If you have read the earlier blogs you know that this blog is certainly for my own benefit but for those who wish to look into wisdom literature as an aid to recovery particularly sexual addiction and compulsivity but addiction and compulsivity in general. Its goal is a broad-based appeal to all faiths. Hopefully it will be attractive to those who desire to live life more skillfully.
For those who may not be familiar with the Bible. Ecclesiastes is a part of the larger section of the Bible known as the wisdom literature. This would include such books in the Bible as Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs or better known as the Song of Solomon.
We looked last week at the passage 2:15-19. This week we will be looking at 2:20-23. Solomon (whom I think wrote the book) has already discussed the vexing concept that the fruit of one's labor is left to those alive after the person dies. Solomon now turns the concept over in his mind, chewing on the concept so to speak. The passage is parallel to the previous though but now given deeper meaning. Solomon says he allows himself, his mind, to enter in fully to the grief of this vexing concept. He really will have to leave the fruit of his labor to presumably his family. How often do we as addictive and compulsive people not allow ourselves to fully grieve these kinds of losses and paradoxes of life? Acting out stops these kinds of painful realizations. We think we do but in many ways and many times addictive and compulsive behavior acts as a defense mechanism to block or wall off painful things in our lives. Solomon says he entered fully into accepting the reality of this truth of life.
2:21 continues the variation of this theme. He he talks about the effort that goes into the accumulation of worldly things. This takes effort--wisdom, knowledge, and skill. Nothing is gained by simply thinking about it or wishing for it. It takes effort. Effort that addictive and compulsive people may not want to exert. All the effort is spent in acting out. There is not energy Left for true effort. Also there is with addiction and compulsivity a sense of entitlement, that you expect that someone will leave you an inheritance that can be spent in the expense of life so that you can carry out addictive and compulsive behavior. He ends by stating that this is a great injustice. Solomon will talk about other injustices in the book. This one has to do with the fact that all one works for goes to those who have not worked for it and may not manage it wisely. This injustice or wrong of life is one which has no answer. We want to see injustice righted but for this there is no righteous answer. It is a fact of life.
Verse 2:22 begins to discuss again what is the fruit of this for the man who has acquired it? This is a rhetorical question at this point in the book. We know that the answer will be "a chasing after wind." But Solomon is building a verbal case a crescendo so to speak so that we will know and understand the vanity of the accumulation of wealth. As addictive and compulsive people we don't want to have to face the fact that what we do ends in pain and frustration. As addicts we are into pleasure and satisfaction. If by now you are sick and tire of reading about fruitlessness and the vanity of things in this life, then Solomon is getting his point across. Letting go of the pain that you hold on to will involve a grief process.
Verse 2:23 Presents the conclusion to this section. Work produces pain and frustration. The effort gives one a mind that can't relax. Workaholism is an addictive behavior. Sometimes involved in addiction interaction. We compulsively act out with our drug or activity of choice and use other compulsive behaviors to enable us to carry out the compulsive behaviors. The pursuit of wealth and worldly possessions can be an obsession that consumes us even into our off hours. Such obsession is medicated away by using our drug of choice in the off hours.
Solomon doesn't present the solution here. That is one of the paradoxes of the book. While the struggle can be a chasing after wind this life here and now can be enjoyed. He will tell us how.
If any of this strikes home with you. Please tell someone: a trusted friend, a spiritual advisor, someone in the pastoral, clergy profession, a therapist. Until you can name it and bring it out of the shadows it will have power over you. You may feel trapped now inside addictive and compulsive behavior. There is new life on the other side. Our time is up for today so keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Solomon Project--Ecclelsiastes 2:15-19
For those of you who follow this blog. This is the first year of a multi year plan to comment and apply wisdom literature from the Bible's Old Testament to those who suffer from addiction and compulsivity. The aim is to present broad based applications the will be usable in whatever religious orientation you find yourself. Skillful living, that is what wisdom is about, Can be applied in all contexts.
