- I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. -
Verses 7 and 8 might be the worst side of Solomon in the entire book. It’s also the epitome of honesty.
Put yourself in his shoes. He was given wisdom by God, used it to examine this life, and found nothing worthwhile. You might find yourself reaching out for some “Novocain” as well.
What does Solomon choose to possess as king? All the food, money, and entertainment he could get his hands on, more than any other king of Israel before him and possibly after.
Now, describing livestock as food doesn’t paint a full picture.
They were businesses, clothes, milk, labor, and sacrifices. Give up the first born? Not even a loss for a man who had so much.
It gives the impression that Solomon could feast at any time he wanted.
He also had money in abundance. We don’t really get an insight as to where this comes from, but a king only has a few avenues to grow his wealth.
Taxes, commerce, and war.
We know David had filled the coffers with the wealth of nearby nations. Solomon increased this wealth with favorable trades and taxing his people.
For what purpose did he use this wealth?
Well, some of it went to the temple and his other projects, like the gardens and vineyards, but some of it definitely went to his own expenses, which were extravagant.
Remember the description of Solomon’s house? That definitely wasn’t free.
All the singers mentioned? Whether he “bought” them or “had them on retainer” isn’t clear.
Also, what about the one piece of Bible trivia we all know about Solomon? His 700 wives and 300 concubines?
That’s 1,000 people to feed, clothe, and shelter without even getting to his children, servants, and army.
To put it mildly, Solomon might have done a lot for his people, but he was definitely getting a slice of the pie.
Now, what in the world is the lesson for us? This all feels completely unrelatable since the majority of us will never experience wealth and possessions of this magnitude, right?
In a certain sense, we do, but that’s definitely debatable.
No matter what you own, do things provide freedom? That’s the lesson Solomon learned here as well, to the nth degree.
There was no feasting, wealth, or ladies that could make his life worthwhile. It didn’t lurk in the “good” things, and it certainly wasn’t in the “bad” things either.
What do we do today?
Well, we’re just as dumb as Solomon. Should we binge three hours of Netflix?
Maybe. It kind of depends on how many hours we binged before and what we could do to make someone else feel loved.
Rest is good, but only when it focuses us to love others.
Too much of the “good life” - sometimes known as laziness - leads to suffering.