Today I want to contrast the teaching of the wise Solomon in Proverbs 3:1-2; 5-6; 13-18:
1 My son, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you.
5 Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6 In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.
13 Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God’s Word and life’s experiences], 14 For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it better than fine gold. 15 Skillful and godly Wisdom is more precious than rubies; and nothing you can wish for is to be compared to her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are highways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy (blessed, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who holds her fast.
.... with the results he experienced from his disobedience to, and disregard for, the Word of God that we see in Ecclesiastes 2:9-11:
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. KJV
BECAUSE Solomon had asked of the Lord Wisdom to properly lead his people, God also gave him riches and honor and glory! What Solomon DID with the blessings of the Lord is what caused him to fall so far! God GAVE him riches, and he proceeded to gather more and more - to himself! Instead of being content with a God-given wife and family, he made himself a harem filled with foreign women, 700 wives and 300 mistresses, who turned his heart AWAY from the One, True God (1 Kings 11:3). Ecclesiastes is the result of Solomon returning to the Lord and looking back on a life wasted. We can learn from both His wisdom in Proverbs and his experience in Ecclesiastes. One tells us what to do and the other shows us what NOT to do! Learning from both will save each of us the hurt and pain of "learning the hard way" by making our own mistakes! The God of the Bible has covered everything we will ever need to know in His Word, when we meditate on it and allow ourselves to be Holy Spirit taught. I hope that this will make YOUR personal Bible study more real and productive for you! Here is Hillsong United with "Say The Word":
Shalom in Him!
