Love Began With God

Love Began With God

We can’t talk about love for each other until we establish that love began with God. It was He who first loved us, giving us the spirit of love. Remember one of the definitions of love describe a oneness or a kinship. God is our Father. He loves us. He loved us from the beginning and He has our best in mind. His plans for us are better than any plans we can think of for ourselves. Sometimes we feel like things just aren’t going our way and we’re saying, “God, where are you?” He is right with us, working all things together for our good. Because He can see the end from the beginning, and we can only see right now, it appears that we’re abandoned. But we are not abandoned. He said He will never leave us nor forsake us. It’s completely possible that we have to learn to trust Him and we’ll never learn to trust Him until it appears that we’re losing the battle. That’s when He will show Himself strong on our behalf. Because He can see the end of the matter, He’ll work it out so that even though it seems hard right now, He’s actually lining up the circumstances so that we’ll have an even greater victory in the end.

 One of my cousins told me that God allows us to go through trouble so that we will become closer to Him. I’m not sure that I agree with that, but I have found that because I need Him so much more now after suffering some financial setbacks, I do find myself talking to Him so much more and for depending on Him to make a way for me. So maybe my cousin has a point.

 Love is the first fruit named in the fruit of the Spirit. Again, because love is the attribute that all the other fruit stem from. We can’t have joy unless we have love. We can’t have peace unless we have love. We certainly can’t have faith unless we have love. This is why the fact that God loves us has to be firmly established in our hearts. I can say, “oh yeah, I know that God loves me” a thousand times a day in my head, but until it’s established on the inside of me, it’s really just saying words. Until I get to the belief deep inside me that God loves me and He is for me, I can’t even begin to have faith. Sure, I know the verse from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have everlasting life.” This verse is the proof of God’s love for humanity. I think that yes, if I believe that God sent His Son to die for me and that believing this I can get into heaven, but what about here and now? I need the assurance that God loves me. He cares whether I get a better job. He will provide the money to pay my bills. He will protect me and my family from harm. He will give me the right words to say in a given situation. He will hear my prayers and heal the sick relative or friend I have prayed for. I need to know and really hold on to the belief that God loves me. He will by His power provide for me, keep me well, keep me on the right path in life, and more importantly of all, He has really forgiven my sins and wiped the slate clean on my behalf. Really? All those self-centered ways, all those mean thoughts I’ve had about others? All the conniving underhanded things I’ve done? How I have (and have done lately) told other people’s business? And here’s the worst: I have watched the news or heard bad reports and ingested the negativity and the fear going around in the world. In spite of all this and in spite of what I’ve done and am sometimes still doing, God loves me and He is for me.

The writers of the Old Testament referred to God’s love for us as “His merciful kindness” (Psalm 117:2). Mercy is described as compassionate forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one’s power. It can also be described as forgiveness, benevolence, kindness, clemency, and pardon. 

 Psalm 103:8-10 says, “The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 9. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our sins.”

 Joel 2:13 says, “…Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”

At the end of Jonah Chapter 3 (verse 10) God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them (the people of Nineveh) and He did not do it. Chapter 4 begins with Jonah getting angry and explaining just why he didn’t want to go to Nineveh as he was instructed.

 Jonah 4:2: “So he prayed to the LORD, and said, “Ah LORD, was this not what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.”

We, in the present, also receive God’s mercy daily and if that weren’t enough, we also receive God’s grace: the free and unearned favor of God that He gave us when He sent His son to die on the cross to atone for our sins and the provision of His daily blessings. Whereas the Old Testament writers only could describe God’s love by His mercy, we can describe it by His mercy and His grace.

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

One definition of love describes it as a deep, tender feeling of affection and care and concern for the well-being of another, such as that arising from kinship or a sense of oneness. Just by reading this definition alone, it’s obvious that most of us have the first part right: the tender feeling of affection, but it’s the second part: the concern for the well-being of another, that we fall short. In fact, this could be one of the reasons why we can’t fathom God’s love for us: we haven’t allowed ourselves to feel that concern for the well-being of others, so it feels like a foreign concept. Conceding that yes, perhaps we care for our children or our parents or our siblings this way, but do we care for everyone? And here’s an important question: Do we even love the people in our own church? Jesus said in John 13:35 that this is how the world would know that we were his disciples: by our great love for one another.

