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183Chapter 6: The Merciful and the Cruel</a></dd> 184<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon07">Chapter 7: The Righteous and the Wicked</a></dd> 185<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon08">Chapter 8: The Rich and the Poor</a></dd> 186<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon09">Chapter 9: God and the King</a></dd> 187<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon10">Chapter 10: Family, Friends, and Neighbors</a></dd> 188<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon11">Chapter 11: Words</a></dd> 189<dt class='centered'>Section Three<br>Ecclesiastes<br>Solomon’s Personal Testimony</dt> 190<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon12">Chapter 12</a></dd> 191 192</dl> 193 194</div> 195<p class='centered'>Download pdf version:<a href='gtjr_text/books/pdfs/solomon.pdf' target='_blank'><img src='gtjr_img/pdf.png' /></a></p> 196<p class="centered">John David Clark, Sr.<br>© The Pioneer Tract Society, Inc., 1999</p> 197<p>This book is dedicated to the young, who are precious in the sight of God and in the 198eyes of those who are like Him. It is not written as a substitute for the wonderful books 199of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, but to acquaint the young reader with some of the beauty 200and wisdom found in them, along with the wisdom of a few other wise men whose words 201are also occasionally cited.</p> 202 203<h3>Thoughts Of An Old Man</h3> 204<p class='centered'>My life has been alright, I guess,<br> 205now that I write this letter;<br> 206but I should have talked a little less,<br> 207and listened a little better.</p> 208<p class='centered'>Erik Dove</p> 209<h3>Introduction</h3> 210<p>We are all desperate travelers in this confusing and tormented world. Old and young, 211rich and poor, wise and foolish, we are all yearning and striving from the moment of our 212birth for true and lasting happiness. This longing for real happiness induces all people at 213all times to do whatever they do. It drives treasure hunters as well as thieves to risk their 214lives for gold; it inspires astronauts to circle the earth, and it motivates lazy bums to beg 215for coins on the street. The irrepressible human longing for happiness constrains people 216to buy their homes, to go to work, to sleep late or to rise early, to study or to play games, 217to invent new materials or to vandalize masterpieces of construction and art, to love and 218nurture or to hate and kill, to write books or to climb mountains, to become martyrs or to 219conquer empires, to trust in God or to deny His existence. You are reading this book as 220part of your own pursuit of happiness, and you will soon decide either that it will help 221you obtain it and, so, keep reading, or that it will not help you and, so, lay it down.</p> 222<p>You want to be happy; everybody does. When you as a newborn cried in your 223mother’s arms, you cried because you wanted to be happy. Even now, after all these 224years, that same yearning for happiness is leading you to do whatever you do and to say 225whatever you say. You have chosen the path you are on because you believe that it is a 226path that will eventually lead to happiness. But will it? Nothing means more to you than 227finding the answer to that question.</p> 228<p>In this book, you will not find mysterious or pontifical pronouncements, for 229Solomon’s wisdom is not philosophy; rather, it is an ability to perceive and to describe 230the simple, common-sense life that leads to lasting happiness. One reason most people 231never find lasting happiness is that they search for it down esoteric paths, complex and 232sophisticated ways that flatter their ability to perceive and navigate them. Courage is 233required to believe that true happiness is found only in the peaceable, clean life to which 234our Creator calls us. That is the secret pathway to happiness, and those who learn this 235become “wise”. The secret pathway to eternal happiness is the pathway that is called 236Wisdom.</p> 237<p>During any given time in human history, the vast majority of humans can be found 238pursuing happiness in wrong ways, but all roads except the right one are dead ends. I feel 239certain that most people decline to take the path of God’s wisdom, not because they do 240not care – everybody has chosen a path, everybody is making an effort – but simply 241because we humans tend to trust our own desires rather than God’s guidance when it 242comes to choosing a way to live. But in choosing to go our own ways, we are in fact 243seeking happiness apart from our Creator, although in reality such happiness does not 244even exist. The beginning of our journey to happiness begins with the understanding that 245there is a way that leads to lasting happiness and that the way to lasting happiness must 246be revealed to us by our Creator. To help young adults find that hidden pathway is the 247primary purpose of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and of this book as well.</p> 248<p>All of us at one time or another have been fooled into laying down our burden of 249doing good in the vain hope of being more quickly rewarded by doing evil. An ancient 250servant of God wrote, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to 251his own way.” And another servant later agreed, saying, “All have sinned and come short 252of the glory of God.” What both of these wise men understood (though neither of them 253said it in these words) is that people who search for happiness on wrong pathways do so 254because they do not believe that the right pathway will take them there. The “wise” are 255those who dare to walk in the way that leads in eternal happiness. They have labored to 256know what is right, and they have come to understand that there is no such thing as a 257short cut to happiness, in spite of much earthly propaganda to the contrary.</p> 258<p>The difference, then, between the few who find eternal happiness and the multitudes
