Week 24

Proverbs 25-27

25 - There is no true glory in seeking out ones own honor. It is a foolish thing

to try and promote yourself, and everyone will laugh when you are publicly

demoted. Help even your enemies, and the Lord will reward you

26 - Do not argue with a foolish person, as others may be unable to see any

difference between you. There is more hope for a foolish man than someone

who is wise in his own eyes. It’s a foolish thing to meddle in the affairs of others,

when you have no stake in the problem or solution

27 - It is foolish to boast about what hasn’t yet been accomplished. Let others

sing your praises, and not yourself. The hearts of men reflect their true

character.

Proverbs 28-29

28 - There are many with great wealth who mistakenly believe they are wise,

but even the poorest with understanding can see what is going on. The wealthy

who became rich through oppression and theft will ultimately suffer

29 - When a wicked man rules, the people groan. When a man in power

takes bribes, he serves to overthrow the kingdom. A foolish man either makes

jokes or responds in rage when confronted. When the ruler believes lies, then

his ministers all become wicked

Proverbs 30-31 and Psalm 127

30 - The words of Agur. We know nothing of this man, or his ancestry, so we

can only know him through his words. Agur does not think very much of his own

wisdom and understanding, yet there is much to be gleaned from this chapter

that he wrote. Verse 4 is prophetic if Jesus in several ways, including the

declaration that God has a Son!

31 - This chapter is attributed to King Lemuel, which relate the things he

learned from his wise mother. We don’t know who this man is, as scholars

suggest he is Hezekiah or Solomon, and others think he was a king in Babylon

during the Chaldean captivity. He is first instructed by her in wise leadership,

and is cautioned against indiscretion and foolish indulgence, which every wise

king needs to know and practice. She then praises the characteristics of a wise

wife, and how her value far exceeds riches and wealth.

Psalm 127 - Children are a blessing from the Lord! Unless the Lord does a

thing, men labor in vain…

Psalm 127:1 NKJV - Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who

build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.

Song of Solomon

Solomon wrote 1005 songs, and this small book is presented as the finest of

them all. There are many different opinions regarding this book, where some

consider it unworthy of being considered divine scripture because of its mature

content. There are many more who accept it as inspired by the Holy Spirit, and

entirely allegorical of Christ and His bride. This latter position seems to be most

acceptable, since it is hard to understand the place of a simple oriental love song

in the canon of the scriptures.

We can gain insight into the heart of Jesus for His bride as we read this song.

Our perspective of the church, and even our own place in it can seem far

different than how He sees us, just like the Shulammite girl who saw herself as

sunburnt and ugly from labor in the vineyards.

1 Kings 11:1-40 and Ecclesiastes 1-2

The Lord blessed Solomon with more wisdom and honor and wealth than

anyone before him, and he indulged himself in every way he could imagine. He

pursued sensual pleasures, intellectual investigations, massive public works

projects, and the endless gathering of knowledge. In all these things he excelled

more than any man in history, yet his assessment of them all was disappointment

and frustration. There was no fulfillment in any of his endeavors, and in the end

his heart was compromised before God.

Solomon had 300 wives and another 700 concubines, with many of them

coming from alliances formed with foreign kings. His heart became divided, and

he started worshipping the false idols of his foreign wives. God became

displeased with Solomon, and He sent a message to him about the judgement

that would come in the days of his son (Rehoboam). God determined to divide

Israel in the days of Solomon’s son, with 10 of the tribes going to Jeroboam.

God did not bring this about in the days of Solomon, for the sake of his father

David, but He allowed several enemies of Israel to cause Solomon problems

throughout the remainder of his reign.

Ecclesiastes 3-7

The observations of Solomon are often profound, and at other times sad. He

rightly said that there is a time for everything under heaven, which incorporates

the whole spectrum of human experience, both good and bad. He also pointed

out that God created all people to be virtuous, but each one has turned to follow

their own downward path (7:29).

Ecclesiastes 8-12 and 1 Kings 11:41-43 and 2 Chronicles 9:29-31

Solomon laments that the injustices that are experienced in life, and rightly

observes that even the most righteous of men will sin against God. In all his

wisdom Solomon recognized and complained about the seemingly hopeless

condition of men, but never realized (unlike his father David) that God had a plan

to rescue all of creation from its fallen state. The final words of Solomon should

ring loudly for everyone to remember, as everyone will stand before God’s

judgement seat when this life is over…

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear

God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every

work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.