Light pink candle - The Joy Candle
Popularized by the folk-rock band The Byrds’ version in 1965, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” quickly became an international hit and understandably so. While the 1960s saw change and movement towards equality for all citizens of the U.S., it came at a huge cost. The decade was marked by social unrest sparked and fueled by the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement as well as anti-establishment protests on a variety of issues. U.S.involvement in the Vietnam War increased during the 1960s, with the deployment of American ground troops starting in 1965. What many felt was “somebody’s else’s war” combined with a growing distrust of the government resulted in mass anti-war demonstrations and division within the country. While landmark civil rights legislation was passed and implemented during this era, the price was deathly, with the political assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother, Presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In addition were the horrific abuses and murders of black men, women and children across our country because of systemic racism that plagued most of the South.
In the midst of this social and political unrest, Pete Seeger wrote the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!” Its lyrics are primarily adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes, written by our highlighted character of the day, King Solomon. Solomon’s poetry as well as Seeger’s song underscore life as a cycle of changing events and circumstances, where there is a time for everything under the sun, from birth to death and war to peace. The title and chorus “Turn, Turn, Turn!” reflect the passing of time and the world’s natural ebb and flow, yet to everything, there is a season.
While Solomon wrote extensively and is credited with most of the Proverbs, the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes, I’d like to focus on his first conversation with the Lord during his early days as king of Israel and one of his most famous works, “A Time For Everything.”
Read 1 Kings 3 and Ecclesiastes 3
As King David was approaching the end of his life, he began to get his affairs in order. One of those big decisions was his heir as the next king over Israel. Abijah, his oldest son, was the logical and traditional choice, yet David had made a promise to God as well as to Bathsheba that their son, Solomon, would be the next king. This caused all kinds of problems, not the least of which was the fact that Abijah had already begun his celebrations as king and was completely humiliated upon realizing that his younger half-brother had taken his rightful place on the throne!
“As the time approached for David to die, he ordered his son Solomon, ‘As for me, I am going the way of all of the earth. Be strong and be a man, and keep your obligation to the Lord your God to walk in his ways and to keep his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees. This is written in the law of Moses, so that you will have success in everything you do and wherever you turn, and so that the Lord will fulfill his promise that he made to me: ‘If your sons take care to walk faithfully before me with all their heart and all their soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 2:1-4) Clearly, David continues to live in tension as to the precise implications of the promise made to him by God through the prophet Nathan; David’s name, throne and kingdom would be established before the Lord his God forever and would not be conditional upon his descendants’ ability to keep their part of the covenant. (from 2 Sam 7:14-16)
Solomon loves the Lord and has opportunities to rule wisely right from the start of his reign, but there are a couple of important commands in the law that he seems to overlook - the worship of God at the high places where the false gods were also worshiped as well as intermarrying with pagan nations. His first wife was an Egyptian princess, for heaven’s sake! When the Lord God comes to Solomon in a dream and asks what he would like God to give him, he responds humbly, aware of his limitations as a leader, and asks for wisdom. God answers his prayer and then some, promising “I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no king will be your equal during your entire life.” (1 Kings 3:12-13)
While incredibly wise as a leader and judge of his people, credited with building God’s awesome temple in Jerusalem, Solomon’s heart continued to be divided by the hundreds of wives he married, most of whom worshiped other gods. But his writings are full of the wisdom God gave him early in his reign as king. Following his poem, “A Time For Everything,” Solomon teaches that the Lord has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has put eternity in our hearts, yet no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end. (from Eccl 3:11-13) Solomon realizes that both our desire to understand all of the intricacies of life, as well as the limitations on our ability to do so, have been ordained by God. Solomon’s conclusion? To be joyful and do good all of our days, receiving joy as the gift from God that it is.
Sing Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (See page 61 for lyrics)
Reflect
Similar to joy being much deeper than happiness, wisdom is greater than knowledge. There is an understanding and experience combined with knowledge that results in wisdom. Often in my counseling relationships, I’m asked to offer advice on a client’s specific situation. I’ve lost count of how many times my first inclination is not godly wisdom fueled by the Spirit, but a selfish or defensive reaction on behalf of my client. When I take the time to pray and don’t “shoot from the hip,” my counsel is almost always different. It is more thoughtful, compassionate and true. How about you? Are there decisions you’re needing to make or advice you need to share? If so, go to the Wonderful Counselor and ask for His wisdom!
Pray for wisdom in all of the decisions you have to make today. Remember Solomon’s proverb: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov 9:10) and his conclusion of the matter in Ecclesiastes, “Fear God and keep his commands.” (Eccl 12:13)
