I agree with Solomon - Part 1

If you could learn something (anything!) from the richest man who ever lived, would you? If you could benefit from the wisdom of the smartest man who ever lived, would you do that? Seems like a slam-dunk, doesn't it? We'd be foolish not to take advantage of this rich man, smart man's experience and knowledge.

Well, I have good news for you! I'm about to tell you something that this rich man, smart man said. It is recorded in the Bible, the Book of Ecclesiastes, and King Solomon is the one who wrote it. Here's what he said in Chapter 1, verse 9: "That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun."

I am both amused and frustrated these days with people who think that they are so clever, so intelligent, so creative and so revolutionary. There are so many people who seriously think that they are doing things today that have never been done or never been discovered before. That somehow they are "improving" our world, and that what they are doing is so much better than what has been done in the past. How foolish. How thoughtless. How naive.

Solomon got it. He achieved great wealth. I mean, wealth beyond description! He also achieved great wisdom. People actually traveled really long distances to hear what he had to say. He did more than any of us could ever dream of doing. He built things. He experienced things. He tried it all. And yet, he pretty much discounted everything he built, experienced and/or tried in the end. It became tiresome, futile to him. Every new thing he thought could bring him that next great pleasure, that next amazing achievement, that next incredible experience, just disappointed him again. He called it vanity. Vanity of vanities.

There is nothing new under the sun. If someone is trying to tell you different, they're lying. Or they're trying to sell you something. Or they're not as smart as you think they are. Don't be fooled. Don't be duped. Be wise. Understand what Solomon had to say.

So, what are we to do then with this truism that Solomon gave us? Why don't we look at what he said at the end of his life for some clues. Let's look at the Book of Ecclesiastes again, Chapter 12, verses 13 and 14: "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."