Day 151: Wisdom and Folly

1 Kings 9:1-9 The Lord answered Solomon’s prayer of dedication by consecrating the Temple and reminding him of his promise to David: If Solomon would live an upright life and obey the will of God, the throne of the Davidic dynasty over Israel would continue forever. If he failed, then Israel would break apart and the Temple would be destroyed. Christ compared his own Body to the Temple, stating that if the Temple were to be destroyed, he would raise it up again in three days (cf. Jn 2:19-22). The Church herself and our own bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 364, 593, 809, 1543)


Ch 9:10-26 The record of his accomplishments shows the wisdom of Solomon and his ability to make the most of his resources.


Ecclesiastes 6:8-12 The light of natural reason cannot comprehend fully the mysteries of Divine Revelation; however, with the aid of grace, the human mind can penetrate the significance of these divine truths. (CCC 2541)


Ch 7:1-14 The human person needs constant purification in order to achieve a true wisdom that reflects knowledge of God and natural law. Without the light of Divine Revelation as interpreted by the Church’s teaching authority, the intellect is never assured of possessing the fullness of truth in terms of fully understanding the meaning of human life and the pathway to true fulfillment. (CCC 271)


Ch 7:15-29 Calling for patience in the search for wisdom, the author raises, without much comment, the question central to the Book of Job: why do the righteous sometimes die young while the wicked sometimes lead long and prosperous lives? Though no one is totally righteous, the answer lies in the treasure of Christ’s everlasting life that goes beyond the painful vicissitudes (an unpleasant change of circumstance) of this present life. (CCC 289, 309-311)


Psalm 7 God is omniscient and infinitely just. For the just person, God is a shield against false accusers; for the evil, he is an indignant judge.


O Lord my God...in the dust: The psalmist made an oath before God, proclaiming his innocence and the evil intent of his enemies. Oaths must not be taken lightly, i.e., for frivolous matters, efforts to deceive, or with lack of proper intent; to do so is an offense against the Second Commandment. The oath taken here appears to be quite legitimate. 


He makes a pit...violence descends: Sin and evil are never neutral in their effects; even when it seems our thoughts or actions affect no one, we ourselves suffer harm in proportion to the gravity of our sin by distancing ourselves from God and corrupting our mind and heart. (CCC 1849)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)


(*Walking With God: A Journey Through The Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)




Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven thank you so much. God, thank you so much. Thank you for your Word and thank you for your wisdom that you share with us. Thank you for allowing us to ask questions and to question reality. Thank you for letting us and inviting us to question goodness and question righteousness and question the mystery of evil and our own mystery of evil in our own hearts. Thank you for allowing us to come before you with all these questions and with all this brokenness that is not just around us but is also in us. Thank you for sharing your Word, the words of Qoheleth, the words of the Preacher who gets to ask the big questions and invites us in to asking those big questions. We give you praise and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Dustin's Insights 

Eccl. 6:


Eccl. 7:


My Study Color Code

Suffering, Martyrdom Places The Church, Sacraments, Divinity Horticultural Imagery People Messianic Kingship Sin, Death, Decay