Vanity of Vanities

1 Kings 10:23, 26-28: “King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth… Solomon accumulated chariots and horses; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horses, which he kept in the chariot cities and also with him in Jerusalem. The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and cedar as plentiful as sycamore-fig trees in the foothills. Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue —the royal merchants purchased them from Kue at the current price.”

Solomon had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen, but these chariots and horsemen had no practical use. At that time, the surrounding nations of Israel were in the midst of the Bronze Age Collapse (1200-900 BC), and God had already granted Solomon peace on all sides, with no enemies or calamities. Solomon maintained a standing army comparable to Egypt’s (2 Chronicles 12:3), likely for strategic deterrence. However, he disregarded the covenant God had made with him through David (1 Chronicles 28:7). These armaments could not even guarantee peace for his nation in the next generation. This demonstrates that God’s intention is for people to rely not on power or ability, but on His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6).

The author does not explicitly evaluate Solomon’s wealth. However, the first readers of this book, the exiled people, would have read with increasing alarm because they knew God’s law: “The king must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, ‘You are not to go back that way again'” (Deuteronomy 17:16). Yet, Solomon not only acquired a great number of horses for himself but also sent people back to Egypt to trade for horses. The law also stipulated that the king “must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold” for himself (Deuteronomy 17:17). But Solomon made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and all his vessels were made of gold. This wealth could only satisfy Solomon’s lust of the eyes and the pride of life; in reality, it was useless. Moreover, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21), causing Solomon’s heart to drift further and further from God. Ultimately, God took the kingdom back from him, and the treasures in the palace were even taken by Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt.

King Solomon, who surpassed all other kings on earth in both wealth and wisdom, also knew his ultimate fate. Therefore, he said, “So I turned my heart to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless, and a great misfortune” (Ecclesiastes 2:20-21). Yet, the wise Solomon could not act according to his own wisdom. God granted him understanding, wisdom, wealth, and honor, allowing him to experience and possess everything. Only then did he discover that it was all “meaningless, meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Finally, Solomon concluded with true wisdom: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).