QT 8/30/2024 Eccl 12:8,12-14, Life has a purpose

Ecclesiastes 12:8, 12–14 (ESV) — 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. … . 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

 

NOTE: After spending almost 12 chapters describing the futility of life under the sun, the conclusion is twofold:

 

1. Life lived under the sun, a belief that all there is the materialist world, is vanity and futility.
2. Life lived above the sun, i.e., a belief in a creator, is to fear God and to keep his commandments (this is the WHOLE duty of man). God will judge everything someday.

 

If we believe God is the creator (however he chose to create), then we can also assume that he gave a user manual for how to live life to the fullest. The bible is that user manual. And to the extent we follow the user manual, will determine the quality of our life. And to the degree we ignore the user manual, will determine our frustrations and anger toward life.

 

PONDER:

1. What is my belief, materialism or God?
2. Is my life characterized by fulfillment or by frustration?

 

PRAYER: Father, you are the unseen God and yet you appeared in the flesh, in the form of a man, Jesus Christ. We have seen you, your character, your miracles, and your truth. The record was written down during a time when the eyewitnesses still lived. All the gospels and letters were also recorded during a time of eyewitnesses. Jesus' resurrection was witnessed by over 500 persons. The truth is out there, but it isn't aliens, it is you, God, who sought us to save us from our rebellion. Thank you!

QT 8/29/2024 Eccl 11:1-4, Investing in things that matter

Ecclesiastes 11:1–4 (ESV) — 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

 

NOTE: This passage is an argument for diversifying your investments, that is, not putting all your money in one basket. It is wise strategy whether you believe that this life is all that matters or that you believe in a God of the universe who will give life to those who put their faith in Him. We trust God, but we must also be prudent with the use of money. One investment that people tend to forget is charity, and it is probably even more important than any other investments. And even in charity, it is good to have multiple investments (things that you give to). I give to a few missionaries, a homeless shelter, an orphan, a young boy in a poor country, a ministry to Jews, and to my church. Interestingly, my charity potions are given to eight. My financial portions are divided among ten or so funds and I use someone to manage those funds. If disaster happens, I know for sure my charities will have had eternal impacts. As for the finances, well, I can only do so much. I trust God that the money is well invested. It is my life insurance policy for my wife should I die early. The point of the passage is to be prudent in the use of the money God has given to you.

 

PONDER:

1. How have you invested the money God has given to you?
2. Do you consider your charities an investment in eternity?

 

PRAYER: Father, continue to lead and guide in my use of money. I want to do the right thing with the funds you have given. I want to be prudent and faithful to you.

QT 8/28/2024 Eccl 10:19, Materialism is a deceitful philosophy of life

Ecclesiastes 10:19 (ESV) — 19 Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.

 

NOTE: This is a good summary verse of 'life lived under the sun.' "Bread made for laughter" represents the lust of the flesh where appetite reigns supreme. "Wine (that) gladdens life" represent the lust of the eyes where we desire the good things of life that will make us happy and fill the emptiness within. Finally, "money answers everything" represents the pride of life where our importance and power is measure in the amount of money we have. As God says to the church at Laodicea, 

 

Revelation 3:17 (ESV) — 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

 

Most sin falls into these three categories, appetite, desires, and pride -- the only things worth living for if this material world is all that there is to life. Our culture believes in the latter statement. They have been lied to by the prince of this world. And all those lies will come crashing down very soon.

 

1 John 2:15–17 (ESV) — 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

 

PONDER:

1. What am I giving myself to in this life?
2. Do I believe in materialism or do I believe in God? How would my neighbor answer that question about me?

 

PRAYER: Father, open our eyes to see the futility of life lived without you. We truly are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Wake us up before it is too late!

