In my Liberty online class this week I studied Numbers and Deuteronomy - I know, at first thought this sounds like a very boring week. Yet there are some great stories amidst the lists of people and lists of offerings in these two books. One fascinating story is the great sin of Moses that caused him to not enter the Promised Land of Canaan.
Moses committed his great sin at Meribah, meaning “rebel waters” (Numbers 20:2-13). The Israelites complained to Moses about there being no water. The Lord told Moses to speak to the rock and then it would bring forth water. Instead, Moses struck the rock with his rod. Water still came out, but he disobeyed God’s direction. Because of this, God said that Moses would not enter the Promised Land (Numbers 20:10-12). In an act due partly to unbelief and anger, Moses screamed at the people and disobeyed the Lord by striking the rock twice instead of speaking to it once as God had commanded.
Moses thus, becomes at least one of seven Old and new Testament individuals who failed God, not in their weakest but in their strongest point:
- Abraham’s strongest point was his faith (Gen. 15:6; Heb. 11:8-10), yet he failed God by his unbelief (Gen. 12:10-20; 20:1-5)
- David’s strongest point was his kindness (he spared Saul’s life on two occasions, 1 Sam. 24:1-6; 26:5-13), yet he failed God by his cruelty (he killed Uriah, 2 Sam. 11:14-15)
- Solomon’s strongest point was his wisdom (1 Kings 3:5-12), yet he failed God by his stupidity (he allowed riches, power, and women to ruin him, (1 Kings 4:26; 10:27; 11:1-6. Contrast these verses with Deut. 17:14-17)
- Elijah’s strongest point was his courage (he stood up alone on Mount Carmel against 450 priests of Baal, 1 Kings 18), yet he failed God by his cowardice (he ran from a woman, Jezebel, 1 Kings 19)
- Peter’s strongest point was his loyalty (Matt. 16:16; 26:31-33), yet he failed God by his denials (Matt. 26:69-75)
- Paul’s strongest point was his liberty in Christ (entire book of Galatians), yet he failed God by placing himself back under legalism (Acts 21:18-26) (OTS page 132)
Thinking on all of this, I think a lot of Christians, and even just people in general, believe that there is one area in their lives where they have everything together - whether it is their faith, their integrity, their courage, whatever it may be - but we need to remember that we are not perfect - not in anything - and many times in that one area that we think we have all together - that is where we can fall the hardest because our pride comes into play and we are not closely watching ourselves when we think we have it together. I have tried to get this across to the youth girls that I teach in the area of purity - even if you grow up in church and have heard a million times to stay pure and to not have sex before marriage - and even if you think you would never have sex before marriage or do anything sexually unpure - a boy may come along that will tempt you and if you are not on guard and you allow yourself to be put in situations where you can fail, then you probably will fail - none of us our perfect. We may know the right thing to do, we may have heard it all our life, and we may think we have that area altogether - but failure will happen - and it will happen even more when we are not continually growing and studying God's word. Thank goodness we have a loving and forgiving God that forgives us for our mistakes, whether they are big or small in our eyes. He loves us and cares for us no matter what.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Are we like the Israelites???
A couple weeks ago I began an Old Testament survey class through Liberty University Online. Right now i am studying Exodus. In reading about the Israelites, I think many times we wonder why they grumbled and failed to trust in God after He had already accomplished so many miracles for them.
God freed them from the Egyptians through the 10 plagues and through crossing the Red Sea. I mean, how amazing would it be to see these miracles performed just so you could escape slavery. However, right before crossing the Red Sea, in Exodus 14:11-12 the Israelites said:
"They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!""
After they had seen the miracles of the 10 plagues, they failed to trust that God would continue to save them - yet God still saved them even though they lacked faith. He opened the Red Sea and they crossed it and the Egyptians were killed when the Sea fell on them. Again, a little later in Exodus, the Israelites again questioned God's provision. In Exodus 15:22-27, the Israelites came to Marah where the water was bitter and again they grumbled to Moses asking what would they drink? Again, the Lord provided for His people by changing the water to make it drinkable for them - even though they complained and lacked faith at that moment.
Again, in Exodus 16:2-3 - "In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."" And again, the Lord provided for them by giving them manna every day - telling them to take just the amount they needed to eat each day. Yet, some Israelites did not listen and took more than what they would eat in one day. The manna that they kept overnight became spoiled and probably made it smell quite badly. Thus, the Israelites were given food from God and they still did not listen to His orders regarding it. Yet God still continued to provide them with manna.
Throughout their wilderness time, God continued to tell them that He would provide Canaan to them. He continued to provide for them even when they grumbled and lacked faith in Him. However, in Numbers 14, after the people had reached the edge of Canaan, the promised land, the people lacked faith and told Moses that they would not try to enter the land because they were afraid of the giants in the land. They lacked faith that God would fulfill His promise to them to provide Canaan to them. The people even said they should just go back to Egypt - back to the land that had imprisoned them! This time, God would provide Canaan to the Israelites except not to those Israelites that had left Egypt. He told them they would wander in the desert for 40 years, until all those over 20 had died, and only those who were born after they had left Egypt would be able to enter the land of Canaan.
