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Solomon The Wisest Man To Live
- Thread starter BiblicalLiteralist
- Start date
I'm pretty firm in my view that Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived because he had everything, more than everything he needed by far, and he blew it. The title isn't given to him for being the grandest king of Israel, it's because he nuked his own kingdom by being foolish.
The Ecclesiastes were written after his fall from grace and the destruction of God's temporal chosen nation at his hand. He was wise by learning through failure. Epic, tragic failure.
You are making exact opposite claim.
-- Solomon is known as the wisest man who ever lived because he did something stupid.
No, you don't understand.
Wise men get wise through learning from their mistakes. Solomon wasn't wise when he was the king, he was wise in his older years.
If he had the wisdom to write Ecclesiastes when he was young, none of that would have happened.
Instead, he learned some of the most painful lessons in the most painful ways. Very few men have had a riches to rags story as dramatic as Solomon. Perhaps nobody else.
Solomon asked for wisdom to be a good king to the people. That pleased YHWH and He granted the request and gave him more.
The biblical account is fairly self-explanatory. According to 1 Kings 3:5-13, At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” 6 And Solomon said: “You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. 7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.
10 The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. 11 Then God said to him: “Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern justice, 12 behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you. 13 And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days.