Week #4 of Ecclesiastes is in the books, and if you missed the latest message, you can check that out here — BURSTING THE BUBBLE.
One of the things I’m loving most about our time in Ecclesiastes is the HONESTY.
Solomon’s honesty is real, raw, unfiltered and often… uncomfortable.
And here’s why his honesty matters so much… MASKS.
As we all know, it’s so much easier… more exhausting for sure, but easier to live with a mask on.
To pretend we’re fine.
To pretend we’re in control.
To pretend life is working.
To pretend we’re not hurting.
To pretend we’re not afraid.
Masks help us hide the parts of our story we’d rather not face.
But Solomon… he wears NO MASK in Ecclesiastes… NONE AT ALL.
His honesty is shocking at times… but also incredibly REFRESHING.
In Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon gets wicked honest once again…
“Who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish?”
Ecclesiastes 2:19 (NLT)
That question comes from someone nearing the end of their life and beginning to wonder…
“WHAT WILL BECOME OF EVERYTHING I’VE BUILT?”
Solomon had built a kingdom. He had built cities, palaces, alliances, wealth, influence. He had poured decades into shaping Israel’s future.
And yet he knew there would come a day when it would all be handed over to someone else.
Someone who didn’t build it.
Someone who didn’t bleed for it.
Someone who didn’t carry the weight of it.
And in Solomon’s case, that “someone” was his own son… Rehoboam.
If you want to read how Rehoboam ruined in a matter of days what he was entrusted with, read 1 Kings 12.
After forty years of Solomon’s leadership, nearly 80% of what he built walked away in a matter of days.
Rehoboam refused to listen to the wise counsel of his father’s advisors and instead listened to his young, foolish friends…
choosing harshness over humility…
pride over wisdom…
division over unity.
Scripture doesn’t give us a detailed parenting profile of Solomon.
We don’t know if he was harsh or gentle.
We don’t know if he was distant or affectionate.
Scripture is silent on Solomon as a dad.
But to imagine Solomon as a deeply present father… well, that’s hard for me to believe.
Hundreds of wives.
Hundreds of concubines.
Massive building projects.
Political alliances.
Diplomatic responsibilities.
A kingdom to run.
And honestly, no one really knows how many children Solomon actually fathered.
To say Solomon was ‘probably’ a distracted dad is not far from reality.
He was a man pulled in a thousand different directions… and maybe, just maybe, some of his fear in Ecclesiastes 2 wasn’t only about losing control of his kingdom… but about knowing the one who would inherit it had been shaped by his own absence.
Every parent knows the ache of wondering…
Did I give enough?
Did I show up enough?
Did I shape them well?
Will they carry what matters most?
And even if you’re not a parent, you know the ache of investing yourself in something… a relationship, a calling, a ministry, a dream, a team… only to wonder if it will be stewarded well after you’re gone.
That fear isn’t just a “parent fear”… it’s A HUMAN FEAR.
WILL WHAT I BUILT LAST?
WILL IT MATTER?
WILL IT BE CARED FOR?
GOOD NEWS FOR YOU…
this is where the gospel of Jesus gives us HOPE.
Jesus is the Son who never fails.
Jesus is the Son who restores what foolishness destroys.
Where Rehoboam tore the kingdom apart…
Jesus brings the Kingdom together.
Where Solomon feared losing everything to a fool…
Jesus builds a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Where Solomon saw his hard work crumble…
Jesus’ work established a Kingdom that is eternal.
To say it as clearly as I can…
What you entrust to Jesus is never wasted.
What you place in His hands is never lost.
What you build with Him will outlast you.
Solomon’s story reminds us of our limits whereas Jesus’ story reminds us to keep our lives fixed on Him.
Whatever the LORD has placed in your hands… place ALL of that in the faithful hands of Jesus knowing and trusting that ALL your hard work this side of eternity will never be wasted.
“My dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the LORD, for you know that nothing you do for the LORD is ever useless.”
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)
