“You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.” (Job 14:5 NLT)

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-10 NLT)

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!” (Psalm 139:16-18 NLT)

“For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:24-28 NLT)

“So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back.” ((1 Corinthians 15:21-23 NLT)

…I have been called…

…to help the children of God realize that it is our Father’s desire that as His children we live strong long lives worth living, without limit or end, with nothing missing or broken; therefore He designed us to live lives filled with purity, passion, power, and purpose; as in partnership with Him we expand the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (here and now); regardless of our current age or condition.

As I retrace my original steps from seven years ago on this Spirit led journey into life, the first stop was to take a closer look at the impact of the “darkened counsel” of Job. The next stop was to examine the message of Solomon as recorded in the book of Ecclesiastes. His opening soliloquy has become famous. Even those who have never darkened the door of a Church building, or cracked open a Bible, are familiar with his words. His take on life at this stage in his life journey has had a huge impact on how we think about life and death.

“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NLT)

I remember listening to the song, “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds (written by Pete Seeger) on the radio when I was a kid. It came out in December 1965 and as a  popular song got quite a bit of air time back then. It was based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and influenced the thinking of a young generation during the 60’s and 70’s. I was one of them. 

When I stop long enough to consider the way that I think about things, it is amazing just how many factors have gone into creating my current opinions, viewpoints, and overall worldview. The brighter the Holy Spirit shines his light on my thoughts, the more I realize just how far some of them are from the way that my Daddy (my heavenly Abba Father – Papa) thinks (the Mind of Christ). Even the views that I hold, that I have been convinced come straight from Scripture, have many times been shown to be more a product of a song, a movie, an authority figure (parent, pastor, teacher, debate coach, band director, etc.), or media, then the actual message of the Word. No where have I seen this more clearly than in my past view of death. 

Back to Solomon’s famous soliloquy.

Solomon wrote this at a time in his life when he was a broken, discouraged man. In his youth he was given the rare opportunity by God to choose one thing that he desired above all else. This scene in scripture reminds me of the story of Aladdin’s lamp, only Solomon was given just one wish instead of three. He chose being granted the wisdom with which to lead the nation of Israel. God granted him the wisdom, and let him know that if he lived from the wisdom he was granted it would produce all of the other things that he could have wished for. God delivered on his promise above and beyond anything that Solomon could have ever imagined. You’ve got to read it to believe it.

“Solomon replied, “You showed great and faithful love to your servant my father, David, because he was honest and true and faithful to you. And you have continued to show this great and faithful love to him today by giving him a son to sit on his throne. Now, O LORD my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies— I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame! No other king in all the world will be compared to you for the rest of your life! And if you follow me and obey my decrees and my commands as your father, David, did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:6-14 NLT)

For many years Solomon lived with his eyes focused on the Lord. He lived according to God’s wisdom and governed the nation of Israel with an understanding heart. The result was exactly as God had promised it would be. To grasp just how blessed Solomon was as a result of following God’s direction to live by His wisdom you have got to read it for yourself…

…”When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of attendants and a great caravan of camels loaded with spices, large quantities of gold, and precious jewels. When she met with Solomon, she talked with him about everything she had on her mind. Solomon had answers for all her questions; nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. When the queen of Sheba realized how very wise Solomon was, and when she saw the palace he had built, she was overwhelmed. She was also amazed at the food on his tables, the organization of his officials and their splendid clothing, the cup-bearers, and the burnt offerings Solomon made at the Temple of the LORD.

She exclaimed to the king, “Everything I heard in my country about your achievements and wisdom is true! I didn’t believe what was said until I arrived here and saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had not heard the half of it! Your wisdom and prosperity are far beyond what I was told. How happy your people must be! What a privilege for your officials to stand here day after day, listening to your wisdom! Praise the LORD your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”

Then she gave the king a gift of 9,000 pounds of gold, great quantities of spices, and precious jewels. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

(In addition, Hiram’s ships brought gold from Ophir, and they also brought rich cargoes of red sandalwood and precious jewels. The king used the sandalwood to make railings for the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and to construct lyres and harps for the musicians. Never before or since has there been such a supply of sandalwood.)

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba whatever she asked for, besides all the customary gifts he had so generously given. Then she and all her attendants returned to their own land.

