Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 22:17-19

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 22:17-19

 

            I think I have seen The Shawshank Redemption at least 50 times.  It's one of our favorites, but it is also always on tv.  If you haven't seen it, the novel was originally written by Stephen King, but it stars Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, and is about the 4 decade prison experience Robbin's character experienced for a crime he did not commit.  It's a story of hardship, compassion, the meaning of life, justice, and hope.  There is a quote these characters shared that sticks in my mind when they were surrounded by walls of the prison, they said, "Get busy livin' or get busy dying."  As I have been reading through Ecclesiastes, this quote came to mind and as Solomon debated the purpose of life, waste, death, and what is better.

 

            In the first ten verses of Ecclesiastes 7, the word "better" is used eight times.  In our American culture we can totally identify with this.  I am classically guilty of this on a daily basis…"If I had a better house, a better car, a better job, a better marriage…if I was a better friend, a better daughter, a better athlete, a better…"  Right?  But I have never really said, "The day of death better that the day of birth, " nor have I really thought about how "sorrow is better that laughter."  Later in verse 15, Solomon even said, "In this meaningless life of mine…"  As I read these things I think Solomon must be in a depressed mood!  Yes, he saw many terrible things as a child growing up as we have read in previous books, including the murders of brothers, marriages falling apart, death, war, poverty, and sin at its worst.  But he was also a great king with riches, he built the temple for God, and ruled a great nation.  Was life that meaningless?   He was known for his wisdom, and Ecclesiastes and these chapters are the essence of it.  He ties everything back to the mystery and the glory of God. 

           

            The wisdom Solomon shares is truth about God's sovereignty and perfection.  He challenges us in chapter 7:13-14, "Consider what God has done…When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad consider: God has made the one as well as the other."  One of my old pastors, Ryan, described it as an arrow, and this arrow always points back to God and His glory.  We are to enjoy the things around us: food, drink, beauty, our spouse, our family, and the creation around us, but we do so knowing that we give God the glory and that we celebrate Him.  We live our daily lives as Solomon saw…we do not know when the day of our death may come, but it is the one thing we all have in common.  Get busy livin, or get busy dying.  The challenge is WHO are you living for?  Are we waking and giving our day to God?  Are we using it wisely and with purpose?  Is it wasted?  We know how precious time is and how valued it is.  These days are a gift from God (Eccl 8:15) but I pray that we all use them for His glory and His purpose.