Showing posts with label SOLOMON. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SOLOMON. Show all posts
Everything is meaningless ...
“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. -Eccl 12:8,13-14
This is the sad way that Solomon finishes Ecclesiastes. It is such a negative ending but exactly, word for word, the way he began it in chapter one. No words about God's love for us or our love for him in this book - only descriptions of life as meaningless and "chasing the wind". How is it that the so-called wisest man on earth did not understand that real and meaningful life is all about love? Could it be that Solomon was not as wise as people perceive him to be?
I wonder how much influence an unhealthy fear of God had in Solomon's life? I find it interesting how he distills it all down to fear, obedience and judgment. It is as if he is telling us to obey out of a fear of judgment. Hard to understand how such an intelligent person missed the most important aspect of life. How is it that he did not understand that we are called to obey because God loves us? How is it that Solomon did not understand that glorious command to love?
Your love gives our lives meaning Lord. Help us to be like you and find love in everything that we do.
You must give an account ...
Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless. -Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 NLT
When folks get older they often, like Solomon does here, opine about how wonderful it was when they were young. It is as if they forget how hard those young years can be. I remember how my teen years were filled insecurity and fears. Along with the joys of first loves came the challenges of school and the reality of the Vietnam War. I think that we all wear rose colored glasses when we look back. Even so, I disagree with Solomon when he says it is meaningless.
In these verses Solomon speaks of giving "an account to God for everything you do". Sometimes people read a verse like this and get fearful of a future judgment day where a terrifying God will cause them to shake to their bones. I see this a bit differently. When I think of that day when my actions will be called into account I envision an encounter with my Heavenly Father. A time in which I am taught about the ways that I should have loved and did not.
Dear Lord help us to remember that, in all we do, we are accountable for the ways that we love.
A new day dawning ...
Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning. When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. -Ecclesiastes 11:7-8 NLT
Each new day brings with it an opportunity to give thanks for it. The Psalmist tells us that we should rejoice and be glad in it because God has made the day. Jeremiah reminds us that God's mercies are new every morning. There is just something about the dawn of a new day that can bring hope to our souls. Even so, there are people all over the world who live in hardship and find it difficult to rejoice because of the darkness that a new day brings to them.
Looking back over my life I find that there are always things to praise God for even in the midst of dark times. Perhaps the way that we handle difficulty is the way that we can light a candle in the darkness? It is interesting how, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of being salt and light to the world immediately after he speaks of his followers being persecuted. It is as if he is saying that our lives can shine the brightest when our days are the darkest.
Remind us Lord that we are sometimes the only light in the darkness. Help us to shine for you.
Perfect Weather
Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. -Ecclesiastes 11:4 NLT
When I think about what if means to be successful the words apathy, excuse, rationalization and procrastination never come to mind. Success in life is never about perfect weather - in fact the most successful people are ones who seemed have overcome great obstacles. The words that I associate with such people are the opposite of the ones I previously mentioned. Words like integrity, passion and perseverance are the hallmarks of success.
Yet we often forget how our walk of faith is challenged by bad weather. I wonder how much I would actually pray and seek the Lord if I did not face challenges. Perhaps that is why God speaks to us in the scriptures of bringing beauty from ashes and working all things together for our good? Maybe some of us will get real with God only when we are covered in ashes? It may be the reason we are called to give thanks in all things.
You are with us in the storms and in the ashes dear Lord. In that we rejoice and give thanks!
Divide your investments ...
Divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. -Ecclesiastes 11:2
There is an investment strategy called asset allocation that somewhat mirrors Solomon's sentiments in this verse. The idea is to balance your investments across stocks, bonds and cash. If done correctly you will minimize your exposure to risk when one sector of the market goes down. If you counter higher risk growth stocks with value oriented ones or bonds you may not see large swings in your portfolio when bad new hits Wall Street.
In a sense investing is a metaphor for life. People risk much when they apply a rigid black and white investment strategy - it is also risky when we employ such narrow strategies to other parts of our lives. Yet people who find a balance to life are often able to ride the waves of change in ways similar to the investor who has not put all of their proverbial eggs in one basket. Yet finding diversity on Main Street is often harder than finding it on Wall Street.
Help us Lord to find balance and live lives that are pleasing to you.
Don’t hoard your goods ...
Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 MSG
There seems to be a spiritual law of generosity in the Kingdom of God. Jesus put it this way: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." So often this sentiment is reduced to acts of charity rather than a life of charity. In a very real sense generosity and charity is all about humility. When we are generous we are humbly acknowledging our own poverty. When we are charitable towards others we are making a humble investment in their lives.
