23 I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 What has been is remote and exceedingly [p]mysterious. Who can discover it? 25 I [q]directed my [r]mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness. 26 And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
27 “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation, 28 which [s]I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these. 29 Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”
“…God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” Oofta, what an indictment! In all of Solomon’s searching, and in his own life, he found this terrible truth. God has purposed that we should live upright, that we should serve Him, our fellow man, our families, and live with love and respect for each other.
And what do we do? We go out looking for trouble. We seek out these “devices”, whether it be for pleasure, or trickery, to make a quick buck, or to make our lives easier. I don’t know that there has ever been a more device-oriented society, in the very literal sense. We have devices for everything, for all the things I mentioned, and as if that weren’t enough, we certainly dive head first into Solomon’s intended use of “devices”.
The end result of this is quite clear in v. 26, when one who is ensnared by lust find that its “hands are chains”. That’s enough to make one depressed, but lets go back to the start (or the end, as it were). God doesn’t want that life for us. His plan is not for us to be bound hand and foot, enchained by this world, and our own lusts.
Whatever is enticing you, luring your heart and mind, put it aside and look to God. Don’t get carried away by the winds of this world, but let His hand lead and guide you. This isn’t a one time deal, or a yearly renewal, and not even a monthly commitment. As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, we must “die daily”! And maybe more often than that, as he instructs us to pray continually and rejoice always. David also wrote, “His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Solomon lamented that perhaps one in a thousand could be found. Be that one, and commit your day to live the way God made you to live, full of joy, love, peace, and more!