Oracles of a Wise King

Solomon received wisdom from God because he asked for it. He received favor from God because he asked for wisdom instead or riches or fame. He had the three most coveted things of men everywhere; wealth, wisdom, and women. Yet in all of his majesty, he was not satisfied.

8 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9 What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8,9 NIV

Reality shows are the latest craze in television. People are airing their business to the world. Many call the shows entertaining. But what can be so good about exposing all that negativity? Solomon captures the real world and sums it all up as vanity. Entertaining? I think not. If any thing, his words will sober the reader into an objective look at life.

9 Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 10 Whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known; no man can contend with one who is stronger than he. 11 The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone? 12 For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone. Ecclesiastes 6:9-12 NIV

God is the only one that knows every aspect of the past, present, and future. Our lives are held in His grasp. A Christian's past has been covered by the blood of Jesus, his present is being shaped by the Holy Spirit, and his future is determined by the choices that he makes.

12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. Ecclesiastes 8:12,13

In the end, it will be truth that will stand the test of time. Truth that can not be refuted or changed. The living Truth within the Christian gives him both strength and hope eternal. Outside of the Truth, there is no life.

10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. Ecclesiastes 12:10,11