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Category Archives: Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 2

11 Oct

2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.

17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.

21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2

Dear God, as I read this chapter this morning I thought of a friend of my dad’s. I might have his philosophy incorrect, so I don’t want to use his name. Or my dad might have misinterpreted his philosophy to me. Either way, when I read this this morning, I thought of my perception of his philosophy which is, “Make your money and accumulate your wealth in the first half of your life and then use the second half of your life doing something or multiple things that are significant for God.” He even wrote a best selling book that showed people how to use the second half of their lives effectively. I think it was mainly designed for men and women who already found themselves in a midlife crisis, and it wasn’t written for the 20-year-old who was setting out on their career.

My dad and I were talking about this book recently, and he recounted this philosophy to me again. I told him that I disagreed with it. And now, reading this passage in Ecclesiastes, I kind of know why. Even this search for significance in the second half of life is chasing the wind. It is grasping for the things Solomon is grasping for in this passage. The money and wealth sought in the first half of life are just replaced with significance and joy.

There are two great commands Jesus gave us: love you and love others. Then he gave us this amazing sermon in Matthew 5-7 that basically outlines the standard we should strive for as we live out our salvation. Part of that living out of our salvation is to reframe my life. My life is not about my significance! The sooner I come to peace with that and accept it, ironically, the happier I will be.

My wife and I were talking yesterday about how, other than the constant sorrow that is in our lives through broken relationships, we are in a very good place. We have no complaints. Basically, life is good right now. Even as she was saying the words, I wanted to look over my shoulder for another shoe that could drop. Maybe one of us will have a health issue. Maybe I’ll have an unforeseen problem at work. We could have a health issue with another family member. Really, the possibilities are endless. And I don’t want those things. I like it easy. But I hope that should calamity or headwinds come, I won’t complain to you.

Father, I’ve been disappointed with you before. But you used that disappointment to teach me these lessons. And I know I still have more to learn, and sometimes the only way I can learn them is through struggling. So I am absolutely not inviting those struggles, but I pray that when you have something for me to learn, you will give me a teachable heart that will take the lesson and worship you for the rest of my days.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 3:13, 5:18, 8:15, 9:7

10 Oct


And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

Ecclesiastes 3:13


Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.

Ecclesiastes 5:18


So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 8:15


So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this!

Ecclesiastes 9:7

Dear God, I read Ecclesiastes in one sitting yesterday, and this phrase kept popping up. As Solomon (again, I’m going to just assume Solomon although it could be someone speaking with his voice) considered life and its meaning, it seemed that he couldn’t get away from the idea of just finding happiness in indulgence because our lives are so small you might as well have some fun while you’re here.

There is something to be said for taking time for a little enjoyment. As I type these words, I am on the balcony of a rented condominium overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The ocean is roaring in my ears as the beginning of the sunrise are starting to show over the tankers anchored on the horizon. My wife and I went out and had a great dinner last night. We have indulged this week, and the time to relax has been good. It’s been a luxury. I’ve needed it. She’s needed it too. So yes, I do believe there is a place for this.

I think the important thing to remember is that the work “under the sun” is not a burden. It’s a “get to” and not a “have to.” Now there is some work that is just flat out hard. Harvesting crops. Roofing houses. But even this work can be mixed with worshipping you and submitted to you as our lives are submitted to you. Otherwise, if we carry this vision through life (the short lives we live) that our work is a burden then we will have spend so much of our lives thinking we deserve better. And no matter how much “better” we end up achieving, there will always be a happiness we never achieve.

Father, it reminds me of a VeggieTales my wife and I still joke about called Madame Blueberry. In it, our main character is in search of a happy heart. It feels like that is what Solomon is in search of in Ecclesiastes. He is trying to unwrap the mystery of the happy heart. For Junior Asparagus in Madame Blueberry, happy hearts are found in gratitude. And I think that can be true. But I think it starts even a step back from that and getting over my rights to the life, relationships, and situations I think I am entitled to. To quote Paul once again from Acts 20:24, “I consider my life worth nothing to me. If only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus have given to me. The task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.” If I can truly get to that level and then do what Paul and James tell me to do in giving thanks in all things then I will find a heart that exudes love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Help me to get there.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 10, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 1

09 Oct

1 These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.

2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”

3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.