How many of us look at this story and think the Israelites were completely stupid for not having faith in God and His provisions after everything He had already done? Yet how many of us do this every day? We constantly worry about God providing what we need. We worry about finances, relationships, fear of the future...yet God has promised to always be with us and always provide for us. It may not be in the way we think things should happen, but we need to trust in His will. We need to have faith that He will provide for us. We need to not be like the Israelites continually grumbling at God and continually trying to go back to our "Egypt" - our live before Christ - our prison. We need to strive toward what God has promised us and His daily provisions.
God freed them from the Egyptians through the 10 plagues and through crossing the Red Sea. I mean, how amazing would it be to see these miracles performed just so you could escape slavery. However, right before crossing the Red Sea, in Exodus 14:11-12 the Israelites said:
"They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!""
After they had seen the miracles of the 10 plagues, they failed to trust that God would continue to save them - yet God still saved them even though they lacked faith. He opened the Red Sea and they crossed it and the Egyptians were killed when the Sea fell on them. Again, a little later in Exodus, the Israelites again questioned God's provision. In Exodus 15:22-27, the Israelites came to Marah where the water was bitter and again they grumbled to Moses asking what would they drink? Again, the Lord provided for His people by changing the water to make it drinkable for them - even though they complained and lacked faith at that moment.
Again, in Exodus 16:2-3 - "In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."" And again, the Lord provided for them by giving them manna every day - telling them to take just the amount they needed to eat each day. Yet, some Israelites did not listen and took more than what they would eat in one day. The manna that they kept overnight became spoiled and probably made it smell quite badly. Thus, the Israelites were given food from God and they still did not listen to His orders regarding it. Yet God still continued to provide them with manna.
Throughout their wilderness time, God continued to tell them that He would provide Canaan to them. He continued to provide for them even when they grumbled and lacked faith in Him. However, in Numbers 14, after the people had reached the edge of Canaan, the promised land, the people lacked faith and told Moses that they would not try to enter the land because they were afraid of the giants in the land. They lacked faith that God would fulfill His promise to them to provide Canaan to them. The people even said they should just go back to Egypt - back to the land that had imprisoned them! This time, God would provide Canaan to the Israelites except not to those Israelites that had left Egypt. He told them they would wander in the desert for 40 years, until all those over 20 had died, and only those who were born after they had left Egypt would be able to enter the land of Canaan.
How many of us look at this story and think the Israelites were completely stupid for not having faith in God and His provisions after everything He had already done? Yet how many of us do this every day? We constantly worry about God providing what we need. We worry about finances, relationships, fear of the future...yet God has promised to always be with us and always provide for us. It may not be in the way we think things should happen, but we need to trust in His will. We need to have faith that He will provide for us. We need to not be like the Israelites continually grumbling at God and continually trying to go back to our "Egypt" - our live before Christ - our prison. We need to strive toward what God has promised us and His daily provisions.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Tonight's Dinner - Chicken Marsala
Tried another new recipe tonight. I would give this one a B - pretty good, but not as good as the Chicken Marsala from Bone Fish Grill. Here is the recipe I used:
1.In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2.In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1.In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2.In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.
And the finished meal with leftover mashed potatoes and green beans....
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Tonight's Dinner - Filet Mignon with Tarragon Butter, Mashed Potatoes, Corn Casserole, and Green Beans
Tonight's dinner was fantastic. In fact, hubby said that this steak was the best I have made at home - and he ate the whole steak in under 5 minutes - so it must have been good. I love to make things he likes. So here are the recipes below:
Corn Casserole (recipe courtesy of my sister in law)
Ingredients: 1 can whole kernel corn (undrained), 1 can cream style corn, 1 8oz container of sour cream, 2 eggs (beaten), 1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1 stick of butter (melted)
Mix it all together and put in pan and bake at 350 for about 1 hour.
And the finished result:
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients: potatoes, milk, butter, and salt (all amounts as you desire to taste)
Peel potatoes and cut in smaller pieces and put in boiling water
When the pieces are soft enough, place in mixing bowl and mix with milk, butter, and salt until finished.
Steaks with Tarragon Butter (recipe courtesy of Southern Living Cookbook)
Ingredients: 2 steaks (I used filet mignon), 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1 shallot (finely chopped), 1/4 cup of butter (softened), 1/8 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh tarragon
Sprinkle the filets evenly with the 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot; add oil. Cook fillets in hot oil 2 minutes on each side. Place pan in oven, and bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10-20 minutes (depending on your desired level of cooking)
For the tarragon butter, cook shallot in 1 teaspoon butter in small skillet over medium-high heat until tender, stirring often; cool 2 minutes. Combine shallot, remaining butter, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and tarragon in a small bowl. Top each steak with it evenly before serving.
AND THE FINISHED DINNER....
Danger of Doubting
I recently began studying the book of Hebrews using Warren Wiersbe's book, Be Confident. I have never really studied this book and have really enjoyed it so far because it definitely speaks to Christians in their faith and things to watch out for. Last time I wrote about the writer's first admonition to Christians about being careful to heed the Word and not neglect our faith. Here is the second admonition about not doubting the Word and God's promise through the life of our faith because then our hearts will become hard and we will not be open to all God has for us in blessings and future inheritances in heaven.
