Ecclesiastes--what a fun word, huh! In Greek it means preacher or teacher. Most biblical scholars attribute this book to King Solomon even though he is not specifically named in the book.
Meaningless! Meaningless! This is obviously the theme of Ecclesiastes. Dear Jesus, please do not let my life be completely meaningless. Help me find enjoyment, and help me have an impact on the people I meet. Most of all, help me to live my life glorifying You! Living for God makes our lives eternally meaningful! Woohoo!
To sum it all up, the book of Ecclesiastes tells us life ain't fair. Amen to that. But the Teacher also says we might as well get over it and enjoy life as much as we can cuz it may be all we get. Amen to that too. I once heard a preacher on CSN radio say that we should pray for God to bless unbelievers because this earthly life is all the blessing they will get. So, if you don't know Jesus, and you are waiting for life to get good, I urge you to begin a personal relationship with the God who created you. He is the ticket to the best life for all eternity!
Ecclesiastes 1:4, 11--"Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow." I am a firm believer in passing on our godly heritage to the generations who will follow us. So these verses really bug me, but I know they are true. I once had a seminar speaker ask us to list the full names of all our great grandparents. Can you do it? I can get a couple of their first or last names, but that's about it. I don't know all of them, and I know very very little about their lives. Were they Christians? Yeah, maybe. Do I know their stories of coming to Jesus? No. How about you? Any ideas about how we can make sure that our kids pass on our stories to our grandkids who will pass it on to our great-grandkids who will pass it on to our great-great-grandkids and so on?
Ecc. 1:18--"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." This seems sort of backwards to me. I'm always trying to gain wisdom and knowledge. Should I stop if all it will bring me is sorrow and grief? I feel like the Teacher is saying that as we grow wiser, our responsibility and burdens grow too. And if we are maturing as Christians at the same time, then we should be glad to shoulder the load and help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. It's not all about me . . . hmmmm.
I really had planned to blog Ecclesiastes 1-5 & 12 all at once. But I'm fairly certain this one chapter is enough for us to process today. I'll pick up on chapter 2 tomorrow.
I agree, Dana, should we keep trying? Solomon had so many blessings and yet this teacher says life is meaningless. Well, even as frusterating as that may sound I still choose to walk with God!
ReplyDeleteVerses 15-18
What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered. I communed with my heart, saying "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom then all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart understood great wisdom and knowledge." And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
My notes say
The more you understand. the more pain and difficulty you experience. The more you know, the more imperfection you see around you, and the more you observe the more evil becomes evident. As you try to find the meaning of life you must be ready to feel more, think more, question more, hurt more, and DO more. Are you ready to pay the price for wisdom?
This is such an answer to prayer!!
I have used this chapter with my children in talking about science. One year we hear reports of how good something is for us and then the next year we hear warnings of how bad that same thing is. It is confusing! The more we try to understand this earthly world the more we don't understand. God did not want for us to comprehend everything and what a job he did to make sure that won't happen. Kind of funny if you really think about it, "there is nothing new under the sun". v.9
ReplyDelete"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief." God tells us this in His word and yet we scratch our heads when we are growing closer to Him and everything seems to start falling to pieces. How do we keep from that happening? Prayer? Even though I know that's what happens, God continues to put that desire in me to learn more about Him and try to get closer to Him. Even though there are times that I detour from Him, He always brings me back into Him. Thank you, Lord, for not leaving me out in the weeds or on the rock to not come back to you. I want so much to be on good soil, even if that means the bad part. We have to always be thankful for the bad with the good. Jn 1:2-3 "...Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." 2 Chr. 4:8 "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair." Is. 41:10 "Don't be afraid, for I am with you..." AMEN JESUS!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFabulous Scripture references, Melissa! Thanks for reminding us!
ReplyDelete