9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.

12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.

15 What is wrong cannot be made right.
    What is missing cannot be recovered.

16 I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” 17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.

18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief.
    To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 1

Dear God, I’m actually going to sit down and read all of Ecclesiates (it’s been a while and I don’t remember that much about the arc of the book) before I just drop into studying it because I think I need the context of chapters 2-12 before I can get a feel for where Solomon (I’m just going to assume this is Solomon and not someone writing in his voice) is coming from in chapter 1. I say this because, for a wise person, he seems awfully naive in this chapter. He comes across as too immature. There must be more to the message he has for us than, “I’ve seen the future and all I can say is, ‘Turn back.'”

When I started reading this passage this morning, my first thought was to think he has it all wrong. He starts with a basis for his argument that is faulty. The basis is that life is about us. Our lives our about us. My life is about me. He is right that the world is just on a cycle and it keeps repeating itself with our lives just being an infinitely small part of that cycle. I can see it in the lives of the dogs I’ve owned in my life. I don’t think I can name every dog our family owned as a child, but I can break down the 54 years I’ve been on earth into eras of my pets. My childhood until 18 is one era with many dogs coming and going, but I’ll call this the “Weezer” era because there was one dog we had from the time I was five until after I left for college. Then, seven years later, my wife and I got our first dog, Darlin’. That era lasted 14 years until she aged out and towards the end of her life we got sisters from the pound, Polo and Clover. That era lasted 15 years, and now we are in the era of Evvie. Our hope is that this era will last us into our late 60s.

These dogs had meaningful roles to play in our lives. They loved us, and they gave us something to love. They didn’t really do much around the house. They didn’t earn their keep. We didn’t make any money off of them. In fact, they have all been a resource drain. They have taken time, money, and even some heartache. They angered us when they destroyed something or peed in the house. They delighted us when they played or cuddled up next to us. The sisters, Polo and Clover, fought with each other, and all of them tried to figure out how to get along with other dogs we encountered, and sometimes they failed at that too. But because a dog’s lifespan is much shorter than mine, I can see the fleetingness of life in them. I see the energy of a puppy, the learning and hunger for knowledge of an adolescent, and ultimately the fatigue of the elderly. Their memory’s live in my heart, but even those memories will die with me one day.

Is my life much different? Does it matter to me if it isn’t? I have a feeling that is the question Solomon is going to wrestle with here, and I’m here for it. If it’s not something along these lines, and the whole book is just moaning that he is not more important then I will be really disappointed.

Father, I know you have things to teach me. I know you’ve only given me one short life to live here on this earth. Help me to use it well. Help me to glorify you in all that I do. Help me to die to myself willingly, pick up my cross and follow you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on October 9, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Five Old Testament Books

22 Aug

Dear God, I heard a question right before I came in here to pray. on the Russell Moore Show Podcast, the question was asked, “If you were stuck on a deserted island and could only have five books from the Hebrew Bible, which would they be?” The guest, Yuval Levin, chose Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Job. He took Nehemiah as a bonus book.

As I thought about that question myself, I wondered how I would answer that question. Could I come up with five? But the more I thought about it, the more trouble I had whittling it down to five. So here are the five I would take and why I would take them.

Exodus: I’m holding out on Genesis to see if I have room for it later, but I think it is important to have Exodus because is has great narrative about your power and faithfulness, but it also has quite a bit about your laws and guidance for us. It shows your anger at Israel and your love and mercy for them. It gives a pretty complete picture, I think, of your character.

1 & 2 Samuel: Frankly, I think these are simply the best narratives in the Bible. For me, they are page-turners. You start with Hanna, Peninah, and Elkanah. You get Samuel and Eli. The Ark is lost in battle and then returned. Samuel anoints Saul. Then David and Goliath followed by David, his relationship with Jonathan, running from Saul, and eventually Saul’s and Jonathan’s death. Then you get David’s reign and king and all of the good and bad. From Bathsheba, to Absalom, to David’s death. 1 & 2 Kings covers many more generations of kings, but there is so much humanity in 1 & 2 Samuel.

Ecclesiastes: I haven’t spent enough time in Ecclesiastes, but I probably should. It’s a great book with great wisdom. I prefer it to the fortune-cookie style of Proverbs. Yes, I’ll take Ecclesiastes because I know I need it.

