A wealthy man of this world usually enjoys every pleasure his heart could desire — exotic food, expensive clothes and material possessions, entertainment, sports, travel, and beautiful women. But do all those pleasures make him truly happy?
Nearly three thousand years ago, there lived one such man who epitomized wealth and wisdom. His life will teach valuable lessons to anyone who lives mainly for pleasures of the flesh.
Who would not recall King Solomon of ancient Israel?
When two Israelite women hotly disputed who between them was the real mother of a newborn child, Solomon gave them an incredible option: he ordered a palace soldier to draw his sword and cut the baby in two, then hand each one her equal share!
When one of the women pleaded desperately to just give the child to the other woman than to have the child killed, Solomon knew outright who the real mother was. He wisely judged to hand her the disputed child.
After being enthroned following the death of his father King David, Solomon acknowledged to Jehovah his lack of experience to rule. He prayed, “Your servant is among your people so vast that they cannot be numbered or counted. So grant your servant an obedient heart to judge your people, to discern between good and bad, for who is able to judge this numerous people of yours?” (1 Kings 3:8, 9)
“God then said to him: ‘Because you requested this and you did not request for yourself long life or riches or the death of your enemies, but you requested understanding to hear judicial cases . . . I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that just as there has never been anyone like you before, there will never be anyone like you again. . . Furthermore, what you have not requested I will give you, both riches and glory, so that there will be no other king like you in your lifetime.’” (1 Kings 3:12, 13)
God was so touched with young King Solomon’s unselfish request for wisdom that He granted him more riches and glory!
A king of hedonistic pleasures
For most of his royal life, Solomon was known to have enjoyed personal indulgences that made him truly a king like no other. He had a huge stable of purebred horses. A lover of music, he had formed a large orchestra made up of musicians and entertainers that graced his royal parties.
King Solomon’s most intriguing indulgence, though, was his obsession with beautiful women of every nationality. In all, this king had kept an incredible harem of some 700 wives and another 300 concubines collected from all over the land and beyond. Just how he managed his time with all those females would stun one’s imagination.
When weakness prevailed over wisdom
In due time, though, Solomon’s inordinate obsession with women would prove to be an outstanding weakness that eventually led to his downfall. Has not the same weakness brought many powerful men down to their knees?
Ironically, Solomon himself had warned against falling for women.
“Do not give your vigor to women, nor follow ways that destroy kings.”(Proverbs 31:3) “For the lips of a wayward woman drip like a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood . . . Her steps lead straight to the Grave.” (Proverbs 5:3-5)
His heart was turned from God
To preserve pure worship among the Israelites, Jehovah commanded them not to intermarry with pagan people around them.
“You must not form any marriage alliances with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons. For they will turn your sons away from following me to serve other gods; then Jehovah’s anger will blaze against you, and he will swiftly annihilate you.” (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4; 17:18, 19)
“You must not go among them, and they should not come in among you, for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods.”(1 Kings 11:3)
Though wiser as he was than all men of his time, Solomon in time seemed to have forgotten — or deliberately set aside — Jehovah’s warning against intermarriage with non-worshippers of the true God.
“And he (Solomon) had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and his wives gradually inclined his heart . . . to follow other gods, and his heart was not complete with Jehovah his God like the heart of David his father.” (1 Kings 11:3, 4)
As warned, those women did turn Solomon’s heart away from God. How it might have hurt Jehovah!
The price of disloyalty
Divine justice finally caught up with Solomon, the wayward king. Jehovah might have even been unusually kind to Solomon; he spared him a violent death, unlike other kings of Israel after him. Yet, after Solomon’s death, his kingdom was ripped in two. Ten of Israel’s 12 tribes broke away and continued to be known as the Kingdom of Israel, while only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were left to form the Kingdom of Judah.
All the glory and splendor of Solomon’s rule came to nothing in the end. He died disloyal and unfaithful to Jehovah. What a fool his foreign women had made of this once-wise king!
The snare of the flesh
Solomon had left a grim lesson to men of all generations: Fleshly desires could be a snare. They are no respecter of men — weak or powerful, rich or poor, wise or fools. They leave you satiated for a while, but in the end they bring you distress and bitter regrets.
Does it mean pre-occupation with the opposite sex is that bad, so that men of virtue should avoid it like a plague?
The Holy Book is frank but fair on the subject of sex. Solomon knew it, and so he wrote: “May your own fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice with the wife of your youth, a loving doe . . . Let her breasts satisfy you at all times. May you be captivated by her love constantly.” (Proverbs 5:18, 19)
Note that in describing sex in poetic terms, Solomon limited its enjoyment to “the wife of your youth.” Thus, sex has its proper place in marriage. And it is the only proper place for it, from God’s viewpoint.
Paul the apostle emphasized this principle to Christians: “It is better for a man not to touch a woman; but because of the prevalence of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and each woman have her own husband. Let the husband give to his wife her due, and let the wife also do likewise to her husband,. . . Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent for an appointed time, . . . so that you may devote time to prayer and may come together again, in order that Satan may not keep tempting you for your lack of self-control.” (1 Corinthians 7:1-3, 5)
Fleshly indulgences that ruin a man
Other than sex, fleshly indulgences that enslave modern men include smoking, wine, drugs, pornography, and gambling. Ironically, these could ensnare even men of a seemingly decent mold — professionals, executives, doctors, lawyers, priests and pastors! Intelligent and respected that they are, how could they fall victim to vices, ever?
The Good Book directs us to the root of the problem, saying, “Consequently Jehovah saw that the badness of man was abundant in the earth and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only bad all the time.” (Genesis 6:5) “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.” (James 1:14)
As the Good Book shows, even the normal desires for food, wine, entertainment — and sex — could develop into inordinate desires, given time and improper attention. It could happen even to individuals who may have started off with a godly disposition like Solomon.
Leading to unhappiness
“Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh.” (Galatians 6:7, 8)
As anyone can observe, every excess will exact a bitter price: Drunkards are usually cut down by liver cancer or cirrhosis, smokers by lung cancer or emphysema. Gluttons get afflicted with diabetes, arteriosclerosis, or other coronary ailment. And those who wallow in sexual immorality could end up with AIDS or any sexually transmitted disease (STD). Some psychologists claim that aside from the physiological damage that afflict those who live in excesses, guilt and stress appear to add to their ordeal.
Indeed, how could someone tormented by guilt and deprived of self-respect be expected to also remain physically and mentally healthy?
Remember, too, that the enjoyment brought by illicit fleshly indulgences are but momentary. But it could leave one guilty and unhappy for a much longer time — even for life.
EDITOR‘SNOTE
It was with deep sadness when The Sunday Times Magazine learned of the passing of veteran media man and “Light for Life” columnist Max Sucquit Jr. on January 4. He was 73 and died from a heart attack following a bout of pneumonia at the Medical Center Parañaque. His column had been a welcome addition to the publication since 2019, providing readers a weekly opportunity for spiritual introspection and rejuvenation. Mr. Sucquit had been actively writing until his death and has left ST M with two more columns which we will print in full today and on January 17.