Ecclesiastes 2:14 ended with the conclusion that the same fate happens to both the wise and the fool. Verse 15 of Chapter 2 presents the rhetorical question by the author "Then why did I become so wise?!" Solomon, who I believe wrote the book, comes to see even wisdom as temporal. While wisdom can have an advantage here on earth, remember we are talking about "under the sun," It ultimately ends with the finality of death. I have been brought up short once again with mortality. One of my favorite professors from Dallas Seminary passed away Thursday of this last week. Why? Why did the Lord call him home at this time? He was not only a highly intelligent man but a wise man as well. These questions ultimately become meaningless questions because we will not know the answers here on earth. I could say more, much more but must move on.
Ecclesiastes 2:16 does not present a comforting picture of our memory after we are gone. The author says we are not remembered for very long. True. We are temporal, being limited by time and space. We can have memories but when there is not sense stimulation to build memory with they are not continuous or repetitious. He finally comes to the point where he says what he has been hinting at--death.
In verse 17 Solomon says the loathes life because of this. It is a sad thing to realize that all the benefits of wisdom cannot save you from the finality of death. Even the gaining of wisdom is futile the chasing after wind.
Solomon then changes his train of thought in verse 18 of chapter 2. Earlier in the chapter he has told us of all his accomplishments and that they were a joy to him. Now he loathes them. Death separates him from that joy. This certainly makes existentialism attractive if it can be. We act to become. The despair and anxiety of nothingness should drive us to act to become what we can be. To this existential conclusion Solomon would nod his head in assent. This is all there is. Some would say that until we can truly embrace death or come to terms with it we can't truly embrace life. This is where Solomon finds himself. Embracing the realities of death.
Verse 2:19 continues on in this vein. The author talks about who his successor may be and what will happen to all that he inherits. Kings think about these things. He had a huge kingdom and extreme wealth. What would happen to it all? He faces the fact that his heir may not be as wise as he. He may be a fool. The implication which he will delve into here and later is that it will literally be futile and a chasing after wind because it will literally be gone. Have you ever known of those who have inherited large estates only to have them evaporate? Or who doesn't recognize the name Carnegie, Hilton or Sam Walton. These are names of people and their families who have used their inheritance wisely.
Some of you reading this may be at the end of life and are saddened because you know you leave a sizable inheritance to a child or children who will not manage it wisely. This is a deep vexation. Some of you reading this will hopefully take this to heart and attempt to live out the wishes of the person leaving the inheritance behind. Some of you reading this may have already lost an inheritance through unwise management. Addiction and compulsivity will do that. When life is out of control it spills over into other things. This too will be a deep vexation. Remorse. Addiction, in whatever form it takes, is a yawing grave camouflaged as satisfaction and satiation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Living wisely is not the same as gathering knowledge. Solomon did that as well. Some of you will literally be a walking compendium of recovery and sobriety language. A storehouse not of material wealth but intellectual wealth. But does it permeate you? Solomon says that even wisdom has its limitations. It can't keep you from death. Let me ask you--Are you ready to die. Has life been lived in such a way that it has been lived as skillfully as possible. What changes do you need to make today. As the big book says abandon yourself to God and see how you can help those who are behind you. This is the ultimate way to happiness on this earth--"under the sun."
Our time is up for today so until next week: "Keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it."
Ecclesiastes 2:14 ended with the conclusion that the same fate happens to both the wise and the fool. Verse 15 of Chapter 2 presents the rhetorical question by the author "Then why did I become so wise?!" Solomon, who I believe wrote the book, comes to see even wisdom as temporal. While wisdom can have an advantage here on earth, remember we are talking about "under the sun," It ultimately ends with the finality of death. I have been brought up short once again with mortality. One of my favorite professors from Dallas Seminary passed away Thursday of this last week. Why? Why did the Lord call him home at this time? He was not only a highly intelligent man but a wise man as well. These questions ultimately become meaningless questions because we will not know the answers here on earth. I could say more, much more but must move on.
Ecclesiastes 2:16 does not present a comforting picture of our memory after we are gone. The author says we are not remembered for very long. True. We are temporal, being limited by time and space. We can have memories but when there is not sense stimulation to build memory with they are not continuous or repetitious. He finally comes to the point where he says what he has been hinting at--death.
In verse 17 Solomon says the loathes life because of this. It is a sad thing to realize that all the benefits of wisdom cannot save you from the finality of death. Even the gaining of wisdom is futile the chasing after wind.