QT 8/27/2024 Eccl 9:5-6, Repenting of trying to be our own gods

Ecclesiastes 9:5–6 (ESV) — 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

 

NOTE: This is the understanding of the world today. When there is not God, there is nothing. Everything that consumed the dead is gone and most times to be forgotten in the years to come. Of course, one can leave a legacy through his children, but ultimately the days will cover up even a legacy. Whether or not you accept the idea of God, judgment will come upon the earth. At that time, justice will prevail and rewards will be given for what was perceived as foolishness. The world philosophy is empty. It is a culture of death. It a culture of narcissism. It is a culture of evil and rebellion. But it is not too late to repent of the rebellion which started in the garden of Eden, at least until you are dead. God has allowed the world to go on to show us why our desire to be our own gods was a bad idea. It is not because he does not care, does not know, or is not powerful to intervene. God's withdrawal is his mercy toward us to show us our need to repent of the rebellion and return to him as our God.

 

PONDER:

1. Have I repented of my sin and turned to God as my Lord and savior?
2. DO I live for self or for God?

 

PRAYER: Father, I do desire to live for you with all my heart. My sinful nature constantly tries to pull me away. Forgive me and be merciful to me.

QT 8/26/2024 Ecc 8:12-13, Fear God and make a difference

Ecclesiastes 8:12–13 (ESV) — 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

 

NOTE: Every now and then, Solomon peeks out from under the sun and understands the importance of fearing God, whether the person be wise or not wise. Of course, the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Life seems unfair and is unfair. But there is a final tally as well to life that comes after the life under the sun. And the life above the sun will be prolonged for him who fears God, but justice will be dealt to the wicked. We don't deserve life, we are all sinners. We do have an opportunity to turn to God in life and experience a better future (and a more purposeful present life). Solomon's depiction of life assumes a life lived without any fear of God. It is depressing and sad and unfair and evil, where any joy experienced is the only reward worth living for. But those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus know that life can have meaning, purpose, and a hope for the future. It is not arbitrary, random, and only for the narcissistic. We need to share the truth we have discovered and always be prepared to present a defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

PONDER:

1. Is my life a witness of something that is different and looks different from the world?
2. Do I live under the sun or in fear of God?

 

PRAYER: Father, it is hard to read Solomon's wisdom of life lived without any fear of you. Even though life is painful, just as much so for the believer, it does have purpose and meaning, and most importantly, it has hope, an assured hope. Thank you for the wisdom to know that I must live for you.

QT 8/23/2024 Eccl 6:3,6, It is so important to be thankful

Ecclesiastes 6:3, 6 (ESV)

3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. … 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?

 

NOTE: Again, the focus of most of Ecclesiastes is the futility of life lived without acknowledgement of God. Yet, even in that type of life, there is more futility. One of the issues is contentment. It does not matter how long you live or even what you accomplish, if you cannot be satisfied, why bother? Life is good, especially when lived for God, but life has many things to enjoy even for the person who does not recognize God's truths. Relationships are a key to life, as well as the ability to be thankful. Every day can be a day of rejoicing in goodness if we take the time to thank God or at least be thankful and positive. The person who is never content and always complaining (and bitter) lives a very sad life. There is so much to be thankful for if we would only take the time to count those blessings. Life lived in anger and bitterness is a downward spiral that saps life out of the person.

 

PONDER:

1. When was the last time that I expended a good deal of time just being thankful, counting my blessings?
2. Do I focus on the things I don't have or do I enjoy the things and relationships I do have?

 

PRAYER: Father, I need to spend some time just thanking you for all the little blessings that I see each day. The big blessings are easy to see (two new grandchildren), but all the little ones are equally joyful.

QT 8/22/2024 Eccl 5, Sincere prayer sounds different

Ecclesiastes 5:1–3 (ESV)

1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

 

NOTE: Again, the perspective is "under the sun" or without a true love for God. I see this verse regularly repeated and it communicates "religion" every time. A person drones-on in prayer in public. I wonder if they drone-on in private too or even if they pray in private. People show up in prayer meetings and pray aloud too often to be seen, and they seem to think more words will help. I would rather be a person of few words than one who says meaningless things over and over. On the other hand, prayers that start and end as "bless this person, and bless that person" are equally worthless. I prefer we would be specific and to the point. Maybe, I am the real problem, but I think too many prayers are insincere.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I pray publicly to be seen?
2. Do I pray to God or to the audience?

