Rev. David Holwick G Valentines Day
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 14, 1993
1 Kings 11:1-4
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I. Having it all.
A. Great theme in credit card advertisements.
1) You are entitled to have it all.
2) If you don't have it all, you are missing out.
3) (Publishers' Clearing House depiction of cars, mansions...)
B. Notice who we read about.
1) Trump, Elizabeth Taylor, etc.
2) Truth is, we can learn much from people who have it all.
C. Solomon outdoes everyone. 1 Kg 10:21 ff
1) 700 wives, and 300 concubines.
2) World diplomacy and clout.
3) Tons of gold.
a) 666 talents a year. (25 tons!) 1 Kg 10:14
b) Not an exaggeration.
Alan Millard in Biblical Archeology Review magazine shows
that gold was revered by all ancient kingdoms.
Solomon's hoard did not last long. 1 Kg 14:25
Soon after his death, the Egyptian Pharaoh named Shishak
invaded Israel and brought back many treasures.
Three years later Shishak's son Orsorkon I, who had taken
over, dedicated 383 tons of gold to a temple.
Some of this gold must have come from Solomon.
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4) Yet in the end, it wasn't enough.
II. Solomon as a tragic figure.
A. He is a representative figure for his time.
B. He possessed character traits that made him capable of
developing in two different ways.
1) A man of superhuman wisdom, piety, obedience to God, and
prayer.
2) He also marries pagan wives, loves material splendor,
and tolerates idolatry.
C. Over his lifetime he gradually slips into a life dominated by
the second set of qualities, and therein lies his tragedy.
III. Solomon's early life is generally positive.
A. Idealization seen most clearly in his choice of wisdom from
God. A scale of values is dramatized. 3:9
What would you do if you had a free wish?
There is a story about a married couple that had a terrible fight.
The wife stormed out of the house and vowed never to return.
On the driveway she tripped over something she had never seen
before - an Aladdin's Lamp.
She picked it up, rubbed it, and sure enough, a Genie popped out.
"I am at your command," the Genie says.
"I will grant you three wishes for whatever you desire."
Naturally, she is overjoyed.
But the Genie tempers her enthusiasm:
"I must tell you, that whatever you get, your husband will get
twice as much."
The wife wasn't too thrilled with this, but decided to go along.
"First," she said, "I would like a million dollars."
POOF!! Just like that a million dollars lay at her feet.
She leaps for joy, but comes back to earth when the Genie
reminds her Ol' Meanie in the house received two million.
"Are you sure you want to go on?" he asked.
"Sure," she says, with a little less enthusiasm.
"Next, I'd like a pile of diamonds, three feet high."
POOF!! Right next to the money, a mound of sparkling diamonds
appears, a yard high.
"I don't mean to dampen your fun," the Genie cautions, "but your
husband is sitting in his La-Z-Boy recliner with a pile of
diamonds on both sides of him.
"Would you like to forget that last wish?"
She thought for a moment or two, but then said, "No, Genie, I'd
like that last wish.
"What I want you to do is ... scare me half to death!"
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1) Wisdom is shown to be superior to wealth, long life, and
conquest.
2) Poetic justice occurs when God also gives him the rest.
B. His political prominence shows his success as a ruler. 4:1-28
C. His piety emerges from his building of the Temple. ch 5-7
1) Also his impressive prayer at dedication. ch 8
D. His prosperity is revealed when Queen of Sheba visits. 10:1-13
IV. With so much going for him, why did Solomon fail?
A. His many wives, a perversion of intimacy of married love. 11:3
1) Early hint: Marriage to Pharaoh's daughter. 3:1
2) "Song of Solomon" reveals ideal, which he twisted.
B. His marriage of foreign women, a deliberate violation of
God's commands. 11:1-2
C. His sacrifice of the pure worship of God to the idolatrous
paganism of his wives. 11:4-8
1) Early hint: Sacrifices at high places. 3:3
V. These are not instantaneous choices, but evolved over his lifetime.
A. He turned against God in his "old age." 11:4
B. It is a story of gradual acquiescence with evil.
1) Not the moment of sensuality and materialism and idolatry
but the lifelong habit of weakness for women, love of
splendor, and idolatry.
2) His tragic end involves the rise of political enemies
and the disintegration of his kingdom.
VI. At the end, Solomon learned his lesson. (Ecclesiastes)
A. Ecclesiastes is a hard book and often misunderstood.
1) Rampant hedonism?
2) Very modern in its pessimism.
3) Bart Simpson reflected in Eccl 7:16.
B. Contrast is the key.
1) Note famous passage in 3:1-8. A time for everything...
2) On larger scale, book is contrast between the earthly
and supernatural perspective.
a) Key phrase is "under the sun."
b) Describes what is earth-bound, cut off from supernatural.
3) Taken straight, book makes no sense because of contradictions.
a) Seen as contrast, the negative comments are understood to
be the conclusions that emerge when he limits his gaze
to the earthly scene.
b) The cry of despair and futility is not his final answer to
life's existence.
c) (And more than just a ray of hope at the very end.)
C. Life "under the sun."
1) "Under the sun" (or equivalent) occurs in 13 out of 15
negative passages.
2) Solomon tried it all:
a) Wisdom and education. 1:12-18
b) Pleasure. 2:1-3
c) Money and accomplishments. 2:4-11
3) Life "under the sun" leads to alienation and futility.