1 & 2 Kings: I guess I’ll polish it off with 1 & 2 Kings (this tips me over to 6, so I’ll just take 1 Kings if I have to choose just one. These stories are amazing. from Solomon and his ascension to the throne to Elijah, Hezekiah, and all of the way to the collapse and exile. Tragic.

Books that I’ll miss: I’ll miss Judges and Ruth. I know the Ruth story pretty well, so I think I’m okay there. Judges has great stories, but can also be very frustrating. I still know that I would have never accepted your choice of Samson as leader had I been a Jewish elder at the time. And Genesis has great stories, but, again, I know them fairly well and I get so frustrated with the heroes. I never quite understand why you decide to choose Abram, Isaac, Jacob, et. al. I guess the good news out of those stories is that I don’t have to be a particularly good man for you to choose me.

Father, you picked an awfully unique way to reveal yourself to your people. My wife said recently that she knows the Bible wasn’t written by a committee of influential and powerful people because it is so messy and doesn’t sterilize the stories of the heroes. For me, I am just glad to know I’m not alone in my confusion, failures, duplicity, and love for you–all at once. Thank you for loving me as much as you love Abram and the rest.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on August 22, 2024 in 1 Kings, 1 Samuel, 2 Kings, 2 Samuel, Ecclesiastes, Exodus, Genesis, Judges, Ruth

 

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Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

15 May

11 Send your grain across the seas,
    and in time, profits will flow back to you.
2 But divide your investments among many places,
    for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.

3 When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.
    Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.

4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant.
    If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.

5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6

Dear God, I would summarize this passage to say, “Live vibrantly in your ignorance.” I’ll never know your whole plan. How could I? In fact, I don’t necessarily want to. In fact, I definitely don’t want to. For anyone who has seen the movie Encanto, there is a reason they don’t talk about Bruno. Knowing the future is a heavy burden.

On the other hand…I will say that I was reading that Nancy French memoir Ghosted: An American Story this week, and there was one part where a prophet spoke a word to them about their future. My first reaction was, “Oh, no way. I don’t want to hear that.” But the prophecy spoken over them actually (and accurately) warned them of some bad news they were going to get, but to not believe the bad news. It would be wrong. So when the bad news came they ended up responding through the comfort you gave them through the prophecy and they held on until everything played out and they didn’t have to worry.

I’ll say that I could use a word like that for a couple of the sorrows in my life. I would love for someone credible to come up to me and tell me with your voice that you see this sorrow and it’s part of the plan. That’s all I would need to hear. I don’t need to know how it works out. I just want to hear that it’s part of your plan. Frankly, I would also love to hear if it is not part of your plan and there is something I can do that I haven’t thought of to address it. Either way, it would be an extra comfort to tangibly feel that reassurance. Right now, I’m just believing it anyway and trying to listen to your Holy Spirit for comfort and any instructions you might have for me.

Father, I am just going to do my work today in my ignorance. I don’t know at any given time if I am doing something that will bring fruit for your kingdom. I do know that, looking back, you have provided for us unreasonably well, and I am grateful. Both in my work and in my home life, you have provided for me very well. You have given me good friends too. And I cannot forget my amazing wife. And oh how I love my children. So here I am to worship you, work hard today, and celebrate the things you are doing that I can both see and not see. Through all of this, help me to do it for your glory. Help me to decrease as you increase.

I offer this prayer to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2024 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

17 May

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

Dear God, I just don’t know anything, and, yet, I tend to think I know so much. I was thinking yesterday about the woman who founded our nonprofit 30 years ago. She didn’t know what would happen after you inspired her. She just knew she was supposed to come home from that Christian conference and get some doctors and nurses to volunteer to give people a free clinic. You grew the seed from there.

I just got word yesterday that a man I know is facing the end of life with a cancer diagnosis. His family is facing it too, obviously. I wish I knew what to do. He is a good man, and he has kept busy. I pray that he will be at peace and he and his family will have the strength to endure the next few weeks. I pray that you will use this pain to touch them and reveal yourself to them in a new way. And use it in the lives of others as well. Please don’t let it be wasted. And please help him to not suffer. And for their daughter as well. She is a special needs young woman and I don’t know if that will make this harder or easier for her, but I pray that you will walk with her.

