“I had a lot of concubines, male and female singers, the joy of the sons of man.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18)
This one needs to be handled carefully. I’m not arguing that men or women are meaningless or without purpose. Simply put, I’m stating that we will be let down if we look to human connections for their ultimate meaning and purpose.
Solomon is renowned for having three hundred concubines and seven hundred wives. It appears that their son Solomon went into overdrive in pursuing any woman he desired, if his father David could lust for and seduce Bathsheba from her first husband. He attempted to use worldly reasoning to defend his conduct, claiming that by wedlocking so many heathen women, he was forming alliances with all the pagan nations that encircled God’s people, the Israelites. However, where can God’s people find security? In relationships, in politics, or in the Lord, God Almighty? Because He is a jealous lover, our God will not give His glory to anyone else.
Putting Solomon to the test, how about us? Are we yearning after partners in “real life” or in the pixelated virtual world of the internet, where so many of us are amused by the abuse and exploitation of actual people? “Lord God, please have pity on us because we searched elsewhere for the meaning that You alone possess.” For the honor of Your name, may we adore You completely, as You deserve, amen.