 

PRAYER: Father, change my heart. I know I am cynical to some who may know no better. They've watched others over the years and repeat what they think is the best way to pray. The heart is the most important thing and only you know the heart's true motives.

QT 8/21/2024 Eccl 4:13, How do I take unsolicited advice?

Ecclesiastes 4:13 (ESV)

13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.

 

NOTE: This is one of those verses you know, you have heard, and you have vowed to never fail when you are old. But when the brash or arrogant questions your wisdom, what happens? All of a sudden, the past words about this proverb are forgotten. You get defensive and you don't listen to the advice. Some of it, is certainly the delivery of the person. But those of us who are aged, aren't we beyond that, i.e., letting someone's own foolishness cause us to act foolishly? I remember when I was young and I interrupted a General officer, my boss, in a staff meeting. He listened patiently. When I stopped, he continued on with his point. It was lesson. He was willing to listen to me without interrupting, but I wasn't willing to listen to him. Noone ever said anything to me, except God. Now I am that older person. I don't need another's behavior define my behavior. I need to listen, no matter where the advice comes from.

 

PONDER:

1. Who do I have difficulty taking advice from? Why?
2. Who is the more mature person, the one giving the advice, or the one listening to the advice?

 

PRAYER: Father, help me to remember these words when someone gives advice or questions my thoughts. Give me a spirit of gentleness and a willingness to listen, no matter who the person is. Let me show Jesus through my life in word and especially in deed.

QT 8/20/2024 Eccl 3:10-13, Ruining life through sin

Ecclesiastes 3:10–13 (ESV)

10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

 

NOTE: God has made everything beautiful and his time and man has ruined everything in time. Of course, the architect of this ruin is the evil one. He has taken God's good things -- two sexes, marriage, work, relationships, creation -- and has created new and ugly things out of what was beautiful. We don't know what eternity holds, although we were designed for eternity. God will restore many aspects of the original creation, and then will create something entirely new. And we will have new bodies, free of sin, and not susceptible to the evil one's schemes -- and finally we will have good things again, the way God intended life to be.

 

But for now we suffer. The world blames our pain on our adherence to old fashioned ideas of God, but the pain has only increased as we have removed God more and more from life. Man's solutions will always be ugly. God makes things beautiful, at least until man comes along and takes one of God's things and makes it religious, then it also becomes ugly.

 

PONDER:

1. Am I seeking fulfillment in human effort and ideas?
2. Am I truly seeking God and his will for my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, we do take beautiful things and ideas, and transform them into monsters, and then we rejoice in what we created -- pure ugliness. Open our eyes. Help us to see or moral bankrupt-ness.

QT 8/19/2024 Eccl 2, Finding meaning where we have destroyed meaning

Ecclesiastes 2:13–16 (ESV)

13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!

Ecclesiastes 2:24–25 (ESV)

24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

 

NOTE: The rich and poor, the wise and fool all face the same event, death. I would add that apart from something 'above the sun,' or beyond 'life,' it is feels meaningless. But there are some pearls here. There is more gain in wisdom than there is in folly. And light has better yields than darkness. As the saying goes, nothing good happens in the middle of the night.

 

I think one of the great catastrophes of science was Darwin. When we started to see life as all there is, and neglected the unseen dimension, we headed down a path that truly is meaningless (because it is 'life under the sun'). We have wasted nearly 200 years trying to prove evolution by random processes. Mathematically, the more we learn about DNA and the workings of the cell, it is statistically impossible for random mutations (and natural selection) to be the mechanism for evolution. We have spent the years looking for randomness (and survival of the fittest) as our meaning to life, and wasted the time that we could have been looking for the beauty, purpose, and intelligence in creation. We are the product of that wasted time.

