Wisdom
Is Valuable But Liberation Is Even More Precious
--
Insights from Solomon and Sheba
By sister initiate Yang Tung-yin, Keelung, Formosa
In the Ninth-generation of Celestial Jewelry, Master used the pattern of the Star of David along with beautiful sapphires to design the collection entitled "The Wisdom of Solomon." This series reminds me of a very meaningful movie -- Solomon and Sheba.
This film was adapted from the biblical story about the first kings of Israel in the Old Testament. Before his death, King David of Israel abided by God's instructions and named his son Solomon as his successor. After his ascension to the throne, King Solomon adhered to David's final instructions and worshipped God piously. According to the Bible, God once appeared to Solomon and said, "Ask what I should give you." Solomon then asked not for long life, riches, or any worldly things; he asked only for wisdom. God therefore bestowed wisdom on him, and promised to give him all other material rewards if he followed Hiers path.
Through God's grace, King Solomon soon became far wiser than the other people of his time, emerging as the wisest king in the history of Israel. He not only was a very good judge, but also excelled in diplomacy, administration, trade, architecture, and many other areas. Talented in business, he embarked on maritime trade with a fleet of ships. He earned enormous profits, but upset other tribes engaged in transporting goods on land by camel. One major victim was the queen of Sheba, who is thought to have reigned in the southern Arabian Peninsula. Once, she went to Jerusalem bringing large quantities of spices, gold and precious stones, in order to exchange gifts with King Solomon. At the same time, she prepared several difficult questions to test Solomon, who easily answered all of them. The queen of Sheba was thus dazzled by the King's great wisdom, and admired him very much. She also highly praised the God in whom Solomon believed.
Initially, King Solomon was a wise and broad-minded king. He managed his country very well and showed sincere faith in God. To maintain friendly relations with neighboring countries, Solomon created alliances by marrying many foreign wives. According to the Bible, among his wives he had seven hundred princesses, as well as three hundred concubines. After becoming over-indulgent in sensory pleasures, and affected by the gods and rituals introduced by his wives, King Solomon gradually lost his devotedness to God and forgot the vows he had made. Subsequently, Israel began to decline and was plagued by both internal and external problems. Solomon's military officers and the people who believed in God left him, putting the country in a grave crisis.
This story conveys a serious warning to us: While living in a world so full of temptations, if we fail to remain alert at all times, even a person as wise and intelligent as King Solomon, with just one careless mistake, can easily be misled by outer influences and drift away from the right path. Sometimes, I find that, just as king Solomon did, I make excuses or pretend to forget, and then continue to do something that I clearly know is detrimental to my spiritual growth. Afterwards, I feel unhappy, my conscience becomes restless, and I eventually repent to Master. In this way, I not only obstruct my spiritual practice, but also increase Master's burden. Precisely as the movie Solomon and Sheba portrays, God actually never punishes anyone. But when we choose to go astray from God, and so deprive ourselves of God's love, we experience the severest of punishments.
After following Master in spiritual practice, we realize that, though there are many wonderful things in this world, none can compare to a millionth of Heaven's beauty. Thus, we should always remind ourselves to cherish the brief existence of our human body, work hard to elevate our spiritual nature, and absolutely not be mesmerized by the things before us or forget our original path.
Remarks:
1. For a historical discussion of King Solomon, please refer to the Bible, Old Testament, First Kings, Chapter 1-11.
2. Sheba is thought to be the ancient name of a tribe in the southern Arabian Peninsula.