Hebrews 3:7-4:13
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." 16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
This is the second of the writer’s five exhortations/admonitions -- Danger of doubting and disbelieving the Word because of hardness of heart. The background regarding this section is about the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their experiences of unbelief in the wilderness. The nation's bondage in Egypt is spoken of in Hebrews as an illustration of the sinner's bondage in this world. God's desire was that the people enter their glorious inheritance in Canaan – but when Israel got to the border of their inheritance, they delayed because they doubted the promise of God (Numbers 13-14). Because of this, they missed their inheritance and died in the wilderness. Canaan represents our spiritual inheritance in Christ. The wilderness wanderings represent the experiences of believers who will not claim their spiritual inheritance in Christ, who doubt God’s word and live in restless unbelief – God is with them (just like Israel), but they do not enjoy the fullness of God’s blessings
Rest is pictured in this passage in three areas:
o God’s Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:4) – this is a picture of our rest in Christ through salvation (Hebrews 4:3)
o Israel’s rest in Canaan (Hebrews 3:11) – this is a picture of our present rest as we claim our inheritance in Christ (Hebrews 4:11-13) (submission)
o Future rest that all believers will enjoy with God
Take Aways:
- We need to take heed to the sad history of the nation of Israel and the important lesson it teaches
- The heart is always the problem – their hearts wandered from God and His word and they had hearts of unbelief in that they did not believe God would give them victory in Canaan
- When a person has an erring heart and a disbelieving heart, the result will also be a hard heart – this is a heart insensitive to the Word and work of God – so hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to Egypt
- Every believer is tempted to give up his confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s life of compromise and bondage
- Hebrews 3:12 – the sin of Israel – departing from the living God – refusing God’s will for their lives and stubbornly wanting to go their own way back to Egypt
- The confidence of our salvation is no excuse for sin
- Hebrews 3:12 – Word of God is like a sword because it is powerful enough to penetrate and expose the inner heart of man
- Hebrews 3:13 – important that we encourage each other to be faithful to the Lord
Hebrews 3:7-4:13
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert, 9 where your fathers tested and tried me and for forty years saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.' 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " 12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." 16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.
1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. 4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." 6 It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. 7 Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." 8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
This is the second of the writer’s five exhortations/admonitions -- Danger of doubting and disbelieving the Word because of hardness of heart. The background regarding this section is about the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their experiences of unbelief in the wilderness. The nation's bondage in Egypt is spoken of in Hebrews as an illustration of the sinner's bondage in this world. God's desire was that the people enter their glorious inheritance in Canaan – but when Israel got to the border of their inheritance, they delayed because they doubted the promise of God (Numbers 13-14). Because of this, they missed their inheritance and died in the wilderness. Canaan represents our spiritual inheritance in Christ. The wilderness wanderings represent the experiences of believers who will not claim their spiritual inheritance in Christ, who doubt God’s word and live in restless unbelief – God is with them (just like Israel), but they do not enjoy the fullness of God’s blessings
Rest is pictured in this passage in three areas:
o God’s Sabbath rest (Hebrews 4:4) – this is a picture of our rest in Christ through salvation (Hebrews 4:3)
o Israel’s rest in Canaan (Hebrews 3:11) – this is a picture of our present rest as we claim our inheritance in Christ (Hebrews 4:11-13) (submission)
o Future rest that all believers will enjoy with God
Take Aways:
- We need to take heed to the sad history of the nation of Israel and the important lesson it teaches
- The heart is always the problem – their hearts wandered from God and His word and they had hearts of unbelief in that they did not believe God would give them victory in Canaan
- When a person has an erring heart and a disbelieving heart, the result will also be a hard heart – this is a heart insensitive to the Word and work of God – so hard was the heart of Israel that the people even wanted to return to Egypt
- Every believer is tempted to give up his confession of Christ and go back into the world system’s life of compromise and bondage
- Hebrews 3:12 – the sin of Israel – departing from the living God – refusing God’s will for their lives and stubbornly wanting to go their own way back to Egypt
- The confidence of our salvation is no excuse for sin
- Hebrews 3:12 – Word of God is like a sword because it is powerful enough to penetrate and expose the inner heart of man
- Hebrews 3:13 – important that we encourage each other to be faithful to the Lord
Monday, May 16, 2011
Tonight's Dinner - King Ranch Chicken Casserole
I promised Sam that once finals were over I would start cooking dinners. Last Thursday night I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, and sauteed green beans. Tonight I made King Ranch Chicken Casserole. I forgot to take a picture of it before we ate it, but I found this one online that looks similar to mine.
It's really not that hard to make. Cook chicken - I used four chicken breasts that I cut up in small pieces and just cooked real quick in a pan on the stove. You can also just cook a whole chicken and then cut that up if you want some dark meat in it too. Then saute a chopped up onion and chopped up bell pepper in a pan with butter. Then add a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cream and chicken soup. Then add a can of diced tomatoes. Add the chicken. Add a teaspoon of chili powder and half a teaspoon of garlic powder. Then soak 12 six inch corn tortillas (each cut in four pieces) in some chicken broth. In your casserole pan, layer some of the soaked tortillas along the bottom of the pan. Then, pour some of your chicken mixture, then pour cheddar cheese, then repeat with tortialls, chicken mixture, and cheese. I only had room to do it twice but if your pan is deeper, then you can layer a third time. Then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes and you have dinner. Enjoy!
