Day #201
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 5 - 6 …
Solomon wrote Proverbs as God's Spirit spoke
through him, and yet it seems that as he writes Ecclesiastes he is trying to
understand what life is all about and why living for God was the only thing
that made life worth living. The temple was now built and was the center
of worship. People went there to bring their offerings, but as Isaiah
wrote, "their hearts were far from God."
Chapter 5 begins with a warning: "Guard
your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than
to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong" (5:1).
We have talked about humility many times. Many try to make deals
with God, making vows and not keeping them, and then doubting God's justice
when things don't go as they had planned, as though God was the one to break
His promise. It is better to confess your sin as you draw near to God, to
admit your need for cleansing and to truly seek Him, to ask for understanding,
to be teachable.
"Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be
hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and
you are on earth, so let your words be few. … When you make a vow to
God, do not delay in fulfilling it" (5:2,4). Like Solomon, we need to understand that GOD is God,
that His wisdom and power far exceed ours, and that it is WE who must listen to
God, not the other way around. Trying to tell God what He should be doing
displays pride and Scripture clearly teaches us that "pride goes before
a fall."
Solomon was wise, yet he had much to learn.
As God gives you wisdom through His Word, and by His Spirit and through
the counsel of others, be careful not to think that you know it all and that
you have nothing more to learn. With all of his prosperity, Solomon came
to realize that having "things" did not bring happiness. "Whoever
loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied
with his income. This too is meaningless" (5:10). If God
blesses with material wealth and prosperity it is to use for His glory … not to
get more and more and more.
On the other hand, "the sleep of a laborer
is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep" (5:12). You may have little, yet if you
have labored and used God's gifts to acquire what you have there is peace and
satisfaction to be found in contentment. And if God has given you more
than you need, there is joy in using it to be a blessing to others.
Solomon sees the evil of "wealth hoarded" or "wealth
lost" (5:13-14). As Job came to understand, "Naked a man
comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs" (5:15).
Solomon continues, "Then
I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find
satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun the few days of life God has
given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth
and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy
in his work - this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of
his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart" (
5:18-20). Those are powerful words to live by! Work is a GOOD thing,
when done for the Lord and offered to Him as a sacrifice of praise. Don’t get caught
in the trap of dissatisfaction, always looking for something more to possess or
to experience, when it is GOD you need!!
In Chapter 6 Solomon goes on to explain that simply
having wealth and not enjoying it is more of a curse than a blessing. And
by enjoying it, he means using it for the good that God puts in front of you to
do. Listen to his lament: "All man's efforts are for his
mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied" (6:7). The rest
of the chapter follows this sad line of thinking and wrong way of living.
I can't help but wonder what Solomon would think of all the books
Christians read today: "The more the words, the less the meaning,
and how does that profit anyone?" (6:11). Jumping ahead to
the last chapter of this book, Solomon writes, "of making many books
there is no end, and much study wearies the body" (12:12). Many
a student would agree!
Still, there IS a book whose words are necessary
for LIFE itself! "For who knows what is good for a man in life,
during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who
can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone?" (6:12).
God's Word, the Bible, declares the wisdom of God to all who take the
time to read, to hear, to understand and to "grow in the grace and
knowledge" revealed within it. Only those who hear the
truth that God reveals and believe in the One to whom it all points have
anything to say, and our words ring true only as they are grounded in the very
truth of God. We have nothing to offer but that which God has given to
us.
Like Solomon, we must realize that "it is
good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his
toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given
him … " (5:18). When Solomon says, "he seldom
reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness
of heart," (5:20), that should be our goal and our delight.
Living for God and pleasing God in what you are doing should bring you
joy and peace of mind and heart. Whether you have plenty or little
doesn't matter, it's how you use it and what you do with what God has given you
that matters.
Life lived for God through faith in Jesus Christ is
never meaningless! As you learn more of
Him you will stand in awe of God, and as you live your life to bring Him praise
you will discover the meaning and purpose that you seek.
"My Lord and my God, I worship You as I stand
in awe of You, my Creator, my Savior and my God. You alone are the desire
of my heart, for in You is joy unspeakable that lasts forever! Tear my
eyes and my heart away from those things in this world that would distract me
and from the sin that so easily entangles me. Make me Yours, in body and
soul, that I may serve You with passion and zeal, giving You all I am and so
bring praise, glory and honor to You, my God, in Jesus' name, Amen"
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