 

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul expressed some of the qualities of love. He went as far as to list all kinds of spiritual gifts and natural talents, and willingness to sacrifice; stressing that none of it was valid if he lacked love. The King James Version uses the word “charity” for “love.”  It is curious that the translators of the New King Version decided to replace the word “charity,” which implies action: generous activities or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless, also a benevolent feeling, especially toward those in need or in disfavor.

“Charity” is actually a stronger word. It’s not just a way of feeling; it’s a way of showing.

1 John 3:17-18 says “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

 

 

1 Corinthians 13 “The Love Chapter”

1. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love (charity), I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.
2. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love (charity), I am nothing.
3. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned (so I may boast), but have not love (charity), it profits me nothing.
4. Love (charity) suffers long and is kind; love (charity) does not envy; love (charity) does not parade itself, is not puffed up (arrogant).
5. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;
6. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in truth;
7. bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8. Love (charity) never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. …

13. And now abide faith, hope, love (charity), these three; but the greatest of these is love (charity).

The qualities of love, as characterized in 1 Corinthians 13 are also reiterated throughout the rest of scripture.

Verse 4 of 1 Corinthians 13 says, “Love (charity) suffers long and is kind; love (charity) does not envy; love (charity) does not parade itself, is not puffed up (arrogant).”

 

Galatians 5:26 says, “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. “

 

Romans 12:9-10 says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

 

I Corinthians 13:7 says love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

 

Galatians 6:2 says “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

 

1 Corinthians 13:5 says love “does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil.”

 

1 Corinthians 10:24 says, “Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well being.”

 

Jesus Himself was the ultimate example of showing love, when He willingly laid down His life so that we, by believing in Him, will be free from the penalty of sin and be reconciled to God. Ephesians 5:2 says, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God…” Romans 5:10 says, “…we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son...”

Before Jesus went to the cross, He taught us how to love, amazingly He stressed that we weren’t to only love those who loved us but to love everyone.  He taught in Luke 6:32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “ He continued in verse 35, “But love your enemies and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return…” Some people just seem unlovable. They don’t show any kindness to anyone and they discourage others from showing kindness to them, Yet, God commands all throughout the Old and New Testaments that we are to love!

Leviticus 19:18 “…you shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

Matthew 22:39 “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

Mark 12:31 “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

Romans 13: 9-10 “For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not bear false witness,” You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:14 “For the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

James 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.”

The power to love has to come from God Himself. There is no way we could accomplish this on our own!

Speak Life by Vanessa Wynder Quainoo

Speak Life: The Blessing of Speaking to Bless Others

By Vanessa Wynder Quainoo

 I read this book twice in one sitting. When I got to page 207, I turned back to the Introduction and read the entire book again. Granted, the print is rather large and the line spacing is double, so it was quite easy to read. That being given, the concepts were not easy. When I finished the second time, I gave it to my husband and he read the entire book the same day.

 

 The reason the concepts weren’t easy is because what Professor Quainoo shares is completely different from every book I’ve read up until now. When I saw the title, I thought it would be another “say it and claim it” type of book that I’ve read many times before. Professor Quainoo’s material comes from a whole different place. First of all, she’s been a communications instructor for over twenty years, so she knows about words and their value. More importantly, she presents communication itself as a gift from God, and she encourages us to fine-tune our words for the purpose of affirming who we are in God and building each other up as well.

 

 Although the title is Speak Life, and much of the book has to do with affirming the truth of Scripture…I am redeemed. I am whole in Christ. I am healed in Christ… (page 66), a large portion of the book is what not to say.

 

One of the concepts that spoke directly to me is how she compares our prayers to God to the deliberations of a jury. The jury is not allowed to discuss the case with their friends and family. Professor Quainoo shared her experience as an official mediator in a conflict. She was given strict instructions to suspend any communication about the topic to any outsiders, only to say, “we are talking about it” or “we are expecting an agreeable solution” (page 96). She continued, (on page 97) “when we are praying through a situation with the Lord, we are in “deliberation” with Him. We are in “talks” with Him and we really should not say words that cast doubt on the plausibility of a solution.”

 

 Professor Quainoo concedes that not all words are beneficial. Some words are used for tearing down, not building up. She admonishes us to not use our words (or agreement with someone else’s words) to bring confusion to the church or to belittle our pastor.

