Woah… wait a minute. Is the smartest king who ever lived actually endorsing a simple life?
If you’ve never read Proverbs, they’re quite intense. Within 31 chapters oozing with advice, there are instructions for how to live, how to act, how to think, and how to treat others. The lists go on and on. And while it can seem like a flood of unwarranted correction - at least it feels that way for me while reading through it with what is usually a chagrined look on my face - I always go back to the truth behind it all.
Most of this book was written by a man who was - and is - still considered one of the wisest men who lived on the earth.
Sometimes, to be honest, I question his wisdom. A man with about 1000 wives seems rather… out of touch with reality. Who in their right mind would want 1000 spouses? Having one is hard enough. I can’t imagine him having to deal with 1000!
But, I digress.
If King Solomon was indeed one of the smartest - and wealthiest- men who ever lived, it would behoove me to pay attention to his words. (Maybe those 1000 wives are what got him to go deep into self-examination in the first place.)
Solomon says that chasing money is like chasing after the wind (Proverbs 8:10, MSG), or the act of accumulating money is a waste of time (this is from another book he wrote, Ecclesiastes 5:10, MSG). It would seem Mr. Solomon understood that living a good life wasn’t about wealth, securing things, and obtaining riches – because he had it all, more than anyone ever had, and it wasn’t enough, nor did it satisfy him.
After reading through the book of Proverbs it looks like King Solomon was - in the end - an advocate of minimalism and simple living. That less is more.
So, am I saying the wisest man who ever lived, should’ve been a minimalist? Maybe, maybe not. But, he surely would’ve agreed with its tenets had he lived in modern times. He figured out, probably through experience, that knowledge and wisdom were greater than money and things. Stuff was less important than people and wisdom was more important than riches.
Here are a few examples where he mentions how living a life with less (particularly money) leads to a better way of living.
“A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches.” (Proverbs 15: 16, MSG)
So Solomon is saying the opposite of what is promoted in our culture. Riches do not bring peace but instead with it comes headaches. This is coming from a wealthy man who it would seem could vouch for the concept that riches ease pain and suffering. Apparently, it can soothe difficulties, but in the end, causes more strife than peace.
I can barely handle what I already have in my life. Of course, more money can temporarily ease certain problems, but I’d rather have less money than have to take care of, invest, guard, fight over, and protect those riches with a headache the size of Texas.
“Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money; choose insight over income every time” (Proverbs 16:16).
Solomon is directly telling us that money isn’t as valuable as wisdom. Money doesn’t inherently make us wise, either. Wisdom comes with the right choices, and money tends to take us to places (and people) that don’t have our best intentions at heart. To me, it sounds like he’s saying money tends to corrupt the person whereas wisdom enhances our character. This makes plain the obvious choices for a happy life: a stuff-filled life purchased with money is less great than wisdom. Okay. You don’t have to tell me twice.
“A sterling reputation is better than striking it rich; a gracious spirit is better than money in the bank” (Proverbs 22:1. MSG).
This is an interesting statement. He’s saying that money doesn’t automatically make you a good person. This is obvious, it would seem. But it sounds like he’s had plenty of experience with people who have money yet have a horrible spirit. Did the money make them that way? Maybe for some. But it’s clear he’s saying a giving person, no matter how small the gift is, is greater than any large amount of money in the bank. That a good reputation far outweighs riches. All I have to do is think about our celebrity culture to know this is 100% true.
Solomon and his proverbs are very easy to understand: life isn’t about stuff; it isn’t about money; it isn’t about collecting, hoarding, holding onto, and obtaining things. (Again, he should know -1000 wives sounds like a miserable retirement plan).
Instead, it’s about living with less, having a noble and integrity-filled reputation, giving away our time and love, and accumulating friends and family. All of this is greater than money and stuff. To live a disciplined life that radiates peace and simplicity instead of one vapid and devoid of anything real, and squandered on things that don’t matter, is what Solomon says we need to pay attention to.
While this is an extremely unpopular way to live (we’re inundated with scores of media telling us to have more, buy more, and be more) it sounds like a life that is rich and fulfilling in all the ways that money can’t duplicate. Search out and seek the simple life and you will be rewarded with peace and tranquility.
And as a minimalist, with simple living at the forefront of my mind, it sounds like the perfect life for me.
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