 

In the midst of this 'meaningless' life under the sun, we do find enjoyment of one's labors as a gift of God. Although, as the teacher hints, apart from God, how can one truly enjoy life?

 

PONDER:

1. Do I see God in life or do I live life without any thought toward God?
2. Do I see God in the everyday aspects of life, or do I practically live without any thought of God except during a religious service? Where is God in my life?

 

PRAYER: Father, You create life with purpose and meaning. You created man to enjoy creation and to experience a relationship with you. But we sinned, and separated ourselves from you. And so what was eternal life on this planet is now less than 120 years and full of pain. You came to the earth to pay our penalty for sin and restore the broken relationship. In time, you will also restore the original creation. You offer real life, not the meaningless life we have created in our foolishness.

QT 8/16/2024 Eccl 1:10-15, Finding life in God not things on earth

Ecclesiastes 1:10–15 (ESV)

10 Is there a thing of which it is said,

“See, this is new”?

It has been already

in the ages before us.

11 There is no remembrance of former things,

nor will there be any remembrance

of later things yet to be

among those who come after.

12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,

and what is lacking cannot be counted.

 

NOTE: The key to understanding Ecclesiastes is the phrase "under the sun" which explains the first 11 chapters, and "Remember … your Creator … Fear God" which explains the last chapter, Eccl 12.  Verse 1:11 is telling to me, "no remembrance of former things." As the saying goes, we are cursed to repeat the mistakes of the past because no one learns from the past. In some schools, they've stopped teaching history. We can argue about what has replaced history, but I doubt it is math or science.

 

Garret writes concerning verse 1: "Everything is transitory and therefore of no lasting value. People are caught in the trap of the absurd and pursue empty pleasures. They build their lives on lies."

 

Would it make any difference if we learned from the past? Probably not. Even Solomon felt his research into these things was worthless. Well then, what do we learn from this book? The only conclusion of a very pessimistic book is that God alone provides meaning to life. All else falls short and fails to fulfill. But we don't believe that God can provide what we deeply desire, since I don't think we even understand what we deeply desire. We certainly think we do by our preoccupation with sex, things, status, power, appetite, and 'meaningful' causes. We think that these little doses are enough to make life worthwhile, but since we never truly seek God, we miss out on what is really good.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I know God truly or do I play at it?
2. What do I think makes me really happy and satisfied?

 

PRAYER: Father, I confess that I am not much better than Solomon's audience is pursuing things that don't really satisfy. You have been good to me and have changed my life tremendously, and yet I still doubt that you will meet a certain need. Forgive for my fears. Help me to trust in your promises.

QT 30 Dec 15, Eccl 7:8b-10, The secret to contentment

Eccl 7:8b-10 … the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9  Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,

 for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

10 Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?"

For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

NOTE: There are three exhortations in these verses, and I believe the common theme is contentment. When we are content, we are patient with people and life. We do not get angry because things do not go our way because we are content with how things are going and not expecting more. We do not compare today to the past, because we are content with our lot. A lack of contentment is what drives most people today. Certainly it is not wrong to want the most out of life, but the problem is that we believe that this life is all there is to life, and if we don't get what we want in this life, we will forever have missed out. Fortunately for the believer, this life is not all that there is to life. God has promised us eternal life with him. There are many days ahead in the millennial kingdom and the age to follow. We will have opportunity to enjoy and experience life in many old and new ways. God originally designed the earth and life to be eternal, but we rebelled against him. He still plans to restore his original creation and we, who have believed in Christ, will get to experience life as he intended. We don't miss out on anything by living a relaxed and contented life. And we have the added pleasure of experiencing peace now.