It's really not that hard to make. Cook chicken - I used four chicken breasts that I cut up in small pieces and just cooked real quick in a pan on the stove. You can also just cook a whole chicken and then cut that up if you want some dark meat in it too. Then saute a chopped up onion and chopped up bell pepper in a pan with butter. Then add a can of cream of mushroom soup and a can of cream and chicken soup. Then add a can of diced tomatoes. Add the chicken. Add a teaspoon of chili powder and half a teaspoon of garlic powder. Then soak 12 six inch corn tortillas (each cut in four pieces) in some chicken broth. In your casserole pan, layer some of the soaked tortillas along the bottom of the pan. Then, pour some of your chicken mixture, then pour cheddar cheese, then repeat with tortialls, chicken mixture, and cheese. I only had room to do it twice but if your pan is deeper, then you can layer a third time. Then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes and you have dinner. Enjoy!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Come Home
I love this song by Meredith Andrews and sometimes when I am singing it totally makes me cry because it just takes my heart. I hope it is an encouragement to you if there is someone in your life, a friend, a child, a parent, a spouse, whoever, that you just want to come home back to you and back to Jesus - maybe it is even you that needs to come home...
Heed the Word and Don't Drift
I began a study of the book of Hebrews last week, but with final exams taking over my life I haven't had a chance to write down everything I was learning. I am using the commentary by Warren Wiersbe called Be Confident to help me go through the book and a lot of what is below is from his book.
Background:
- Author of Hebrews is unknown
- Letter written to the Hebrew people
- Theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ and His salvation to the law of Moses (Jewish law) – the people were being tempted to go back to their Jewish faith and all the laws of Moses instead of following Christ’s salvation – they wanted to stop being persecuted for believing in Christ and that is part of what tempted them to go back to only following Jewish law
Hebrews 2:1-4
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
- This section of Hebrews is the writer’s first of five admonitions to the Hebrews
- The purpose of the admonition is to encourage all the readers to pay attention to God’s word and obey it
- Admonition is written to believers, for the writer included himself when he wrote “we”
- Danger here is of neglecting our salvation
- More spiritual problems are caused by neglect than perhaps by any other failure on our part
- Vs. 2 – “transgression” refers to sins of commission while “disobedience” suggests sins of omission
This passage really spoke to me this week for a number of reasons - it was like God picked it out especially for me when I needed it. It was just an emotionally up and down week for me between finals, work, and a few issues some of my friends have been dealing with lately. And I felt pretty broken and upset a few nights during the week. But God really touched me when I read this section because it was like He was totally explaining to me what was going on with some of the issues I felt were right in my face. When we don't heed His word, when we are not constantly in His word, we are neglecting our salvation. Heeding the word does not just mean reading it either. We could read it a ton, but if we aren't following it or taking it to heart, then it does us no good. We are simply making our lives harder when we say we follow God, but don't heed His word. We are being hypocritical and we are causing ourselves more hurt and pain than God ever wanted us to be in. Now, I am not saying that if we heed God's word everything in life will be great, because that is certainly not true because God tells us that we will go through trials and tribulations in His name. But when we don't heed His word and aren't following Him and neglecting our salvation, we are putting ourselves in situations that He never intended us to be in and that are not the best places we should be in. Then we end up living through the consequences of our choices and having to try to move forward - hopefully now heeding His word and making the right decision with our next steps.
Background:
- Author of Hebrews is unknown
- Letter written to the Hebrew people
- Theme of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ and His salvation to the law of Moses (Jewish law) – the people were being tempted to go back to their Jewish faith and all the laws of Moses instead of following Christ’s salvation – they wanted to stop being persecuted for believing in Christ and that is part of what tempted them to go back to only following Jewish law
Hebrews 2:1-4
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
- This section of Hebrews is the writer’s first of five admonitions to the Hebrews
- The purpose of the admonition is to encourage all the readers to pay attention to God’s word and obey it
- Admonition is written to believers, for the writer included himself when he wrote “we”
- Danger here is of neglecting our salvation
- More spiritual problems are caused by neglect than perhaps by any other failure on our part
- Vs. 2 – “transgression” refers to sins of commission while “disobedience” suggests sins of omission
This passage really spoke to me this week for a number of reasons - it was like God picked it out especially for me when I needed it. It was just an emotionally up and down week for me between finals, work, and a few issues some of my friends have been dealing with lately. And I felt pretty broken and upset a few nights during the week. But God really touched me when I read this section because it was like He was totally explaining to me what was going on with some of the issues I felt were right in my face. When we don't heed His word, when we are not constantly in His word, we are neglecting our salvation. Heeding the word does not just mean reading it either. We could read it a ton, but if we aren't following it or taking it to heart, then it does us no good. We are simply making our lives harder when we say we follow God, but don't heed His word. We are being hypocritical and we are causing ourselves more hurt and pain than God ever wanted us to be in. Now, I am not saying that if we heed God's word everything in life will be great, because that is certainly not true because God tells us that we will go through trials and tribulations in His name. But when we don't heed His word and aren't following Him and neglecting our salvation, we are putting ourselves in situations that He never intended us to be in and that are not the best places we should be in. Then we end up living through the consequences of our choices and having to try to move forward - hopefully now heeding His word and making the right decision with our next steps.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Words of Encouragement
Here is a list of verses that I pulled today that bring me encouragement and will hopefully do the same for you!
Psalm 34:19 – Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 46:1-3, 7 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Psalm 55:22 – Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 61:2-4 – From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Psalm 62:6 – He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.