Sometimes in the bible the words charity and love are intermingled - both are used to translate the Greek word agápe which denotes God's sacrificial love for us. Perhaps sacrifice is the word that most defines charity and generosity? I wonder. Is one really generous if their gift does not involve sacrifice? Can one be charitable by giving what they no longer need? It seems to me that the charity that God really blesses is the kind that costs us something.
Thank you Lord that life is not found in things. Help us to loosen our grip on our possessions.
Sharpen the blade ...
Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. [Ecclesiastes 10:10 NLT]
I love how wisdom is so practical. I think that is why some often call it common sense. Solomon here compares it with the simplicity of keeping an ax blade sharp. Yet I wonder why this kind of common sense seems to escape so many. Is it because some simply prefer tradition over change? Could it be that some refuse to embrace it because they are lazy or choose to remain ignorant? Why is it that many can see the wisdom or common sense and others cannot?
I liken sharpening a blade to being prepared - to leading a life that keeps us strong and able to withstand hard times. What comes to your mind when you think about tomorrow? Are you like the student who has not done your homework or have you done all you know today to be ready for tomorrow? Have you strengthened your heart for tomorrow? Perhaps wisdom and common sense is all about having a heart sharpened by prayer, study and spiritual exercise?
I often procrastinate Lord. Help me to live today in a way that keeps my heart prepared for tomorrow.
Dead flies cause perfume to stink ...
As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. [Ecclesiastes 10:1 NLT]
The book of Ecclesiastes seems to exude regret. I often wonder if Solomon is speaking from first hand experience when he talks about fools and foolishness. Interesting to note how many people I have known have virtually thrown their lives and their ministry away because of one act of foolishness. I remember how, in one foolish acquiescence to temptation, my pastor of 18 years ruined his reputation. It seems to me that a pride filled ego often grows stronger with age.
The words "dead flies" reminds me of how Jesus describes religious leaders as whitewashed graves that looked good on the outside but were dead on the inside. Connecting that to what Solomon says here, one could say that the legalism and judgmentalism of some is what makes religion stink. What was meant to be something beautiful and aromatic is made to stink simply because of the unloving and uncaring way that religion is exercised and practiced.
Help us Lord. Our religion too often looks pharisaic. Help our lives to be a sweel aroma in your nostrils.
The woman you love ...
Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. -Ecclesiastes 9:9 NLT
This verse reminds me that I might still be a man without faith if it were not for my first wife Ellen. It causes me to think of a time when my agnosticism was challenged. Here it is as told in The Weekend that Changed my Life:
On a weeknight in the fall of 1975 Ellen interrupted my TV time with a few questions ... ones that would impact me for the rest of my life. She started with “Do you believe in the bible?” I replied sarcastically “Of course I do ... Episcopalians believe in the bible.” ... I wasn’t going to let her get the best of me ... my religion was just as good as hers. She asked another question: “Do you believe in evolution?” I said “Of course I do ... it is science.” Then she said something that rocked me – “Then you don’t believe in the bible”. Of course being a New Yorker I had to say something, so I retorted “I don’t know about all that but whatever the Episcopalians believe is what I believe.” I had no clue what the bible said because I had never read it and for some reason this bothered me.My life began to change that night because of the blessing of a wife who challenged me to leave the safety of agnosticism. My heart opened a bit that night to Jesus and a desire to read the bible began to grow inside me. It is amazing how all of this happened through the faith of the woman who loved me enough to speak truth to me.
Thank you Lord for the people of faith in our lives who, by their words and their lives, challenge us to believe.
Caught by sudden tragedy ...
People can never predict when hard times might come. Like fish in a net or birds in a trap, people are caught by sudden tragedy. -Ecclesiastes 9:12 NLT
Memories flashed through me when I read the words "sudden tragedy". It was in April of 1972 that it happened. I came home from my new job to find my young wife crying. She had been to an optometrist that day. He told her that she had diabetic retinopathy and was going blind. "Sudden tragedy" hit us and all we could do was weep uncontrollably. I was not a praying man and in the following years I did not know how to deal with the pain of this "sudden tragedy".
As I write another "sudden tragedy" comes to mind. In December 2002 my wife Ann and I boarded a cruise ship. Within days Ann found herself paralyzed from the waist down. Stressed to the max I began to pray and heard this response deep within me: "You cannot manage this like one of your work projects. You must learn to flow." That taught me that our response to "sudden tragedy" should be to release control, trust God and learn to flow with life.