Father, show me the work you have for me to do today. Help me to keep busy under your guidance and leadership. Bless the work I do so that it might multiply for your glory.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2022 in Ecclesiastes

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

28 Feb

1For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Dear God, Ukraine is still on my heart this morning. I checked the news when I woke up to see if there was any word on the talks between its president and Russia happening today. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be any of the participants. I even get the feeling that those on the Russian side don’t want to be there or doing this. Their hearts aren’t totally in this. That could just be our own media’s propaganda influencing my opinion, and maybe it’s totally wrong. I only know what I’m told.

I do think it is safe to say, however, that the Europeans decided that, much to their dismay, this is not a time for peace. If they appease like the European nations did years ago, they will find themselves backed into a corner by a vicious man who has no qualms about what time it is. I don’t think he ever thinks it is a time for peace.

In my own life, this passage means something too. There are broken relationships in my life. I’m doing my best to know when it is time to embrace and when it is time to turn away. I am always longing for embrace, but I cannot do it at any cost. Like the European countries right now, lines do eventually have to be drawn. I hate it. I know they hate it. I just hope this time doesn’t last too much longer. I know they do too.

Father, thank you for Solomon’s words here. Thank you that The Byrds elevated these words into our society’s collective conscience so that I even thought of it this morning as I wrestled with my thoughts about both Ukraine and my own life. Guide me in your wisdom and mercy. Bring about the embracing as soon as you can.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 28, 2022 in Ecclesiastes

 

Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

21 Jun

4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

5 “Fools fold their idle hands,
leading them to ruin.”

6 And yet,

“Better to have one handful with quietness
than two handfuls with hard work
and chasing the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

Dear God, this kind of follows up on yesterday’s prayer. I heard it in an Andy Stanley sermon I listened to while I was on a bike ride last night. I wonder at what point Solomon emerged from this wisdom of pitying the oppressed and into being an oppressor. I was watching an interview with a movie star this morning and she mentioned that she had won her first major award at 26. She was young and pretty. But then, as she put it, people started to “remove obstacles” from her and she began to take advantage of being a star. Her father sat down with her at one point and told her, you’re becoming an ***hole. She said that she is now a believer in all of our need to have obstacles in front of us. It seems to me that she might be right in that the removal of obstacles from Solomon’s life became a detriment to the wisest man who ever lived.

All of that being said, there is a great message in these verses. When my drive for success is motivated by jealousy of and competition with others, then I will absolutely be chasing the wind. As Andy Stanley put it in the sermon, someone will always have an “er” over me. They will be smart-er, cut-er, rich-er, happi-er. They will have more successful children, better jobs, prettier homes, more fulfilling marriages, or whatever. I can’t chase them all. Better to focus on you and your call to me while ignoring all others. Following your call is the best way to find my contentment. Chasing the perceived success of someone else will only lead to exhaustion and emptiness.

Father, help me to be peacefully quiet. Help me to embrace all that you have for me today. Help me to bless others for their success and to care more about their peace and contentment than I do what they have that I don’t have. Help me to be an instrument of your peace in their lives.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2019 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Ecclesiastes 11:5

15 May

Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

Dear God, I admit to you that I don’t understand what you’re doing at any given time. And I don’t know as much about even myself as you know. But to my credit, I think I’m getting more comfortable with that. You’re slowly teaching me to lean into my ignorance and accept your unseen path.

I’m thinking this morning about a funeral for a young woman who died suddenly last week. I saw her parents last Sunday, four days after it happened. Oh, it was heartbreaking. I cannot imagine their pain. I don’t know how they could update possibly make sense of anything in their lives right now. They heard me preach on Sunday and as I spoke I measured every word against how they must be hearing it, but I can’t imagine they will even remember that much from Sunday except that they were with their fellow church members.

Father, we’ve actually lost several young people lately. One from a health issue, one from suicide, and two others from a car accident. There’s no way to explain or justify any of it. And then there are the things in my own path that I just don’t understand. Help me to find my way to you and then guide me in each moment so that I might find the correct things to do that will maximize my effectiveness for you and experience your presence.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2018 in Ecclesiastes

 
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