Proverbs 18:10 – The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10 – Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Nahum 1:7 – The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in Him
Matthew 21:21 – And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”
Matthew 28:20 b – And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 14:16-17 – And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 16:33 – These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
Romans 5: 1-5 -- Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:31 – When then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:38-39 – And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 – For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now all glory to God, who is able, through His might power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Philippians 4:6-7 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
2 Timothy 2:22 – So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Hebrews 2:18 – For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
James 1:2-4 – Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he was caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Peter 5:7 – casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
1 John 5:14-15 – And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.
Psalm 34:19 – Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 46:1-3, 7 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Psalm 55:22 – Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
Psalm 61:2-4 – From the end of the earth I will cry to you, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
Psalm 62:6 – He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.
Proverbs 18:10 – The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10 – Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Isaiah 43:2 – When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Jeremiah 29:11 – For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Nahum 1:7 – The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in Him
Matthew 21:21 – And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.”
Matthew 28:20 b – And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John 14:16-17 – And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 15:5 – I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 16:33 – These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.
Romans 5: 1-5 -- Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:31 – When then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:38-39 – And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 12:12 – Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 – For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Ephesians 2:8 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
Ephesians 3:20-21 – Now all glory to God, who is able, through His might power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
Philippians 4:6-7 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
2 Timothy 2:22 – So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Hebrews 2:18 – For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
James 1:2-4 – Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
1 Peter 1:3 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he was caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
1 Peter 5:7 – casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
1 John 5:14-15 – And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Beware of False Teachers
Very interesting blog by John MacArthur about Rob Bell and his teaching. We need to constantly keep our guard up to false teachers and remember that the Bible should not be distorted in ways that change the basic meanings of the Gospel.
http://www.gty.org/Blog/B110418
http://www.gty.org/Blog/B110418
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Happy Palm Sunday!
Let us remember what our Savior went through during this last week of His life on earth before his resurrection!
Luke 19: 28-40 -- 28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'" 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34 And they said, "The Lord has need of it." 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near--already on the way down the Mount of Olives--the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." 40 He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
Luke 19: 28-40 -- 28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, "Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' you shall say this: 'The Lord has need of it.'" 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34 And they said, "The Lord has need of it." 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near--already on the way down the Mount of Olives--the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." 40 He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out."
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Tulip Love
Spring is here finally!!! Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to have a home and have tulips growing in front of my house. My Mommom always has had dozens of tulips growing outside her home and I fell in love with them at an early age. This year is the first year this dream has come true and I am loving coming home and seeing a few tulips standing tall and proud and beautiful. There are only a few of them because are yard is small, but those few have fulfilled my childhood dream!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Life is worth living!
Ecclesiastes 11 and 12 - My key verse in this section is Eccl. 11:8 - "So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity." We need to rejoice in every day we are given - and remember that there will be many dark days while we are on this earth - but there is a better place we are headed if Jesus is our guide.
Is life worth living? That was Solomon's question when he began and he said no, giving four arguments: the monotony of life, the vanity of wisdom, the futility of wealth, and the certainty of death. Being wise, he reviewed these arguments and this time brough God into the picture. This makes all the difference. He realized life was not monotonous but filled with challenging situations from God, each in its own time and each for its own purpose. Also learned wealth could be enjoyed and employed to the glory of God. Though man's wisdom couldn't explain everything, Solomon concluded it was better to follow God's wisdom than to practice man's folly. No escpae from death, and it ought to motivate us to enjoy life now and make the most of the opportunities God gives us. Now, Solomon is ready for his conclusion and personal application. He presents four pictures of life and attaches to each picture a practical admonition to heed.
(1) Life is an adventure - Live by faith (11:1-6) - Solomon uses two activities to illustrate his point here - the merchant sending out his ships and the farmer sowing his seed. In both of these activities a great deal of faith is required because neither can control the circumstances - both have a risk. Man is ignorant of the future, but he must not allow his ignorance to make him so fearful that he becomes either careless or paralyzed. Verse 4 points out that we can't just sit around waiting for ideal circumstances to happen. We must use each day wisely and sometimes leap out in faith.
(2) Life is a gift - Enjoy it (11:7-12:8) - We must rejoice in life (vs. 7-9). We must remove vexation from our lives (inner pain, anxiety) (vs. 10). We must remember - paying attention to consider life with the intention of obeying (12:1-8). Solomon describes different pictures of death in this section with a picture of a house falling apart and turning to dust, a lamp chain breaking, and a pitcher shattering. He is pointing out that we know that death is inevitable and we must enjoy and rejoice with every day we are given to live.
(3) Life is a school - Learn your lessons (12:9-12) - We must be wise and orderly in learning and studying God's word. In verse 12 he gives a warning that we should not go beyond what God has written in His word and to not allow man's books to rob us of God's wisdom. So much of the world can mold our minds and change our beliefs if we allow them to. There are no many in academia and in the philosophical and political realms that can morph our thoughts and change the way we believe. We must be solid in our faith and stay true to what God's word teaches us and not allow what others say to distort those true beliefs.
(4) Life is a stewardship - Fear God (12:13-14) - Fear is an attitude of reverance and awe that His people show Him because they love Him and respect His power and His greatness. The fear of the Lord must result in obedient living, otherwise the "fear" is only a sham. If we are not truly in awe and revere Him we will not obey Him. Our fruits of obedience will demonstrate our fear of the Lord.
