Summarizing this chapter is like herding cats! The only common theme seems to be that wise is good and fools are bad. There is a lot of common sense in this passage - sharpen the ax so you don't have to use as much effort; a fool doesn't know when to shut up; lazy work will show.
Yet as I read this, it is clear that often in this world things don't go as they should and we make stupid decisions. Solomon is trying to warn us to think first. A wise person stops and thinks before moving forward. A wise person is not afraid to give a little extra effort and stay above reproach.
While I always want some deep, spiritual truth when I read a portion of Scripture, maybe today the lesson is simple - be wise, show common sense, and work smart...in the end things will work out better for you.
Sorry I don't have anything deeper today.
Jason
Terra Nova
New Ground For Your Spiritual Journey
Showing posts with label Solomon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Solomon. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ecclesiastes 9 - Solomon is Depressing!
I was talking with a friend yesterday about Ecclesiastes and he said that it was depressing him. I agree that this could happen! You would think that the wisest man on the planet would not write such depressing stuff. Yet when you look at his life, you have to wonder how close to God he really was. As king, he basically turned Israel into the Egypt they escaped from 300 (or so) years prior. He used slave labor to build things. He took 100's of wives and concubines. He ruled with power and might. It is no wonder that when he stepped back from all he had done he was at a loss for meaning and purpose.
Chapter 9 is really says a lot about Solomon. Over and over he says that it doesn't matter if you are good or bad, honest or decietful, rich or poor, everyone dies. And after death there is nothing. These are words from a man who has lived for power, control, wealth, and ultimately trying to be God on earth rather than represent God to his people.
When you read Ecclesiastes you have to understand that this is not a book that is trying to teach us about what happens after we die. This is a book by a king who is musing on his own meaninglessness. What we learn from this book is more about the human heart than about God.
We know from Jesus and the New Testament that these musing are not the complete truth. Jesus promises us hope beyond the grave. Jesus says there is more to life than eating, drinking, and dying. Jesus says that He came to give us life and life to the full (John 10:10).
Don't read Ecclesiastes without understanding this.
There is hope. There is meaning. There is life...and His name is Jesus.
Under the Mercy,
Jason
Chapter 9 is really says a lot about Solomon. Over and over he says that it doesn't matter if you are good or bad, honest or decietful, rich or poor, everyone dies. And after death there is nothing. These are words from a man who has lived for power, control, wealth, and ultimately trying to be God on earth rather than represent God to his people.
When you read Ecclesiastes you have to understand that this is not a book that is trying to teach us about what happens after we die. This is a book by a king who is musing on his own meaninglessness. What we learn from this book is more about the human heart than about God.
We know from Jesus and the New Testament that these musing are not the complete truth. Jesus promises us hope beyond the grave. Jesus says there is more to life than eating, drinking, and dying. Jesus says that He came to give us life and life to the full (John 10:10).
Don't read Ecclesiastes without understanding this.
There is hope. There is meaning. There is life...and His name is Jesus.
Under the Mercy,
Jason
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Ecclesiastes 3 - A Time For Everything
This is a very famous chapter. It is hard to say anything new about it, but will say that the thing that stuck to me was verse 11
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
I can feel the tension and angst in the writer's pen. He knows there is something bigger and more beautiful than he can comprehend, but it is just out of reach. He is almost mad at God for allowing us to know that there is more, but not letting us see it.
I know this is a frustration with me. I want to "see" eternity. It is something I know is there...it is in my heart. But I just can't grasp it.
The writer ends up saying that ultimately we just have to accept it and find contentment in working then dying.
The writer refuses to believe that there is more because he can't see it or prove it. How many people have you run into that are in a similar situation. They want there to be more, but they don't want to have faith...they want it proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
This makes me think of John 20:29. Jesus shows Thomas His wounds and Thomas believes. Jesus responds by saying:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
May you be one of those how have not seen, yet believed.
Under the Mercy,
Jason
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
I can feel the tension and angst in the writer's pen. He knows there is something bigger and more beautiful than he can comprehend, but it is just out of reach. He is almost mad at God for allowing us to know that there is more, but not letting us see it.
I know this is a frustration with me. I want to "see" eternity. It is something I know is there...it is in my heart. But I just can't grasp it.
The writer ends up saying that ultimately we just have to accept it and find contentment in working then dying.
The writer refuses to believe that there is more because he can't see it or prove it. How many people have you run into that are in a similar situation. They want there to be more, but they don't want to have faith...they want it proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.
This makes me think of John 20:29. Jesus shows Thomas His wounds and Thomas believes. Jesus responds by saying:
"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
May you be one of those how have not seen, yet believed.
Under the Mercy,
Jason
Monday, February 2, 2009
Pleasure Gets You No Where
Eccl. 2
In this section of the philosopher/king's musings he talks of experiencing every kind of pleasure...accomplishment, wealth, wine & women. Yet after it was all said and done he realized that he would die just like the fool. So he became depressed because he could not control what would happen after he died. He reached the point where he realized that you can do nothing better than find satisfaction in knowing all is a gift from God, but even that is a bit meaningless.
I love the raw honesty and authenticity of the King. He tried it all. Every pleasure of life still left him wanting. I know this chapter is a bit depressing, but that is one thing I love about God and His Word - He is not afraid to deal with the reality of our human existence.
I wanted resolution in the chapter, but it was not there yet. I'm too used to a sit-com where every issue is resolved in 30 minutes and dramas where the test results come back during the commercial. Sometimes we need to be left hanging. It's good for us to wrestle for a bit.
