Devotional thoughts from Ecclesiastes

June 21, 2007

Eccl. 1: These are the words of the Quester, David's son and king in Jerusalem.

The Greek word "Ecclesiastes" is generally translated "the Preacher" or "the Teacher."  The name of this book of the Bible is taken from the opening words in which the writer, Solomon, gives himself that title.  The book is about Solomon's quest for meaning, how he tried many of the things people still try today, and how he concluded that none of them lived up to their promise.  In The Message, Peterson picks up on the "quest" of Solomon and calls him, "the Quester" rather than "the Preacher."  In other words, the emphasis is on the search for meaning, happiness, satisfaction rather than on the proclamation of the result of that search.  Solomon wanted more than power, fame, peace, and success.  Having tried them all, he was convinced that they were not all they are cracked up to be.  Actually, Ecclesiastes doesn't try very hard to give us "the answer" but it does a good job of asking "the question."  I doubt my devotional thoughts on this book of the Bible will be a long term effort, but I am looking forward to seeing what gems there are to be found here.

June 26, 2007

Eccl. 2: I said to myself, "Let's go for it -- experiment with pleasure, have a good time."

One of the experiments of Solomon was to see if pleasure produces lasting happiness.  As a powerful king, he had all the resources necessary for this experiment.  He built exquisite palaces and gardens, acquired an army of servants, piled up wealth, and filled his life with beautiful women.  He reports, "Everything I wanted I took."  Many people at least attempt this approach to happiness, although few have the resources to pull it off.  Because of that, they remain convinced that just a little more of this or that will do the trick; that, once they arrive at that point they will be truly satisfied.  Solomon, though, did have it all.  Not only that, he went into this experiment with his eyes wide open.  His verdict?  Solomon says it is all like collecting smoke.  All that he did left him empty and even dejected.  He said he worked so hard at making it all happen, expecting to arrive at a place of personal happiness and satisfaction.  "Surely," he thought to himself, "just one more palace, just another million dollars, just the right woman and everything will come together."  However, he ended up thinking it was all a waste of time.   In spite of this ancient verdict of Solomon, we still tend to believe the big lie that not only is pleasure the answer, but that it is all there really is to life.  It is no wonder that "taking up the cross" is such a foreign language to us.

June 27, 2007

Eccl. 3: God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time -- but he's left us in the dark.

One of the famous parts of Ecclesiastes is his "a time to plant and another to reap" section in which he lists all the opposites of life and decides they all have their proper place.  He is impressed by all God has done in the world, but frustrated that he can't understand the meaning of it all.  I played golf with a fellow who had a long pre-shot routine that he went through every time he hit the ball.  He shuffled his feet a specific way, waggled the club for what seemed to be an eternity, and then stood frozen over the ball before finally hitting his horrible slice.  I wanted to shout out, "Just hit the ball!"  No doubt, he needed some golfing lessons, but even I could see that he was over-thinking his golf swing.  He had himself tied up in knots and it created, not an athletic, fluid golf shot, but a poor shot and a frustrated golfer.  Solomon is frustrated that, after all his thinking and considering, he can't understand all God does.  He decides that "there's nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life."  That isn't a ticket to living an immoral, God-ignoring life, but it is a reminder that life is a gift of God and if we over-think it we, like my golfer friend, will spend way too much time out in the weeds rather than enjoying the beauty that has been freely given to us.

June 28, 2007

Eccl. 3: Who knows if there's anything else to life?

One of the concerns of Solomon as he seeks meaning is what happens when life is finished.  So far as he can tell animals and humans are pretty much alike; made of flesh, breathing the same air, and, upon death returning to the dust.  It may be, he theorizes, that the human spirit survives death, but he really doesn't have any proof of that.  His conclusion is that since there is uncertainty on this topic that a person ought to live life to the fullest right now because there may be no tomorrow.  One thing we need to remember as we read Ecclesiastes is that we are following Solomon on his quest for truth.  He is telling us his "in process" conclusions.  To pick out a line here and there and state it as though this is Solomon's final verdict is unfair to him.  In the first part of the book he explains what he is doing and we ought to remember that as we read his words.  Another thing to remember is that he speaks from a purely Old Testament perspective.  It isn't until the first Easter and the understanding of life after death that developed from it that we have, as Paul Harvey would say, "the rest of the story."  In these words of Solomon we have the opinion of the secular humanist.  When Jesus tells us that those who believe in him will never die we have the authority of the Son of God.  The answer to Solomon's "who knows" is this: "Jesus knows."  For someone who doesn't have faith in Jesus to arrive at the same conclusion as Solomon is perfectly reasonable.  As a believer in Jesus, though, I have the answer: "My Lord knows and he has told me that there is life after life."

