Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ecclesiastes 7-12.

The writer tells us that the day of death is better than the day of birth and that endings are better than beginnings.  He also says that mourning is better than partying.  His point appears to be that when we die we know that there will be no more suffering.  Further, he tells us that we should be happy when times are good, but accepting when times are bad, because both good times and bad times come from God.  Out of these things grows the understanding that those who fear God avoid extremes.  They neither present themselves as especially righteous, nor do they seek to present the “bad boy” image.  They do not look down on those whose behavior society deems unacceptable, nor do they look down on those whose behavior society extols.  Enjoy the life which God has given you, understanding that every accomplishment worth achieving has risks associated with it.  Remember and serve God when your days are good and when they are bad.  God knows every deed, whether done in the open or in secret, whether good or evil.  Nothing is hidden from God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ecclesiastes 7-12.

Solomon continues to write about the meaninglessness of life, while showing us that serving God gives it the only meaning possible.  He writes that it is better to go to a funeral than to a party because everyone is going to die and we need to face up to this fact.  If we recognize that nothing we do will keep us from dying at some point, he tells us that we will not over emphasize righteous and/or wise behavior nor will we become wicked and/or a fool.  Those who fear God will avoid extremes.  While we live, he writes, we should enjoy our lives, because the day will come when we will no longer be able to do so.  After discussing how everything is meaningless without God, Solomon concludes that we should remember our Creator, fear God, and keep His commandments.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Ecclesiastes 7-12.

Near the beginning of today’s passage the writer tells us that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning and the heart of the fool is in the house of pleasure.  Yet later in the passage he also writes that there is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and be glad.  This might seem to be a contradiction, but the writer also writes that we should not be too good nor too wicked.  The wording there seems to me to suggest being neither too concerned with doing what is right nor too willing to ignore the rules.  In light of that, I think he means that his teaching about mourning being better than pleasure means that we should keep everything in perspective.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Ecclesiastes 7-12.

I want to start with a verse which seems strange, chapter 7 verse  16, where the writer tells us that we should not be too good or too wise.  What does he mean by that? Is it possible to be too good or too wise?  Since I believe the answer to the second question is “No”, the answer to the first must be something other than the literal meaning of what he wrote.  I think the answer here is not acting as if you are better, or wiser, than other individuals.  Don’t try to run other people’s lives for them because you think you are better than they, or wiser than they.  Perhaps the writer also means that we should not present ourselves in a way which leads others to be afraid of acting naturally around us for fear of appearing wicked or foolish.  When we look at verses 16 through 18, it seems to be advice about doing all things in moderation.

The writer also warns us that no one can know everything that God has done and is doing in the world.  We may witness the wicked thrive and the righteous suffer, but the writer assures us that those who fear God will be better off than the wicked.  Everything is in God’s hands and we should strive for contentment in the lot which He has given us.