By: Obed Pineda
There are a multiple of cherished legends etched in the pages of history that tell the tales of the ancient kingdom of Camelot and its fabled ruler, Arthur Pendragon, best known by his moniker, King Arthur. Some of the Arthurian legends (as they are often referred to) like his knights and the round table, his mystical sword, Excalibur, or his powerful wizard friend, Merlin, are easily recognized worldwide, for they have been retold for several generations. Yet, there are other legendary stories about the mythological king that are not as memorable, perhaps because they are not sodden with the lore of magic and mystical creatures. One such tale speaks about the early days of Arthur’s folkloric reign. The story goes that in the early days of his reign, Arthur and his knights came upon a trespasser on the lands of Camelot. King Arthur was informed by one of his trusted advisers that per the laws of the land, uninvited guests caught sneaking into the kingdom were to be found guilty of treason; a crime punishable by death. Merlin warned Arthur that it was unwise to act so hastily since they had yet to know the identity of the prisoner or his motives for entering undercover into Camelot. Worried that he would be perceived as a weak ruler if he were to show mercy, Arthur chose to personally execute the perpetrator for the crime of treason. His decision soon proved to be impetuous, as Merlin had wisely warned, for it was discovered that he had executed the king of a neighboring land, unwillingly bringing to the footsteps of Camelot the dangerous threat of war. As the folk tale goes, it turns out that his trusted adviser was in actuality a traitor who, unbeknownst to the king, was prying on his insecurities of being a good and strong king, to purposely start a war. As Arthur ponders how best to prevent this war from materializing, his wife, Queen Guinevere, advises him to learn from the mistake that led to his current predicament and to not lose sight ever again that “Worry is an unwise adviser.” In the end, with the sage counsel of his queen, King Arthur finds the courage to publicly admit the error of his choice to the murdered king’s wife and is successful in gaining her mercy, avoiding war and further bloodshed. Although the conversation between Arthur and Guinevere is fictional, the words spoken by the fabled queen hold an indisputable truth, heralded by the wisest king to have ever lived. The inspired Koheleth penned, “Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, and a bribe debases the heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:7, emphasis added). There is no question that the burden placed upon the shoulders of a king is extremely heavy. Not only does the ruler have the responsibility to protect and provide for the people of his kingdom, but he must always be vigilant of how he reacts to every situation for the eyes of the people are always upon him, watching. A king who is wise understands the insurmountable influence he carries before the people, and is aware of how disastrous this can be if he is not a temperate man. Observe that King Solomon’s advice continues to instruct, “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9, emphasis added). It is wise to understand that the correlation between the two versus is the effects of stressful situations in a person’s life. Remember that Solomon is instilling that “a good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1, emphasis added). Without question, the king speaks about the value of a man protecting his integrity; his “good name.” How a man lives and makes a name for himself (i.e. reputation) is what explains Solomon’s conclusion that death is superior to birth. The Psalmist agrees with the wise king since he pleads to God, “teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, emphasis added). Both inspired penmen teach that wisdom is made manifest in the quality of our life and not in the number of years lived. Let us recall that the key difference between wisdom and intelligence is that the former is the application of knowledge whereas the latter is simply to know how. James proves the veracity of the Holy Spirit’s doctrine by providing evidence of how valuable a “good name” really is when he refers to the man whose reputation revolved around him preserving his integrity; Job (James 5:10-11). Job’s story is an extraordinary example of how oppression was not able to destroy his reason when his wife presented the proverbial bribe. Holy Writ recounts, “Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept the good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’ In all this Job did not sin with his lips” (Job 2:9-10, emphasis added). Scripture records the horrible oppression that Job and his wife were experiencing when this conversation between them transpired. His wife’s unwise advice germinated from grief and anxiety after having lost everything, everyone, and now witnessing his flesh covered in ghastly boils. Thus, her advice to Job was to take “the easy way out,” rather than have to continue to witness him suffer. Yet, observe the parallels between this brief conversation and Solomon’s exhortation, in conjunction to Guinevere’s synopsis to Arthur in reference to worry. Job and Solomon agree that to make a decision with a troubled mind is a lethal receipt for great disaster. It is why Job reproves his wife by comparing her, in that moment, to the “foolish women” who spoke in like manner. In other words, she did not know what she spoke because she was not using her reason; her suggestion was purely an emotional one. Regrettably, Holy Scripture also illumines the peril of infamy, born from the unwise council of worry. Jeroboam had been selected by Jehovah God to be king over the ten tribes of Israel that would be taken from Solomon due to his disobedience and was warned against doing the same (1st Kings 11:26-40). After Solomon’s death, the Lord’s words materialized exactly as He had spoken through Ahijah the prophet, and Jeroboam was crowned king over Israel (1st Kings 12:19-24). Unfortunately, the unwise adviser made its presence felt yet again and King Jeroboam was snared by his troubled heart. The Bible explains that “Jeroboam said in his heart, ‘Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah’” (1st Kings 12:26-27, emphasis added). In spite of God foretelling to Jeroboam that he would be placed as king over Israel and making it happen, his worries of losing his beloved kingdom blinded his reason. Ignoring God’s warning against idolatry, he erected shrines at Bethel and Dan to prevent the people from going to Jerusalem (1st Kings 12:28-33). Jeroboam took the bribe and it debased his heart, thus proving that indeed, worry is an unwise adviser.