An intelligent & powerful man who lusted

Solomon had transcended his Jewish identity and had become a cosmopolitan leader. He was married to Pharaoh’s daughter. His fame had also spread far and wide to the point where dignitaries like The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon to learn from his wisdom. His ministry and effect was not confined within the borders of Israel.

A young vibrant Solomon, who had been just anointed king, prays for wisdom that will allow him to rule the great nation of Israel. This The Lord grants to him in abundance. How much understanding was he given? It must have been considerable[2]. There were 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs that he had authored and he had knowledge about animal and plant life or what we today would call things like the Biology of fauna and flora[3]What we have in proverbs is a collection of only part of Solomon’s brilliant mind given to him by God. The amount and range of this collection is considerable adding up to thirty-one chapters of godly sayings, advice and counsel that address and pertain to numerous crucial issues of life.

[1] C. Hassle Bullock, Poetic books, an introduction to OT. P. 172
[2] Ist Kings 4:29
[3] Ist Kings 4:32

The Aftermath of Failure

We will accept with tradition and Biblical scholarship that says that Solomon is indeed the author of this Ecclesiastics.
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Vanity of vanities all is vanity, begins Solomon…

It’s Motivation

4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. [1]

This book, is believed to have been written during Solomon’s latter years. A Solomon well endowed in years begins to reflect at the ruins, ashes of his life and the one enduring eternal “Rock” who never fails. The sense of pathos starts from the beginning where one senses’ his regret. This is also why he must have needed to leave behind a recorded legacy of a partly wasted life that could have and should have been, lived better. One can speculate in this way when trying to narrow down Solomon’s motivation to write this book. He had indeed started well but did not finish as well as he would have liked so he, at least, tries to redeem the wastage by warning those who would live after him and would be confronted with similar choices. He can still get up, walk and pen words so he gets busy. He is not like the Rich man in hell whom Jesus talked about who is told its too late for him to warn his brothers. He writes an open letter to all those who would come after him to consider their ways.

Historical context: Solomon, Israel’s wise peace time ruler

Alas as it turns out a lot of the Israelite dynasty that continued after him had the same or worse problems but Solomon needed at least to give a warning to these subsequent leaders of Israel. What a well-lived life he had. Here was a man that had set his heart aright early on through the instruction of his father David and his mother Bethsheba[2]. He was a man who enjoyed world renown as a statesman of great wisdom. He had also enjoyed unprecedented wealth in a time of peace and prosperity. Israel was at the peak of her statehood with no enemies in sight.

9And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,

He was also spiritually blessed to have had no less than two visitations from the Lord[3] in which the Lord had appeared to him to grant him not just the wisdom he had asked for to govern but also prosperity as an added bonus. As the one commissioned with building the temple he witnessed an inauguration attended by the visible glory of God’s presence. What days those days must have been? It makes one realize why those who had returned from Babylonian captivity had wept remembering Solomon’s temple. All of this would end in a low note at the latter end of his life for having forsaken the ways of the lord and amassing inordinate number of wives and concubines from heathen nations of which he had been warned would turn his heart away from God[4]. The decline of Israel and the period of the divided kingdom begin as soon as he is gone.

The Message of Ecclesiastics

Speculations aside, what is he saying to us? There is a type of layered wisdom in the book of Ecclesiastics that is different from the concise advice in pill form found in proverbs. Vanity of vanities all is vanity, begins Solomon and starts on a down turn with a problem. He is not unlike other Old Testament prophets in this way, who spell out their society’s problems. However Solomon does not direct his outcry at a particular group of people but towards the world at large and to himself.

In The beginning chapters Solomon demonstrates the futility of life, wisdom and the pursuits of pleasure and the amassing of wealth. What an important message this is to every generation of people who have lived on this earth. Don’t get caught up in those things because they all turn out to be meaningless empty pursuits.

He does not speak this like a philosopher but like a scientist who had been in a libratory and had experimented with all these things and found them disappointing. It’s a difficult book in this way that it does not advocate abstaining but preaches from the hindsight of one who has partaken of all these things. It seems to say you need not make those same mistakes ‘I’ have made instead of delineating a line that must not be crossed. In contrast Jesus and the New Testament draw a line and command us, don’t do these but if you do and fail you have an advocate with the father. That is why The Lord is greater than Solomon and everyone else. We all preach from a lesson learned after failure like Solomon. We say, I backslid into drinking, or pornography but you shouldn’t do that to yourself. It useless vanity and only leads to greater disappointments!

While chapter one states the problems of excess. Chapter two shows us how to live a contented life with measure. This idea is also found in proverbs. Solomon continues by sharing with us the importance of timeliness. He says to us, one of the most quoted sayings from the Bible, “There is a time for everything”. This ties in to the excesses of the beginning chapter because we need not have all things right now, rather good things will come to us in their appointed time which The Lord has ordained. So here again he lets out the other secret of contentment, which is trusting the lord’s timing for our life. God’s sovereign rule over the earth is also developed in this chapter. Solomon develops the themes of ‘futile pursuits’ in the rest of the chapters.

