Thursday, May 20, 2010
Ecclesiastes 2:11
Thursday, May 20, 2010 |
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.
A key phrase in the book of Ecclesiastes is "under the sun" which is used a number of times in Solomon's journal of his life. Remember, Solomon was the third king of Israel, the son of Israel's second king, David.
I mentioned that this book was actually a journal written by one of the wisest men to ever live on earth and most assuredly the richest man to ever live at any time in history.
I just noticed the statement by Solomon that he "gathered...silver and gold", verse 8. A record of how much gold the king received just in one year is found in I Kings 10:14 where it says that "666 talents" of the precious metal came into Solomon's coffers in just one year.
If you define "talents" it would mean that the amount of gold would have been 25 tons, 50,000 pounds, or 800,000 ounces of gold. At the present day price of gold at around $1,200 per ounce, and you can see how rich this man would have been.
Verse 4 says that Solomon built himself houses. I Kings 7:1-8 records the information about Solomon's home that took him 13 years to build. That is 6 more years to build his house than it took him to build the Temple, I Kings 6:38. His home was 11,250 square feet, the Temple only 2,700 square feet.
I guess Solomon needed such a large house for all of his wives and concubines, 700 wives and 600 concubines. Solomon did not have an "ipod" to download music but instead he had "men singers" and "women singers" and the "delights of the sons of men as musical instruments", verse 8.
The truth of the matter is that whatever Solomon saw with his eyes that he wanted, he got. In today's world of "consumption" Solomon would have been "number one".
But notice his statement, verse 11. All he got was vanity and vexation of spirit, "there was no profit under the sun". How much like our world today was Solomon in his day. Solomon concluded, "there was no profit under the sun", he was a very "egocentric" man.
That word, "egocentric", does describe our world today. However, as we continue to look for Jesus to come back and keep our focus on the heavenlies, we will become "Christo-centric", Christ will be our focus.
What is exciting is the reality that the events of this world today seem to indicate that the Lord’s shout for us to join Him in the heavenlies at the Rapture is about to happen. Today we could be caught up to be with Him forever more someplace beyond the "sun". Even so, come Lord Jesus.
PRAYER THOT: Help me, Lord, not to be "egocentric" but to become "Christo-centric" as I eagerly await Your return.
For further study - Ecclesiastes 2:1-11
A key phrase in the book of Ecclesiastes is "under the sun" which is used a number of times in Solomon's journal of his life. Remember, Solomon was the third king of Israel, the son of Israel's second king, David.
I mentioned that this book was actually a journal written by one of the wisest men to ever live on earth and most assuredly the richest man to ever live at any time in history.
I just noticed the statement by Solomon that he "gathered...silver and gold", verse 8. A record of how much gold the king received just in one year is found in I Kings 10:14 where it says that "666 talents" of the precious metal came into Solomon's coffers in just one year.
If you define "talents" it would mean that the amount of gold would have been 25 tons, 50,000 pounds, or 800,000 ounces of gold. At the present day price of gold at around $1,200 per ounce, and you can see how rich this man would have been.
Verse 4 says that Solomon built himself houses. I Kings 7:1-8 records the information about Solomon's home that took him 13 years to build. That is 6 more years to build his house than it took him to build the Temple, I Kings 6:38. His home was 11,250 square feet, the Temple only 2,700 square feet.
I guess Solomon needed such a large house for all of his wives and concubines, 700 wives and 600 concubines. Solomon did not have an "ipod" to download music but instead he had "men singers" and "women singers" and the "delights of the sons of men as musical instruments", verse 8.
The truth of the matter is that whatever Solomon saw with his eyes that he wanted, he got. In today's world of "consumption" Solomon would have been "number one".
But notice his statement, verse 11. All he got was vanity and vexation of spirit, "there was no profit under the sun". How much like our world today was Solomon in his day. Solomon concluded, "there was no profit under the sun", he was a very "egocentric" man.
That word, "egocentric", does describe our world today. However, as we continue to look for Jesus to come back and keep our focus on the heavenlies, we will become "Christo-centric", Christ will be our focus.
What is exciting is the reality that the events of this world today seem to indicate that the Lord’s shout for us to join Him in the heavenlies at the Rapture is about to happen. Today we could be caught up to be with Him forever more someplace beyond the "sun". Even so, come Lord Jesus.
PRAYER THOT: Help me, Lord, not to be "egocentric" but to become "Christo-centric" as I eagerly await Your return.