SOLOMON’S 1000 WOMEN

Some time back, I chanced upon a meme that said ‘Here’s what your pastor will never tell you…’ and beneath this was the verse Ecclesiastes 8:15 – ‘So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people to do in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life.’

In actual fact, there are several verses teaching much the same thing. Chapter 9:7 says ‘Go ahead. Eat your food and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!’ In Chapter 5:18 when the writer has concluded many many other things to be meaningless, he finds one thing he concludes is good — ‘I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work…’ I have actually engaged in a conversation with someone who has determined in his heart that he is not wiser than Solomon, who had 700 wives and 300 concubines.🤭 The wisest man on earth, by God’s own standards! [1 Kings 3:12]

How do we explain these scriptures away? Is all scripture not God-breathed and Spirit-inspired? Are we perpetuating those that preach a rigid, dry life in the name of spirituality while hiding those that appear to encourage people to have fun?

Nope. Here’s what you must know: that scripture can never be understood for what it seeks to teach outside context. Remember when we examined misinterpreted scriptures that looked like they were threatening the believer with hell? It didn’t take technical deep uprooting of Greek and Hebrew root words or definitions to clear up the confusion. It merely took us understanding the context in which those misquoted scriptures were used. Read here if you’re confused🙂 So what was the context of these verses in Ecclesiastes? Thought you’d never ask!😊

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon. Chapter 1:1 reads – ‘These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.’ In verse 16 he writes ‘I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me…’

Solomon must have been a deep thinker, and if you took your Sunday school lessons seriously, you’ll remember his request the very first time he encountered the Lord: ‘O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?’ So the Lord blessed Solomon with wisdom in verse 12.

All of a sudden, years on, in Ecclesiastes, Solomon abandons this deep-seated desire for rightness and says everything is meaningless. What happened in between?

Much learning…outside of the wisdom of God. [Chapter 12:12]

Hear what led to the birth of Ecclesiastes: ‘I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.’

Solomon poured out the rest of his life to explore the systems of this world; as an experiment guided by his own wisdom as his mind would allow him, outside of the wisdom and peace that God gifted him. The end result was a profusion of philosophies which did nothing but frustrate him. Right at the beginning of the book he confesses: ‘I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. For the greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increased sorrow.’

So Solomon begun his search by trying pleasure. He said, “let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life” [2:1]. So look at all the things he tried in a bid to explore pleasure:

Ecc 2:3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

Ecc 2:4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.

Ecc 2:5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.

Ecc 2:6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.

Ecc 2:7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me.

Ecc 2:8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and HAD MANY BEAUTIFUL CONCUBINES. I had everything a man could desire!

Alas, the dream of the anticipating polygamist whose singular justification was that the wisest man found it fit to indulge so many women just fell to ashes!😂 Your mentor declares emphatically at the end of his test of pleasure – ‘…it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.’😂 I always wondered how Solomon run shifts among these 1000 women [that’s an average of 3 women a day every single day of the year!], or how he even remembered their names if at all. But knowing what I know now, it will not be surprising to discover that he probably only kept consistent relations with his original wives – Naamah and Pharaoh’s daughter. 

Solomon observed several other things in this world – the vainness of wisdom and foolishness, hard work, times and seasons in a man’s life, the injustices of this life, oppression, of political power, wealth and several other facts of life.  He observed human behaviour, which in all honesty appeared to reflect realities. In Chapter 4:4 he made a striking observation:

‘I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.’

Pretty profound, no?🥰 It was interesting to note that there was one thing in the entire book that Solomon found not entirely useless — companionship. In fact, what he found meaningless was a young man sweating for himself alone😂. He says:

Ecc 4:7 I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world.

Ecc 4:8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

Then for the first time since he begun this philosophical journey, he commends something in life:

Ecc 4:9-10 Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.

Ecc 4:11-12 And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other.🌚 But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

And on and on he went. Solomon covered virtually every aspect of our natural lives. One of my favourites while studying was Chapter 9:8 – ‘Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!’😂 I took that one rather personally but I digress😂. Solomon wraps up his experiment in Chapter 12 with a conclusion:

Ecc 12:12 My child, be warned: There is no end of opinions [philosophies] ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!

Ecc 12:13 That’s the whole story. Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.

Ecc 12:14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

And here’s the conclusion of my story – never read scriptures out of context! As always…

Love,

Rad✨

Some time back, I chanced upon a meme that said ‘Here’s what your pastor will never tell you…’ and beneath this was the verse Ecclesiastes 8:15 – ‘So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people to do in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life.’