 

“Complaints, critical barbs and jabs or even sophisticated expressions of doubt and despair should not be met with agreement by a listening Christian (page 82).

 

 She warns us against “sowing a seed of doubt by “suggesting” or inculcating that the leader of the organization, ministry, project, etc…is somehow less capable than you or someone else. In kingdom life, order and respect for authority cannot be dismissed because of talent or ability (page 154). Wow!  Unfortunately, I have been guilty of this very thinking, not realizing that who God ordained is ordained, and my only job is to pray for them.

 

The book ends with a beautiful poem that recalls Psalm 1: “He (who meditates on God’s words day and night) shall be like the tree planted by the rivers of water.”

 

 

The Fruit of The Spirit

The Fruit of the Spirit

I am not a minister and I’ve never been to seminary, but I’ve been very curious about the fruit of the Spirit, and decided to share what I’ve learned from the Bible about exactly what the phrase, “the fruit of the Spirit,” means.

 For the longest time I thought the “fruit” were rewards. For example, Jesus stated at the end of the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13:23: But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Did that mean some received one hundred blessings, thirty thousand dollars? A better house? Better health? A longer life? Better relationships?

 “Later, I thought that I was “bearing fruit” when friends accepted my invitation to come to church. I was really excited and happy about that, actually thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I’m bearing fruit!” When those people came a couple of times and didn’t come back, I was deflated and realized that couldn’t mean what the “fruit of the Spirit was all about.

I see now, after reading Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, Against such there is no law. The original King James Version says, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness faith, meekness, temperance.’ Having the attributes of the Spirit spelled out in this way, I see that both of the above interpretations: one of rewards, the other of trying to bring people into the church was both self-centered. Amazingly, however, and this is due to the goodness and generosity of God, the real fruit of the Spirit can actually lead to actual life rewards and really leading people into the fellowship of faith.

I now think that the fruit of the Spirit are actually attributes of God Himself that He deposits into us when we accept His great gift of salvation. Just as we don’t become converted overnight when we receive Christ, (although we actually do in the spiritual realm,) we don’t always immediately feel or appear as though we’ve received these attributes until we’ve been on our journey for a while. Usually, we look back and think, “Wow I remember when I used to get so mad when such and such happened, now I don’t. I’ve really changed.” I don’t think that it’s something we can consciously strive for ourselves; I think that God does the work because it’s His intention for us to conform to the image of Jesus.

God is our Creator, Science is how we learn about the world

Why do people think that they have to believe in either God or science? People who move to extremism on either side think that they are somehow smarter or better than the people on the other side. God is our Creator. Science is the way we learn about the world we’re in. God created us with intellect. Scientists have used this intellect to cure diseases, to invent modern conveniences, and yes, to explore our surroundings. People who don’t believe in God seem to think that believers are unintelligent and gullible. At the same time, believers who seem to be afraid of human progress think of themselves as somehow superior to non-believers.

 

As far as I know, there aren’t any ways to objectively explain or measure things like inspiration, our ability to admire beauty, our conscience, love, or enthusiasm. Every single one of us know the difference between right and wrong (even though we sometimes choose what’s wrong over what’s right).

 

Conversely, we can’t use what we think about God in order to justify hatred or prejudice. God loves us all. The person who thinks, “My view of God is right and everyone else’s is wrong,” is a very dangerous person. That particular brand of thinking justified slavery, and more recently, makes people discriminate against other people.

 

The person who thinks, “there is no God,” gives no credit to the immeasurable “thing” inside of us that pushes us to persevere in spite of hardship, to enjoy music, to appreciate something beautiful, to love people, to have a sense of humor, and gives us the natural curiosity to explore our world.  

Isaiah: The First of the Major Prophets

 

Isaiah's Vision of the LORD

According to The Voice, in an editorial paragraph preceding Ezekiel Chapter 2, Though God is unseen, from time to time human beings are given the privilege of seeing His glory.

Isaiah 6:1 begins with Isaiah giving us the time in history when he had this vision. He wrote, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple." Isaiah thought that truly he would die, knowing that he was a man of unclean lips, dwelling among people of unclean lips, yet he had seen the King, The LORD of hosts." verse 6: Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7. And he touched my mouth with it and said:

"Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin is purged (atoned for).