Solomon then changes his train of thought in verse 18 of chapter 2. Earlier in the chapter he has told us of all his accomplishments and that they were a joy to him. Now he loathes them. Death separates him from that joy. This certainly makes existentialism attractive if it can be. We act to become. The despair and anxiety of nothingness should drive us to act to become what we can be. To this existential conclusion Solomon would nod his head in assent. This is all there is. Some would say that until we can truly embrace death or come to terms with it we can't truly embrace life. This is where Solomon finds himself. Embracing the realities of death.
Verse 2:19 continues on in this vein. The author talks about who his successor may be and what will happen to all that he inherits. Kings think about these things. He had a huge kingdom and extreme wealth. What would happen to it all? He faces the fact that his heir may not be as wise as he. He may be a fool. The implication which he will delve into here and later is that it will literally be futile and a chasing after wind because it will literally be gone. Have you ever known of those who have inherited large estates only to have them evaporate? Or who doesn't recognize the name Carnegie, Hilton or Sam Walton. These are names of people and their families who have used their inheritance wisely.
Some of you reading this may be at the end of life and are saddened because you know you leave a sizable inheritance to a child or children who will not manage it wisely. This is a deep vexation. Some of you reading this will hopefully take this to heart and attempt to live out the wishes of the person leaving the inheritance behind. Some of you reading this may have already lost an inheritance through unwise management. Addiction and compulsivity will do that. When life is out of control it spills over into other things. This too will be a deep vexation. Remorse. Addiction, in whatever form it takes, is a yawing grave camouflaged as satisfaction and satiation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Living wisely is not the same as gathering knowledge. Solomon did that as well. Some of you will literally be a walking compendium of recovery and sobriety language. A storehouse not of material wealth but intellectual wealth. But does it permeate you? Solomon says that even wisdom has its limitations. It can't keep you from death. Let me ask you--Are you ready to die. Has life been lived in such a way that it has been lived as skillfully as possible. What changes do you need to make today. As the big book says abandon yourself to God and see how you can help those who are behind you. This is the ultimate way to happiness on this earth--"under the sun."
Our time is up for today so until next week: "Keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it."
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Ecclesiastes 2:10-14
Last week we looked at how Solomon indulged himself in sensuous living in this life, this reality, "under the sun." He acquired and built virtual playgrounds with entertainers and servants at his command.
In verse 10 he reviews his accomplishments again. He expands his thought here by saying that he experienced enjoyment of all his accomplishments. They were virtually limitless. Solomon came to power in a relatively secure time. His father David had done all of the hard work of conquest. This was a period of transition among the peoples of the area. At this time there was a power void and smaller kingdoms such as Israel were able to rise to power. It was not until later that the Assyrians and Babylonians rose to power. Solomon's power and influence have been discovered as far away as South America. During this period of tranquility Solomon deftly built political and economic ties with the neighboring nations. Solomon can acknowledge that there was reward in these accomplishments. We all can identify with his assessment. We know that accomplishments do bring a certain amount of satisfaction. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 13:19 that "the desire accomplished is sweet to the soul." As we talked about last week this kind of expansive almost limitless control can be a powerful elixir. Intoxicating to the brain.
Yet Solomon could say that that in the final analysis they are empty. "Chasing after wind." All the work, effort and exertion do not last. Now Solomon is telling us that "beyond the sun" these things do not ultimately satisfy. Of course until we have accomplished comparable feats we have not learned this lesson in wisdom. We continue to strive after the illusion. Seldom are we able to accept the reality of this lesson in wisdom from those who have gone before us. We think our needs are different. That we can handle it. "Don't drink the kool aid." Solomon is saying it doesn't satisfy I have known of several people who have been able to accomplish comparable achievements to what Solomon did and be able to have a logical and balanced view of it. but they are few.
