Category: Ecclesiastes

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

You will notice that the theme of the Book of Proverbs, wisdom & folly, is the theme of Ecclesiastes too. The section A Time For Everything is very thought provoking.

SJA Notes

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

As we read through Ecclesiastes it can be hard to remember the important truths that the rest of God’s word tells us.

God’s love for His people is steadfast, His faithfulness without end.

What is the purpose for our work?

The only place our work has purpose, true lasting purpose, is within God’s will, His purposes for us.

From the perspective of the temporal, if we only exist in the now – Then purpose can be very hard to seek, to find, and to even see.

Because it is vanity. What we work for will be another’s, either after we die or even within our own lifetime.

So we need a better perspective, a stronger understanding of the reality of time/space/matter, of our created purpose.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

There is a truth here in this verse, a reality to ponder, that can help us in our understanding.

There is worth and value in the now.

Some parts of our life, our experiences, our work, what we do – Their time is _now_.

And they are made beautiful _now_ by our loving God.

Other parts, those of the _not yet_ reality, they are looked forward to – Because their time has not yet come.

And they are beautiful in their time (which we cannot fully see or understand now, but hope and long for).

How good is it then that we have a God who gives us a life that has value in the now _and_ in the not yet!

* Mighty Sovereign Lord,

Your word is true and pure, it has value for us every single day of our lives.

Your word is living and true, a two-edged sword, cutting through to the heart of all things.

Please write Your word on our hearts today and onwards.

Amen.

Reading

Audio, Visual

SAA Notes

Ecclesiastes is a book that pulls no punches in exposing the emptiness of life, as it is presently constituted on this earth. Solomon asks: What’s it all been for? Death robs all life of any purpose or meaning.

SJA Notes

“I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.”

The book of Ecclesiastes gives us a clear and true picture of the reality of life. It paints for us in bright splashes the folly of striving for what the world says matters.

The preacher goes out of his way to make sure we understand – Everything in and of the world is folly. And deeper still; Every thought we generate ourselves, every desire, every motivation and action of our own – They are vanity (“breath”), nothing.

We don’t need to test the limits of pleasure to find that it alone is meaningless – God’s word tells us it is!

We don’t need to work for money, for earthly gain, for power and prestige – Because God’s word tells us this is but a breath, not worth the effort.

We can read Ecclesiastes and struggle to see any positives, any words of hope.

There is much hope!

God’s word cannot be read as one part divorced from the rest. We must remember all that we have read previously and all that is to come (in the chronology of God’s word).

But too this is where Ecclesiastes really microscropes down into – God’s word tells us the reality of who we are and what the reality of life itself is.

Without Jesus, life has no meaning.

Without Jesus, our travails are breath, gone in a moment.

A hard word, but one that must be heard. One those around us need to hear.

* Merciful Father,

Thank You that in Jesus we have a reality that nothing else brings, that no other movement or group or religion has.

Thank You that in Jesus life has true meaning!

His life gives our worth and importance.

We pray for our unbelieving family and friends – Please call them from darkness into Your marvellous light!

Amen.