Silly Old Bear

[PART 2 OF 12]

The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes was written by David’s son Solomon, who, like his father before him, served the nation of Israel as king. Solomon was a wise king. We learn of the depth of his wisdom in 1 Kings 4:29-34.

“God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man.”

“Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”

Solomon also had great wealth. In fact, “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth” (1 Kings 10:23).

There is a central theme around which the entire book of Ecclesiastes is written. The book can be thought of like an Oreo cookie: the two parts of the central theme are placed at the beginning and the end, with a lot of stuff in between.

Stuff like:

Frustration, Joy, Contemplation.

Frustration, Good Advice, Nuggets of Wisdom.

Frustration, Important Life Lessons, Amazing Discoveries.

Frustration, Gratitude, Paranoia.

Frustration.

Did I mention the fact that much of Solomon’s writing in the book of Ecclesiastes reveals a deep, inner frustration, with which Solomon struggled greatly? All of that stuff, including the sometimes-overwhelming frustration, forms the “Double Stuff” filling of the Oreo.

NEXT: “Introducing King Solomon”

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