VIRTUOUS LIVING - Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

Thirdly, “Solomon is credited with the production of the encyclopaedic proverbs” (cf1 Kings 4:29-34). However, Brueggemann argues that this wisdom goes beyond mereproverbs. It includes the natural order as God’s creation, to which disciplinedinvestigation is not a contradiction of its divine origin (cf Brueggemann 1990:126).The fact that it was possible to create political, economic and intellectualenvironments in which such scholarly work was possible is attributed to wisdom. Theinvestigation of nature and the wonder generated by such a wise leadership, suggestsBrueggemann, is not outside the sacramental conception of the Jewish people.Instead, it enhances their commitment to the God of creation.Most scholars of the Jewish wisdom tradition raise a question regarding the enduringnature of the wisdom of Solomon - the wise king. Although Solomon starts with Godas the source of wisdom, he strays away. His failure prompts God to announce thefuture disintegration of the kingdom of Israel. A question arises, however, “How canwe salvage the importance of divinely given wisdom as authentic for moralleadership, following Solomon’s ‘fall’?”Dr. Griphus Gakuru, who has recently completed his doctoral thesis at Cambridge onThe Davidic Covenant (1998) advises thus: “A solution to the serious tension betweenSolomon the wise leader and Solomon the rogue king is to take a ‘historical’ view ofhis life and chart his life as the scriptures say” (Gakuru Internet Discussion, May 242004 ). The historical view, he argues, is that Solomon starts very well. He is patrioticand selfless, with a high commitment to justice. As his fame and authority increase,and in the bid to consolidate his power and protect the kingdom from foreigninvasions, he violates God’s ordinances 101 . Solomon’s long reign of forty years ofjustice and economic and political progress ends up in moral disgrace and partialdivine discipline.Solomon abandoned his own pledge of following in the footsteps of his father, David.The benefit of divine wisdom to his long rule persists as testimony to God’s101 He married seven hundred wives of royal descent from among the nations forbidden by the Lord.This was because these wives would lead Solomon’s heart away from his God to their gods.Unfortunately, this is what happened as detailed in 1Kings 11:1-13.248