Devotions

remember him before

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

IT’S ALMOST TOO LATE

Ecclesiastes 12:5-8

⁵ People should remember him before they get afraid of a high place and of scary things on the road; before the almond tree blossoms, before the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caper berry does nothing. Because the man is walking to his permanent house while mourners surround him in the street. ⁶ Remember Him before the silver cord gets severed and the golden bowl crushed, the pitcher by the well gets shattered and the wheel at the cistern crushed; because ⁷ then the dust will return to the ground like it was before, and the breath will return to God who gave it. ⁸ “Completely impermanent,” says the Collector, “everything is impermanent!”

remember him before

Solomon concludes his allegory describing old age and its consequences. He had first outlined the loss of personal pleasures because of the parts of the body failing (1-4). Now he describes the emotional and psychological changes that can occur with aging, including phobias, lethargy, and loss of sexual desire (capers were used as an aphrodisiac). Basically, Solomon describes an old man as if he is a dead man walking to his own funeral, trading his temporary house for a permanent one: the grave. His friends are just mourners walking along with him.

Solomon’s point is simple. Do not wait until you are half dead to remember the one who gave you life in the first place. That life is a gift. You should appreciate the giver while you are enjoying the gift. Remember him before. The world needs young people who love and respect and obey the one who created them.

LORD, forgive those of us who have waited almost too long to remember you. Show us how to reach the next generation, and instil in them the love and respect and obedience that you deserve.

Posted in dependence upon God, discernment, future, mortality, obedience, relationship with God, Solomon | Tagged Ecclesiastes 12 | Leave a comment

no pleasure left

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DON’T WASTE YOUR PRIME TIME

Ecclesiastes 12:1-4

¹ But you should remember your Creator in those days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “There is no pleasure left in them for me”; ² before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after it rains; ³ in that day the guards of the house will tremble, and the strong men slouch, the grinders will stand idle because they are sparse, and those who look through the windows will grow dim; ⁴ and the doors on the street will be shut as the sound of the grinding mill softens, and he will wake up at the tweet of the bird, but all the daughters of song will only sing quietly.

no pleasure left

In this wonderful allegory, Solomon describes old age. He contrasts it to the prime of life, when everything is light and strength, and all your parts function correctly. The eyes look through their windows and see everything clearly when you are young, but the older you get, the darker the days get. Your bladder is like a full rain cloud, that seems to fill up again so quickly after you go. Those strong legs that guard your body/house turn to jelly. Your teeth are sparse, and just sit there idle, no longer serving to grind up your food. You no longer venture away from home because your doors of opportunity for productive work are shut. You miss the sound of business, and busyness. You wake up early, at the sound of the first bird’s tweet, but you don’t hear sounds as often as you used to.

Solomon’s point is the same that he has been making all along. Life is short, don’t waste it. Enjoy life to its fullest, especially when you are young and can enjoy it most. But, while you are enjoying the gift of life, remember the creator who gave it to you. Your relationship with him (and the pleasure you can gain from it) is what is left when everything else goes.

LORD, give us the wisdom to not waste our time, especially our prime time.

Posted in change, future, relationship with God, Solomon, time, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 12 | Leave a comment

from dark hair to dark days

Posted on February 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

LIFE IS SHORT, ENJOY IT

Ecclesiastes 11:7-10

⁷ That morning light is sweet, and it is a good thing for the eyes to see that sun rising. ⁸ Even someone living many years can rejoice in them all; yet that someone should remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is temporary. ⁹ Rejoice, young man, during your youth, and let your heart please you during the days of young adulthood. And walk where your heart wants to go, and see what your eyes want to see. Yet be aware that God will hold you accountable for all these things. ¹⁰ So, take away any irritation your heart feels and let any pain your body feels pass, because youth and the times of dark hair are temporary.

from dark hair to dark days

There is a play on words in this passage that is lost in every English translation I know of. It is a contrast between the days of darkness (yemey ha choshech) in verse 8, and the times of dark hair (hashachrot) in verse 10. Solomon is an old man now. His times of dark hair are past. As his hair and beard get greyer, he wants to tell the next generation to enjoy life while they are living it, because the prime of life does not last. He does not want them to forget that they are accountable before God for what they do, but he does not want them to miss out on living life either. He tells them that as long as they realize their accountability, they should go where they feel like going, and see what they want to see. Enjoy life!

