“Listen to this wise advice; follow it closely, for it will do you good, and you can pass it on to others: Trust in the Lord.” (Verse 17-19). Solomon follows this in verses 20-21, “In the past, haven’t I been right? Then believe what I am telling you now and share it with others.” It sounds like between verses 19 and 20 someone, maybe Reheboam, night have said, “Oh come on, that’s old school.” Solomon sounds a little exasperated.
Again, Solomon mentions family life. “Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain on it.” (Verse 6). And if you don’t know how to teach him, he reminds us in verse 15: “A youngster’s heart is filled with rebellion, but punishment will drive it out of him.”
What about my personal life? Does Solomon have anything for me? The answer of course is yes. In verse 1, Solomon wrote, “If you must choose, take a good name rather than great riches; for to be held in loving esteem is better than silver and gold.” He adds to that a few more verses: 4 – True humility and respect for the Lord leads a man to riches, honor, and long life”; 9 – “Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor; 11 – “He who values grace and truth is the king’s friend”; and finally in verse 29 – “Do you know a hard-working man? He shall be successful and stand before kings!”
Solomon sums up life with verse 2, “The rich and the poor are alike before the Lord Who made them all.” We have a tendency to look at people and categorize them, but the truth is that we are all of one race, the human race, we are all sinners, God loves all of us, Christ dies for all of us, and we can all experience the eternal life He provides by trusting in what He did for us on the cross.