June 30, 2007

Eccl. 4: A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.

I've heard it said that some people are "married to their jobs."  That is, their work is the most important thing in their life and, more than likely, they have a broken marriage in their past because of that.  The writer concludes that relationships are what make life worth living.  A person who gives up everything up to climb the cooperate ladder is chasing after smoke, wasting their life.  Accomplishments are worthwhile only when there is someone to share them with.  Not only that, but friends can help us get up again after life has knocked us down.  There is more to life than work, position, and financial rewards.  In fact, those potential blessings can become a curse if they dominate our lives.  Our most valuable possessions are our family and friends.  The greatest mistake a person can make is to neglect and lose the real "gold" of life for some job or due to an unhealthy devotion to the ladder of success.

July 2, 2007

Eccl. 5: Don't be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear.

This passage causes me to think about "telling God stuff."   Some think God wants to hear us pray in the language of the King James Bible: "Almighty God, Thou Who art from everlasting to everlasting...."  To them, prayer is a rather formal event that ought to be filled with plenty of pomp and circumstance.  Sometimes, as we are reminded here, we are better off to pray without words at all and let God be in charge of what happens next.  It does make sense.  God is always the "first mover."  The Bible doesn't start off with "In the beginning man..."!  So, rather than coming to prayer in what might be called "automatic mode,"  in which every prayer is pretty much a Xerox copy of the one before,  or with a sense of formality, I want to come to him humbly and honestly; not saying what I think he wants to hear, but in a genuine desire to hear from him.  My prayer time will be more satisfying to both the Lord and to me, if I let him call the shots.

July 3, 2007

Eccl. 6: We work to feed our appetites; meanwhile our souls go hungry.

I read recently that the average American works 46 hours a week, with a significant number of people working over 50 hours a week.  I probably don't have to convince anyone that life is getting more, and not less, complicated.  We Americans even work hard at playing.  School sports are demanding enough, but many children are involved in leagues beyond school.  It is a rare thing for most families to just be "doing nothing."  And what does this all get us?  Frankly, I don't have the feeling that people are happier and more satisfied in their lives.  To me, our lifestyle has a lot in common with running on a treadmill: lots of activity that isn't really taking us anywhere.  Could it be that all of our busyness is an attempt to fill the emptiness in our souls?  Surely there is more to life than work and weekends.  There has to be a greater purpose than buying a bigger house or seeing that our kids get a sports scholarship at a good school.  Jesus said it this way: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36)  It wouldn't hurt any of us, including me, to check our priorities with this in mind.

July 4, 2007

Eccl. 7: Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving.

I know it is human nature to want to hurry past the difficulties of life.  No one wants to spend the rest of their days dealing with some painful situation.  However, I also know that just about everyone has their share of "hurt and grieving."  In fact, some folks have more than their share of such things.  Some of the finest people I know carry a burden of broken health, broken dreams, and painful loss with them every day.  I have noticed that, for some, those difficulties somehow deepen them.  They know how to enjoy life, but there are is an attractive stability and perspective on life in them.  The writer of Ecclesiastes says that we are wise to invest something of ourselves in those challenging parts of life.  When I make an investment, I give something of value because I expect to get a greater return.  When I go through the darkness, I tend to rush through it as quickly as possible.  This portion of Ecclesiastes reminds me that there is something for me even there if I will trust the Lord enough to give myself to such difficulties.

July 5, 2007

Eccl. 7: God made men and women true and upright; we're the ones who've made a mess of things.

As part of his search for purpose Solomon searches for people of wisdom.  The result of his search is disappointing.  He reports that not one person in a thousand measures up to that standard.  Solomon is looking for people of depth, who have thought out the meaning of life and come to some conclusions.  Instead, he finds that most people stay in the shallow end of the pool, never considering much beyond their next meal.  The saddest thing, so far as he is concerned, is that it doesn't have to be that way.  When humans were created, God gave us the potential of greatness.  This isn't about the possibility of solving the mysteries of science although we are impressed by those who delve into such things.  Instead, it is about finding meaning to life itself.  It is of great value to consider "why I am here and where I am going."  The answer is the one we seem most intent on ignoring: "God."  It is our connection to the divine that gives meaning to life.  He not only made us, but he made us for a purpose.  When we live without recognizing that, we, in the words of Ecclesiastes, make "a mess of things."