What he failed to do in life he tries to set aright on paper to forewarn others and leave a legacy of remorse that says, “learn from my mistakes” Solomon continues to rummages through all the let down’s of life (like work, politics, family, religion etc) but concludes by putting us on a nice comfortable hill that we can hope and trust in, That of The Lord’s.

12:1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;[5]

13Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.[6]

What is the conclusion of a man whose life that had digressed on a tangent of amorous and greedy pursuits? Fear The Lord who will bring all to account!
[1] 1 Kings 11:4 (KJV)
[2] 1 Kings 11:9 (KJV)
[3] Ist Kings 11:9
[4] I kings 11:1-3
[5] Eccles. 12:1 (KJV)
[6] Eccles. 12:13-14 (KJV)

Intimacy

Song of Songs: The book of Intimacy

This book is not just ‘The song’ but the ‘song of songs’. The title indicates, in what esteem this beautiful book was held by Solomon and perhaps also to subsequent Jewish tradition that had incorporated it as part of its community and spiritual life. It’s the Psalter of the young. The young don’t always have the blues that a mature audience would experience. You can imagine young Jewish men and women, girls and boys, perk up while its read in a synagogue. It adds balance to a spirituality that might be devoid of romance, physical love or intimacy. It validates the love God had obviously intended to be there between couples. But does this book hold another mystery key related to our own spiritual life?

7I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. Song 2:7 (KJV)

This is obviously a book about love and its intricacies. Love is a wonderful and necessary emotion that adds meaning and substance to all human experience. There is much sense to the notion that it was written while a young Solomon inspired by an immense love he has for a mysterious Shulamite woman, authors a short two or three character musical play about their love. Solomon waxes poetic about this Shulamite woman. The bible codex generally uses modest language in describing the relationship between a man and woman but here one gets more intimate language that affirms the love between a man and a woman.

Who is the Shulamite woman?

One might speculate, maybe the long legged models in ancient Israel dwell in region of Shulam or shunem. The New American Bible has the following footnote as to her identity. “Shulammite: so called either because the girl is considered to be from Shulam in the plain of Esdraelon (cf 1 Kings 1:3) or because the name may mean "the peaceful one," and thus recall the name of Solomon”.[1] We know of a Shunamite woman in the Bible who was given to David as a wife in his latter years. [2] Therefore, Solomon’s Shulamite could have been from the land of Shunem or (Shulam). Since we know Solomon to have had many wives she may have been the one among the many that made his heart skip.

The Theme of Song of songs

8I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love. [3]

Love is the one prevailing theme of this book. So in its content it’s New Testament counterpart would be John’s gospel and his 1st epistle which have an over abundance of the word love (more than twenty times each). The word love is used many times in the sense of the love between God and man. What a profound concept! The love between a single soul or a collection of souls, which is his church and God can be said to be the greatest love of all loves without it being considered a travesty of interpretation. It’s no wonder then that this book has been allegorized to indicate this great love. Even while applying a literal interpretation it still can be used to illustrate that great love between Christ and his church[4].

30For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

It’s Application: Speaking the Language of spiritual love and doing God’s works

The application of this book cannot just be thought of as a call to keep the home fires burning or rekindle romance with one’s spouse, although that is perfectly valid. We should be able to use intimate language in our worship and prayers to express our love for the Lord. We should ask, when was the last time that we told The Lord, “I love you Lord!” and sang the love songs of the church with a genuine and a true heart? Sometimes the cares and problems of this world can make our hearts cold and make us forget to tell The Lord how much we love him. Jesus had predicted that in the iniquitous last times “The heart of many will wax cold[5], and faith will have disappeared[6].

It was also a charge he had brought against the Ephesians church “You have left your first love… Do the first works”[7] We should also then love the Lord by doing the ‘first works’ and continue in the works he has ordained for us to do since the foundations of the world.[8] Do we still pray, read our Bibles, go to church and pray? If not we may have left our first love and may need to repent. The question is, how is our love life today not what have we attained so far? Jesus had said in another place, “If you want to abide in my love, keep my commandments”[9] In other words he was saying for us to do the things He cares about not the things we ourselves want to do. Such was also the call for Peter to take care of His Sheep, “Do you love me Peter, if you do, feed my sheep and flocks”[10]


Opening up to Intimacy with God

The language of intimacy is not unique to Song of Songs, David says, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”[11] Jesus goes even further in wanting to share himself with the materially rich but otherwise wretched Laodicean church.

17Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 19As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[12]


2I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 3I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 5I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. 6I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.[13]


Transcending the elementary principles of hermeneutics for a minute and seeing the Bible as one whole unit that is God breathed we can glean the following understanding. When we see the above two scriptures in tandem we see illustrated, the problems that emanate from substituting intimacy with The Lord with something else like politics. The solution also becomes glaringly apparent. Many times we can be closed to the type of intimacy God wants to have with us which would have availed us much. Put simply, It’s all about Loving The Lord and spending time with Him. When was the last time we had a long deep intimate time of prayer?