Now Solomon turns to wisdom. He has tried merrymaking, grand accomplishments, great wealth and secular acquisitions and accomplishments. Now he decides to try wisdom. Of course the literary structure of this quest has whetted our appetite for this for we think that wisdom is the answer. Solomon says that wisdom does have an advantage over folly. He uses the metaphor of light over darkness. The comparison here is that wisdom enlightens our way just like physical light illumines the way for a person who is in the dark. Folly is like living in darkness. Solomon tempers our proclivity to adopt wisdom as the magic pill to sooth all of life's uncertainties and strivings. While wisdom makes the journey easier by illumining our way and helping us to not fall down needlessly ultimately both the man who lives by wisdom and the one who lives by folly arrive at the same place. The same fate awaits them both. This is what is called a merism. This may also be understood by what is called synecdoche the part for th whole. He uses the wise man i.e. himelf but wise people at large and the fool being anyone else who does not live by wisdom. So that he is not speaking simply of two people but of people in general. Their is also an ellipsis here. The fate is death but Solomon euphemistically leaves that out. The reader is left to supply this for himself. Experience this void in the text uniquely and singularly much as we experience death. A void of physical life.
And how does this apply to addiction and compulsivity? Compulsive and addictive behavior often fuels the acquisitions Solomon was able to carry out. Enormous amounts of money are needed to finance much addictive and compulsive behavior. But all of this is most certainly a "chasing after wind." There is no serenity only turbulence. No tranquility only twistedness. In recovery we are not overcome by fear. Not that we will not experience the emotion of fear but we don't have to be overcome by it.
Our time is up for this week so until next week "keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it."
In verse 10 he reviews his accomplishments again. He expands his thought here by saying that he experienced enjoyment of all his accomplishments. They were virtually limitless. Solomon came to power in a relatively secure time. His father David had done all of the hard work of conquest. This was a period of transition among the peoples of the area. At this time there was a power void and smaller kingdoms such as Israel were able to rise to power. It was not until later that the Assyrians and Babylonians rose to power. Solomon's power and influence have been discovered as far away as South America. During this period of tranquility Solomon deftly built political and economic ties with the neighboring nations. Solomon can acknowledge that there was reward in these accomplishments. We all can identify with his assessment. We know that accomplishments do bring a certain amount of satisfaction. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 13:19 that "the desire accomplished is sweet to the soul." As we talked about last week this kind of expansive almost limitless control can be a powerful elixir. Intoxicating to the brain.
Yet Solomon could say that that in the final analysis they are empty. "Chasing after wind." All the work, effort and exertion do not last. Now Solomon is telling us that "beyond the sun" these things do not ultimately satisfy. Of course until we have accomplished comparable feats we have not learned this lesson in wisdom. We continue to strive after the illusion. Seldom are we able to accept the reality of this lesson in wisdom from those who have gone before us. We think our needs are different. That we can handle it. "Don't drink the kool aid." Solomon is saying it doesn't satisfy I have known of several people who have been able to accomplish comparable achievements to what Solomon did and be able to have a logical and balanced view of it. but they are few.
Now Solomon turns to wisdom. He has tried merrymaking, grand accomplishments, great wealth and secular acquisitions and accomplishments. Now he decides to try wisdom. Of course the literary structure of this quest has whetted our appetite for this for we think that wisdom is the answer. Solomon says that wisdom does have an advantage over folly. He uses the metaphor of light over darkness. The comparison here is that wisdom enlightens our way just like physical light illumines the way for a person who is in the dark. Folly is like living in darkness. Solomon tempers our proclivity to adopt wisdom as the magic pill to sooth all of life's uncertainties and strivings. While wisdom makes the journey easier by illumining our way and helping us to not fall down needlessly ultimately both the man who lives by wisdom and the one who lives by folly arrive at the same place. The same fate awaits them both. This is what is called a merism. This may also be understood by what is called synecdoche the part for th whole. He uses the wise man i.e. himelf but wise people at large and the fool being anyone else who does not live by wisdom. So that he is not speaking simply of two people but of people in general. Their is also an ellipsis here. The fate is death but Solomon euphemistically leaves that out. The reader is left to supply this for himself. Experience this void in the text uniquely and singularly much as we experience death. A void of physical life.
And how does this apply to addiction and compulsivity? Compulsive and addictive behavior often fuels the acquisitions Solomon was able to carry out. Enormous amounts of money are needed to finance much addictive and compulsive behavior. But all of this is most certainly a "chasing after wind." There is no serenity only turbulence. No tranquility only twistedness. In recovery we are not overcome by fear. Not that we will not experience the emotion of fear but we don't have to be overcome by it.
