The third chapter of Ecclesiastes begins with a passage that is one of the most familiar from the entire Bible, thanks in large part Pete Seeger and the Byrds, minus of course of the “turn, turn, turn.” We need to recall the first two chapters of this book, though, in order to understand the emotional and spiritual condition of King Solomon, the writer of the Ecclesiastes.
We have seen pure dejection and despondency in the first two chapters, the utter despair of a man who has made too many wrong choices and is looking back on a life that could have been. As Solomon begins chapter three, the first eight verses especially, we can take it one of two ways, both of them valid (which I will explain). First, Solomon may be continuing the idea that there is nothing a person can do about life, that no matter how smart you are, how much you have, life has its seasons and we are subject to them. This may be a continuation of the depressed or even cynical attitude we’ve seen thus far.
Second, it may be a moment of clarity and acceptance. Many times when we find ourselves in difficult or painful situations, we “run the gamut” of emotions; one minute we are torn to pieces, the next we are calm and accepting, the next we are irrational. It would be easy to make the assumption that Solomon was just like us, feeling the same emotions, riding the same roller-coaster, and expressing himself accordingly. If this is indeed the case, it makes the wise and mighty King Solomon a bit more personal, that he wasn’t that much different than you or me.
Let’s go with this second idea for a bit, as I believe this approach helps us understand Solomon, and thus ourselves, a bit more. Verses 9-15 give us another “mood shift” in Solomon. Remember that the king has been looking back at his life, evaluating his mistakes as well as contemplating what life itself means. These verses before us now gives us further self-evaluation. Solomon has done much, but what is the point? There is rationale at work here, as he says that God has given us each a task to perform, and that our lives are eternal. Each life is a testament to the goodness of God, if the individual will live for that purpose. Enjoyment can be found in life, but only as we fill the role for which the Lord created us.
The last verses of this particular section, verses 14 and 15, show the wisdom of Solomon in a brief flash, much like the wisdom we ourselves sometimes exhibit. There are moments when everything is clear, and we understand in a way we never have before. Solomon acknowledges the perfection of God, that He has done all and done the best, and nothing can change it. There is stability and peace in the things of God which cannot be found anywhere else. And one day, we will have to give an account of our lives. But the first two lines of verse 15 show that wisdom. There is nothing new. God has seen it all. No matter what generation we happen to be in, mankind is the same; we have the same problems, the same fears, make the same mistakes, and the Lord is the only answer.
When things are going poorly, we like to think that justice will prevail. Deep down, we know that sooner or later, on this side of the grave or the other, justice will always prevail. But we like to think that those who do evil will get what they deserve. The thing is, sometimes we make those mistakes and do evil, and we’re the ones who deserve what’s coming to us. That’s not very pleasant to think about, but it’s true. King Solomon, in the remainder of chapter three, makes observations about the injustice that seems to be everywhere we turn. As we look at our own modern society, it seems that wickedness and iniquity are in the very places they should not be: in the halls of government, in churches, in our homes. Scandal and injustice seem to be winning.
I have said, as you yourself have either said or heard, “The Lord will work it out, everything will be okay.” Solomon was telling himself this, just as we tell ourselves. But as we have discussed and will see in the future studies, Solomon was the cause of much of this wickedness, because of his many choices to stray from God and serve himself.
Toward the end of the chapter, beginning with verse 18, we see the “depression” return. All of life is filled with the same patterns, “for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction.” All our choices come with consequences, and all of us will one day die, our bodies returning to the dust. At that point, only our legacy remains. We don’t know what will happen after we’re gone, but we should lay the foundation to make sure that things are taken care of, at least as far as what lies with us. Our spirit will stand before God, but our legacy remains.
While we are here, we should enjoy life, but there are two ways to do that: selfishly and unselfishly. We can live to ourselves, living for the moment, fulfilling our own desires with no thoughts of the consequences, and enjoy what life has to offer. But then life is over, and what do we have to show for it? There are consequences to every action, and we will answer for them, either here or there.
The second option is to enjoy our labors as we work in service to the Lord. There may not be much physical or material rewards to be had in this labor, but there is spiritual satisfaction that comes only through working for God and fulfilling His purpose for us. It doesn’t matter what others do, it matters what we do. How will you be remembered? What will be your legacy? It might seem that you’re not accomplishing anything, that you don’t make a difference, but if you are faithfully serving the Lord, then rejoice! You are creating a heritage for yourself here (even if you don’t see the results), and also in the eternal heaven.
Remain faithful and true to God, live for others and not yourself, and even though it may seem that injustice and failure abound, you are succeeding. This life is temporary, but we are eternal. Therefore we must live for the eternal. There is a season for everything in life, and with each passing day our seasons are growing shorter. It is imperative we take advantage of every opportunity. Right now, or someday, we will look back on our life. Will we be pleased or disappointed? But more importantly, with the Lord be pleased or disappointed?
© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
We have seen pure dejection and despondency in the first two chapters, the utter despair of a man who has made too many wrong choices and is looking back on a life that could have been. As Solomon begins chapter three, the first eight verses especially, we can take it one of two ways, both of them valid (which I will explain). First, Solomon may be continuing the idea that there is nothing a person can do about life, that no matter how smart you are, how much you have, life has its seasons and we are subject to them. This may be a continuation of the depressed or even cynical attitude we’ve seen thus far.
Second, it may be a moment of clarity and acceptance. Many times when we find ourselves in difficult or painful situations, we “run the gamut” of emotions; one minute we are torn to pieces, the next we are calm and accepting, the next we are irrational. It would be easy to make the assumption that Solomon was just like us, feeling the same emotions, riding the same roller-coaster, and expressing himself accordingly. If this is indeed the case, it makes the wise and mighty King Solomon a bit more personal, that he wasn’t that much different than you or me.
Let’s go with this second idea for a bit, as I believe this approach helps us understand Solomon, and thus ourselves, a bit more. Verses 9-15 give us another “mood shift” in Solomon. Remember that the king has been looking back at his life, evaluating his mistakes as well as contemplating what life itself means. These verses before us now gives us further self-evaluation. Solomon has done much, but what is the point? There is rationale at work here, as he says that God has given us each a task to perform, and that our lives are eternal. Each life is a testament to the goodness of God, if the individual will live for that purpose. Enjoyment can be found in life, but only as we fill the role for which the Lord created us.
The last verses of this particular section, verses 14 and 15, show the wisdom of Solomon in a brief flash, much like the wisdom we ourselves sometimes exhibit. There are moments when everything is clear, and we understand in a way we never have before. Solomon acknowledges the perfection of God, that He has done all and done the best, and nothing can change it. There is stability and peace in the things of God which cannot be found anywhere else. And one day, we will have to give an account of our lives. But the first two lines of verse 15 show that wisdom. There is nothing new. God has seen it all. No matter what generation we happen to be in, mankind is the same; we have the same problems, the same fears, make the same mistakes, and the Lord is the only answer.
When things are going poorly, we like to think that justice will prevail. Deep down, we know that sooner or later, on this side of the grave or the other, justice will always prevail. But we like to think that those who do evil will get what they deserve. The thing is, sometimes we make those mistakes and do evil, and we’re the ones who deserve what’s coming to us. That’s not very pleasant to think about, but it’s true. King Solomon, in the remainder of chapter three, makes observations about the injustice that seems to be everywhere we turn. As we look at our own modern society, it seems that wickedness and iniquity are in the very places they should not be: in the halls of government, in churches, in our homes. Scandal and injustice seem to be winning.
I have said, as you yourself have either said or heard, “The Lord will work it out, everything will be okay.” Solomon was telling himself this, just as we tell ourselves. But as we have discussed and will see in the future studies, Solomon was the cause of much of this wickedness, because of his many choices to stray from God and serve himself.
Toward the end of the chapter, beginning with verse 18, we see the “depression” return. All of life is filled with the same patterns, “for every action there is an equal an opposite reaction.” All our choices come with consequences, and all of us will one day die, our bodies returning to the dust. At that point, only our legacy remains. We don’t know what will happen after we’re gone, but we should lay the foundation to make sure that things are taken care of, at least as far as what lies with us. Our spirit will stand before God, but our legacy remains.
While we are here, we should enjoy life, but there are two ways to do that: selfishly and unselfishly. We can live to ourselves, living for the moment, fulfilling our own desires with no thoughts of the consequences, and enjoy what life has to offer. But then life is over, and what do we have to show for it? There are consequences to every action, and we will answer for them, either here or there.
The second option is to enjoy our labors as we work in service to the Lord. There may not be much physical or material rewards to be had in this labor, but there is spiritual satisfaction that comes only through working for God and fulfilling His purpose for us. It doesn’t matter what others do, it matters what we do. How will you be remembered? What will be your legacy? It might seem that you’re not accomplishing anything, that you don’t make a difference, but if you are faithfully serving the Lord, then rejoice! You are creating a heritage for yourself here (even if you don’t see the results), and also in the eternal heaven.
Remain faithful and true to God, live for others and not yourself, and even though it may seem that injustice and failure abound, you are succeeding. This life is temporary, but we are eternal. Therefore we must live for the eternal. There is a season for everything in life, and with each passing day our seasons are growing shorter. It is imperative we take advantage of every opportunity. Right now, or someday, we will look back on our life. Will we be pleased or disappointed? But more importantly, with the Lord be pleased or disappointed?
© 2007, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by leaving a comment (with your request) which will be forwarded to Chris Keeton. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
No comments:
Post a Comment