This purging of Isaiah's lips proves once more that the business of cleansing us from sin is God's alone. Isaiah 43:25 says, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake. Jeremiah 31:34 says, “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying “know the LORD,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Paul later reiterated all this for us in the New Testament, writing in Hebrews 8:11-12 None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying ‘know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. 12. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. As if this wasn’t enough, Paul made a further point in Hebrews 10:16. This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts and in their minds I will write them. 17. then He adds, ‘Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.’

Robes of Righteousness: Cleaned up and dressed up

In Isaiah 64:6, the prophet Isaiah complains to God that “we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…”

Notice that it is our so-called righteous deeds that are like filthy rags. It is not that we are like filthy rags. God created us a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5 and Hebrews 2:7). We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). It is when we try to approach God dressed in our own clothes of self-righteousness, instead of humbling ourselves before Him and letting Him do the work of making us clean, that we get into trouble.

Note Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with  jewels.

Unfortunately, some of us refuse to be “re-dressed” by God. Jesus mentioned such a person in Matthew 22:11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12. so he said to him, Friend how did you come in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

The above passage sound so puzzling. After all, the servants had gone out to the highways, and invited as many people as they could to the wedding. The part that perhaps isn’t obvious is that in those times, a king would offer appropriate wedding garments to his guests. This person must have thought his own clothes were fine.

Note Rev. 3:18-19 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich: and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed…


Note what happened in Zechariah’s vision concerning the high priest Joshua in Zechariah 3:1-4

1.      Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?”  Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 4. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.

The birth of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah's prophecy of the Birth of Jesus is a multi-layered prophecy that did have a partial fulfillment in the birth of a son to Isaiah as a sign to king Ahaz. (See Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:3-4)

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (this is Isaiah talking to King Ahaz) Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (which means God with us).

Nancy Guthrie, In her book called, "The One Year Book of Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament," wrote, "The true final fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy is in Christ alone. Only Jesus could be "God with us."

Isaiah 9:6: For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.


The scourging and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 50:6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

Isaiah 53:4-7 Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth;

I Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed.

 Jesus as a light to the Gentiles

Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.

Romans 15:12 And again, Isaiah says: There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.

Isaiah 56: 6-7 Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants-Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant- Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. See Matthew 21:13.

Malachi 1:11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations, Says the LORD of hosts.

 

The chief cornerstone to us but a rock of offense to others

Isaiah chapter 8:14 He will be as a sanctuary , But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Psalms 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

Matthew 21: 42 Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes? 44. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whoever it falls, it will grind him to powder. (Luke 20:17-18, Romans 9:33, and I Peter 2:6-8 are exactly the same.)

Ecclesiastes: A disillusioned king?

Solomon's Kingdom

In 1 Kings 3:9-12,  King Solomon asked for and received wisdom from God and because God was so pleased with this humble request, in 1 Kings 3:13 God said,

"And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days."

King Solomon's wealth was unrivaled, his knowledge was known the world over. 1 Kings 4:32 says,

"(Solomon) spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs were one thousand and five." We know that royals visited him from all over the world to test his great knowledge, including the Queen of Sheba, who according to 1 Kings 10:7 said,

"...Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard."

1 Kings 5:4-5 tells us that his reign was peaceful and he built the Temple first envisioned by his father, David. Even Jesus, many generations later, talks about Solomon's great splendor in

 Matthew 6:28-29:
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin: 29. and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Jesus also referred to Solomon in describing Himself, saying, "a greater Solomon is here,"
in Matthew 5:42
^" The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

and in Luke 11:31
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

The King Disillusioned?
So this king, honored by God, given a long peaceful reign, untold riches and splendor, and untold wisdom, referred to by Jesus,  wrote the "wisdom book of the bible, the book of proverbs," turned around in Ecclesiastes and said life was all "a vanity" and meaningless. The reader's response is "what ?" I heard a minister say that Ecclesiastes was written later in Solomon's life, after his heart had been turned from God by his many foreign wives. (See 1 Kings, 11:41.) Solomon himself reflected on how life changes as you get older. In Eccl. 12:1, he wrote, "Remember now your creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come."