LORD, give us the wisdom to walk with integrity, without losing the joy of completely experiencing life.

Posted in future, integrity, joy, judgment, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 11 | Leave a comment

you never know

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

STAY AT IT UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

⁴ A watcher of the wind never plants and someone looking at the clouds never harvests. ⁵ In the same way that you do not know what path the wind will take, or how bones emerge from a uterus, so you do not know what God is doing when he is making all these things. ⁶ Plant your seed in the morning, and do not take it easy in the evening, because you do not know which will succeed, this or that, or whether both times together will be beneficial.

you never know

Solomon instructs us to stay engaged and diligent in our work, and not to stop working because of what might happen. The wind might interfere with today’s planting, and the rain might interfere with today’s harvest. But you never know — just like you don’t know what is happening inside a uterus where an infant’s bones are forming. God is at work, and he has not filled you in on his agenda. So, keep at it until the work is done. You never know which work times will turn out to have been the most productive. Engage and stay engaged, and persevere through the learning experience that is life. God has a plan, but you never know it, so don’t try to second guess him. Just stay at the work – whatever it is.

LORD, give us the wisdom to stay engaged and diligent until the whole work is done.

Posted in commitment, discernment, future, patience, perseverance, Solomon, success | Tagged Ecclesiastes 11 | Leave a comment

diversification

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE YOUR EGGS ALL IN THE SAME BASKET?

Ecclesiastes 11:1-3

¹ Send your bread over the surface of the water, because you will find it again in many days. ² Give a portion to seven, and also to eight, because you do not know what time of distress might happen here on the land. ³ If the clouds get full, they will pour out rain upon the land; and if a tree is going to fall toward the south or toward the north, in the spot where the tree falls, there it is.

diversification

I don’t think the Hebrews had the saying “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” but if they did, Solomon would have used it here. The idea is that if you concentrate on only one thing, and you fail at it, you are a total failure. Instead, diversify. Be generous with what you have to as many as possible. Some day you might need one of the friends that you made by helping them out when they have a need now.

Why does Solomon say this? Because things happen which we cannot control. When that tree falls it may fall harmlessly in the woods with no one around to hear it. Or, it may fall on your car. Diversification helps you deal with the accidents that happen, and keep you going strong.

LORD, give us the wisdom to spread ourselves out a little.

Posted in change, giving, Solomon, success, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 11 | 1 Comment

staying diligent

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

QUIT YOUR LAZINESS AND COMPLAINING

Ecclesiastes 10:18-20

¹⁸ Going soft makes the roof sag, and due to idle hands the house springs leaks. ¹⁹ People make bread for laughing times, and wine to gladden lives, and making money keeps us singing about everything. ²⁰ And another thing: even in your bedroom do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a prominent man, because a bird from the sky will carry the sound, a winged creature will report the word.

staying diligent

Solomon identifies two symptoms of the same malady here. First, he warns against the tendency to withdraw and give your life over to laziness and idleness. He compares such a life to a house which starts to fall apart due to neglect.

Secondly, he warns against grumbling and complaining about “the king” – because such talk has a way of getting tweeted to the authorities, and no good can come from it.

For the person tempted to give up on working hard, and just party all the time, Solomon has an important thing to say. He tried it, and it is not as satisfying as it seems. Feasting and drinking and laughing and singing have their place, but they are best enjoyed as a result of earning them through diligence and hard work. Sitting on your bottom and blaming the politicians will only get you in trouble. Stay diligent, and you just might succeed.

LORD, forgive us for not staying diligent. Make us people of integrity and discretion.