July 9, 2007

Eccl. 8: No one can control the wind or lock it in a box...as long as men and women have the power to hurt each other, this is the way it is.

I'm not sure that the writer intends for me to associate these two statements, but they tie together for me.  In my life I have seen people make bad choices.  If you ask them, they will always have someone or something to blame for what they are doing.  I'm not saying that everyone else is always totally innocent in some of these things, but the bottom line is that people do what they want to do.  Sadly, even when I see what is going on, I can't force people to do the right thing.  As Ecclesiastes says, "no one can control the wind."  Well, no one can control the hearts of others either.  The very fact that we love people, encourage them, and help them through their darkest hour means that we also give them the power to hurt us.  At some level we have to just let things go (the writer says, "This is the way it is") and protect our own hearts.  When we have done all we have been allowed to do, and when our hearts have been broken, we come to the place where we have to let go and trust those we "can't control" to the hands of a gracious God.  He can work through issues if he is given an opportunity, even after we have been removed from the situation.

July 7, 2007

Eccl. 8: I'm still convinced that the good life is reserved for the person who fears God...and that the evil person will not experience the "good" life.

The conventional wisdom of Solomon's day (and it is often still conventional wisdom today) was that bad people have bad things happen to them and good people have good things happen to them.  In his wisdom Solomon has seen considerable evidence that this approach isn't true.  He has seen wicked people live pretty nice lives and even attended some funerals in which it appeared that the person "got away with it" -- living an evil life yet having everything a person could ask for right to the very end.  He has plenty of evidence that the common belief of "bad gets bad and good gets good" isn't necessarily so.  Still, though, he can't quite give up on it.  While he can't prove that it is so, he can't shake the belief that there is some truth in this philosophy.  He reports, "I'm still convinced...."  Today, I think Solomon is right to hang on to this belief.  It doesn't play out as he thought it would, but serving God has great advantages.  It isn't that those who trust God have more money and better health, but in the intangibles of life there are riches for God's people.  There is wealth in going to sleep at night knowing that no matter what tomorrow brings things will be okay.  There is wealth in being at peace with God and there is wealth in knowing one is a child of the King.  I believe the conventional wisdom is both right and wrong.  It is right in its belief that good things happen to good people.  It is wrong in having such a narrow and material view of just what those good things are.

July 10, 2007

Eccl. 9: God takes pleasure in your pleasure!

I know that a common view of God is that he is against our enjoying life and that his favorite word is "no!"  That is very mistaken.  It is true that God has a lot of "no's" for us.  Then again, my son has a lot of "no's" for his two children too.  When our precious toddler picks something up off the floor and is about to put it in his mouth his mom and dad say, in chorus: "No!"  Their desire is not to ruin his life, but to protect him from something that might be downright hazardous to his health.  Even so, the Lord has some prohibitions for us and every one of them is for our benefit.  The other side of the coin is wonderfully positive.  When I enjoy some new discovery, or take pleasure in one of God's many gifts to us -- when I laugh out loud as one of those precious little ones comes up with a terrific one liner -- at that moment God laughs with me.   The writer of Ecclesiastes struggles with the meaning of life and in trying to understand just what it is that will bring real satisfaction.  However, he has this one just right: "God takes pleasure in your pleasure!"

July 11, 2007

Eccl. 10: Dead flies in perfume make it stink, and a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.

The "dead flies" line always struck me as funny, especially when I first read it as a teen.  At that time I didn't take time to try to understand the meaning of it so I just smiled and moved on.  Then again, I wasn't reading in The Message which helps connect the dots.  A person can say and do a lot of wise things in their life, but one blunder can pretty much ruin it all.  I my lifetime I've seen that happen with presidents and pastors, with CEO's and secretaries.  When my son got his first driver's license I commented to him that many drivers only make one mistake in their lives, and it's their last.  Car wrecks can be very unforgiving.  And it is true of other life situations too.  A man can be a good husband and father for 30 years, and then get involved with someone for a brief fling that ruins 30 years of faithfulness.  While I am a big believer in second chances and grace I also know that a few "dead flies" can ruin a lot of godly living.  Johnny Cash wasn't singing a hymn when he sang, "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine...because you're mine I walk the line" but his words do apply in that sense.  I don't want a few "dead flies" to ruin a lifetime of faithfulness.