[1]http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/songs/song7.htm
[2] 1 Kings 1:3)
[3] Song 5:8 (KJV)
[4] Ephes. 5:30-33 (KJV)
[5] Matthew 24:12
[6] Luke 18:18
[7] Revelation 2:4,5
[8] Ephesians 2:10
[9] John 15:9
[10] John 21:17
[11] Psalm 42:1 (KJV)
[12] Revelation 3:17-20
[13] Song 5:2-6 (KJV)

Insight into human suffering from Job

Introduction

Job’s tragedy, the resulting dialogue and exchanges and final restoration have powerful lessons for all of us. Life can dish out some grief even when we have done our best to live righteously but we can hope for a better end and outcome especially if we are believing Christians. This comforts every person that has been hit with tragedy, sorrow and misfortune. This is the purpose of this book. To answer the questions, Why do the righteous suffer? How should we deal with our suffering and what will the end of be?

What manner of a man?

16If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; 17Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof; 18(For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother's womb;) 19If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering; 20If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; 21If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate: Job 31:16-21 (KJV)

According to these verses Job was not only obviously a man of faith but also one through whom kindness flowed to others. He helped the poor and the widow (v.16) he had sheltered and shared his food with orphans (v. 17-18). He had helped and clothed the needy (V. 19). Jesus had also said, when you have a feast invite the poor and needy not the rich (Luke 14:3). James tells us such kindness is pure religion when combined with holiness (James 1:27) Job also describes his walk in the ‘holiness’ department as above reproach. No wonder The Lord had boasted about this man’s ways and his fear and reverential respect for him (Job 1:8).

9If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbor’s door; 10Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her. 11For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges. Job 31:9-11 (KJV)

In the above quoted chapter and especially in the verses indicated, we get a vivid picture of what Job was like. Job relates a mini-biography that would make the best of Christians look bad. These poetry portions are even more revealing than the prologue written in prose about Job’s character in understanding the type of man Job was.

It will not just do Job justice to say, Job was a really good man but a sinner like all of us. Why was Job called a good man without par in all the earth? ”Wow!?, In all the earth?” Only a few exceptional men have had the distinction of being called the most humble, most wise in all the earth and these were Moses and Solomon respectively. Job in his just dealings must have reached the highest bar that can possibly be attained by men, yet his problems were just about to start.


Spiritual Warfare

Job’s bafflement of the events that had overtaken him emanated from the impeccable life he had lived. Why me? That he was a good man was not just his own evaluation but also God’s and negatively Satan’s, although the latter attributes self interest to Job’s motivations. This perfect life, surprisingly enough seems to be the reason he gets caught in-between God and Satan (Job 1:8,9). Such warfare, it’s proven, no one will escape who lives, past, present and future including even our Lord Jesus. This single profound truth can become one of the great lessons from Job. Life in its spiritually bare form is a battle and a warfare that involves us with colossal spiritual forces. This parallels what the rest of the Bible says on the subject. See for example Jesus’ temptation or the verses in Ephesians that clearly depict this warfare[1]

12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.[2]

The Reasons For Suffering

Satan Challenges even The Lord’s testimony about Job and God permits a temporary trail period for Job by Satan with certain conditions. Why? Because God is sovereign and able to command anything and everything he wants concerning his creation. That was also the sum of The Lord’s answer to Job at the end[3]. One need not ask “Why?” one needs only to trust God. That seems to be one of the important lessons conveyed by this marvelous book. Another important lesson is that others who witness our suffering will more often than not misinterpret it as God’s wrath and fall into judgment themselves.

But the real reason for suffering is not as satisfactorily answered as in other New Testament portions concerning the subject of suffering. However, Job must have come to a realization of ‘the why’ himself and gives us the following hint.

10But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.[4]

A fuller more satisfying explanation of suffering from the New Testament can be found in the apostle Peter’s epistles who also had a theology of suffering as a fellow Christian sufferer and one who had seen The Lord suffer.

4:1Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;[5]

10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.[6]

Why God permits the temporary suffering of his own becomes one among many theological questions that posit themselves to the reader of Job’s story. According to Peter, Suffering works in us sanctification. Therefore, the questions Job posits for its reader gets its full answer in The New Testament in Christ. This is perhaps also an answer and a solution to the questions and riddles of our own lives.

A Blessed End For the Sufferer

God is the ultimate authority on the outcome of suffering and He must anticipate a good end for it. This we can believe and rejoice about knowing that the reality of suffering is inescapable for every soul but its end will always be beneficial to it. The end for Job was a theophany[7] and a blessing and a restoration that exceeded his initial state and ownings[8]. Job had the joy of seeing the lord which is the heart desire of all devout men yet granted to only a few like Moses, Daniel and Isaiah. “The pure in heart shall see God.”[9]

[1] (Matt. 4: 1-10. Eph 2:2).
[2] Ephes. 6:12 (KJV)
[3] (Job 401; 42:1
[4] Job 23:10 (KJV)
[5] 1 Peter 4:1 (KJV)
[6] 1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)
[7] (Job 42:5)
[8] Job 42:12,15
[9] Matthew Ch 5