Help us today Lord to release control of that which cannot be controlled. Help us to trust you with all of our hearts.
It is all decided by chance ...
I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time. -Ecclesiates 9:11 NLT
So much of our lives were determined before we were born. We did not choose the country, city or family that we were born into. After birth we did not choose the level of care that our parents gave us. We all grew up in a closed environment where we were exposed to only what our parents allowed or what we experienced in our small part of the world. The concepts of self-determination and life choices would come later after our childhood programming.
It is amazing that any of us ever see past our early environments and do the things that we do as adults. It is here where I see the influence of God on my life. In contrast to the narrowness of youthful experiences I find God to be one who encourages and empowers us to escape our environmental limitations. In Christ it is written that all things are possible. In a sense it is not decided by chance at all but by our response to Christ's call to follow him.
All things are possible in you Lord Jesus. Help me to trust you to lead me today.
Receive the same treatment as sinners ...
This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor. The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t. -Ecclesiastes 9:1-2
Jesus Christ seems to echo this sentiment in the Sermon on the Mount when he says that God "gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike." There is something about life that levels the playing field - the best and the worst of us can experience the joys of family and the devastation of cancer. Many theologians have struggled with this and have asked the question of why bad things happen to good people.
When I think about the bad things that have happened in my life I see it more as the result of a fallen world than a fallen God. In the beginning God created all things and called them good. Yet he ceded a bit of his sovereignty, at a micro level, to his creation and bad things eventually began to happen as people began to make decisions. Some decisions seemed to originate in faith while many originated elsewhere. That challenge remains today. Will we respond in faith?
Help us Lord to always respond in faith - to the good and bad things of life.
Better to be a live dog ...
There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!” The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.
[Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 NLT]
The words of Solomon in these verses are absolutely true - if one takes God out of the equation. It is true for those who do not believe in heaven - earth is all there is for such people. It is true for those who see death as final - life for those is limited to their time on this planet. Many people cannot see past what their minds tell them - sometimes these are known as "intellectuals". These are ones who eat, drink and are merry while others hurt, thirst and are hungry.
In contrast are those who embrace the promises of God and see this life as just the beginning of something so much greater. These understand that being born of the Spirit means beginning a life that will surpass death. They realize that their lives are so much more than their times here. People of faith have the potential to lead the richest of lives because they see everything in light of eternity. They embrace a love that will never die. These will one day see God.
Help us to embrace eternity in our everyday living Lord. Open our eyes to the glory of heaven.
Power to hurt each other ...
I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun, where people have the power to hurt each other. I have seen wicked people buried with honor. Yet they were the very ones who frequented the Temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes! This, too, is meaningless. And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless! -Ecclesiastes 8:9-10,14 NLT
These verses cause me to flashback to the ending of the first Godfather movie where a young Michael Corleone has gangster leaders murdered as he becomes Godfather of his sister's child. Violent and perverted people often seek the legitimacy of the institution of religion yet are in no way attracted to following God. While I cannot relate to Michael Corleone I do resonate with the attraction of religious affirmation and the judgmental attitude that accompanies it.
The unfairness of this life is reflected in the ways that Solomon speaks of the evil being honored and how good people are often treated as bad people. Reminds me of that cynical saying: "Life is not fair and then you die." Sometimes our journey seems like that. Even so, I find in the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus Christ a power that heals rather than hurts ... a power that sees people as ones whom God loves ... a force that brings love and hope to the world.
Help us dear Lord Jesus Christ to see past our cynicism and embrace the love that you showed us on the cross.
Not even the wisest people ...
In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night. I realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim. -Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 NLT
Socrates once said "True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing." In truth, even our greatest minds know very little when their knowledge is compared to what there is to know about their area of expertise. In this passage Solomon seems to agree with that assessment. Yet there seems to be an intellectualism that permeates society that communicates an idea that is contrary to what Socrates and Solomon came to understand.
There is something about knowledge, even a lit bit of it, that twists us and causes us to do believe that we are more than we really are. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul acknowledged that while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens us. I find a humility in those words that is so hard to grasp. In a sense, knowledge is all about us but love is all about others. Perhaps that is why wisdom is not all about knowledge?
Lord, keep us free from pride. Help us to embrace the humility of love.
In the face of death ...
