![]() ![]() God also gave Solomon the gift of eternal insight, so he penned the Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, most of Proverbs, and a pair of biblical psalms. The other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.” Solomon then made his ruling: “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him she is his mother,” as he knew she would not let her own flesh and blood die ( 1 Kings 3:16-27). The true mother of the baby said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!” When two women both claimed a baby as their own and shunned a dead one, the king called for a sword and said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.” The Lord famously gave Solomon not only wisdom but riches, and the leader distinguished himself as the wisest and wealthiest ever in the Holy Land. Solomon replied, “O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child… Therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil” ( 1 Kings 3:5-9). One night as the king traveled, the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Ask! What shall I give you?” The first half of Solomon’s rule was the better, as he more deeply sought God then. The younger monarch, like his father, would reign for 40 years. This would be the height of the Jewish kingdom in all history. His son expanded upon that good start, roughly doubling its size at its greatest extent by conquering lands mostly to the northeast and some to the southwest. Likely crowned in his later teens, his name became ironic as he had to battle his older brother for control and ultimately executed several key leaders to consolidate power. Solomon (meaning “The Peaceful One”), King David’s legitimate son by Bathsheba, grew up as his parents’ choice to succeed his father on the throne. But is that all the king wished to say in his remark? Solomon Comes to Power “There’s nothing new under the sun” is a common reply to hearing a story that’s new but with action heard before, such as a masked robber saying, “Your money or your life!” as he brandishes a gun. ![]() That last phrase has been quoted by writers noted and diverse, including William Shakespeare and Christina Rosetti. The most famous saying in Ecclesiastes comes in its ninth verse: “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” What is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away ( James 4:14, NKJV). ![]() In Hebrew, it reads, “Vapor of vapors, all is vapor,” just as the Lord’s half-brother said a millennium later when friends became overly concerned with planning for the future: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,” wrote King Solomon in Ecclesiastes’ first sentence. However, thousands of years ago, a Jewish monarch realized that results in meaninglessness. “Be confident,” “no worries,” and “you do you” convey that if we just feel good and do what we want, everything will be great. Society today tells us to put the self first. ![]()
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