- I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. -
Verse 12 acts as a second introduction to the book. If you flip back, you will see the language used is similar to the first verse.
Right or wrong I think of the first 11 verses as a poetic thesis. In 12, Solomon begins the argument in prose.
The main thing I want to focus on in the second introduction is this: Solomon was a king.
Now the difference between a king and a dictator is slight, yet important. A king receives his ability to rule from something other than himself. A dictator seizes power by his own hand.
Israel’s kings held the throne by divine right. Saul, David, and Solomon were all anointed by the prophets before taking the throne.
Kings feel out of date. Why does one guy get to tell everyone else how to live their lives, what wars we should fight, and what the taxes are?
Although we’ve moved beyond monarchy, we need to understand the context of these roles in the time and place they occurred.
It’s been a theme of this blog to respect the past, and this is exactly a moment to stretch those muscles.
How do we represent hierarchies? A pyramid. We do this for mainly two reasons: to show what we value and to represent that there is an inverse relationship between this value and abundance.
Gold is a precious metal. Dirt is worthless. Why? Some of it has to do with what you can do with either, but ultimately it has to do with both scarcity and beauty.
A king, especially in those days, was a representation of what should be sitting at the top of society, a symbol of the qualities and principles that should govern.
Now, that’s an ancient idea, far older than the Israelites, and one they leaned upon when they asked God for a king.
So, what did people want? To summarize, they wanted someone who had their eyes open and paid attention. Look at the back of a dollar bill. What’s that at the top of the pyramid?
Second, they wanted someone who spoke the truth and made things “whole” with their speech. People like this are rare, but they settle our fears, remove stress, and provide clarity.
You remember the story about Solomon and the baby? It’s a perfect view of how he lived this idea out before his people.
Now the kings of Israel also had one more key ingredient. They were to serve not only these principles, but God as well.
Yes, that’s true about a lot of kings. You were subservient not only to what it meant to be king but also to the gods of your realm.
Obviously, the Bible would see those as false gods, which means those kings would be subject to false ideals. How were they false? That’s another Bible study my friend.
Now, I hear you. “Hey man, are you saying we should have a king?”
In the earthly sense? Emphatically, no! But, this is going to be an important concept as we move through the book.
I also want you to understand this principle, attention and speech as rulers, as it’ll change the way you look at other verses in the Bible.
Why did God speak the universe into being and why was it good?
What is this Word that ruled since the beginning of time?
Why does prayer matter?
Housekeeping: I appreciate everyone letting me experiment with the days and times! From what I can tell, Tuesday and Thursday are good, and you guys actually don’t mind these coming in the early morning.
I’m going to keep that going for now, but if you have any feedback, feel free to let me know via any social media or comment away.