Solomon.

The story of Solomon fascinates me. Solomon is the son of David and Bathsheba, so it already starts out as a story of God's grace, on Solomon's parents' mistake. David did a really awful thing, but because of a repentant heart, God still blessed him and his son.

When Solomon becomes King, God asks him what he wants. Solomon's answer is: Give me wisdom, so that I may guide your people with discernment.

He doesn't seek any material thing, but humbly asks for God to guide him. God then pours out wisdom on Solomon, and even throws in amazing material blessings and riches, and he becomes the wisest man who ever lived, and writes Proverbs, Song of Songs, and Ecclesiastes. I never understood their context until now.

Proverbs: the main idea is that you can be a fool or you can be wise. FOOLS fear man, and WISE men fear the Lord. Who do you fear, and who do you seek to please? That is the root of most of our struggles. Are we fearing the Lord or earthly things? Are we living freely in God's grace and seeking his wisdom each day?

Song of Songs: a beautiful book about love and marriage. God created it to be delighted in, and this book is usually skipped or misunderstood. Mark Driscoll has some good sermons on it if you're interested.

Ecclesiastes: As i read the end of Solomon's story I became disheartened. He ends up having 1000 wives of all nations and religions, and his heart is turned from the Lord to other gods. That is the concept of Ecclesiastes; in the end he says "Fear God, and keep his commandments". That is what we are called to do, and it matters up until the end of our time here.

It's cool how the Old Testament is so relevant, and God cared first about their hearts and not just their actions back then too. Our modern society and our "Christian" culture has so much to learn from these stories of God's greatness revealed in humble people after God's own heart.