What can we learn from the wealthiest and the wisest man who has ever lived on earth?
King Solomon was the wisest and the wealthiest man in the world and this can be attested by queen Sheba who was convinced that he had a magic touch since everything he lay a hand on turned to “Gold”. King Solomon is generally considered to be one of the wealthiest men who ever lived.By some estimates, he may have been worth as much as 2 Trillion dollars.Yap, that’s trillions with a “T”!
Solomon was also considered to be the wisest man who ever lived.He was sought out by people and rulers the world over for his wisdom and understanding, amazing people with his vast depth of knowledge.
Solomon also was a prolific writer, sharing his great wisdom with all who read it.He is credited with writing the biblical books ofEcclesiastes,Psalms, andProverbs.
So how did Solomon become so wealthy and successful?
Well, that’s what I’m going to share with you today.I’ve done some extensive searching through much of his writings in Proverbs to help you understand just what made Solomon successful, and how you can apply these principles to your own life.
Once you start to truly understand the underlying principles of his teaching, you will start to see a pattern in Solomon’s wisdom that can make a huge difference in your life when applied properly.
Diligence Makes You Rich Proverbs 10:4– “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Also, Proverbs 12:11– “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.” Proverbs 21:5– “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” Proverbs 12:27– “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth”
In Proverbs, “diligent” is another term for someone who is wise or righteous.Diligence is a qualitythat God instills in believers to provide for their material needs.Lack of diligence really means a lack of wisdom and righteousness.
In all these verses it’s obvious Solomon is saying that diligence is highly important if you want to be successful.Not only will you have enough to eat, but you will havewealth over and above your needs, as well as authority.
Contrast that with the person who doesn’t want to work, doesn’t sweat the details if they do work, and just want to get rich quick without having to work hard for it.Those are the people end up in debt, hungry, poor, and forced to work because of their attitude and choices.
Takeaway:Work hard on things that are important and God will bless you for it withmore than enoughto provide for your needs.
Trust in God, Not Money Ecclesiastes 5:10– “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money” Proverbs 10:22– “The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Proverbs 15:6– “in the house of the righteous there is much treasure, but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.”
In these verses, Solomon makes it clear that seeking money before God is a recipe for an unhappy life.Seeking out God’s blessings first is what leads to a blessed life.Ironically, this blessed life includesfinancial blessings.
It’s a delicate balance where you have to continually check yourself and your motives.You can become so blessed by seeking God first that you forget how you got those blessings in the first place.That’s when trouble can befall your income and cause you to stumble.
Takeaway:Continually evaluate your heart and your motives when it comes tobuilding wealth.Put God first and the wealth will come.
Giving Increases Wealth Proverbs 11:24-25– “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 19:17– “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed.”
Giving is entirely counter-intuitive.In fact, I’ve heard it described as afinancially irrational act.The natural mind tells us that if we give something away, we lose out.However, God’s principles teach us that giving actually increases us in many ways.
God promises time and time again in his word thatgiving releases God’s blessingsupon us and actually makes us more wealthy, more righteous, and have more peace in our lives.
Takeaway:Take the leap and trust God’s word on giving.Trust that your giving will bring increase not only to others, but to you as well when you trust God with a portion of what He’s blessed you with.
Debt is to Be Avoided Proverbs 22:7–“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender”
Most of us have heard this verse a million times, but most of us still use debt to fund our lives.2/3 of all people, and 1/3 of high income earners are living paycheck to paycheckbecause of debt.
Debt limits your freedomto live life the way you want to live it.As long as you have debt you are obligated to put much of your time and energy toward paying it off.Just think how your life would be different if you had the freedom and choices that come with having no debt.
Takeaway:If you want true financial freedom in your life, then commit yourself to getting out of debt.You will be amazed at the difference it makes in every aspect of your life!
Seek Wise Counsel Proverbs 3:18– Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored.” Proverbs 15:22– “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” Also,Proverbs15:32– “Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.”
According to Solomon, you can’t go it alone in this life and expect to be successful.You need the help and advice of others if you want to truly succeed.But don’t seek counsel from just anyone.There are plenty of foolish people out there just waiting to give youterrible advicedisguised as wisdom.
The best way to determine if someone is giving wise advice is to look at their life and their success level in the subject area they are advising you about.Taking business advice from a billionaire business owner is probably a good idea.Getting business advice from uncle Joe who’s never made more than $9 an hour is probably unwise.
Takeaway:Solomon advises to alwaysseek counselin the way you should go from people who have been successful.When you do this, you are much more likely to succeed.
Work is Profitable Proverbs 14:23– “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Hard work is always profitablein some way.It builds your character, your bank account, and your reputation.But when you’re one of those people who always make plans but never actually do anything about them, you will never succeed. There are many verses from Solomon on this subject, but I think this one reflects the concept the best.
Takeaway:Be a doer, not a talker.
Laziness Breeds Poverty and Hunger Proverbs 19:15– “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” Proverbs 20:4– “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” Proverbs 20:13– “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty…”
You probably know someone who is always doing what they can to avoid doing work or having any responsibility.They always have an excuse and never seem to have any direction.These individuals just live for today, but always seem to wonder why they can’t ever get ahead in life.
Ever seen a lazy person who is successful?Me neither.Laziness is always accompanied by spiritual, financial, and emotional poverty.
Takeaway:There is nothing wrong with getting a little rest when you need it.Laziness, however, will get you nowhere in life.Work hard toward your goals, be an achiever, and you will never go hungry.
Gain Wealth One Step at a Time Proverbs 13:11–“Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”
This goes along with learning to be diligent, which I talked about above.Using get rich quick schemessuch as the lottery, exotic investments, or those that promise huge returns in a short time almost never work.
When they do, they don’t work for long.Either way, they don’t lead to lasting wealth.
Lasting wealth is built little by littleover a long period of time.When you are diligent toinvest your money consistentlyand patiently over your lifetime, you will build more wealth than you ever imagined you could have.
Takeaway:Be consistent and diligent in investing your resources.Trying to make a big score in a short time will never lead towealth that lasts.
Commit Your Work to the Lord Proverbs 16:3–“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
The act of doing work is a holy thing.God put us here specifically for the purpose of work.Absolutely the best thing you can do to be successful in your life is to commit your work to the Lord.
According to the wisdom of Solomon, when you commit your life’s work to God and do it for His glory, He will make sure you are successful and your plans are established.It doesn’t matter if you sell insurance or tattoo people for a living.Doing yourwork according to God’s principlesand committing your efforts toward glorifying Him will always make you successful in the long run.
Takeaway:Do your work as unto God, and He will bless it and establish it.
The Wisdom of Solomon Will Change Your Life
The wisdom of Solomon is much more than what I’ve written here in this post.These are just a few of Solomon’s best teachings when it comes to things like money, work, and success.
But there is certainly a lot more you can learn from Solomon’s extraordinary God given wisdom all through the books ofProverbs,Psalms, andEcclesiastes.
You can also learn how to applySolomon’s wisdomto your own life by reading a great book I wholeheartedly recommend, which brings a modern twist to the wisdom of Solomon and how it applies to modern life and success.
