Easily Distracted

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, besides that which the explorers and merchants brought. 2 Chronicles 9:13

It’s not uncommon, when meeting with the addicted, to have someone attempt to derail the purpose of an accountability group or recovery meeting. Once, years ago, while trying to discuss a Bible passage, one of the guys in our meeting got off on a tangent about giants. Yes, giants. The story of David and Goliath piqued his curiosity, and he wanted to talk about how the Bible supported their existence. This had nothing to do with faith or recovery. He just found it fascinating and wanted to spend time discussing it. To him, this was more important, or at least more interesting, than discussing honesty, personal accountability, and sobriety.

I didn’t find giants particularly interesting, but still, I get it. I’m also easily distracted. When I first read today’s passage, for instance, the number 666 jumped out at me. This number is widely recognized as the mark of the beast – from Revelations 13:18. Solomon lived a thousand years prior to the writing of Revelation, making it a strange number to find here. Coincidence? Some bizarre Satanic connection? Suddenly, I’m intrigued by the possibility of an occult reference and I find myself searching the internet to see if anyone else has any ideas on this. Meanwhile, I’m completely distracted from finding any possible lesson for recovery in the passage.

When I finally abandoned that particular distraction, I began to recognize that maybe that was the point – That I’m easily distracted. Several commentaries suggested that the number 666 likely has no definite significance but also pointed out that Solomon’s great wealth was a tangible distraction that led to his worldliness and wandering from God. Though Solomon was a great king who initially set out to follow God in all he did, like his father, he was distracted by the shiny things of the world, eventually turning from God to seek wealth, women, and foreign gods.

And that’s an important lesson for me. Because recovery is hard work, and because I’m easily distracted, I must daily focus my life on the direction I want it to go. Frankly, the world still has a lot of shiny, attractive options – money, status, and toys – that can easily turn me from my life purpose. The lesson of Solomon is that if I want to end up somewhere, it takes daily effort – reading, praying, and meditating – to keep my life pointed in that direction.