The questions we must deal with:
Where do we find meaning in life?
Why be different if we all end up dead anyway?
Does my existence make a difference? Should it?
Is there purpose in life or does the world just keep on spinning and spinning...?
Since the text stops with questions, so will I...
Under the Mercy,
Jason
In this section of the philosopher/king's musings he talks of experiencing every kind of pleasure...accomplishment, wealth, wine & women. Yet after it was all said and done he realized that he would die just like the fool. So he became depressed because he could not control what would happen after he died. He reached the point where he realized that you can do nothing better than find satisfaction in knowing all is a gift from God, but even that is a bit meaningless.
I love the raw honesty and authenticity of the King. He tried it all. Every pleasure of life still left him wanting. I know this chapter is a bit depressing, but that is one thing I love about God and His Word - He is not afraid to deal with the reality of our human existence.
I wanted resolution in the chapter, but it was not there yet. I'm too used to a sit-com where every issue is resolved in 30 minutes and dramas where the test results come back during the commercial. Sometimes we need to be left hanging. It's good for us to wrestle for a bit.
The questions we must deal with:
Where do we find meaning in life?
Why be different if we all end up dead anyway?
Does my existence make a difference? Should it?
Is there purpose in life or does the world just keep on spinning and spinning...?
Since the text stops with questions, so will I...
Under the Mercy,
Jason
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Solomon: Today he would be considered "EMO"!
Ecclesiastes 1
Life is nothing but a vicious cycle and nothing will ever change.
My life has no meaning because in 100 years it won't matter that I existed.
Ultimately we have no control over anything.
These are, in essence, what Solomon says throughout the first chapter of Ecclesiastes. "Meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (v. 2). He then talks about how water just flows into the ocean, yet the ocean is never full. The streams' sources just seem to get the water back.
I love that Solomon uses this analogy because today we understand the water cycle - streams, evaporation, clouds, rain, streams. Yet this was a mystery 3000 years ago. It perplexed Solomon (the wisest man to walk the earth!). He even notices that your eyes never get filled with seeing. What an image! Today we take in far more than they did then - TV, internet, buildings, billboards, etc. Yet our eyes never get full and say that you have to clear some things out before we can take in any more.
In essence, I hear a man who is depressed because he realizes that no matter how much he does, it will never be enough. He can't party hard enough, meditate long enough, learn enough, accomplish enough to feel like he done everything. He can't get no satisfication...but he tries and he tries...
This is the voice of modern humanity. If we changed the verbage a bit, I bet we could find similar angst in today's music, poetry, art, and even science. We understand the water cycle, but we can't identify the smallest possible particle - molecules, no - atoms, no - electrons, no - nanoparticles, no...
We can't wrap our hands around the biggest things. Planets, stars, solar systems, galaxies, star systems. It keeps getting bigger.
I truly believe that Postmodernism grew out of the angst of Modernism's search to aleviate all mystery. They failed. Just like Solomon.
Key Question: WHY do you need to know?
Whatever it might be - answers to science issues, answers to philosophical issues - when our goal is to know everything, our goal is really to be God. When our goal is to be God, we will be sorely disappointed and empty.
When our goal is to glorify God, it changes our perspective and our mindset. We are then able to embrace mystery and enjoy it because it reminds us how great and mighty and HUGE God is. And it reminds us that we don't have to be Him...we just need to be us. That is when we find contentment. That is when we rest. That is when find peace.
Under the Mercy,
Jason
Life is nothing but a vicious cycle and nothing will ever change.
My life has no meaning because in 100 years it won't matter that I existed.
Ultimately we have no control over anything.
These are, in essence, what Solomon says throughout the first chapter of Ecclesiastes. "Meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (v. 2). He then talks about how water just flows into the ocean, yet the ocean is never full. The streams' sources just seem to get the water back.
I love that Solomon uses this analogy because today we understand the water cycle - streams, evaporation, clouds, rain, streams. Yet this was a mystery 3000 years ago. It perplexed Solomon (the wisest man to walk the earth!). He even notices that your eyes never get filled with seeing. What an image! Today we take in far more than they did then - TV, internet, buildings, billboards, etc. Yet our eyes never get full and say that you have to clear some things out before we can take in any more.
In essence, I hear a man who is depressed because he realizes that no matter how much he does, it will never be enough. He can't party hard enough, meditate long enough, learn enough, accomplish enough to feel like he done everything. He can't get no satisfication...but he tries and he tries...
This is the voice of modern humanity. If we changed the verbage a bit, I bet we could find similar angst in today's music, poetry, art, and even science. We understand the water cycle, but we can't identify the smallest possible particle - molecules, no - atoms, no - electrons, no - nanoparticles, no...
We can't wrap our hands around the biggest things. Planets, stars, solar systems, galaxies, star systems. It keeps getting bigger.
I truly believe that Postmodernism grew out of the angst of Modernism's search to aleviate all mystery. They failed. Just like Solomon.
Key Question: WHY do you need to know?
Whatever it might be - answers to science issues, answers to philosophical issues - when our goal is to know everything, our goal is really to be God. When our goal is to be God, we will be sorely disappointed and empty.
When our goal is to glorify God, it changes our perspective and our mindset. We are then able to embrace mystery and enjoy it because it reminds us how great and mighty and HUGE God is. And it reminds us that we don't have to be Him...we just need to be us. That is when we find contentment. That is when we rest. That is when find peace.
Under the Mercy,
Jason
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