The Books of Solomon

The wisest king of Israel, King Solomon, is associated with three books of the Bible: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Each book offers a unique perspective on how humans can rule with wisdom and the fear of the Lord. In this video, we briefly explore how the message of each book fits into the overall story of the Bible.

#Solomon #Proverbs #Wisdom

[bibleproject]

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[LauryneAmanda]

I love that you really portrayed the woman as an African woman. That means a lot. Thank you!

[homomorphic]

The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Best proverb ever :-)

[TiagoSantos-kjtc]

I keep noticing the diversity of representations of humans through the different videos, so beautiful, in a celebration of all human life. <3 keep up the good work, guys.

[nerezza]

I never even connected Solomon's choices to the choice in Eden! Thank you, beautiful and insightful as always 💜

[alfonsoaguirre]

I love the way you explain to us, it makes it easier to understand the Bible! May God continue using you the way he’s doing!

[jenelleclark]

Can I just say how much I appreciate seeing people of color represented in the graphics you use for the biblical characters. It’s refreshing and honestly much more accurate than what we are used to seeing.

[tiffanyonwudinanti]

Whoever does the Bible Project's sound design is BLESSED! I think they should release the music... like at 1:57

[calebpate]

Learning Gods wisdom is better than my Own 💯💎

[bibleproject]

One of the more famous characters in the story of the Bible is a king named Solomon, known for his great wisdom. Three biblical books are associated with him: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. The last of these three is filled with semi-erotic Hebrew love poetry, which throws many Bible readers for a loop. What’s up with Solomon and these three books? In order to better understand them, we need to think through his story. At the beginning of his reign, Solomon asks God for wisdom to discern between good and bad so that his rule would faithfully mirror God’s kingdom (see 1 Kings ch. 3). As a result, he turned Jerusalem into a mini-Eden, with the temple hosting God’s presence and every Israelite experiencing garden-abundance (1 Kings 4:25 and chs. 6-8). This positive portrait of Solomon culminates in the visit of the great Queen of Sheba, who praises the God of Israel after seeing Solomon’s wisdom for herself. Yet Solomon eventually forfeits God’s many gifts by turning toward the gods of money, sex, and political power, which leads to his downfall (1 Kings chs. 10-11). If you look carefully, you’ll see Solomon’s story is filled with hyperlinks back to the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. God also invests this couple with royal authority, which they forfeit in their quest for self-attained wisdom. The tree of knowing good and bad represents the choice before every human, including Solomon: How will I learn wisdom—by trusting and receiving it from God, or by taking it into my own hands to define as I desire? King Solomon’s rise and fall is a study in the human condition, and so are each of the wisdom books associated with his name. In Proverbs, we hear Solomon address the next generation, urging them to choose God’s wisdom that leads to life. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon becomes the mouthpiece of the entire line of David that ended up in Babylonian exile. The attempt to live by God’s wisdom is a good thing, but one should have realistic expectations, because life “under the sun” (that is, outside of Eden) is full of trouble and difficulty. In the Song of Songs, we hear the voice of the ideal son of David and his lover, who resembles Lady Wisdom from the book of Proverbs. This book is a rich and multi-layered poem, recalling both the story of Solomon and of Eden. So then, Solomon’s story is humanity’s story, and the books of Solomon give us wisdom and guidance as we hope for the new Eden and ultimate Son of David to bring God’s kingdom on earth as in heaven.

[ronnymichael]

Imagine if there was actually a movie that revolves around these themes 🤔

[daynehaworth]

As a white person who lives and ministers in South Africa which is predominantly black. It is so amazing to see the Bible project use people of different ethnicity in this video.

And a fascinating connection between all 3 books and the garden of Eden. 🤯

Such an amazing summary of the 3 books of Solomon and how wisdom is to be gained from these books.

So amazing to see an interracial couple in here and to know that God has blessed me with the ability to sit under the tree of life for all my days, with the most amazing Kenyan Queen, whom I am engaged to ❤

Love your work so much. What a blessing to the body of Christ.

So thankful we are decolonising the bible. Jesus was not a Swedish looking man, he was a middle eastern Jew with olive skin, dark curly hair similar to what most Greek, Italian, Lebanese, Syrian, Egyptian people would look like. A mix of that.

And both Solomon and Moses had African wives. Amen hallelujah

[edgygirl]

Thank you so much for portraying people who have color in your artwork and drawings of some of these famous Biblical figures. It is really encouraging and makes those of color who are also after God's heart feel seen and represented in our Christian faith. May God continue to bless your ministry and project!

[VatiKahn]

I love these new animations. What a beautiful video. God bless you guys.

[mymodestlife]

Lady wisdom is BEAUTIFUL! Love her realistic and regal look ❤️🥰

[themanofmonkeys]

I love the way this video ends. After showing wisdom personified as a woman and seeing a man and women under the tree, you guys ended the video with an elder man reading the Bible, God's wisdom, under a tree. Beautiful transition!

[ALions-xhrj]

It means a lot to see a darker skinned woman and man depicted for Adam and Eve and some Israelites. Like that’s really cool. 🥺🥰

[kkb]

It’s a little concerning to see some of the arguments about race. As the body of Christ we have to find a resolution on this issue. All races are a reflection of God’s hand as a creator and it’s sad that many hold unresolved issues over race. We need to genuinely love each other, God first and race wouldn’t even matter. Honestly. Love covers a multitude of sin, and that includes the sins of the past. Love you family.

[JoeJay]

The music/soundtrack to this is absolutely beautiful! Praise the Lord for the work you guys do. Shalom.

[dorah]

I don’t usually say I have favourites, but this particular episode has brought a lot of reflection in my life. 😢 I need the Lord everyday, (not that I didn’t know that..) I really needed this episode at this point in my life . Thank you Bible Project. Thank you 😢