QT 26 Nov 15, Eccl 11:4, Faith and action, a balancing act

Eccl 11:4 (ESV) He who observes the wind will not sow,

and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

NOTE: The saying that 'God helps those who help themselves' is nowhere in the bible. It is never said or written down. But, there is certainly the principle of action and prudence combined with faith. Another saying that I was also reminded of recently, "pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you." I think the point of these sayings and the verse above is that we do have a responsibility to act. And as a minimum, faith cannot be used as an excuse to be lazy. We must complete the responsibilities before us. Paul said, if a man will not work, he should not eat. Where we get into trouble is where we try to do too much? But what is too much? That is a hard question and I don't have any easy answers, except, I think deep down within our spirit, if we are putting the issue to prayer, we will know in our spirit if we are doing too much or not enough. That is not a very good answer, but it does require the most essential element in determining God's will, and that is prayer.

QT 3 Feb 15, Eccl 7:10, Our attitude determines our evaluation of events

Eccl 7:10 (ESV) Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?"

For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

NOTE: In retrospect, everything seems better -- well, most things. Yet, at the time, if a person is honest, he will admit that he grumbled and wished for change, something different, back then. This section of scripture falls within Solomon's "Under the Sun" wisdom. It is generally true, but not necessarily spiritually true. It must be examined against the context and other passages. In this case, while the statement is completely true, the answer is not completely given. It is true that it is not wise to think this way. It is a distorted view of reality. Wisdom would be to 'ask different questions,' and to pray in a thankful manner. Our attitude determines our evaluation of events. So, the questions should be: what do I like about these days? What can I do that I could not do? What opportunities do I have now? What is God doing in my life? The prayers are similar, but rather than just asking "what can I thank God for," they should include, "what do I need to thank you for that I don't want to be thankful for?" Those are the prayers that change our attitude and give us wisdom to see what God is doing today, rather than wishing for days that are long past.

QT 30 Dec 14, Eccl 7:10, Learn contentment by learning to be thankful

Eccl 7:10 (ESV) Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?"

For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

NOTE: So, we do have to be a little careful with Ecclesiastes since the first part of the book is wisdom that Solomon gained from a human perspective. But in this case I think he has captured a real problem of man and that is the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. It reveals itself in multiple ways. In some cases, it is the belief that what I have not experienced (future) is what will make me happy. And it is seen (as in the verse) as a rosy view of past circumstances as having been better than what we are experiencing now. That is seldom actually the case, and if the person were able to go back we would find that the person would then wish for the most recent experience or some other experience, or even, as in the first case, the unrealized ideal future case. So what is the problem? It is discontent. We have not learned the secret of contentment. We have not learned to enjoy life as we are living. And so we wish our lives away hoping for a day when we will reach our picture of happiness, never stopping to enjoy or appreciate the present. In college, I wished for the weekends to come. And then I wished for the long breaks. And then I wished for the year to be over. And then I wished to start back up. And then one day, I realized I was wishing my life away. The key lesson is to develop thankfulness for what we have and what we are experiencing now. Make a list. Pray about all the things that you are thankful for. Make a point of seeing the good in the present. And look for the things that you can only experience now. For example, your children will only be their present age this year. It will never happen again. So appreciate that aspect of life. It may be hard but there are always things to appreciate in life if you take the time to be thankful.

QT 26 Nov 14, Ecc 9:10, Work hard!

Eccl 9:8 (ESV) Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,  for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

NOTE: This is wisdom under the sun. It is good and useful but also ignores wisdom from above the sun. The NT provides the fuller meaning in Colossians 3:23,24 "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward." The NT is fuller because it seems to take in the spiritual side of work for the Lord as well, since it promises a future reward as part of our promised inheritance. But both verses point out the key principle -- work hard and do a good job. This is such a key concept to life. In Prov 22:29 is a verse I've seen played out many times in my own life, "Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men." Good work has a reward, it is noticed. In this day of distractions, this truth is even more important. We must be careful to not grow lazy through all the distractions, but do a good job at work. Not only because we will be noticed at work, but more importantly because we are really serving the Lord.