Each year Solomon received about 25 tons of gold. This did not include the additional revenue he received from merchants and traders, all the kings of Arabia, and the governors of the land.

King Solomon made 200 large shields of hammered gold, each weighing more than fifteen pounds. He also made 300 smaller shields of hammered gold, each weighing nearly four pounds. The king placed these shields in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon.

Then the king made a huge throne, decorated with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps and a rounded back. There were armrests on both sides of the seat, and the figure of a lion stood on each side of the throne. There were also twelve other lions, one standing on each end of the six steps. No other throne in all the world could be compared with it!

All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were solid gold, as were all the utensils in the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. They were not made of silver, for silver was considered worthless in Solomon’s day!

The king had a fleet of trading ships of Tarshish that sailed with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the ships returned, loaded with gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.i

So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him. Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.

Solomon built up a huge force of chariots and horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horses. He stationed some of them in the chariot cities and some near him in Jerusalem. The king made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone. And valuable cedar timber was as common as the sycamore-fig trees that grow in the foothills of Judah. Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Cilicia; the king’s traders acquired them from Cilicia at the standard price. At that time chariots from Egypt could be purchased for 600 pieces of silver,n and horses for 150 pieces of silver. They were then exported to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.” (1 Kings 10:1-29 NLT)

When Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs his focus was on the Lord. In it he shares words of wisdom that formed the basis for the success of his personal life and the Kingdom that he led. As he followed those words of wisdom he grew spiritually and his life and kingdom prospered. 

“My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.” (Proverbs 3:1-2 NLT)

“Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. She offers you long life in her right hand, and riches and honor in her left. She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.” (Proverbs 3:13-18 NLT)

Solomon wrote these Proverbs (wise sayings) from first hand experience. However, somewhere along the line he took his eyes off the One who caused him to prosper and began looking for fulfillment from the things that wisdom provided. He began wandering away from the path of wisdom onto the path of the world. The “deceitfulness of riches” crept into his heart. As he wandered, his divine provision became an indulgence in excess and as a result God’s blessing became Solomon’s curse. He went from being blessed to being broken. He went from looking at life through the lens of divine wisdom and understanding to natural earthly glasses seeing only dimly. It is from this broken “natural” viewpoint that he wrote the book of Ecclesiates. As he looked at all that he had, rather than seeing God’s promised overflowing provision, all he saw was empty meaningless accumulation.

“These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem. “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 NLT)

What a contrast between Solomon writing in Proverbs about the benefits of living by wisdom using words like joyful, delightful, and satisfying to writing in Ecclesiastes that everything is completely meaningless, wearisome beyond description, and never satisfying.  

It is from this broken, worn out, fatalistic viewpoint of life that Solomon shares his view about the “seasons” of life, including death. Just like Job, Solomon is not giving us words to live by, he is giving us words NOT to live by. He is giving us his experience in order for us to learn how to avoid his mistakes. He has come to a point of brokenness in which he has determined that all of God’s blessings are simply “empty” and “vain.” He sees life as simply repeating cycles of defeat and death. He has fallen far from the optimistic young man that was granted wisdom and understanding that resulted in honor, riches, and a long satisfying life.

The key to understanding everything said by Solomon in this book is the phrase “under the sun.” He is looking down “under the SUN” rather than up “to the SON.” He is now seeing life through “natural” eyesight rather than life as it was promised through “spiritual” eyes. He is simply telling us what he observes through his dimmed eyesight, not what God desires and designs for our lives.

Sadly, just as we have done with the words of Job, we have taken the words of Solomon and created a culture of defeat and death. We see death as an imminent expectation of the cycle of life “under the sun.” We completely ignore the fact that we are given examples of those who bypassed death, and the words of Jesus who challenged us to see death in a whole new way.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!” (John 8:51 NLT) 

We accept the words of Solomon who in his brokenness came to an error ridden conclusion, and overlook what Isaiah said:

“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? (Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT)

Let’s not follow down the path of Job and Solomon and in our brokenness, ignorance, foolishness, and lack of understanding construct a view of life that leads to destruction and death.

There’s a lot to digest in…

…Eric’s Life Lesson # 378: Late Life Assignment: Part 14 – The Promise: Strong, Long Lives: Part 10