TO UNDO THE HARM THAT WAS DONE

     Life is filled with a succession of unmet hungers. Man is malnourished in more than just his diet. Life’s nutrition is more than food. But men keep eating what is by definition not food, neither for the body nor the spirit; for the perpetuation of pride and lust have contaminated man’s views in every field of endeavor. This is readily seen in the world’s foundation of ethics in government, business and religion, and how they perpetuate the injustice that is so prevalent these days.

     Every question as it pertains to life deserves to be answered: with both clarity and to the satisfaction of conscience, for it must harmonize with our inborn sense of justice, mercy, and love (the emotional constitution endowed to us by our Creator). These heaven-born aspirations of conscience give man a fighting chance to come to the realization of GOD’S deliverance from not only our personal selfishness but society’s charted course that is leading mankind to our eventual extinction. This destination was guaranteed the moment sin was given dominion over the Earth.

     Every generation of history has searched for answers that meet the desperate cry of the human heart. There have been many men and women blessed with the intellectual coordination to give an answer to some of these vital questions. A long time ago there lived one such man. His wisdom exceeded all who lived before him and all who have followed him. The reason we know this to be so is that GOD Himself ordained the supremacy of wisdom and understanding to be given to this one man, and him alone. His name was King Solomon.

     The wisdom of Confucius could not compare to this man. Buddha and Gandhi stood in elementary school compared to him. Nowhere in history could any of the sages of the ages stand up to the magnitude of the Wisdom of Solomon. Every virtuous deed through history is a reflection of men giving honor to that heaven-born Wisdom, recorded and made available to you and me, to learn and discern the boundaries of where both peace and danger lay.

     The Wisdom of Solomon addresses every aspect of GOD’S plan of salvation and how to best live our lives in a sinful world: to be in the world but not of the world (Jn.17:15). Solomon prayed to GOD and set his heart to find “knowledge,” “understanding,” and “wisdom.” “Knowledge” is factual information. “Understanding” is the combination of knowledge with life's experience. And “wisdom” is the practical and public application of understanding, that, when blessed of GOD, meets the needs in our individual lives. Only by Solomon’s plea to GOD could he properly serve the kingdom entrusted to his care. God answered the cry of his heart with an abundance of each. And coupled with this gift from on High came every comfort that a sinful world can provide to a man. Solomon was lavished with everything both productive and destructive to the human soul.

     The sinful side of his life gives us insight into the final result from indulging in the fleshly lusts for the temporary things of this world. What did Solomon conclude at the end of his life’s journey? “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”—A sense of unquenchable emptiness! Eccl.1:14.

     Solomon’s indulgence of sin in his life began with his choosing a wrong course for the Gospel’s evangelism. He had purposed in his marriages to women of other nations (who worshipped heathen gods) to show the contrast between their inferior gods to the One True GOD. But his trust in his own strength allowed the infiltration of the enemies of GOD to take root in his life and thus contaminate the kingdom of Israel with the marriage of holiness to defilement. By his abandonment of the LORD’S counsel in the books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and the Psalms of David, this proved to be a dangerous road that very few men through history have been able to retrace their steps, for Solomon’s actions contradicted the manner of evangelism set forth by GOD: a method designed to be a holy and blameless witness that none could find any points of ridicule unless they abandoned GOD’S noble gift of the power of reason.

     But before all was said and done, Solomon’s GOD-given wisdom led to his repentance in later years. In the tone of repentance he wrote: “One sinner destroyeth much good.” Eccl.9:18. He well knew that he had set in motion the seeds of apostasy that would lead to the destruction of Israel, and even Israel’s rejection of the coming Messiah. Solomon understood that by his example he contributed to the murder of the Christ by his own people. This lay at the heart of his sadness as an old man.

     But all was not in vain in the life of Solomon. The principles set forth in his youth, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, drew him back into the fold of righteousness. And before his death, Solomon worked to undo the harm he had caused, and thus, set in motion a revival that could regain all the ground that was lost because of his indulgence in sin.

     Also, his life of indulging his senses in the power and riches of earth played a vital role in strengthening the LORD Jesus Christ to resist the sinful human desire to gain wealth and power when Satan tempted Him with the adoration of fame and riches in this world. “The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.” Said the tempter: “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matt.4:8-10.

     What did Jesus have as his weapon of defense? “It is written” in the life of Solomon. To paraphrase the Savior’s estimation of Satan’s offer: ‘You offer to me everything that was given to GOD’S servant, Solomon; and at the end of his life’s journey he determined that is was of no value to the human spirit.’ So, the course of Solomon’s life played an important role in the victory of the Savior over the devil’s temptations, just as the great promise of Scripture states: “The LORD thy GOD turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy GOD loved thee.” Deut.23:5.

     Among Solomon's many words are these: "Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding." To what source did Solomon turn to learn? The LORD Jehovah. GOD granted to Solomon the cry of his heart because he cried for the benefit of others and not for himself (I Ki.3:11-14). To gain the pleased response of GOD is to understand and appreciate following what is best and avoid what is not; upholding what is true and detesting what is not. This is the superior path for man—This gives honor to GOD. Essentially, it is having an abiding love for GOD’S Truth, in whose every verse there is found a blessing.

     But by allowing Satan’s influence to determine the course for our lives only guarantees our self-destruction. This was the hard lesson for Solomon to learn, and is why his closing words at the end of his life’s journey were these: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Eccl.12:13,14.

     A concise treatise of answers to the cry of the human heart has been the dedicated work of our LORD Jesus Christ by His providing man with the True Encyclopedia of Life: the Holy Bible. The Sacred Scriptures present the available choices for all of life's decisions, while always allowing for one’s personal freedom in the choices that are made. For when people are shown what is truly available to them, the human heart naturally gravitates to the best of those choices. GOD gave to men a deep sense of desire for righteousness. But with the Enemy of Souls tempting the minds of men 24/7 it takes a concerted effort to “hold your course” in the godly decisions that are made. But developing perseverance will carry over into every aspect of your life's work and your relationships, whether of family, friends, or the marriage bond.