Tag: ecclesiastes
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Are You Teachable?
13Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.–Ecclesiastes 4 The biblical Solomon started off as a young man asking for wisdom and ended up with this description… King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.…
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The Justice Perspective
16Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.–Ecclesiastes 3 It’s easy to look…
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Never Denying the Heart or the Eyes
1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold…
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Under the Sun
12I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and…
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Appetites are never satisfied.
7All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.–Ecclesiastes 6 I once remember my wife taking me to sushi buffet. And it was expensive, so I made good use of the opportunity! I remember ordering every sushi roll they offered. We took a walk afterwards, and I almost remembered…
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Money doesn’t lead to satisfaction.
10He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.–Ecclesiastes 5 This simple proverb invites you to wonder what has your love. What do you love and therefore pursue above other things? The author had more money than most people and yet still…
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What’s in your hands?
6Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.–Ecclesiastes 4 The word for quietness is linked to both peace and rest. This tells us that there is a peace and quiet that doesn’t really bring rest. Some pursue peace and simply escape their issue or never deal…
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Your Name Is Near
1We give thanks to you, O God;we give thanks, for your name is near.We recount your wondrous deeds.–Psalm 75 The oddness of the expression grabbed ahold of me this morning. God’s name is near. Let’s look at Hebrew word usage and see if we can figure this out. For it was something that the psalmist Asaph…
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A Time to Break, a Time to Build
3You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. 4You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. 5But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out…
Joel M Bradshaw 