King Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God granted his request. It is oddly comforting to know that even Solomon didn’t live a perfect life, even though he had been abundantly blessed with God’s wisdom. Wisdom is a moment-to-moment choice, and not even King Solomon utilized his God-given strength all of the time.

Most theologians attribute the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes to the wisdom of King Solomon. The book of Ecclesiastes was likely written by Solomon at the end of his amazing life.

Israel reached the height of power, wealth, education, and national prominence under King Solomon. However, soon after his reign, the nation divided and eventually fell. At the end of his life, the wise king recorded that the wisdom he had gained in his life could be summed up with these words: “Fear God and keep his commandments.” Solomon said, “This is the whole duty of man.” 

No man achieved more financial success in a lifetime than Solomon. No man had a greater influence on the world than the king. Yet, throughout the book of Ecclesiastes he described those pursuits as a “chasing of the wind.” Solomon epitomizes the phrase “wisdom comes with age.”

Most games are won or lost in the final quarter. The same can be true of our lives. Aging is actually a blessing from God. When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden, the judgment of God was an earthly life of work and moments of pain. The blessing of God was aging. People wouldn’t have to live an earthly existence forever. 

King Solomon taught an invaluable lesson. He was by far the most successful human being to have ever lived, yet, at the end of his life, he defined successful living in this way: “Fear God and keep his commandments.” That is our whole duty as a child of God; everything else is simply a “chasing of the wind.”

God’s priorities are wisdom. King Solomon, who was abundantly blessed with God’s wisdom, taught us how to live with God’s priorities, his wisdom. We can live with God’s priorities if we believe King Solomon’s words in Scripture are perfect truth. Live with reverent awe of who God is and choose to obey his commandments. Everything else is just “chasing the wind.”