destroy a man if allowed to con trol his heart. The source of anti- Semitism is of the devil. Cod will always honor his promises to Abra ham and David. When we take a stand for that which is right, and for the Word of God, we can count on the assis tance of the Lord in every moment. Faith in Cod and courage in His Word will give final victory through the trials of life. The Lord, in His wise and wonderful providence, protects His own children. He will bring about the destruction of the enemies with their own devices. Let us continue to commit our daily pathway to Him. Solomon There is a great need for us to avoid the despair which can come to a life lived without the Lord. On ly vanity and emptiness will be felt when money and selfish pleasures are pursued. King Solomon had tried everything and still could find no satisfaction "under the sun." It took him a lifetime to discover what his father David had already written, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." Only when we see the Lord and seek to be like Him can we find real contentment. Solomon looked back over a ruined life and he preached from sad experience (Ecclesiastes 2:1-16). "Vanity of vanities" is the absolute zenith of despair and vexation. With ma terialism as his goal the outlook was only for a very drab and dull routine. Man is on a treadmill that leads to despair (1:4-7). The world is weary with fruitless labor for "fulfillment." Because of man's sin, creation was subjected to futility
and condemned to frustration (Ro mans 8:22). Solomon, the philosopher-teach er, had even turned to all of the good works of the flesh. He felt perhaps laughter could bring peace to his soul. But mirth is not a solu tion to life's problems. Such is ab solute madness (2:2). Only the in sane seek to avoid issues by refusal to face reality. Possibly he could drown his agony of soul in drink. He should have remembered what he had written earlier, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise" (Proverbs 21:1). Our bit ter experiences are not solved with a bottle. Earthly pleasures, no mat ter how scintillating they may ap pear, can never deliver one from the bondage of his own concerns. Here was a man who had 700 wives and 300 concubines (I Kings 11:3). All they did was to turn away his heart from the Lord. He had disobeyed God by multiplying the number of his wives. Apostasy was the result (Deuteronomy 17:17). How foolish to live so recklessly for self. None of the pleasures of sin can ever satisfy the soul's long ings. Man was not made to live in sin. He was created to honor and glorify the Lord. Solomon tried benevolent con struction and social projects as a part of his personal hobbies. "Just keep busy and you will be happy," some have suggested. Unfortunate ly, it does not always work. This can never satisfy spiritual hunger (Luke 12:15). Solomon built what ever he desired (2:4-6). Anything he wanted he could have. Yet noth ing brought permanence of peace. "There was no profit under the sun" (2:11). He was still a miser- Page 49
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