June 19: Ecclesiastes 1-6

June 19, Ecclesiastes 1-6

Today, I am super proud to introduce our first guest blogger. It is my beloved wife, Dana Parriera. She has a true heart for truth and is in love with Jesus Christ, our Savior. Thank you Dana for giving us your insights and applications! If you would like to follow Dana’s blog, please visit http://www.rebelliousbeauty.com 

From Dana: Ecclesiastes is named after the latin word of ‘Preacher’ in verse 1. It is a term thought to mean thoughts to an assembly from a preacher. An essay if you will. Remember the Books of the Bible were often named after the first word or wording in them. Like Genesis meaning ‘Beginning’ and the first verse stating, ‘In the beginning…’ 

We know that it was probably Solomon who wrote Ecclesiastes and that this book is kind of like a written sermon for those who read it. He often calls himself, the ‘Preacher’ and it has a sense that the Preacher is teaching the students out of his experience. Since Solomon was given the gift of wisdom, from the Lord. He is here, imparting that wisdom onto the students of those who long to be wise and follow the ways of Lady Wisdom, as in Proverbs 9.

Ecclesiastes 1 The Book starts out with a theme of reality. This reality questions the point of life. In truth, everyone is busy trying to make a difference. But then they die, and someone else carries it on. Everyone is working hard to make money, but it all gets spent and in the end, we all die. This might seem like the Preacher should start taking anti-depressants. But the truth is, he is right. The truth is, we work hard, but the business can always be sold. The family can rip apart in 1 generation. A garden can overgrow. A house can get torn down. A village can get wiped out. And the money saved, can be all spent. Everything on this Earth, isn’t everlasting. In fact, everything on Earth is fading away to nothing. And it is a hard reality, to understand that the years of making something great, can be destroyed by someone else in less than a minute. 

Personally, I love this book of Ecclesiastes. And this process of thought. But I guess that is also why I love graveyards and junkyards. I like them, because they are a visible example of the brevity of life. 

If you ever travel by a graveyard, take a look. At one time, these people were on Earth. At one time, they were alive and had dreams and goals. At one time, they breathed. But they aren’t any longer. The life that they lived is done. Whether it was a long life or a short life. Whether it was a happy life or a sad life. It is the reality of quickness of life, that I love graveyards. 

If you ever travel by a junkyard, take a look. At one time, these things were the best on Earth. At one time, they were bought brand new, fulfilling someone's dreams and goals. At one time, they were new and shiny. But they aren’t any longer. Now they are junk. The paint that was new, is now rusted. The working parts, if they had them, are now not working. Something that was at one time paid for at a high price, is now pushed into a pile for garbage. Whether it was a long used life or a short used life. Whether it was a gift to someone or boughten for self. Its use is now over and forgotten. It is the reality of quickness of things and how unimportant they really are, that I love junkyards. 

With this reality, the Preacher sets the stage for the next thought… 

Ecclesiastes 2 The stage is set, with the understanding of the quickness of life and with things. He sets off attack the next thought and that is that of self-indulgence.  

Once we realize that our lives are short and meaningless, in the grand scheme of things. What about self pleasures? Well, the Preacher sets off to do just that. He made himself great and indulged in self as much as he could. The idea of ‘I will be only happy with…” But what he realized, was that since you could never really satisfy self, as there is always more to want, the idea of fulfilling self, is again a meaningless idea. In the sense, that it is like trying to fill up the Grand Canyon with teaspoons of water. Since one can not be fulfilled with sin or things, the Preacher finds the answer he was looking for. But before he tells us the answer, he adds another aspect. The drag of work and how it is never done and how it will never be complete. 

Those who go to work - have to everyday. 

Those who fix something - will have to fix it again sometime next year. 

Those who empty the garbage can - will be filled the next week. 

Those who clean the dishes - will get them dirty. 

Those who paint something - will have to retouch it. 

Those who get gas - will have to again. 

Those who cut their hair - will have to in a month.

Those who make breakfast - will have to make it the next day.

And I hope, you get my point. Nothing seems completed. It seems it always need something, sometime.

To have this understand. Seems hopeless at times. Like they say that mail-men, commit suicide the most, because the mail never stops, seems stupid to me, as a Mother whose laundry, meals, vacuuming, and all the rest of the things that involve a household, never stops either. 