All in all, Solomon has shown us that life is truly worth living - even through all the hardships that occur. God's wisdom helps us through life when we allow it. We need to focus on enjoying what we have here while we are here - and focus on the eternity of greatness that is waiting for us!
Ecclesiastes 11 (ESV) 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. 7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. 8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. 9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12 (ESV) 1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut--when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low-- 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets-- 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Is life worth living? That was Solomon's question when he began and he said no, giving four arguments: the monotony of life, the vanity of wisdom, the futility of wealth, and the certainty of death. Being wise, he reviewed these arguments and this time brough God into the picture. This makes all the difference. He realized life was not monotonous but filled with challenging situations from God, each in its own time and each for its own purpose. Also learned wealth could be enjoyed and employed to the glory of God. Though man's wisdom couldn't explain everything, Solomon concluded it was better to follow God's wisdom than to practice man's folly. No escpae from death, and it ought to motivate us to enjoy life now and make the most of the opportunities God gives us. Now, Solomon is ready for his conclusion and personal application. He presents four pictures of life and attaches to each picture a practical admonition to heed.
(1) Life is an adventure - Live by faith (11:1-6) - Solomon uses two activities to illustrate his point here - the merchant sending out his ships and the farmer sowing his seed. In both of these activities a great deal of faith is required because neither can control the circumstances - both have a risk. Man is ignorant of the future, but he must not allow his ignorance to make him so fearful that he becomes either careless or paralyzed. Verse 4 points out that we can't just sit around waiting for ideal circumstances to happen. We must use each day wisely and sometimes leap out in faith.
(2) Life is a gift - Enjoy it (11:7-12:8) - We must rejoice in life (vs. 7-9). We must remove vexation from our lives (inner pain, anxiety) (vs. 10). We must remember - paying attention to consider life with the intention of obeying (12:1-8). Solomon describes different pictures of death in this section with a picture of a house falling apart and turning to dust, a lamp chain breaking, and a pitcher shattering. He is pointing out that we know that death is inevitable and we must enjoy and rejoice with every day we are given to live.
(3) Life is a school - Learn your lessons (12:9-12) - We must be wise and orderly in learning and studying God's word. In verse 12 he gives a warning that we should not go beyond what God has written in His word and to not allow man's books to rob us of God's wisdom. So much of the world can mold our minds and change our beliefs if we allow them to. There are no many in academia and in the philosophical and political realms that can morph our thoughts and change the way we believe. We must be solid in our faith and stay true to what God's word teaches us and not allow what others say to distort those true beliefs.
(4) Life is a stewardship - Fear God (12:13-14) - Fear is an attitude of reverance and awe that His people show Him because they love Him and respect His power and His greatness. The fear of the Lord must result in obedient living, otherwise the "fear" is only a sham. If we are not truly in awe and revere Him we will not obey Him. Our fruits of obedience will demonstrate our fear of the Lord.
All in all, Solomon has shown us that life is truly worth living - even through all the hardships that occur. God's wisdom helps us through life when we allow it. We need to focus on enjoying what we have here while we are here - and focus on the eternity of greatness that is waiting for us!
Ecclesiastes 11 (ESV) 1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. 3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. 4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good. 7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. 8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. 9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. 10 Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12 (ESV) 1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and the doors on the street are shut--when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low-- 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets-- 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. 8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
9 Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. 10 The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Life and Death
Ecclesiastes 9 - Solomon makes two major points about life and death in this chapter.
(1) Death is unavoidable (vs. 1-10) He points out three different responses that people may make to the fear of death. People may try to escape death (vs. 3). People will do almost anything but repent in order to escape the reality of death. The problem is that you don't get confidence by trying to run away from the reality of death - you get it by facing "the last enemy" honestly, turning from sing and trusting Jesus to save you. Death is not scary when you know where you are going when you die and are secure in your destination. People may also try to endure death (vs. 4-6). People hope for the best, and just go along with it, without any real hope or belief. All Solomon is asking here is that we have some common sense along with our hope that things will be okay, otherwise we could be grasping a false hope. The only true hope is in Jesus and when we put our hope in anything else, we will be putting our life in a false realization. The last option Solomon posits regarding death is that people can face it with enjoyment (vs. 7-10). Yes, death is coming - for everyone - but God gives us good gifts to enjoy while we are here are earth and we should enjoy them. God does not want us to just sit on earth waiting for death to happen - He gives us life experiences to enjoy and to take pleasure in while we are here.
(2) Life is unpredictable (vs. 11-18) - Our abilities are no guarantee of success (vs. 11-12). Even some of the most gifted people can fail because of factors out of control. Just think of Pia getting eliminated from American Idol this week. Many people thought she could win the whole competition, but because of factors out of her control (the public voting), she is not going to have the success of winning the competition no matter how talented she might have been. Also, our opportunities are no guarantee of success (vs. 13-18). Just because many more people have the opportunity to go to college or grad school now does not guarantee them a good job when they graduate because of our present economy. The economy is a factor out of our control - we can't do anything about it. It is unpredictable at times and those of use who have studied in school for years have no guarantee of a job even though we have been given these great opportunities of schooling.
