David and Solomon

Listen to today’s reading:

Ecclesiastes 1:14

I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Psalm 112:1-3

Praise the Lord.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.

Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Today’s Reading:

There’s no doubt that today’s best and newest gear can give players an edge to be, and help train to be, a much better player (and maybe even add a little excitement to the game), but obviously, not everyone that plays this great game can get the finest equipment and play on the best fields. A great example is Mariano Rivera. This MLB hall of famer, 13-time all-star, and career save leader has such an amazing story. Mariano had a humble beginning. The “Sandman”, as he was called, went from sliding on a custom-made cardboard glove when he was raised in the Panamanian fishing village of Puerto Caimito, to sliding on five world series championship rings onto that same hand, on the biggest stage in baseball years later. Mariano’s talent took him to a level many of us will not see in our lifetimes, and he had the career that baseball players dream of. Mariano Rivera said, “I have nothing to ask for, thanks to God. Everything I have, God has given me.” In the Bible, David started out as a humble shepard, skilled in music and battle. Through the years of proving himself, he was eventually anointed king of Israel. He acquired so much wealth during the period of his reign (much of it used to build the temple to the Lord by Solomon his son) that it’s hard to fathom in today’s context. 1 Chronicles 22:14-15 gives us a little insight into his wealth. Today’s estimates of King David’s wealth is around the 5-10 billion dollar range. There are a couple thousand billionaires in the world today, meaning that 0.00003% of the world population is a billionaire. Then David’s son Solomon took the throne and took wealth to a new level. To begin, the Lord told Solomon in a dream, “ask for whatever you want me to give to you.” Solomon replied, “give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” So the Lord gave him “wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore,” and Solomon became “wiser than anyone else.” Solomon’s wisdom took his father’s wealth to a level no one could have expected – estimated now to over 2 trillion dollars. As of 2019, the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, had a wealth estimated at $108 billion – only 5.4% of Solomon’s fortune. As Solomon got older, he chased it all – he had 700 wives, 300 concubines, abundant treasure, land as far as the eye can see, beautiful gardens, fountains, and dwellings. Sadly, his foreign wives pulled him into sin with foreign gods. It angered God and consequently, he felt and experienced the dark, dark end in worldliness even in all his prosperity. Solomon realized the pointlessness of his possession, knowledge, and wisdom. In Ecclesiastes 12:8 his feelings are written about, “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher (Solomon). ‘Everything is meaningless!’” Jesus was the only man to ever completely deny worldly pleasure throughout his life. On the temple mount, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship, and Jesus sternly rebuked him. Like the other stories, Jesus had a humble beginning. Even when he was born, he was laid in a manger – a place where animals fed – but ended up even greater than all; now all authority in heaven and on earth is his. He has always stayed true to the Father. Jesus invites us to deny the world today and to do the will of the Father with him in exchange for eternal life in God. Thank God that we don’t have to have worldly stuff to please God - the best equipment, talents, or inheritances. We have everything we need to please our God in Christ Jesus.

Today’s Prayer Guide:

Praise – Thank the Father for putting in place a Lord with the upmost humility, Jesus.

Confession – Tell God how you have chased the world over his will.

Ask – Ask God to help you give up the world for his will.