Ecclesiastes 7, 10, and bits from 8, 11, & 12

Ecclesiastes 7, 10, and bits from 8 11, & 12

 

To start, I'm going to echo what Apryl said yesterday.  Solomon was a great and rich king.  He had beautiful women, kingdoms, riches that we can't even imagine.  We see a glimpse of him now in Ecclesiastes.  A man who had regrets.  He most likely had heartbreak, despair, and wisdom that was a double-edged sword. 

 

In chapter 7: 1-10 the word "better" is used 8 times.   Just like Pastor Scott mentioned in his sermon on Sunday, our society around us live in the present.  Our culture promotes being spontaneous, just like Nike tells us to "Just Do It."    There is always something better and greater.  But I read and reread these verses…and thought, really?  Did he really say that sadness is better than laughter?  The day we die is better than the day we were born?  These are some pretty intense statements.  The writer knew there something better than this world.  It is true that as a Christian, the day we die, will be better than the day we are born.  We shouldn't only live in the past asking "Why were the old days better than these?" (7:10)  It is a balance.  Also looking at these early verses in chapter 7, I looked at the commentary in my study Bible and it made sense.  Wisdom does not come from great, happy, picture perfect times.  We gain wisdom from those tough times, the trials, the heartache.  We lean on God and fear God during these times.      

 

 

We also see God the Creator again.  I love 11: 5, "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mothers womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things."  So true…the mystery of God.  We question God, just like Job did, what we can't understand God all the time.  We just need to trust him and his Sovereign wisdom.  He knows what He's doing even though I don't.  Just like chapter 7: 29, "God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." – SIN.  We are sinners and 7:20  "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins."  Sound familiar?  The whole New Testament touches on our sin and our NEED for a SAVIOR.  Even Solomon knew that we fell short of God's glory and that we are sinful, messy people.  But as I mentioned before, God is Creator and God is Sovereign.   He knew that and he sent His son so that the day of our death will be better than the day of our birth.  As a believer and follower of Christ, I know that there is something better than this world.  Salvation came from Jesus.  I pray I live Christ-sufficient, not self-sufficient.  I'm thankful for my comfortable life, for what I am able to do, and I celebrate God's creation: beauty, food, drink, my family, my friends, and my husband.  But I do know that there is something better.