WOLFL-07
190314AM
Solomon, more than any other person in history, had the world at his feet. People came from all over the world to see him, to pay homage to him, to give him gifts. He was unsurpassed in education and knowledge. Because the Lord blessed him and gave him his wish for wisdom, nobody compared to the wisdom of Solomon, before him, or since.
Solomon was unstoppable. He was unbridled in his ability and desire to pursue pleasure. If he wanted something, he could have it, and he set out to discover the very best way to live, and in doing so, Solomon found all the wrong ways to live.
He was also at the peak of worldly fame, popularity, and prominence. Ecclesiastes compares him to all the famous people of his day, but nobody compared to Solomon. And he was the possessor of uncountable wealth.
But, if we did take the time to count it, we would find that his father David left him 5,000 tons of gold. That’s 160,000,000 ounces. Last I checked, gold was $1,600+ an ounce, which means Solomon inherited 280+ billion dollars from his dad. Nobody has that kind of wealth today, and that was just Solomon’s starting point. And, that was just in gold.
He also inherited $32+ billion in loose change, silver. In Solomon’s day, the Bible says, silver was so plentiful it was like rocks in the garden. Solomon didn’t even bother with it. You know how most people will pick up a quarter off the ground, but a penny might not be worth getting your hands dirty for? That’s what silver was to Solomon. Rocks in the garden. Pretty, but not worth bothering with.
So when Solomon writes a treatise on the dangers of wealth, you know he knows what he’s talking about. So after spending his whole life chasing wealth, we find Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 5:10-15.