Solomon was truly wise. He authored three books in Scripture. He wrote the Song of Solomon, full of romance and optimism as a young man. He next wrote the book of Proverbs in his early to middle adulthood, using the wisdom that God had given him. But as he began to backslide as detailed in 1 Kings 11:1-4, which included acquiring 700 wives and 300 concubines, many of them who worshiped foreign gods, we read Ecclesiastes which was written as an old man reflecting back on the meaningless and emptiness of many of the decisions he had made. Though Solomon was an expert, he comes to many erroneous conclusions in this book, as he reflects back on much of the waste he allowed his life to become. He writes in Ecclesiastes 8:14-15, "There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun." Solomon was ignorant to eternity, so as he became cynical in his older years, he simply said it doesn't matter, so just have all the fun that you can while you can breathe.

As we as a nation chase every new whim and accept it as absolute truth, we must question who are the "experts", what are their motives, and do their conclusions pull us in an opposite direction from sound Biblical counsel? If so, they are to be rejected. They are to be rejected whether they come from the worst sinner or the most respected man in the world. People will continue to get it wrong, even well-intentioned people. Even Bible "experts" if they lead to conclusions contrary to the text of Scripture or who call into question the authenticity of God's perfect Word are wrong. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." How do we respond to the modern day critics and cynics? With the Word of God. How did Jesus defend Himself in the desert when attacked by Satan? With the Word of God as written in the Book of Deuteronomy. Those who choose Biblical illiteracy do so to their own peril and render themselves defenseless to every new phase and every new so-called expert opinion.