In actual fact, there are several verses teaching much the same thing. Chapter 9:7 says ‘Go ahead. Eat your food and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!’ In Chapter 5:18 when the writer has concluded many many other things to be meaningless, he finds one thing he concludes is good — ‘I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work…’ I have actually engaged in a conversation with someone who has determined in his heart that he is not wiser than Solomon, who had 700 wives and 300 concubines.🤭 The wisest man on earth, by God’s own standards! [1 Kings 3:12]

How do we explain these scriptures away? Is all scripture not God-breathed and Spirit-inspired? Are we perpetuating those that preach a rigid, dry life in the name of spirituality while hiding those that appear to encourage people to have fun?

Nope. Here’s what you must know: that scripture can never be understood for what it seeks to teach outside context. Remember when we examined misinterpreted scriptures that looked like they were threatening the believer with hell? It didn’t take technical deep uprooting of Greek and Hebrew root words or definitions to clear up the confusion. It merely took us understanding the context in which those misquoted scriptures were used. Read here if you’re confused🙂 So what was the context of these verses in Ecclesiastes? Thought you’d never ask!😊

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon. Chapter 1:1 reads – ‘These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.’ In verse 16 he writes ‘I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me…’

Solomon must have been a deep thinker, and if you took your Sunday school lessons seriously, you’ll remember his request the very first time he encountered the Lord: ‘O Lord my God, you have made me king instead of my father, David, but I am like a little child who doesn’t know his way around. And here I am in the midst of your own chosen people, a nation so great and numerous they cannot be counted! Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of yours?’ So the Lord blessed Solomon with wisdom in verse 12.

All of a sudden, years on, in Ecclesiastes, Solomon abandons this deep-seated desire for rightness and says everything is meaningless. What happened in between?

Much learning…outside of the wisdom of God. [Chapter 12:12]

Hear what led to the birth of Ecclesiastes: ‘I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done in the world. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.’

Solomon poured out the rest of his life to explore the systems of this world; as an experiment guided by his own wisdom as his mind would allow him, outside of the wisdom and peace that God gifted him. The end result was a profusion of philosophies which did nothing but frustrate him. Right at the beginning of the book he confesses: ‘I worked hard to distinguish wisdom from foolishness. But now I realize that even this was like chasing the wind. For the greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increased sorrow.’

So Solomon begun his search by trying pleasure. He said, “let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life” [2:1]. So look at all the things he tried in a bid to explore pleasure:

Ecc 2:3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. While still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I hoped to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

Ecc 2:4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.

Ecc 2:5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.

Ecc 2:6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.

Ecc 2:7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned great herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who lived in Jerusalem before me.

Ecc 2:8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and HAD MANY BEAUTIFUL CONCUBINES. I had everything a man could desire!

Alas, the dream of the anticipating polygamist whose singular justification was that the wisest man found it fit to indulge so many women just fell to ashes!😂 Your mentor declares emphatically at the end of his test of pleasure – ‘…it was all so meaningless. It was like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.’😂 I always wondered how Solomon run shifts among these 1000 women [that’s an average of 3 women a day every single day of the year!], or how he even remembered their names if at all. But knowing what I know now, it will not be surprising to discover that he probably only kept consistent relations with his original wives – Naamah and Pharaoh’s daughter. 

Solomon observed several other things in this world – the vainness of wisdom and foolishness, hard work, times and seasons in a man’s life, the injustices of this life, oppression, of political power, wealth and several other facts of life.  He observed human behaviour, which in all honesty appeared to reflect realities. In Chapter 4:4 he made a striking observation:

‘I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.’

Pretty profound, no?🥰 It was interesting to note that there was one thing in the entire book that Solomon found not entirely useless — companionship. In fact, what he found meaningless was a young man sweating for himself alone😂. He says:

Ecc 4:7 I observed yet another example of meaninglessness in our world.

Ecc 4:8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

Then for the first time since he begun this philosophical journey, he commends something in life:

Ecc 4:9-10 Two people can accomplish more than twice as much as one; they get a better return for their labor. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But people who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.

Ecc 4:11-12 And on a cold night, two under the same blanket can gain warmth from each other.🌚 But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

And on and on he went. Solomon covered virtually every aspect of our natural lives. One of my favourites while studying was Chapter 9:8 – ‘Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne!’😂 I took that one rather personally but I digress😂. Solomon wraps up his experiment in Chapter 12 with a conclusion:

Ecc 12:12 My child, be warned: There is no end of opinions [philosophies] ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!

Ecc 12:13 That’s the whole story. Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person.

Ecc 12:14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

And here’s the conclusion of my story – never read scriptures out of context! As always…

Love,

Rad✨