We have noticed through these sayings of Solomon that he tackles many aspects of life. The Lord gave him so much wisdom that he was able to follow many trains of thought at the same time.
First, Solomon gives some evidence of how to have success in business. “Any enterprise is built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.” (Verses 3-4). For example, in 1967 I heard a college professor declare that by the year 2000, the area between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA would become one continuous metropolitan corridor. Wise developers also saw the potential, and while in 2024 that hasn’t become a reality, it shows definite growth toward that goal. In verse 27, Solomon cautioned, “Develop your business first before building your house.” Then in verses 30-34, he gives an illustration of one way a business can fail.
Second, Solomon presents a problem that many people face in life. “You are a poor specimen if you can’t stand the pressure of adversity.” (Verse 10). That may be true in some instances. For example, Henry Ford bypassed his son, Edsel, and had his grandson, Henry Ford II, take over the company for this very reason. Even the Edsel brand by Ford was a failure in the late 1950’s.
But there are other instances when a person may not expect adversity. For example, many pastors leave the ministry because of adversity. If they have no one to mentor them, and they are not told what to expect after college and seminary, they may fail. While I don’t know how long this has been going on, many churches have taken all their complaints to the pastor as if he is responsible for everything. The early church was faced with this as recorded in Acts 6. People began complaining about their Uber Eats program so the “Twelve” apostles “called a meeting of all the believers.”
“We should spend our time preaching not administering a feeding program,” they said. They told the church to select seven men meeting certain qualifications to handle the problem. The church agreed and the office of the deacon was created. That is how we should be as a New Testament church. Even a great pastor, David Jeremiah, once stated in his sermon that he had become very discouraged and thought about leaving the ministry. Fortunately, he didn’t.
Life is sometimes filled with frustrations because of other people. Gossips, know-it-alls, people with negative attitudes, and government officials who become bullies can add so much stress in our lives that we rejoice when they have troubles. “Do not rejoice when your enemy meets trouble. Let there be no gladness when he falls – for the Lord may be displeased with you and stop punishing him!” Jesus did say, ‘Love your enemies’.