Indeed, how can people avoid what they don’t know is going to happen? None of us can hold back our spirit from departing. None of us has the power to prevent the day of our death. There is no escaping that obligation, that dark battle. And in the face of death, wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked. -Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 NLT
A good friend recently shared with me her list of things that she would die for. I loved the list - something like that has a way of putting the things of life in perspective. I suspect that there are things that you would die for. Soldiers often risk all in battle telling the world that they would die for their country. Misguided teenage suicide bombers believe that they are dying for God and their religion. The world is replete with heroes like police and firefighters who risk their lives daily.
Solomon's words speak to me about the brevity of life and the importance of living 'today' to the fullest. Having a 'to die for' list puts 'today' in perspective a bit. It reminds me of how Jesus Christ laid down his life for us when he was crucified. Before he was sentenced to die he told Pontius Pilate that he could call 10,000 angels to rescue him. Yet, in the face of death, he proclaimed to all who would hear his story, then and now, that he loved us enough to die for us.
Lord, help us today to ponder the brevity of life and the importance of living today as it may be our last.
Wisdom is always distant ...
I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn't work. Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find. I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. ... “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle. Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for.” [Ecclesiastes 7:23-25,27-28]
Is it possible to be wise apart from God? Now I am not asking if one is able to be brilliant, in an intellectual sense, apart from God - it seems that many intellectuals are agnostics or atheists. In a sense, I am asking if one can be smart and unwise at the same time. Looking at what Solomon says here it certainly seems possible. In my thinking wisdom is an issue of the heart and not the head. Consequentially even the most intellectually challenged can be wise.
This idea speaks to me and helps me to understand why Solomon, the purported wisest man of his time, says that wisdom "is always distant and difficult to find". Thinking will not always bring wisdom to you. Sometimes wisdom is only found by trusting the Lord with all of your heart. Often the path to wise living can only be found through prayer. To answer my original question, I do not think it possible to be wise apart from God. It is a matter of having a new heart.
Teach us to be wise Lord. Help us to trust you with our heart and not lean on the thoughts of our head.
Both come from God ...
Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what he has made crooked?
Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life. [Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 NLT]
As wise as Solomon was he absolutely got it wrong in these verses. Yet many perceive God in this way. Well meaning and faithful people throughout the years have viewed God as some sort of divine puppet master pulling the strings one way and bringing blessings but causing hard times by pulling different strings. It is an ancient view that was totally destroyed and set on end by Jesus Christ when he came and showed us what God, and his kingdom, is really like.
Jesus Christ told Phillip that anyone who has seen him has seen God. In that statement Jesus put to rest any idea that God makes things crooked and inflicts us with hard times. For in the gospels we see in Christ a God who is consistently moved by love and compassion. We do not see some sort of divine puppet master but one who consistently blesses everyone that he touches with his hands and his words. In Jesus we find the one certain thing in life - love.
Help us to see you clearly dear Lord as the one who is called Love.
Finishing is better than starting.
Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride. -Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT
Life is full of unfinished tasks. Often we start things that we never finish. Many times life's chores are so much harder than we imagined when we started them. It is so easy to start things but not so easy to finish. It is hard to hear words of needing patience at the beginning of a task but it is not long before we understand how impatient we can be when difficulties come and the end seems so far away. Patience often tests our pride. Humility is needed to finish.
The prophet Micah tells us what is required to finish life well. He says that a good life is all about doing the right things, being compassionate and walking humbly with God. I think that each of these embody, in a sense, what it means to be patient. Being patient means that we see past the present day's difficulties and, with hope, humbly do the things today that help us to finish well. Sometimes, if we are patient, we will experience the satisfaction of finishing what we started.
Help us Lord to confront the pride that keeps us from finishing. Teach us to walk humbly.
A good reputation ...
A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born. Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies — so the living should take this to heart.
[Ecclesiastes 7:1 NLT]
Interesting how Solomon connects our reputation to our death. Perhaps it is only in death that our reputation is fully known? Maybe the eulogies spoken at our funerals say more about us than the way that we perceive our own lives?
I am reminded of the images painted of Ebeneezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and how he was given the opportunity to reflect on the reputation that he had earned in his life. Would that all of us had the ability to see ourselves that way.
What do you think you would see if you were, like Scrooge, taken on a trip down memory lane? Do you think that it would, like Scrooge, affect your present day behaviors? Or what if you were shown the day of your death - would it affect you at all? I have given several eulogies - contemplating the life of one who has died gives one occasion to think about their own life and how they would like to be remembered ... and the legacy they will leave.
Help us today dear Lord to build a reputation that honors you. Cause it to be a legacy of love.
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