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Solomon

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Putting Life in Perspective

Inspiring Bible Characters

Solomon
As we continue our study of inspiring bible characters, we meet King Solomon. Solomon, the son of King David, is known throughout the Word of God for his wisdom. In fact, the Lord asked him what he wanted most and Solomon requested that he be given a discerning heart to govern and distinguish between right and wrong (I Kings 3: 9). Solomon, in effect, was asking God for wisdom. Scripture tells us that God granted Solomon his heart’s desire and gave him great insight and a breadth of understanding. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than any other man (I Kings 4: 29-31) . Because we know King Solomon to be the wisest mortal man on Earth, it makes sense for us to examine his life and words to gain insight for ourselves. The Bible tells us that Solomon is the author of the Book of Proverbs. Because the Book of Ecclesiastes follows a theme of wisdom and insight, King Solomon is widely believed to be the author of this Book of the Bible as well. Let us be inspired by the words of Solomon.

King Solomon—the Wisest Man on Earth…

Solomon puts life in perspective…
• Ecclesiastes 1: 1-4, 2: 12-14
– King Solomon is saying that when you really think about it that everything is meaningless—a chasing after the wind. – Generations come and generations go… Solomon seems to be saying that our stay on Earth is temporary, therefore, everything in the world is really meaningless. – Question for Thought: What does Solomon mean by “everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind?” When I think of chasing wind, it seems that one could never really take hold of it. You can chase wind, but it would be pointless. Solomon seems to be saying that much of life is pointless because we’re going to die.

Solomon searches for the true meaning of life…
• Ecclesiastes 1: 16-18, 2: 1-11 – Solomon tries diligently to find

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