I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
Ecclesiastes begins with the writer telling us that everything is meaningless. In some ways, Ecclesiastes can be a depressing book. The writer speaks of how so many things are cyclical and that nothing has really changed throughout recorded history. He points out that the things that people refer to as new, happened in the past. People act as if history began when they were born.
I have discussed this in my blog before, but this passage brings it up again. Years ago I was seeking proof that God existed. I really wanted something that would satisfy my reasoning mind as evidence I could use to prove both to myself and to others that the God I believed in existed. I was unable to find any such proof that would prove that anything beyond the material world existed. If you start with the assumption that the material world is all that exists, it is impossible to prove that anything beyond the material world does exist. This led me into great depression, much like that expressed in the book of Ecclesiastes, because if this world is all there is, what is the point of putting out the effort life requires?
I finally realized that I could not accept the idea of a purposeless life. So, I decided that even though I did not have the evidence of God’s existence that I desired, I would live as if I did. I would live as if the Gospel message was true. Within a short period of time, I knew that God existed in the manner I had been seeking to know. I had learned that it is possible to know things which you cannot prove.
The writer here talks about how nothing is really new. He is not talking about technology, but about human nature. People think that something is new because they have never seen it before in their life time. Time and again, people think they have some new insight that negates centuries old values, but it is merely the recycling of an idea that has proven to not stand the test of time.
In his discussion of the meaningless of life, the writer tells us something very important. He writes it so beautifully that I will quote it here:
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
This is something we all need to remember. There is an appropriate time for everything and we need to pay attention to what it is time for.
Paul urges the Corinthians to act on the gift of God’s grace which they have received. Now is the day of salvation.
This passage is often used, correctly, to remind us that when God calls us the time to act on that call is NOW, not tomorrow, or next week. This is a hard one for us to follow, partly because we are always afraid that it is not God calling us. I am working on responding any way, because I realize it is a lot easier to guide something (or someone) that is in motion than something that is standing still.
Paul continues by saying that he works hard to conduct his ministry in such a manner so as not to place a stumbling block in anyone’s path. He spoke truthfully and relied on the power of God. The only tools he was willing to use in his ministry were righteousness and truth. He was confident that they were more than adequate both as an offensive weapon to pierce evil and as a defense to protect himself from evil.
What a lovely psalm. As I read this psalm today, there were three pieces to it that spoke to me separately. It begins:
always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come
and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam.
Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!
Do we believe this? I was fortunate that I was raised by parents who took this passage (and others like it) to heart. I was raised to be sure that no matter what happened God was in charge and things would work out well for me. The faith my parents did not mean that nothing bad would happen to me, merely that everything that did happen would be according to God’s will and if I lived in His will, I would find joy in whatever came my way. I am not immune to fear, but my parents instilled a trust of God in my heart that allows me, most of the time, to face life’s problems with equanimity.
The second piece tells us that it is God who brings wars to an end. When God decides that the time for war has come to an end, the war will stop. Those who attempt to take up weapons after that will find those weapons failing to function. When God says, “Be still, and know that I am God!” All will stop and learn what it means to worship Him.
Which brings me to the third piece of this psalm. That phrase, “Be still, and know that I am God!” is a command. We can choose to obey it voluntarily, or the time will come when God will force us to do so. Usually God speaks in a still, small voice, asking us to be still and listen, but have you ever known that person, who normally speaks quietly, that, on those rare occasions when they raise their voice, even the toughest, nastiest characters cringe? That is God. I do not want to be the one who causes God to raise His voice.
Despite what some say, children are not naturally good, or wise. They need to be disciplined so as to learn good and wise behavior.