Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ecclesiastes 1-6.

I always find the Book of Ecclesiastes challenging.  The writer tells us that everything is meaningless, that there is nothing to be gained from striving, and yet strive we must.  However, he also tells us that there is nothing better than to be happy and do good.  Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from today’s passage is that there is nothing new under the sun: human nature does not change.  People argue that traditional morals have become obsolete because times have changed.  They argue that we should not follow the rules laid down in the Bible because they applied to a different time and place.  However, a study of history reveals that whenever it appears that human nature has changed it is because the majority of people are following the moral code revealed in the Bible.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ecclesiastes 7-12.

I want to start with a verse which seems strange, chapter 7 verse  16, where the writer tells us that we should not be too good or too wise.  What does he mean by that? Is it possible to be too good or too wise?  Since I believe the answer to the second question is “No”, the answer to the first must be something other than the literal meaning of what he wrote.  I think the answer here is not acting as if you are better, or wiser, than other individuals.  Don’t try to run other people’s lives for them because you think you are better than they, or wiser than they.  Perhaps the writer also means that we should not present ourselves in a way which leads others to be afraid of acting naturally around us for fear of appearing wicked or foolish.  When we look at verses 16 through 18, it seems to be advice about doing all things in moderation.

The writer also warns us that no one can know everything that God has done and is doing in the world.  We may witness the wicked thrive and the righteous suffer, but the writer assures us that those who fear God will be better off than the wicked.  Everything is in God’s hands and we should strive for contentment in the lot which He has given us.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ecclesiastes 1-6.

While I find the Book of Ecclesiastes slightly depressing, I also find it very insightful.  When the writer tells us that we do not remember what happened in the past and that those in the future will not remember what we did, he is challenging us to break that pattern.  As a result of our failure to remember what happened in the past we think that we can reject the lessons which have been passed down to us from that past.  From time to time people think that they have come up with a new and better way to do things then have ever been thought of before.    If they had a better understanding of the past they would realize that they were mistaken.

The writer goes on to tell us that we should be content in the lot God has given us and take pleasure in it.  There is a balance in life.  I really like how the writer sums that up in the first eight verses of chapter three.  There is a time for everything.  There is a time for the good things in life and a time for those which are less pleasant.  We should not reject the times of laughter just because we experienced a time to cry, and we should not try to turn the time for grief into a time of dancing.  During the time of war and division we must remember that there will come a time for peace.