Our time is up for this week so until next week "keep coming back it works if you work it and you're worth it."
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Ecclelsiastes 2:4-9
In our last installment we saw that Solomon attempted to find fulfillment "Under the sun" i.e. this earthly life in the hedonistic pleasures of life. The boomerang effect as we called it. He found it did not satisfy either. Now in this section Solomon talks about the acquisition of possessions. Two important things come out of this. He did not deny himself anything and it was purely self indulgent.
Verse 4a is an introductory phrase to orient the reader to what he is about to say. The first part of the section concerns Solomons real estate acquisitions and improvements. I think here of Solomon's building of the house for the princess of Egypt talked about in I Kings 3:1 and the temple in the following chapters. However Solomon's building projects included much more. The term for enclosed parks has come down to us as "paradise." Perhaps the drive to recreate the Edenic ideal. Solomon is saying he built the Disneyland of his day. Purely for his enjoyment. He planted fruit trees looking at the fruit motif he uses in his other writings Solomon surely enjoyed the "fruit" of his labors in a sensual way. Not only did he develop parks, not only did he make them virtual paradises he improved their development with irrigation. The water was not only the the good of the trees but he developed pools probably purely for his enjoyment. Containment of water always brings its own set of problems--clarity and sanitation. Without a way for the water to move neither one of these would be possible. Solomon had to have developed a way to make all this work. His great intellect and wisdom was being put to work.
Not only was their real estate improvement and expansion but also the acquisition of labor. The control of people male and female slaves. The is a short verse but significant. He could not have carried out what he did without labor. Control of people--management can be an elixir or grand proportions.
The development of huge herds of livestock we can interpret this as cattle and sheep/goats. These were important from a religious standpoint seeing as how the religion of Israel at the time revolved around animal sacrifice. This not only had to do with feeding his family or the royal court but probably supplying at least some of the demand for religious functions by the people. If they didn't raise their own or did not have a perfect lamb they could have purchased one from the king's flocks and herds.
Solomon states that he gathered gold and silver. He made money through levying taxes as well as other tribute that came in from his land conquests. But in addition to this he increased his own personal wealth that was separate from the state. He became a wealthy person.
As usual when there is acquisition like this there is the acquisition of the comforts of culture. He acquired male and female singers. They could entertain him and the court. Interestingly these singers were apparently not part of the temple requirements but purely his.
The last part of verse 8 translated by "concubines" is difficult to ascertain with certainty since it occurs only here in the Old Testament. The comparison with other ancient near east literature seems to indicate that this is a correct definition. Solomon acquired a harem. What is left for him to acquire? Really--he has up to this point everything he wanted. Now he acquires sexual satisfaction. That is what a harem is for. There is something quite sad about this. Concubines came into the royal house or court with no rights. Certainly they were well taken care of but at what expense? Whenever I think of concubines and harems I think of Hugh Hefner and the "girls next door." Hefner has developed certain parallels to harems over the years. His present-day lifestyle is no exception. He is a caricature of himself now.
Solomon ends this section by saying he accomplished more than his predecessors. By this he probably means his father, Saul and the judges who ruled before them. He had reached the pinnacle of wealth power and satisfaction.
The comparisons here with compulsive and addictive behavior can be drawn with the workaholic. Remember addiction can be to almost anything. "addiction is a pathological relationship with a mood altering drug" (Carnes). People can be addicted to work and the control of people from the work/career standpoint. The problem is that trying to control people in your intimate and family relationships doesn't work. They are also people and are different from you. This will raise conflict--be certain of that. There is a certain adrenaline inducing effect that comes from seeing your dream projects come to "fruition." It's when we depend upon them to raise our mood that we get into problems. Here we reach perhaps the most difficult form of addiction--sexual addiction. With unlimited power and wealth Solomon could literally buy any form of sexual satisfaction he wanted. The powerful mixture of sexual arousing hormones and chemicals and adrenaline are extremely addicting. Difficult to overcome because the chemicals are produced in your own body.
