If you’re on social media even a little bit, you have probably seen someone “canceled.” This happens when a person (or company, brand, etc.) says or does something deemed unacceptable by one group or another, and then “the offender” is boycotted.

Imagine if we applied that same scrutiny to people in the Bible! Take Solomon, for example. While the “Teacher” who authored Ecclesiastes (Eccl. 1:1) is not specifically identified, many scholars consider him to be Solomon, the son of King David. In 1 Kings 3, Solomon was granted a request from God. He asked for wisdom (not wealth) to lead His people, and the Lord blessed him with both. Solomon constructed the Temple David longed to build, and he reigned over Israel in Jerusalem for four decades. The author of Kings calls him “wiser than anyone else” (1 Kings 3:12), and credits him with writing 3,000 proverbs and over a thousand songs.

Yet, this same Solomon amassed enormous amounts of gold and silver, imported horses from Egypt, and married 700 women (in addition to 300 concubines)—thus defying the Lord’s mandate for kings in Deuteronomy 17. Solomon’s sexual sin led to his downfall—his wives “turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God” (1 Kings 11:4). Because of this, the Lord said, “I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you” (v. 11).

Solomon’s history complicates our reading of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. You may wonder: Should these books be ignored based on his reputation? Or should we just overlook his sin? Neither is appealing! But there is another way: Knowing Solomon’s story helps us appreciate more fully the divine authorship of Scripture and reminds us that all of us—except our Lord Himself—have the propensity toward great sin.

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