259who do not is simply the choices made between doing God’s will or our own; that is, 260doing either good or evil. But what is God’s will? It is a simple way of living which, 261despite its simplicity, seems exceedingly difficult for young people to grasp. Solomon 262offers his wisdom to guide the young to that hard-to-find pathway.</p> 263<p>The struggle to persuade the young to take the right path is a desperate one. There is a 264titanic battle constantly raging between good and evil men to win young hearts, a battle in 265which Solomon was fully engaged. His proverbs, being directed chiefly toward the 266young, will especially profit them if they receive his wisdom and follow his guiding light. 267At the same time, the deceitful efforts of evil men for converts to their ways are also 268directed chiefly toward the young and will especially harm them if they believe their lies 269and take the wrong path. It is in the trenches around the hearts of young people that the 270most desperate and unrelenting spiritual battles have always been fought. This book is 271only a small part of that continuing warfare for the hearts of the young.</p> 272<p>Sometimes, Solomon spoke his proverbs only to his son; at other times, he addressed 273them to his children. There is no explanation in either Proverbs or Ecclesiastes for the 274difference, and I have not attempted to provide one. In the main, I have merely followed 275Solomon’s lead. If he spoke to his son, that is what I recorded; if he spoke to his 276children, I recorded that, without making any comment concerning the change. This 277book is not a translation from the Hebrew. I have only used Solomon’s words as a basis 278for instructing modern young people concerning the secret pathway to happiness. The 279following two paragraphs provide examples of how I have used and expanded Solomon’s 280counsel to his children. (All verses throughout this book are from the book of Proverbs, 281unless otherwise indicated.)</p> 282<div id='refsection'> 283<p><span class='reft s00-001' title='Pro. 14:10 The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy. '>Your life is your own. Your choices and the results of them are yours alone. Wise men who show you the right path will not reap your reward from God if you walk in it, and fools who would lead you down a wrong path will not bear your judgment from God if you follow them. Your heart’s sorrows and joys are your own, so choose the kind of life that will bring you true and lasting happiness. </span><i><span class='reft s00-002' title='Pro. 24:10 [If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small. '>If at any point you are discouraged in your pursuit of happiness because someone disapproves of your walking in the right way, you do not have much strength in your soul – or much good sense in your head.</span></i></p> 284<p><span class='reft s00-003' title='Isa. 48:22 [There is] no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked. '>This is a restless world, a world in which there is no peace, except in the hearts of those who are on the right path. It is a universe of ceaseless, futile effort. There is no rest, no peace, to be found anywhere in this creation. </span><i><span class='reft s00-004' title='Pro. 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. '>Even beneath the earth there is no rest, for just as men’s eyes never grow weary of seeing, so hell is ever greedy and restless for more souls; my son, do not let your precious soul be one that is sacrificed to its burning desire.</span></i><span class='reft s00-005' title='Pro. 29:18 Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he. '> Where there is no revelation from God, people search for happiness in all the wrong places and then die without hope of obtaining it, but whenever one hears God’s loving voice and trusts it, he is shown the secret pathway to happiness that this world vainly pursues and can never find.</span></p> 285</div> 286<p>Such was the instruction Solomon gave to his children and recorded for the benefit of 287all young people. Solomon’
287s deep love for the young and his profound wisdom from 288God shine through his wise sayings as clearly in our day as they did three thousand years 289ago, when they were first spoken. It is my prayer that our Creator will cause these seeds 290of truth to burst into life within every young heart that reads them.</p> 291<p class='centered'><a href='gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon01'>Next Chapter</a></p> 292 293 </div> <!--col content --> 294 295 296 297 <div class="col sidebar candmore"> 298 299 300 <div class="row"> 301 302 <div class="col info"> 303 <dl> 304<dt>Book Contents</dt> 305<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon00">Introduction</a></dd> 306<dt class='centered'>Section One<br>The Goodness of Wisdom</dt> 307<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon01">Chapter 1: What True Wisdom Is</a></dd> 308<dt class='centered'>Section Two<br>Solomon’s Proverbs</dt> 309<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon02">Chapter 2: The Peaceful and the Contentious</a></dd> 310<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon03">Chapter 3: The Diligent And the Slothful</a></dd> 311<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon04">Chapter 4: The Wise and the Foolish</a></dd> 312<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon05">Chapter 5: The Humble and the Proud</a></dd> 313<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon06">Chapter 6: The Merciful and the Cruel</a></dd> 314<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon07">Chapter 7: The Righteous and the Wicked</a></dd> 315<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon08">Chapter 8: The Rich and the Poor</a></dd> 316<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon09">Chapter 9: God and the King</a></dd> 317<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon10">Chapter 10: Family, Friends, and Neighbors</a></dd> 318<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon11">Chapter 11: Words</a></dd> 319<dt class='centered'>Section Three<br>Ecclesiastes<br>Solomon’s Personal Testimony</dt> 320<dd><a href="/gtj_books_solomon.html?tname=solomon12">Chapter 12</a></dd> 321 322</dl> 323 324 </div> 325 <div class="col info"> 326 <p><img style='width:100%' src='http://www.goingtojesus.com/gtjr_img/solomon.jpg' /> </p> 327 <p><span class='pdf'><a href='gtjr_text/books/pdfs/solomon.pdf' target='_blank'><img src='gtjr_img/pdf.png' /></a></span></p> 328 329 </div> 330 </div> 331 </div> 332 </div> 333</div> 334</div> 335<a href="#TOP" class="go-top">Go Top</a> 336</div>
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