May 30, Reading 2 – Ecclesiastes 11, 12

Reading

Audio, Visual

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

“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, but only to set on the right path.

This tells us about 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. Submissions under God’s will. Enjoyment of the temporal blessings He gives to us in His time. Fleeing from pride and arrogance.

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.

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

There is great worth in doing this, may we be exhorted that way today.

* Father God,

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

You are Creator, Sustainer and 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.

May 29, Reading 2 – Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

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

SJA Notes

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

God gives bread and wine and money. There is good in the enjoyment of these gifts from God.

One chief aspect of this enjoyment th

at we see clear in the book of Psalms is that of _thanksgiving_.

Psalm chapter 118 says,

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

May we obtain a little wisdom today from God’s word.

* Father God,

Thank You for the good gifts You give to us.

Thank You for the temporal and the spiritual gifts You give.

Gifts of encouragement and exhortation, of skill and excellence in what You give our hands to do, in mind and body and spirit.

Thank You for the gifts given in the now and those promised in the not yet.

Thank You for Jesus, the gift like no other.

And thank You for the life we have in our King Jesus, the life now and the life to come.

Amen.

May 28, Reading 2 – Ecclesiastes 8:1-9:10

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

“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 chapter 5, in the sermon Jesus preached on the mountain, He says,

“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!

And this happens for good and evil people 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.

Jesus forces the point deeper in Luke chapter 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 even 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. Repentance.

So while the same even happens to us all in death we can avoid perishing by repenting of our sin and believing in Jesus our Saviour.

* Father God,

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

Amen.