I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.
Today, I am reading and commenting on Ecclessiastes 1-6.
In many ways I find this passage depressing. People think they have a new idea, but really it is just a recycling of something that went before. As an example, “cloud computing” is touted as a brand new idea, but it is just a return to the model from the early days of commercial computing. In the early days of computing, you paid someone else for time and space on their servers. Then PCs came along and people could afford to have their own computers. Now, we have “cloud computing”, where you pay someone else for time and space on their servers. Nothing is ever truly new. We have forgotten what went before and those who come after us will not remember what we have done.
The writer tells us that he pursued wisdom and folly, hard work and pleasure, all to no avail. He discovered that all of these things were meaningless. From his efforts, he concluded that there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and gain satisfaction from work. Most importantly, he realizes that these pleasures come from God, who gives joy to those who please Him. While it is easy to miss, the writer tells us that the only meaning in this life comes from pleasing God.
My favorite part of today’s passage is Chapter 3 verses 1-8. My wife and I printed this on bookmarks and gave them out as favors at our wedding. We need to recognize that there is a time to celebrate and a time to mourn. My wife and I chose that passage because her father and grandmother had died earlier that year. Her family had had much to mourn, at our wedding it was time to celebrate. Something many in my wife’s family told her when we were considering whether or not to delay our wedding because of the deaths. God gives us joy and sorrow. We need to accept both in their times.
