King Solomon was many things. Rich. Powerful. Cultured.
Don’t forget wise. He was so wise that he once decreed that a baby should be divided in two, and one-half should be given to each of the two women who claimed to be the mother. When he saw their reactions, he immediately knew who the child’s real mother was.
Solomon was smart.
He was also a sinner. He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. Most people believe that he tried to justify adultery by simply “marrying” all of those women.
Not me. I believe that he had a problem with pornography. In an age long before print media, video recording capabilities, or the internet, Solomon looked at random women without their clothes on.
He probably did more than that, but in the very least, we can reasonably conclude that one thousand women took off their clothes for him to see.
If you ask me, he had the same addiction as countless other men today. He was a slave to sin. Having drifted from the Lord, he allowed his lust for women to pull him farther away. Not until later in life did he understand what millions of men across the globe need to know.
Man’s eyes are never satisfied.
That’s it. That’s why most men can’t stop watching porn. It doesn’t give them a sense of fulfillment. Proverbs 27:20 says, “…the eyes of man are never satisfied.”
Without redemption in Christ, lust can never be quenched. Not lust for money, or food, or relationships. When we see something that pleases us, we always want more.
Solomon saw one garment fall to the floor, and he wanted to see another. He was no different than any other man. He was a sinner, and he needed fulfillment in God. He told us as much.
Ecclesiastes 2:10 says, “'And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. '
He started “watching porn” and he couldn’t stop. He always lusted for more. He had the means to continue, and no discipline. So, that’s exactly what he did. He tried to fill up a hole that only God can.
Only years later, as an old man did the king of Israel realize that man’s entire duty could be summed up into these words, “Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc. 12:13)