Out of all the things Solomon could have asked for, it was wisdom. He chose wisdom above all else to govern and rule as the king of Israel. God indeed was impressed with Solomon’s heart, and gave him unusual wisdom. The Bible says that he was the wisest man on earth. In fact, visitors from distant lands came to admire the wise king. God also gave Solomon riches, wealth, and honor that no other king before him had.
In his early years of being king, Solomon started developing a the habit that would make his wisdom and wealth ineffective for his life: His materialism gave him access to people of other cultures, and He sealed a pact with Egypt by marrying Pharoah’s daughter. She was the first of hundreds of wives married for political reasons. In doing this, Solomon went against not only his father’s last words (King David), but also against God’s direct command (God said not to intermarry with pagans-because they would bring their idolatry, and hearts would be turned away from the one true God). Solomon did as he pleased, and slowly their idolatry was integrated with Israel, and Solomon’s heart (along with other Israelites), was drawn away from God. By doing this, Solomon reminds me of how easy it is to know what the right thing to do is and yet not do it.
“All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied.” Ecclesiastes 6: 7
This is what Solomon is saying here…if you let your job dominate your life, you will be spiritually hungry-even starving. Boy, this really strikes a chord with me. What wisdom here! ‘If only I knew then what I know now.’ I was a workaholic, and being an unbeliever, I thought born again Christians were a little over the top…they were “Jesus freaks”, and the Bible was just another book.
“So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?” Ecclesiastes 6: 8
In essence, Solomon says that we could have the greatest amount of education, but if our lives are devoid of God, this puts us on the same level as a fool. When we stand before God, He’s not going to ask us how high a level our education was… He’s only concerned as to whether or not we know Him. Please realize that our minds cannot replace our hearts.
“Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless-like chasing the wind.” Ecclesiastes 6: 9
Dreams cannot replace reality. Live in the present. Do you know that there are some people who have magnificent homes, but no furniture, or not enough money to make ends meet? I know people with really nice automobiles, struggling to make car payments…I think you get the picture. Stop saying, “If only…” Live in the present. Live by your means-don’t overextend yourself. Today is a gift. The person who lives in the future never gets to enjoy today.