Ecclesiastes – Page 5

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – The Right Time

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Time is a precious commodity. Once we spend it, we can’t get it back. This passage suggests there is a right and wrong time for doing things. Was Solomon’s wisdom causing him to overthink again? For the most part, I think he’s “spot on.” The problem is, we may not always know what the “right” time is for doing these things.

Thankfully, God’s timing is always perfect. I’ve heard that my whole life, and I’m sure I’ve said it dozens of times to help someone patiently wait. As we read through Solomon’s list of time sensitive aspects of life, I found myself nodding my head in agreement, remembering those times in my own life.

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26 – Good Things

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Do you like your job? When we like what we do, it’s a bonus. Too many people head off to work, dreading the next eight hours. Here, Solomon isn’t dreading the work but rather having to leave the fruits of his labor to someone else, presumably undeserving.

The whole matter of inheritance is hinted at here. Solomon wasn’t a fan of working hard so that his wealth could be passed down to others. I imagine that with having that many wives and women in his life, he had an abundant number of children. As offspring of the king, those kids were probably caught in the snare of entitlement.

Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 – Being Without Jesus

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We all die. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Does that give us the okay to live our lives in foolish ways? Solomon seemed to think so, not realizing that God watches how we live our lives. All the choices we make in life help shape the people we become.

Fools do walk in the dark. Or should I say those that walk in the dark are fools? What does it even mean to walk in the dark? We are in the dark when we don’t have the truth in our lives. If we’re groping around in the dark, how do we find the light switch? To find the light, we need to find Jesus who is the light.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 – What Brings You Pleasure?

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In his own words, Solomon said he “had everything a man could desire!” I must admit, the list of things Solomon chased in life while seeking pleasure was quite complete. Most of us will never attain such wealth or the extent of possessions he describes. Why didn’t anything bring him happiness?

It’s easy for us to say, “because you can’t buy happiness.” If we know that to be true, then why do we also seek pleasure in the same way? I don’t think we should be condemned from being happy for having new “toys,” but we need to realize that happiness from those such things will not last forever.

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 – Useless Wisdom

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Our teacher must be too smart for his own good. Or perhaps he was a master at overthinking things. We can fall into that trap as well when we lack trust in God. We can’t begin to understand all that exists, but it sounds like Solomon sure tried.

“I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.” What do you think about his statement? I don’t agree with “tragic” when we know God and sense his presence in our lives. For those who are far from God or who don’t nurture a relationship with him, that is definitely tragic.