(Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes in his late years. During this time, Solomon was focused on the many wives who drew his heart away from God. Solomon was focused on effects (HAVE/DO) and this led him to believe that everything was vain (unprofitable). A key passage from another book of the Bible that will help us understand the causes for Solomon's circumstances came from the Prophet Ezekiel when he explained the causes for Sodom's judgment:
"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom: pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy." (Ezekiel 16:49)
These four causes of judgment against Sodom ran throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon actually argued for all four of these causes of judgment. While you read the Book of Ecclesiastes, keep in mind the four causes of judgment against Sodom:
1) pride,
2) fullness of bread,
3) idleness of time (prosperous ease),
4) not strengthening the poor/needy.)
(The previous post covered Solomon's rationalization of the physical and his attempt to limit the unprofitability of the individual.)
Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
(Solomon believed being a little bit of a fool exceeded wisdom and honor. He had completely embraced unprofitability...)
2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
(The "right hand" signified Righteousness and the power of God. Luke 22:69 – "But from henceforth shall the Son of man be seated at the right hand of the power of God.")
3 Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
(It seemed as if Solomon was the fool he wrote about!?!?!)
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6 folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
(Solomon saw a fool being exalted and the rich being humbled as "evil." We all ought to humble ourselves, regardless of what we have. Did this apply to Solomon?)
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth.
8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
9 Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
10 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
(Solomon saw wisdom as "profitable"…but for what? For a physical task.)
11 If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14 A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?
(Solomon stated that man has no vision and only a short term view of life. This contradicted the definition of faith from Hebrews 11:1: "a belief in something we cannot see, either because it is invisible or has yet to happen." Was the Book of Ecclesiastes proof of verse 14?)
15 The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
(Solomon was focused on the physical ("O land"). He was also focused on fools, not the wicked. Apparently fools were much worse than the wicked because a little could completely outweigh good.)
18 By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.
(Solomon was making feasts, wine, and money his focus…all physical things.)
20 Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
(Solomon was stating that you should not revile (curse) the king or the rich. Solomon was telling us to fear man. This chapter introduced a new category: fool. There was essentially no difference between the wicked and the righteous, however, the fool was worse than both.)
Ecclesiastes 11
1 Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.
4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
(Solomon was embracing randomness. He was saying that all these things happened and we should not consider why.)
5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all.
(Solomon was justifying not knowing God.)
6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
8 Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
(Solomon said to remember darkness even when you were in the light because darkness would be back. 1 John 1:5 stated God was Light, so we should be focused on the Light regardless of the darkness.)
9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
(Solomon said to rejoice in your youth even though it was unprofitable!?!? Was this not contradictory? Solomon had completely rejected understanding anything, yet he kept writing words to help people understand. Here was the conclusion...)
Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember also thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
(We ought to always remember God, our Creator, even when we live in a destructive environment. However, Solomon's conclusion began by focusing on remembering God before ultimate destruction came. Basically: remember God in order to limit unprofitability. What kind of unprofitability?)
2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,
4 and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
5 yea, they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
7 and the dust returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth unto God who gave it.
(Verses 2-7 were specific examples of situations that could be described as "evil days." Solomon's conclusion focused on avoiding the ultimate unprofitability.)
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity.
(Solomon began this book by stating the Preacher said "all is vanity." Now, Solomon made the same conclusion: all was unprofitable. Solomon believed he had considered all in his explanation of his thought process. This was pride and we have seen Solomon was contradictory and therefore wrong.)
9 And further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he pondered, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.
(Solomon was qualifying everything he had written, all he gave, and all he taught. However, these two verses contradicted his conclusion from his thought process. All he said he could really do was teach people how to limit unprofitability.)
11 The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
(Again, a contradictory statement: "do not study too much, even though I wanted you to study the multiplying of words that were written in this book." It was time for Solomon's specific conclusion...)
13 This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
(Great conclusion ("Fear God" was a right what), but in the context of this whole book this was an abstract statement. Solomon did not back up how/why to fear God. Even when Solomon stated a right what, he would eventually say "all is vanity."
From the rest of this book, it seemed Solomon's how/why would be: do not be foolish (how) because that would make you even more unprofitable (why). He was saying that fearing God and keeping His commandments would not make you profitable (because all was vain); it would only help you limit unprofitability.)
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
(We have seen Solomon did not keep God's commandment and remove the high places (2 Kings 23)...even though he knew fearing God and doing His commandments was the whole duty of man...even though he knew he would face judgment. Solomon knew what to say, however, Solomon did not feel it enough to do it.)
(The Book of Ecclesiastes was the fourth of the five books that made up the poetic section of the Old Testament. Clearly, Solomon's thought process changed between the Book of Proverbs and the Book of Ecclesiastes. This book was written near the end of his life. Was there an event that occurred between the time these two books were written? The event may be the subject of the fifth and final book of the poetic section of the Old Testament...)
Day 199
ReplyDelete10: 2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
What does it look like and what does it mean to have your heart on your right hand vs. left hand (besides wise vs. foolish)?
Generally speaking, the right hand is more "expert" than the left.
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