Memory Text: "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required" (Luke 12:48).

Richard Cory" is a poem about a rich man told from the perspective of a poor man—a poor man jealous of Richard Cory, of his money, of his looks, of everything Richard had that made others "wish that we were in his place." The poem ends, though, when Richard Cory one fine night "went home and put a bullet through his head."

Solomon, unlike Richard Cory, didn't kill himself, at least not physically. But spiritually, that's another matter. Solomon had all that the world could offer; even more so, he had the best that heaven could offer, as well: "And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly" (2 Chron. 1:1).

What happened? How could someone walking so close to God, and lavished with gifts from heaven and earth, end up so bitter, so cynical, and tortured?

It's easy, really. No matter who we are, what we have, or even how close to God we walk, in the end we are fallen creatures with natures so rotten that unless we daily surrender ourselves to God (Luke 9:23), we are in danger of allowing those natures to ruin us.

This week, before we study Ecclesiastes itself, we'll look at the Sitz im Leben, "the life situation," of Solomon, which will help us understand why, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he wrote the book as he did.

According to the Bible there are at least two kinds of wisdom: the wisdom of the world (1 Cor. 3:19) and the wisdom that comes from God (Job 28:28, Ps. 111:10).

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12).

"So gradual was Solomon's apostasy that before he was aware of it, he had wandered far from God. Almost imperceptibly he began to trust less and less in divine guidance and blessing, and to put confidence in his own strength. Little by little he withheld from God that unswerving obedience which was to make Israel a peculiar people, and he conformed more and more closely to the customs of the surrounding nations. Yielding to the temptations incident to his success and his honored position, he forgot the Source of his prosperity."—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 55.

Though Scripture itself doesn't say it, Ellen White makes it clear that, in the end, Solomon—no matter how hardened—eventually saw the folly of his ways and repented. Having learned much from this terrible experience, in his later years "the king recorded for after generations the history of his wasted years with their lessons of warning." —Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 79. These words, at least part of them, are what we know today as the book of Ecclesiastes.

"For many years Solomon's life was marked with devotion to God, with uprightness and firm principle, and with strict obedience to God's commands. He directed in every important enterprise and managed wisely the business matters connected with the kingdom. His wealth and wisdom, the magnificent buildings and public works that he constructed during the early years of his reign, the energy, piety, justice, and magnanimity that he revealed in word and deed, won the loyalty of his subjects and the admiration and homage of the rulers of many lands."—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 32.

"But Solomon had begun to lose sight of the Source of his power and glory. As inclination gained the ascendancy over reason, self-confidence increased, and he sought to carry out the Lord's purpose in his own way. He reasoned that political and commercial alliances with the surrounding nations would bring these nations to a knowledge of the true God; and he entered into unholy alliance with nation after nation. Often these alliances were sealed by marriages with heathen princesses. The commands of Jehovah were set aside for the customs of surrounding peoples."—Page 54