Then What? | Ecclesiastes 1:12-17 | Week 69 THAHW Monday Bible Study

Today we read just six verses from Ecclesiastes 1 and well, the wisest man in the Bible is calling wisdom vanity. Empty. A striving after the wind. Solomon is 1 Kings 3 wanted wisdom so that he may serve God’s people with justice and to be able to discern. He became famous because of his wisdom and people like the queen of sheba would come to see him just because o bohlale and even leave him expensive gifts. Yet in this moment all of it feels empty because he began to think he is wiser than God. God told Solomon twice to remain faithful like his father and to not worship other gods (1 Kings 9:4-7). God in the law was clear that 1) do not intermarry with people of the land because they will make you follow other gods (Deut 7:3-4) and also 2) the king of israel should not acquire multiple wives for himself (Deut 17:17) but bro had 700. By 1 Kings 11, Solomon has now married women from about seven canaanite tribes and even builds them worship centres for their gods, haibo sir? Politically if he marries a princess from Egypt, it would make Israel allies with Egypt so he kept marrying them for alliances, but it is not wise because he was operating in disobedience. The wise man is beginning to find himself wiser than God which is a problem because now that he goes off the rails, he is beginning to see the very gift he so badly wanted as empty. Moral of the story, when we sideline God our hopes, dreams, and passions will be empty. You will get there wondering urghhh then what? Like I got the job thank God, but then what? Something will always feel missing. It is He who gives purpose and direction to things we love. When Solomon’s heart was to be wise and serve God’s people well, he was fulfilled but when he became famous and started marrying for political alliances; he felt all was in vain. Going against the heart of God doesn't help us much because we can never be God, He is infinitely better than us on every front.