Category: Ecclesiastes

Reading

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SAA Notes

The knowledge of my accountability to God acts as a check on stupidity and folly in youth as in old age. He is my Judge, and far more! He is our Saviour and Redeemer! Ecclesiastes just openly looks at some of the evils He redeems us from! Be thankful!

SJA Notes

* God of true justice and judgement, please help us to fear You and keep Your commandments today and onwards.

“The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.”

A goad is a weighty spiked stick used to drive cattle and oxen.

Sharp. Painful at times. Used to set on the right path.

This is God’s word!

Ecclesiastes is full of truths that can seem harsh and bleak. Vanity, all is vanity.

But this is God’s word.

Ecclesiastes helps us to remember humility and meekness. Submission under God’s will. Enjoyment of the temporal blessings He gives to us in His time. Fleeing from pride and arrogance, from wickedness toward right-ness.

And this word, all of God’s word, is given to us by one Shepherd – The GOOD SHEPHERD who loves His sheep!

God has given to us his word; words of comfort and joy, words of exhortation and rebuke.

God’s word is the only mirror that always tells us the truth.

So Ecclesiastes is an important book, we need to wrestle with what the Preacher tells us.

There is great worth in doing so. Let us be exhorted this way every day.

* Father God,

You are the Almighty God, our Good Shepherd, the Great Physician.

You are Creator, Sustainer, Life-Giver.

Please help us today and each day onwards to fear You with a holy and reverent fear.

Please help us to walk obediently under Your will, Your word, Your commandments.

Amen.

Reading

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SAA Notes

Solomon advances several reasons as to why wisdom is still better than folly/stupidity.

SJA Notes

* Dear God, please teach us today from Your word – Show us how to live!

“Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.”

Bread and wine and money are given by God. There is good in the enjoyment of these gifts from God.

One aspect of this enjoyment that we read much of in Psalms is _thanksgiving_.

Psalm 118 say,

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”

Let us thank God for the good things He gives in the now, and for the wonderful inheritance (gift) we have waiting in the not yet.

* Father God,

Thank You for the good gifts You give to us.

Thank You for Jesus, the gift like no other.

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

If there is no God, then death makes a wise and righteous life irrelevant and pointless, for the righteous and the wicked share a common destiny. This is the evil that happens in everything under the sun! Our hearts rebel against this destiny, and we cling to life – verse 4.

SJA Notes

* Mighty God, You are the one to be feared.

“It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.”

The same event happens to us all.

In Matthew 5, Jesus says in His preaching on the mountain,

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”

The sun rising is the beginning of a new day, a wonderful thing!

This happens for everyone, good and evil both.

Rain is life to a dry land, nourishment to thirsty crops!

And rain falls on the farms of those who love God and those who don’t. Those who work for good, and those who are mired in evil.

Jesus forces the point deeper in Luke 13,

“Do you think that those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

Death comes to us all.

IT is the same event that happens, both to the righteous and to the wicked.

BUT.

Jesus tells us that _perishing_ is an event that can be avoided.

Perishing is death to death, the wide road, the broad gate; Hellfire for all eternity.

UNLESS YOU REPENT – This is the crux, the heart of the matter.

So while the same event happens to us all, in death, we can avoid perishing by repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus our Saviour, unto eternal life!

* Father God,

Thank You for Jesus – That in Him we are rescued from perishing!

Amen.