July 12, 2007

Eccl. 11: Be generous: Invest in acts of charity.  Charity yields high returns.

The Lord is wonderfully generous to us.  He has given us the world and all its beauty and life itself.  His greatest gift to us is salvation.  This gift cost him everything as is seen at the cross.  This is God's investment in us and his charity toward us.  Solomon says "charity yields high returns."  God gave everything and he has every right to expect big returns on his investment.  And what is the return he expects?  He expects human beings to respond to his great act of charity by giving their hearts to him in loving devotion.  From the very beginning God has desired willing fellowship from us.  That relationship is so valuable to the Lord that he gave everything (invested everything) that that relationship might be restored.  It is my positive response to that sacrifice, my responding in love and thanksgiving, and my walking in continued fellowship with the Lord that he considers to be a "high return."

July 14, 2007

Eccl. 11: Don't sit there watching the wind, Do your own work.

The wise man of Ecclesiastes says that when the clouds are so full of water that they can't hold it anymore that it rains.  When the wind is strong enough to blow down a tree, well, down it comes.  In other words, things happen when they are ready to happen.  Sitting around waiting on them is a waste of time -- time that could be spent doing something worthwhile.  We spend a lot of time dreaming about things happening that will only happen when the time is right.  Meanwhile, there is living to do.  The farmer might hope for rain, but he isn't to sit out in the field watching the sky, instead he gets on with the work he can do right now.  There is nothing wrong with looking forward to some future blessing and even taking a quick look to the horizon to see if it is in sight yet.  However, our lives aren't to come to a stop while we wait.  The issue is not "what is God going to do?"  Rather it is, "what is God doing right now and how can I work with him in doing it?"  Staring at the clouds is a waste of time; we need to "get on with...life."

July 17, 2007

Eccl. 11: Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.

A light reading of Ecclesiastes (if such a thing is really possible) leaves me with the feeling that the writer is a hardened pessimist who has concluded that everything is "vanity."  While there are plenty of statements about how worthless things are, there is also a positive, yet realistic theme here.  Today, I see his advice to cherish every day.  Some days, he says, are going to be dark, but there is also plenty of light.  We are to delight in the light.  I don't want to be one of those people who only focuses on all that is going (or can go) wrong.  God has blessed me with so much!  I don't want to take any of it for granted.  True to form, the wise man adds, "most of what comes your way is smoke."  That is, most things in life are temporary, and a high percentage of those things aren't all that important anyway.  On one hand then, I don't want to get so focused on the problems of life that I lose sight of the blessings.  Those problems are pretty much "smoke" anyway and are temporary.  On the other hand, I want to appreciate the little blessings while I have them.  They too are smoke and will be gone before I know it and I don't want to take them for granted.

July 18, 2007

Eccl. 12: Fear God. Do what he tells you. And that's it.

The book of Ecclesiastes is about a wise man's search for meaning.  That search takes on a pessimistic flavor as he tries one thing and then another, concluding that it is all just "smoke" that quickly vanishes.  As he nears his conclusion he says that life passes quickly as the body begins to wear out.  In other words, life, in general, is just so much smoke.  Obviously, this book is not a Gospel.  It doesn't conclude with a resurrection and words of hope.  Instead, it simply winds down with the big questions left pretty much unanswered.  Well, kind of.  When Solomon has considered everything from constructing impressive buildings to collecting words of wisdom, from living a pleasure-focused life to making the most of one's youth he concludes that it is all smoke.  Basically he says that everything that people think brings meaning to life can be dismissed as failing to live up to expectations.  Now, in his final words, he concludes that meaning must come from outside of all that.  The book of Genesis starts with "In the beginning, God...."  This book of Ecclesiastes concludes with "In the end, God...."  Meaning to life only comes through the Creator of life.  Really, Solomon has done the best he could do at this point in history.  There's more, in fact a whole lot more, but we have to turn ahead in time to those Gospels I mentioned for that part of the story.