D. Life under God.
1) Two themes limited to positive passages:
a) Life can be enjoyed. 2:24; 3:13
b) Pervasive consciousness of God.
1> God has given man a supernatural awareness of
something "above" the sun. 3:11
2> People will be drawn to God. (Augustine) 3:14
2) Positive thread reaches climax at end of book. 11:9-12:1
a) Eloquent call for young people to live a righteous and
purposeful and enjoyable life.
b) Magnificent summary: Fear God, keep commandments. 12:13-14
E. Basic theme:
1) Life lived by purely earthly or human values, without faith
in God and supernatural values, is meaningless and futile.
2) With God in view, life has meaning.
3) Solomon only discovered this at the end of his life.
VII. How much do we want to have?
A. Life is not measured by our accomplishments and acquisitions.
Alan McGinnis, a writer of Christian self-help books, says:
"I used to keep thinking that I would be happy when I got one
more degree or when I got a particular job or when I got
financial security.
But every time I reached a goal, I was so disappointed - the
victory was so empty.
Finally I realized that I will never hit some plateau of
happiness in this world.
In fact, I won't ever have a day of absolute happiness, because
happiness seems to come in bits and pieces.
I never have a day, though, when God does not offer me moments
of reward and fulfillment and happiness.
My task is to enjoy those as they come."
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B. "Having it all" can mean ending up with nothing.
1) Greed can consume our resources.
2) Lust can kill our love.
3) Gaining the world can mean losing our souls. Matt 16:26
C. God wants us to have everything we need.
1) Jesus came that we might have life, in its fullness.
2) Do YOU have this life?
============================== Notes =========================================
Leland Ryken, "The Literature of the Bible," pp. 98-100.
========================================================
I. Solomon as a tragic figure.
A. He is a representative figure for the culture in which he lived.
B. He possessed character traits that made him capable of
developing in two different ways.
1) A man of superhuman wisdom, piety, obedience to God, and
prayer.
2) Marries pagan wives, loves material splendor, tolerates
idolatry.
C. Over his lifetime he gradually slips into a life dominated by
the second set of qualities, and therein lies his tragedy.
II. Early characterization as mixture of good and bad qualities.
A. Negative includes:
1) Marriage to Pharaoh's daughter. 1 Kg 3:1
2) Sacrifices at high places. 1 Kg 3:3
B. Positive: he loved the Lord and walked in commandments of David.
1) Idealization seen most clearly in his choice of wisdom from
God. A scale of values is dramatized.
2) Wisdom is shown to be superior to wealth, long life, and
conquest.
3) Poetic justice occurs when God also gives him the rest.
III. His life is generally positive.
A. His political prominence shows his success as a ruler. 4:1-28
B. His wisdom is also part of his heroic status. 4:29-34
C. His piety emerges from his building of the Temple. ch 5-7
1) Also his impressive prayer at dedication. ch 8
D. His prosperity is at greatest when Queen of Sheba visits. 10:1-13
IV. By focusing on his good qualities, interest is aroused in the
causes of his unlikely tragedy, which has several reasons:
A. His many wives, a perversion of intimacy of married love. 11:3
B. His marriage of foreign women, a deliberate violation of
God's commands. 11:1-2
C. His sacrifice of the pure worship of God to the idolatrous
paganism of his wives. 11:4-8
V. These are not instantaneous choices, but evolved over his lifetime.
A. He turned against God in his "old age." 11:4
B. It is a story of gradual acquiescence with evil.
1) Not the moment of sensuality and materialism and idolatry
but the lifelong habit of weakness for women, love of
splendor, and idolatry.
2) His tragic end involves the ascent of political adversaries
and the disintegration of his kingdom.
VI. Summary of Ecclesiastes.
A. Basic theme: Life lived by purely earthly or human values,
without faith in God and supernatural values, is meaningless
and futile.
1) Key phrase is "under the sun."
2) Describes what is earth-bound, cut off from supernatural
order.
B. Literary device: earthly perspective contrasted with supernatural.
1) Context is critical.
a) Taken together, book makes no sense because of contradictions.
b) Seen as contrast, negative comments are understood to be the conclusions
that emerge when he limits his gaze to the earthly scene.
c) The cry of despair and futility is not his final answer to
life's existence.
d) (More than just a ray of hope at the very end.)
2) Dialectical organization.
a) Carefully put together.
1> Based on a conflict between opposites.
2> Note antitheses in famous "a time for everything"
passage. 3:1-8
b) "Under the sun" (or equivalent) occurs in 13 out of 15
negative passages.
1> In only 4 out of 12 positive passages.
2> Emphasis on God and his perspective to earthly life is the main theme in
nearly all the positive passages.
c) Book is structured to uphold the God-centered life and expose
the varieties of earth-centered existence.
C. Quest motif. 1:13; 2:1,12,20; 7:25
1) A wide scope of human activities is described.
2) First positive passage: life is a gift from God. 2:24
a) Supernatural perspective dominates 3:10-15.
1> God has given man a supernatural awareness of something
above the sun.
2> People will be drawn to God. (Augustine) 3:14
3) Two themes limited to positive passages:
a) Life can be enjoyed.
b) Pervasive consciousness of God.
4) Positive thread reaches climax at end of book. 11:9-12:1
a) Eloquent call for young people to live a righteous and purposeful
and enjoyable life.
b) Magnificent summary: Fear God, keep commandments. 12:13-14
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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