Even though the first two chapters of Ecclesiastes are really "down" portions of scripture, and indeed the tone of the book could be summed up with Eccl. 9:11 when he laments that "time and chance happens to us all," Solomon has not truly given up on encouraging reader to find contentment in God.

In fairness to all the writers of the Old Testament, we have to remember that they didn't have the risen savior as a source of hope. We have to view the "down parts" of the bible through the lens of the hope we have in Christ. It's only while keeping this hope in the forefront of our minds that we can even try to understand how Solomon may have felt when he wrote that life had become boring and repetitive. In Eccl. 1:9, he wrote,

"...that which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun."

In Eccl. 1:14, he goes further, saying, " I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the wind." In verse 16, he says all the wisdom he had obtained was "grasping for the wind." Remember he had asked God for that wisdom, and he was world renowned because of his great wisdom, but here he says it was "grasping for the wind." In other words, it was a futile exercise.

He goes on to say he sought all kinds of entertainment, and it ended up being nothing. Then he sought to collect all kinds of things and it ended up being nothing, but near the end of Eccl. 2, specifically in verses 24 and 26 he comes out of his negative reflections to say that there is contentment in God.

Eccl.2:24-26
²⁴ Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?  ²⁶ For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

It's funny that he ends that statement with, "This also is vanity and grasping for wind." Is it futile because the sinner wasted his time gathering and collecting or is it so unfair that those collections will be given to us who are good before God?


The most popular passage in Ecclesiastes is chapter 3 verses 1-8: Everything Has Its Time

1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

² A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
⁵ A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
A time of war,
    And a time of peace

 

Verse 11  says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Eat and Drink and Enjoy Life

 

At four different points in Ecclesiastes Solomon wrote. "...every man should eat and drink and enjoy the goods of all his labor, it is the gift of God."  Perhaps these passages should be the overall tone of the book. Certainly they are more spread throughout the book than the "grasping for the wind passages" with which the book begins.

 

 

Eccl.2:²⁴ Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.


Eccl.2: ¹² I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, ¹³ and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Eccl. 5: ¹⁸ Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. ¹⁹ As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. ²⁰ For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

Verse 20 above implies that too much time for introspection leads to disillusionment in life. Note that Solomon writes "God keeps us busy." Truly it is one of God's gifts to us that we enjoy our families and our blessings.

Eccl. 8:15  So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

Avoid Greed, Avoid Anger, Use Moderation, Don't Become Easily Offended, Clean and Groom Your Clothes and Body, Avoid Immorality
 

 

Later Solomon starts to write the truisms recalling the kinds of things he wrote in the book of Proverbs. He talks about greed: 

 Eccl. 5:10:
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.

Prov. 1:19:
 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

Prov.23:4-5
4 Do not overwork to be rich;
Because of your own understanding, cease!
⁵ Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.



 He talks about anger:

 Eccl. 7:9:  "anger rests in the bosoms of fools."

Proverbs 14:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated

 

Proverbs 14:29

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁹ He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is impulsive^[a] exalts folly

 

Proverbs 15:18

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solomon urges moderation in Eccl. 7:16

There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness,
And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.
¹⁶ Do not be overly righteous,
Nor be overly wise:
Why should you destroy yourself?
¹⁷ Do not be overly wicked,
Nor be foolish:
Why should you die before your time?



 and gives practical advice about not being easily offended. Eccl. 7: 21-22.
21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,
Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
²² For many times, also, your own heart has known
That even you have cursed others

 

He also revisits his warnings from the book of proverbs concerning deceitful women. For example, Eccl. 7:26:

 "And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her."

 

Prov. 5:3: "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. 4. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5. Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell."

 

King Solomon wrote a very interesting commentary concerning how the lack of speedy punishment causes criminals to not fear punishment in Ec. 8:11.
¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

 

He  tells us to groom ourselves and take care of ourselves with joy. (This doesn't really sound like a disillusioned king to me.)

 

Eccl. 9:7-8:
7 Go, eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
⁸ Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.

 

He tells us to speak wisely., a recurrent theme in the book of Proverbs.
 Eccl. 9:17 tells us: 
 ¹⁷ Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

Prov.12:18 "There is one who speak like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health."

Prov. 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

"The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Eccl.1:1) may have begun this book with "Vanity of vanities," but the end is not vanity at all. Chapter 12 verses 13 and 14 sums it all up:

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.