What the Bible says about Solomon's Lifetime Experiment
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Ecclesiastes 1:3 When Solomon suggests there is no profit in all man's labor, he means that nothing in this world makes life worth living. How depressing! Apparently, Ecclesiastes was written as the conclusion to an experiment that lasted many years, maybe even his entire lifetime. Solomon was eminently qualified to write this. He was intelligent and given understanding as a special gift by God, which he asked for. He did not ask for wisdom but understanding that he might be wise. Understanding must precede right application. If one does not understand a situation he is in, he will not be wise, so Solomon asked God for understanding, and from that developed wisdom. He had power and authority because he was king in Israel. He had money, perhaps as nobody else has ever experienced in the history of mankind. Solomon was no square. He was active, inquiring, and had an analytical mind, reaching conclusions that were logical and right given the circumstances and the information he had. So what follows after he states his theme? Life is irrational, absurd, meaningless. His lifetime experiment had not put him in a happy frame of mind. John W. Ritenbaugh Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 1) Related Topics: "Life is Meaningless" | Meaninglessness | Meaninglessness of this World | Solomon's Analytical Mind | Solomon's Frame of Mind | Solomon's Lifetime Experiment | Solomon's Understanding | Solomon's Wisdom | Understanding | Vanity | Vanity of Physical life

Ecclesiastes 7:25-29 Everybody is corrupt. Solomon wants to comprehend what is going on, but he keeps discovering almost useless things. There is use in some things he found out, but they did not help him to discover what is really happening, even though he made a diligent search. John W. Ritenbaugh Related Topics: Solomon's Analytical Mind | Solomon's Attempt to Comprehend | Solomon's Diligent Search | Solomon's Lifetime Experiment

 

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