This much wisdom, to Solomon is enough to drive him mad. And here is the thing. We think ‘Solomon was so awesome because he was so wise!’ that we forget the reality of seeing things through of eyes of wisdom. And the truth that the more we know and understand, the more pain and difficulty we experience. The more you study and observe, the more the brevity of life and the evidence of evil becomes clear to the eyes. 

But the Preacher doesn’t finish off with this. But instead, just starts his sermon...

Ecclesiastes 3 The Preacher realizes that even though the things of life, passes by. And that everyone we dearly love, will one day die. And that everything we have that we cling to, will one day be sold at an Estate Sale. He accepts that cycle of life, that is incomplete is how the Lord created it. That there is a time for good and bad. A time to enjoy life and mourn in death. That there is a time to get something that is new and then throw it away. That there is a time for everything that we have and do. And that it isn’t meaningless if there is a greater purpose. 

And what is that purpose? 

Verse 12-13 states, “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil - this is God’s gift to man.” 

Here the Preacher states that we are nothing but dust, raised by the Living God to live and enjoy whatever He has called us to do. Whether we have a great life or not, to find enjoyment in this mad cycle of pain and suffering. And to see the small joys and miracles that God does, to get us through the sadness and pain, that we will see while on this planet. And since the Lord has placed us here, we might as well accept it and enjoy it. Instead of hate it and fight something we can not change. But know that this life isn’t all there is. And that there is a bigger plan in all of this. Something that is Spiritual. 

Ecclesiastes 4 Focuses on the evil that happens on this Planet. And how some are mistreated and wronged. The Preacher reiterates Chapter 1, and how the motive of most of our work ethics come from being envious. Here the Preacher starts linking those that are foolish and how they live and alludes to their Spiritual beliefs. The Preacher also notices the strength of friendship and how those who have someone to help them when they need it. The Preacher also challenges his own position. As Solomon was a wise older King, as he wrote in verse 13-16. He challenges himself, his position, and his legacy, that it would be better for him to be poor and young, than for him to think he knows it all… 

Ecclesiastes 5 We now focus on the living and the distinction of those wise verses those foolish. (As the Preacher wrote in Proverbs.) And how it is our Spiritual lives that change the way we look at things. The Preacher invites those to turn to the Lord and tells his listener that the Lord hates fools. As he tries to teach those that the only hope that they have in this life (and the one in the next life) is that God is the one you must fear and obey. He reiterates his past experiences, by saying how much money and sleep is only good for so long, then it is gone and the fleeting things of this life are not constant or dependable. But only the Lord is constant and dependable. The Preacher states again what he said in Verse 12-13 states, “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil - this is God’s gift to man.” 

Meaning that throughout all of this, his answer is still the same. And with the Lord we can learn to love God and to enjoy this life that the Lord gave us. And that we can enjoy our lives the best we can, being preoccupied, not with sin or gaining more in this life, but with the joy of the Lord…

Ecclesiastes 6 The Preacher here, tries to convince you that without the Lord and the joy that He gives man to live. Wealth and children are meaningless compared to what the Lord can give. Who cares if you have all the things in this life, but don’t live in peace in the next. We quote all the time from the Bible, Mark 8:36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but forfeit/loose his soul?” But do we really know what that entails? It means that we are to not try to gain the world. And that the Preacher is trying to reason with us, telling us that it is all meaningless, if we die apart from Christ. 

To sum it all up (From me, Joshua!):

• The Brevity of life needs to stay in constant focus. Too often we get inundated with the day to day tasks and forget what God is doing in the picture and also what He is calling us to. Granted, don’t neglect your day to day obligations, but keep in mind all of the ‘other’ things going on around you and take head on what you have been called to do.
• What are you filling your life with? Sin and crap, or God & serving others?
• You are free to enjoy what God has given you! But by all means, don’t let that define you or be your life’s purpose! Keeping in mind self-control and serving others should drive you to surrender to Christ and serve Him how He has called you…
• We have just come through a great study on Proverbs and the warnings of the fool and pursuits of self. Solomon reminds us here that we are to pursue wisdom, not self and foolishness.