks leave but then they return. 54:26 The old man now uses a club to beat the sharks away, 54:30 for a while they leave but once again they come back. 54:35 The old man with almost indescribable frenzy 54:39 takes a stick with which he steers the boat 54:43 and he hits the sharks. 54:46 This time the sharks do not leave, 54:49 they finish their banquet. 54:52 The man who a few short hours 54:55 before had victoriously proclaimed 54:58 that he was gonna show his trophy 55:02 when he came to the shore has nothing left. 55:08 His fishing expedition 55:10 which appeared to be a success has now ended in bitter defeat. 55:17 But the old man reaches the beach 55:19 all that is left of the fish is the skeleton. 55:23 All the struggle the bloody hands, the aching muscles, 55:27 the spent energy the toasted skin has all been for nothing. 55:31 The struggle has ended in despair 55:34 emptiness and meaninglessness, 55:37 all that remains is tragedy and defeat 55:40 and the story ends with the old man 55:42 lying by the sea. 55:47 Sad, with no meaning in life. 55:54 Hemingway lived his own novel. 55:59 He didn't return to the God of his parents like Solomon. 56:03 He remained at stage two, 56:06 on July 2, 1961 Hemingway took out his favorite shotgun, 56:12 put it to his head and pulled the trigger 56:18 and committed suicide. 56:22 His life had ended like the life of the old man, 56:26 in sorrow, depression, emptiness and despair. 56:33 And this is the way in which the lives of those will end 56:38 who chose foolishness instead of wisdom, 56:42 the world instead of Jesus. 56:46 For what shall I profit a man, 56:49 if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? 56:55 Let us not go after illusory riches 57:00 and those things which perish 57:03 but let us focus on the wisdom that is from above. 57:07 Let us focus on the heavenly kingdom 57:09 which will never end 57:12 and let us remain faithful to God 57:15 and dedicate our strength and our energies to Him 57:18 as we live in this world and prepare for eternity. |
Revised 2014-12-17