Solomon is trying to point out that both life and death are out of our control. Death comes when it comes and life is completely unpredictable most of the time. We have no control. All we can control is how we react to sitauttions and if we are ready to face death when it comes.
Ecclesiastes 9 (ESV) - 1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. 13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. 17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
(1) Death is unavoidable (vs. 1-10) He points out three different responses that people may make to the fear of death. People may try to escape death (vs. 3). People will do almost anything but repent in order to escape the reality of death. The problem is that you don't get confidence by trying to run away from the reality of death - you get it by facing "the last enemy" honestly, turning from sing and trusting Jesus to save you. Death is not scary when you know where you are going when you die and are secure in your destination. People may also try to endure death (vs. 4-6). People hope for the best, and just go along with it, without any real hope or belief. All Solomon is asking here is that we have some common sense along with our hope that things will be okay, otherwise we could be grasping a false hope. The only true hope is in Jesus and when we put our hope in anything else, we will be putting our life in a false realization. The last option Solomon posits regarding death is that people can face it with enjoyment (vs. 7-10). Yes, death is coming - for everyone - but God gives us good gifts to enjoy while we are here are earth and we should enjoy them. God does not want us to just sit on earth waiting for death to happen - He gives us life experiences to enjoy and to take pleasure in while we are here.
(2) Life is unpredictable (vs. 11-18) - Our abilities are no guarantee of success (vs. 11-12). Even some of the most gifted people can fail because of factors out of control. Just think of Pia getting eliminated from American Idol this week. Many people thought she could win the whole competition, but because of factors out of her control (the public voting), she is not going to have the success of winning the competition no matter how talented she might have been. Also, our opportunities are no guarantee of success (vs. 13-18). Just because many more people have the opportunity to go to college or grad school now does not guarantee them a good job when they graduate because of our present economy. The economy is a factor out of our control - we can't do anything about it. It is unpredictable at times and those of use who have studied in school for years have no guarantee of a job even though we have been given these great opportunities of schooling.
Solomon is trying to point out that both life and death are out of our control. Death comes when it comes and life is completely unpredictable most of the time. We have no control. All we can control is how we react to sitauttions and if we are ready to face death when it comes.
Ecclesiastes 9 (ESV) - 1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. 13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. 17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Suffering...
Ecclesiastes 8 - If we believe in a good and loving God, we must face the difficult question of why there is so much suffering in the world. Solomon solved the problem of evil by affirming these factors and seeing them in their proper perspective.
(1) Authority (vs. 1-9) - In these verses Solomon gives us the picture of what our options our when we are under an evil king who wants us to follow his orders. He gives four different options to us. We can disobey (vs. 2). Solomon says we should follow the king's orders because to disobey would break a promise to the ruler and to God. The king's word would have more power than the word of his servant and was bound to prevail. We could obey to avoid punishment. But what if the servant truly cannot obey what the order is - We could desert (vs. 3a). We could use defiance (vs. 3b) because our obligation is to obey God and not to obey man. We could use discernment (vs. 5b-6). Wisdom helps us understand people and situations and to figure out the right thing to do at the right time. It truly is all about using God's wisdom and discernment to decide what to do in particular situations. There are many examples in the Bible of people who used God's wisdom to discern what to do in situations. Esther did not tell the king that she was a Jew until she was in a position to help her people. Rahab lied about hiding God's spies. When we allow God to use us, it glorifies Him. That should be our total desire - bringing glory to God and not to man and we need to rely on God's wisdom to help us know what to do to glorify Him in every situation.
(2) Inequity (vs. 10-14) - The key is verse 14 that points out that the righteous men on earth may get what the wicked deserve and the wicked get what hte righteous deserve. But verses 12-13 point out that the wicked will eventually be judged and the righteous will be rewarded. We need to keep this in our mind continually because it is so easy to compare ourselves on this earth and only think of life in the earthly perspective becaues this is what we know and what we see. We need to keep eternity in mind at all times.
(3) Mystery (vs. 15-17) - God doesn't expect us to know the unknowable, but He does expect us to learn all we can and obey what He teaches us. God expects us to continually study and learn more about Him and His word. We shouldn't stop if we think we know enough because we've been in Sunday School or Bible School for most of our lives and we know the basic stories. We need to continually keep learning and obeying Him because even if we study for the rest of our lives we will never know everything there is to know. But by continuing to study we are striving to become more and more like Him. And the more we know, the better able we are to obey and glorify Him - and isn't that our goal in life.
Ecclesiastes 8 (ESV) 1 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 2 I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, "What are you doing?" 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. 7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.
10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. 16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.
(1) Authority (vs. 1-9) - In these verses Solomon gives us the picture of what our options our when we are under an evil king who wants us to follow his orders. He gives four different options to us. We can disobey (vs. 2). Solomon says we should follow the king's orders because to disobey would break a promise to the ruler and to God. The king's word would have more power than the word of his servant and was bound to prevail. We could obey to avoid punishment. But what if the servant truly cannot obey what the order is - We could desert (vs. 3a). We could use defiance (vs. 3b) because our obligation is to obey God and not to obey man. We could use discernment (vs. 5b-6). Wisdom helps us understand people and situations and to figure out the right thing to do at the right time. It truly is all about using God's wisdom and discernment to decide what to do in particular situations. There are many examples in the Bible of people who used God's wisdom to discern what to do in situations. Esther did not tell the king that she was a Jew until she was in a position to help her people. Rahab lied about hiding God's spies. When we allow God to use us, it glorifies Him. That should be our total desire - bringing glory to God and not to man and we need to rely on God's wisdom to help us know what to do to glorify Him in every situation.