Interesting that Solomon says he maintained his objectivity. Hmm--"under the sun" from his worldly point of view. We know later that these vast acquisitions of feminine beauty led him astray religiously. As Dan Allender says "all adultery will ultimately lead to idolatry."
Our time is up for today so until next week: "Keep coming back it works if you work it and your are worth it."
Verse 4a is an introductory phrase to orient the reader to what he is about to say. The first part of the section concerns Solomons real estate acquisitions and improvements. I think here of Solomon's building of the house for the princess of Egypt talked about in I Kings 3:1 and the temple in the following chapters. However Solomon's building projects included much more. The term for enclosed parks has come down to us as "paradise." Perhaps the drive to recreate the Edenic ideal. Solomon is saying he built the Disneyland of his day. Purely for his enjoyment. He planted fruit trees looking at the fruit motif he uses in his other writings Solomon surely enjoyed the "fruit" of his labors in a sensual way. Not only did he develop parks, not only did he make them virtual paradises he improved their development with irrigation. The water was not only the the good of the trees but he developed pools probably purely for his enjoyment. Containment of water always brings its own set of problems--clarity and sanitation. Without a way for the water to move neither one of these would be possible. Solomon had to have developed a way to make all this work. His great intellect and wisdom was being put to work.
Not only was their real estate improvement and expansion but also the acquisition of labor. The control of people male and female slaves. The is a short verse but significant. He could not have carried out what he did without labor. Control of people--management can be an elixir or grand proportions.
The development of huge herds of livestock we can interpret this as cattle and sheep/goats. These were important from a religious standpoint seeing as how the religion of Israel at the time revolved around animal sacrifice. This not only had to do with feeding his family or the royal court but probably supplying at least some of the demand for religious functions by the people. If they didn't raise their own or did not have a perfect lamb they could have purchased one from the king's flocks and herds.
Solomon states that he gathered gold and silver. He made money through levying taxes as well as other tribute that came in from his land conquests. But in addition to this he increased his own personal wealth that was separate from the state. He became a wealthy person.
As usual when there is acquisition like this there is the acquisition of the comforts of culture. He acquired male and female singers. They could entertain him and the court. Interestingly these singers were apparently not part of the temple requirements but purely his.
The last part of verse 8 translated by "concubines" is difficult to ascertain with certainty since it occurs only here in the Old Testament. The comparison with other ancient near east literature seems to indicate that this is a correct definition. Solomon acquired a harem. What is left for him to acquire? Really--he has up to this point everything he wanted. Now he acquires sexual satisfaction. That is what a harem is for. There is something quite sad about this. Concubines came into the royal house or court with no rights. Certainly they were well taken care of but at what expense? Whenever I think of concubines and harems I think of Hugh Hefner and the "girls next door." Hefner has developed certain parallels to harems over the years. His present-day lifestyle is no exception. He is a caricature of himself now.
Solomon ends this section by saying he accomplished more than his predecessors. By this he probably means his father, Saul and the judges who ruled before them. He had reached the pinnacle of wealth power and satisfaction.
The comparisons here with compulsive and addictive behavior can be drawn with the workaholic. Remember addiction can be to almost anything. "addiction is a pathological relationship with a mood altering drug" (Carnes). People can be addicted to work and the control of people from the work/career standpoint. The problem is that trying to control people in your intimate and family relationships doesn't work. They are also people and are different from you. This will raise conflict--be certain of that. There is a certain adrenaline inducing effect that comes from seeing your dream projects come to "fruition." It's when we depend upon them to raise our mood that we get into problems. Here we reach perhaps the most difficult form of addiction--sexual addiction. With unlimited power and wealth Solomon could literally buy any form of sexual satisfaction he wanted. The powerful mixture of sexual arousing hormones and chemicals and adrenaline are extremely addicting. Difficult to overcome because the chemicals are produced in your own body.
Interesting that Solomon says he maintained his objectivity. Hmm--"under the sun" from his worldly point of view. We know later that these vast acquisitions of feminine beauty led him astray religiously. As Dan Allender says "all adultery will ultimately lead to idolatry."
Our time is up for today so until next week: "Keep coming back it works if you work it and your are worth it."
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