[Linux4christians] Saturday - Ecclesiastes 11 - 12

Sat Jun 18 00:17:41 EDT 2011

    Saturday

      Ecclesiastes 11 - 12

Ignorance of the Future Demands Diligence in the Present

11:1 Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return.

11:2 Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for 
you do not know what calamity may happen on earth.

11:3 If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the 
earth, and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree 
will lie wherever it falls.

11:4 He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who observes the 
clouds will not reap.

11:5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones form 
in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who 
makes everything.

11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the 
evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed -- whether this 
one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.

Life Should Be Enjoyed Because Death is Inevitable

11:7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for a person to see the sun.

11:8 So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let 
him remember that the days of darkness will be many -- all that is about 
to come is obscure.

Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God

11:9 Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer 
you in the days of your youth.

Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know 
that God will judge your motives and actions.

11:10 Banish emotional stress from your mind. and put away pain from 
your body; for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

Fear God Now Because Old Age and Death Come Quickly

12:1 So remember your Creator in the days of your youth -- before the 
difficult days come, and the years draw near when you will say, "I have 
no pleasure in them";

12:2 before the sun and the light of the moon and the stars grow dark, 
and the clouds disappear after the rain;

12:3 when those who keep watch over the house begin to tremble, and the 
virile men begin to stoop over, and the grinders begin to cease because 
they grow few, and those who look through the windows grow dim,

12:4 and the doors along the street are shut; when the sound of the 
grinding mill grows low, and one is awakened by the sound of a bird, and 
all their songs grow faint,

12:5 and they are afraid of heights and the dangers in the street; the 
almond blossoms grow white, and the grasshopper drags itself along, and 
the caper berry shrivels up -- because man goes to his eternal home, and 
the mourners go about in the streets --

12:6 before the silver cord is removed, or the golden bowl is broken, or 
the pitcher is shattered at the well, or the water wheel is broken at 
the cistern --

12:7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life's breath 
returns to God who gave it.

Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis

12:8 "Absolutely futile!" laments the Teacher, "All of these things are 
futile!"

Concluding Epilogue: Qoheleth's Advice is Wise

12:9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also taught knowledge to the 
people; he carefully evaluated and arranged many proverbs.

12:10 The Teacher sought to find delightful words, and to write 
accurately truthful sayings.

12:11 The words of the sages are like prods, and the collected sayings 
are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one shepherd.

Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands!

12:12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no 
end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body.

12:13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God 
and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.

12:14 For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, 
whether good or evil.

      Prayer

Lord, You desire that we enjoy the gifts You give us in this life, but 
in the context of what is honoring to You -- and you want us to know 
that You see everything. May I be constantly aware of Your presence, so 
that when I enjoy Your gifts, I do not lose perspective and dishonor You 
in my flesh.

      Commentary

Solomon shared his learning that one must invest in diverse enterprises 
as one cannot be certain that any single investment will prosper, he 
further shared that one should start work early on a good weather day 
and continue throughout as one could not know what tomorrow might bring.

He advised "Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your 
eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions." because 
life is short, and also to avoid emotional stress and physical pain 
[presumably via the application of wisdom].

Solomon counseled "So remember your Creator in the days of your youth -- 
before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you will 
say, "I have no pleasure in them" ... and the dust [from which you came] 
returns to the earth as it was, and the life's breath returns to God who 
gave it."

There is some scholarly debate as to the meaning of the phrase 
"Qoheleth's Advice is Wise", especially as to the identity of Qoheleth. 
The most-common thought is that it referred to Solomon but the 
phraseology that follows implies more than one person is intended as the 
source of the wisdom writings. "Not only was the Teacher wise, but he 
also taught knowledge to the people; he carefully evaluated and arranged 
many proverbs. The Teacher sought to find delightful words, and to write 
accurately truthful sayings. The words of the sages are like prods, and 
the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails; they are given by one 
shepherd." [Clearly the "one shepherd" is the Lord God.]

He concluded with the stern advice to not accept anything external to 
the wisdom teaching as equivalent because such would cause endless "... 
study" which would be "... exhausting to the body." He also advised 
"Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of 
man. For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, 
whether good or evil."

      Interaction

        Consider

Diversification of investments has become a modern practice but Solomon 
recommended it many hundreds of years ago.

        Discuss

Does it not seem an unheeded warning from Solomon to avoid adding to the 
wisdom teaching as the additions would be come burdensome -- which is 
precisely what the Pharisees and Sadducee's did?

        Reflect

The balance between following "... the impulses of your heart and the 
desires of your eyes" while remaining constantly aware (and therefore 
guided by the knowledge) that "... God will judge your motives and 
actions." remains a challenging one.

        Share

When have you struggled with the balance between following "... the 
impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes" and living 
righteously before the Lord God?

      Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a place where you have become out 
of balance in your walk; following "... the impulses of your heart and 
the desires of your eyes" too far from the path of righteousness.

        Action:

Today I will confess and repent, seek forgiveness and accept it from the 
Lord God, and adjust my walk in the direction of righteousness and away 
from the things of the flesh.

        Be Specific ______________________________________________________

             Sunday's text will be:  Song of Solomon 1

-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
Defend free speech or lose your freedom.
I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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