(2) Inequity (vs. 10-14) - The key is verse 14 that points out that the righteous men on earth may get what the wicked deserve and the wicked get what hte righteous deserve. But verses 12-13 point out that the wicked will eventually be judged and the righteous will be rewarded. We need to keep this in our mind continually because it is so easy to compare ourselves on this earth and only think of life in the earthly perspective becaues this is what we know and what we see. We need to keep eternity in mind at all times.
(3) Mystery (vs. 15-17) - God doesn't expect us to know the unknowable, but He does expect us to learn all we can and obey what He teaches us. God expects us to continually study and learn more about Him and His word. We shouldn't stop if we think we know enough because we've been in Sunday School or Bible School for most of our lives and we know the basic stories. We need to continually keep learning and obeying Him because even if we study for the rest of our lives we will never know everything there is to know. But by continuing to study we are striving to become more and more like Him. And the more we know, the better able we are to obey and glorify Him - and isn't that our goal in life.
Ecclesiastes 8 (ESV) 1 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. 2 I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, "What are you doing?" 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man's trouble lies heavy on him. 7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.
10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. 16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.
Wisdom can make life better...
Ecclesiastes 7 - In this chapter, Solomon (or whoever the writer is) concludes that, though wisdom can't explain all of life's mysteries, it can make at least three positive contributions to our lives:
(1) Wisdom can make life better - vs. 1-10 - in verse 1, Solomon contrasts two significant days of the human experience - the day a person receives his or her name and the day that name shows up in the obituary. The life in between those two days determines whether that name leaves behind a lovely fragrance or a foul stench. In verses 2-4 he advised us to look death in the face and learn from it. If we try to avoid confrontations with the reality of death and not take life as seriously as we should. In verses 5-6 he compares rebuke to praise and states that praise of fools is like the burning thorns in a campfire where you hear a lot of noise, but don't get much lasting goodness from that kind of fire - whereas a wise person's rebuke can accomplsih much more in our lives than the flattery of fools. And that is so true - wise rebuke may not always feel good, but it does help if we listen to it and take it to heart - lots of people call something like this as constructive criticism - I like to think of it as loving words of showing each other how to be better.
(2) Wisdom helps us see life clearly - vs. 11-18 - One of the marks of maturity is the ability to look at life in perspective and not get out of balance. When we have God's wisdom, we will be able to accept and deal with the changing experience sof life. Wiersbe quotes Francis Bacon - "Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New." I think that is a very fitting quote - those of the Old Testament had many blessings in the form of prosperity and going into the Land of Milk and Honey (even though there were hardships along the way) and now that we are in the New adversity is our blessing because it conforms us more to the image of Jesus. He suffered beyond what is imaginable for us and every time we suffer for Him or go through adversity, we are given the chance to grow and become more like Him if we take the opportunity. God's wisdom also gives us a better perspective of eternity because if we only look at this life on earth as it, we may see the wicked as prospering, but in the end it will not be this way.
(3) Wisdom helps us face life stronger - vs. 19-29
Ecclesiastes 7 (ESV) 1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. 2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. 7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. 8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. 10 Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. 11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. 12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. 13 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. 15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. 19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. 21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. 23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? 25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things-- 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
(1) Wisdom can make life better - vs. 1-10 - in verse 1, Solomon contrasts two significant days of the human experience - the day a person receives his or her name and the day that name shows up in the obituary. The life in between those two days determines whether that name leaves behind a lovely fragrance or a foul stench. In verses 2-4 he advised us to look death in the face and learn from it. If we try to avoid confrontations with the reality of death and not take life as seriously as we should. In verses 5-6 he compares rebuke to praise and states that praise of fools is like the burning thorns in a campfire where you hear a lot of noise, but don't get much lasting goodness from that kind of fire - whereas a wise person's rebuke can accomplsih much more in our lives than the flattery of fools. And that is so true - wise rebuke may not always feel good, but it does help if we listen to it and take it to heart - lots of people call something like this as constructive criticism - I like to think of it as loving words of showing each other how to be better.
(2) Wisdom helps us see life clearly - vs. 11-18 - One of the marks of maturity is the ability to look at life in perspective and not get out of balance. When we have God's wisdom, we will be able to accept and deal with the changing experience sof life. Wiersbe quotes Francis Bacon - "Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New." I think that is a very fitting quote - those of the Old Testament had many blessings in the form of prosperity and going into the Land of Milk and Honey (even though there were hardships along the way) and now that we are in the New adversity is our blessing because it conforms us more to the image of Jesus. He suffered beyond what is imaginable for us and every time we suffer for Him or go through adversity, we are given the chance to grow and become more like Him if we take the opportunity. God's wisdom also gives us a better perspective of eternity because if we only look at this life on earth as it, we may see the wicked as prospering, but in the end it will not be this way.
(3) Wisdom helps us face life stronger - vs. 19-29
Ecclesiastes 7 (ESV) 1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. 2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. 7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. 8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. 10 Say not, "Why were the former days better than these?" For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. 11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. 12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. 13 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. 15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. 19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. 21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. 23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise," but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? 25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things-- 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)