25During Solomon’s lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree.
When I read this verse from my American perspective, it does not sound like these people had very much. But then on closer examination, they had everything. They had safety, which is our most basic need. We would not be at war in Iraq and Afghanistan if we were safe. If we were safe, 9/11 would not have happened. We would not need the crazy security measures at airports. We would not need locks on our doors, or alarm systems monitored 24/7. They had safety and we don’t. Grapes and figs represented the top of the food chain. They were the luxury items. They were not necessary for life, but when you had them, you had every other item needed for life. You would not expend energy to take care of your grape vines if all your other crops were not already producing a harvest. So they had everything. People don’t worry about putting down hardwood floors in their house if the mortgage is not paid. They don’t put in granite countertops if they haven’t killed all the termites. They don’t put in an in-ground pool if the roof leaks. We usually take care of the necessities, unless of course we are a fool. We are in the financial crisis we are in because we allowed fools to borrow more than they could repay. And congress allowed this practice to happen. Solomon’s time sounds pretty good to me.
The Arnold Journey 