King Solomon - The Wisest Fool

And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 1:17

Solomon is said by many to be the wisest man that ever lived. His wisdom and great wealth have become a Proverb in many cultures. Even Jesus spoke of Solomon's grandeur on several occasions. Wow, what a legacy! 

Solomon's story is unique in that God himself appeared to Solomon, not once but twice, and offered him anything he wanted. We don't see that story repeated anywhere in the Bible. We know Solomon's answer well. He made a famous prayer for God to help him guide his kingdom. He prayed, "Lord you know I don't have the wisdom to rule these people. I need your wisdom." God was so pleased that Solomon had not asked for wealth or fame that he gave him all three. He was the wisest and richest king that ever lived. In time the fame of his wealth and wisdom spread throughout the world. Who could ask for more? 

Yet Solomon, by his own admission, made a terrible mistake. He says that he "gave his heart to know wisdom" and perceived that it was all in vain. "Why?", you might ask. What is wrong with wisdom? Wasn't the Almighty pleased that Solomon asked for wisdom. He was, but Solomon let his wisdom become his downfall. He forgot the source of his wisdom and became proud of his own intellect. He forgot that it was the God he served who had blessed him with that wisdom. In time, Solomon realized that instead of pursuing wisdom he should have been pursuing a relationship with God. 

I Kings 11:1 tells us that Solomon loved many foreign women. These wives and concubines from other nations did not serve YHWH. In order to pacify his wives and girlfriends, Solomon filled Jerusalem with idols to pagan gods. He became an expert on all of the religions of the nations around him. Yet he forgot one important thing. He could not serve God and bow down to idols. God forsook Israel because of this sin and the kingdom of Solomon was torn in two after his death. For many years afterward there were two Hebrew kingdoms, Israel and Judah, that constantly fought against each other. It wasn't meant to be but came about because Solomon loved wisdom and knowledge more than he loved God. 

May I ask you a question? What are you pursuing today? Are you pursuing the knowledge and wisdom of man? It will fail. Are you pursuing riches? They too will eventually fail you. Are you pursuing pleasure and happiness. Happiness is fleeting and will eventually elude you. The one thing we should be pursuing above all else is a daily relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If he desires he might also give us material blessings; but these blessings must always be secondary to him. We must never be like Solomon and forget that all our blessing come from God. For if we do we might one day end up like Solomon - the wisest man who became the biggest fool. 

In Pursuit of the King,

Sullivan Jones 

Let the Anger Go

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. Proverbs 29:11

A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11


We humans are emotional creatures. Obviously these emotions must come from God for we are created in his image. We can see through the scriptures that God was sorrowful (he repented that he made man), he laughs, and he was angry with Israel on more than one occasion. I am sure that all of these emotions serve a purpose. But I will tell you the truth. I honestly can not think of one good thing that can come out of harboring anger. Anger causes us to react in ways that we normally would not. We say things that we don't mean and can never take back. We make rash decisions when angry that we repent of for years afterward. 

Recently, as my pastor was preaching he said this: "Sometimes you just have to let go of some things you are holding onto." So true. We can hold onto things years after we should have let them go. These memories and feelings of anger do nothing but make us miserable. When we hold onto such feelings against someone we are giving that person free rent inside our heads. Naturally, we can't help but get angry now and then. But we can help how we respond to that anger and what we do with it. 

Are there some feelings you need to let go of? It may take several sessions of prayer but if you will let the anger go you will feel so much better. Holding onto anger is a waste of energy. We need all the energy we can hold so don't waste it on trivial things. Forgive. You'll be the better person for it. 

Gratefully Forgiven,

Rev. Sullivan Jones 

A Direct Word From God

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Psalm 119:105 

Have you ever wondered what you were supposed to do about something? Just how to act or react in a certain situation? You want someone to talk to but you just can't find the words to express yourself? You just wish God himself would open up the skies and speak in an audible voice? If this is you, the answers you seek can be found in the words of scripture.

I once had a professor tell me that life doesn't come with a handbook. While life may not tell you which job to take or which car to buy, it does come with an instruction manual. There are principles in the word of God that apply to every situation. If applied, they yield such great wisdom that we often find the answers we are seeking by applying these principles to our lives.

Need an example? Proverbs says that a soft answer turns away wrath. So the next time your boss is angry just remember to speak softly and meekly. It takes restraint but it is possible. The list continues. The Bible talks about how to handle money and how to conduct oneself with the opposite sex. It gives wisdom about marriage, work, and even planning for retirement. It's all there; we just have to read it.

I have so often found the peace that my soul was craving while reading through Psalms or Proverbs. The beatitudes in Matthew 5 -7 are another great place to start. The answer may not come right away but the more we read the less direct answers we need. Something about learning the word of God helps us to grow to a point of being able to make decisions without so much hesitation. When begin to think scripturally suddenly we know what God would say about something because he has already told us in his word. We don't need a "prophetic revelation." The revelation has already been given if we would just heed it. This does not negate the need for personal prayer life. It does not negate the fact that God still speaks to us personally.However, we cheat ourselves by pondering questions that were answered long ago.

Do you need a personal word from God? Open your Bible - you might be surprised what you find.
Blessings,

Sullivan Jones