Posted in commitment, genuineness, integrity, neglect, self-control, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

experience versus instinct

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

DISCIPLINE OR DISASTER

Ecclesiastes 10:15-17

¹⁵ The work of stupid people gets him so tired that he does not know how to walk into town. ¹⁶ Disaster will come to you, O land, when your king is a novice and when your princes feast first thing in the morning. ¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of noble ones and when your princes eat at the appropriate time– for strength, and not as an excuse to get drunk.

experience versus instinct

Solomon learned about wisdom the same way we all do – by experience. One detects a good deal of confession wrapped up in his wisdom observations. He looks back on when he was a fresh prince, a novice king who had been placed in charge long before he had learned the ropes. He remembered how lenient he had been on his own sons – letting them party any time they felt like it, not building any discipline into their lives. He just let them do what their instinct told them. Now he knows that his neglect was their downfall.

You do not have to learn by bad experiences. You can follow in the footsteps of those who have proven themselves good leaders. That is what it means to be a son of noble ones. By imitating good leadership, you bless your land. By following your instinct, you curse it.

LORD, give us the wisdom to imitate the exceptional leaders who have gone before us.

Posted in discernment, integrity, leadership, self-control, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

stupid snake charming

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WATCH OUT FOR SMOOTH FLOWING WORDS

Ecclesiastes 10:11-14

¹¹ If the snake bites before being charmed, the charmer loses out on his profit. ¹² Words from the mouth of a wise person exude grace, but the lips of a stupid person consume him; ¹³ he starts out talking stupid, and ends up with wicked insanity. ¹⁴ Yet the stupid one multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, so who can tell him what will come after him?

stupid snake charming

Solomon had warned his readers of the danger of getting trapped by the charm of an adulteress,[1] or getting ensnared by an evil time, and dying young.[2] Now, he points out another dangerous trap: the multiplied words of a stupid person who thinks he knows the future. Solomon’s point is that all this talk about what is going to happen is snake charming, and since nobody knows the future, it is easy to fall for it. It would be better for us if the snake would immediately bite. So, Solomon’s warning for the wise is to beware of those who are so confident about the future. There is some stupid snake charming going on.

LORD, give us the wisdom to beware of those who want to charm us into bad decisions.

[1] 7:26.

[2] 9:12.

Posted in confidence, discernment, future, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

working smarter

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

ARE YOU WAILING AWAY WITH A BLUNT AXE?

Ecclesiastes 10:8-10

⁸ A person digging a pit may end up falling into it, and a snake might bite someone who breaks through a wall. ⁹ Someone cutting out stones may get hurt by them, and someone splitting logs may be harmed by them. ¹⁰ If someone’s axe is blunt and he cannot sharpen it, then he must keep trying harder. Wisdom has the advantage of helping someone succeed.

working smarter

Solomon has established the truth that things do not always work out the way you might expect. Now, he tells us not to throw up our hands and give up, but to keep sharpening our axes, so that we can increase our chances of success at whatever we do. Wisdom is the axe sharpener. It helps a person work smarter, not harder. Stupidity says “I’ll take a shortcut.” Wisdom says “I’ll do it right the first time, so I will not have to do it again, or explain my failure.”

The gospel is wisdom applied to a person’s eternal destiny. There are billions who keep wailing away with blunt axes when it comes to their relationship with God. The harder they try, the worse it gets. They cannot get to God, because he has ordained only one way: Jesus.

LORD, open our eyes, so that we see clearly the wisdom in following Jesus Christ, and how to help others to see that wisdom as well.

Posted in dependence upon God, eternal life, gospel, Solomon, wisdom | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | Leave a comment

murphy rules

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

WHAT TO DO WHEN IT GOES WRONG

Ecclesiastes 10:4-7

⁴ If the ruler’s spirit turns against you, do not change your position, because calmness can overcome big mistakes. ⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake made by that ruler — ⁶ stupidity is set up in many high places while worthy men sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen slaves on horses and princes walking like slaves in the land.

murphy rules

I love the honesty that Solomon expresses here. Gone are the bull feather expressions that are so common today, especially among the religious. He does not say that you can count on things working out OK all the time. Instead, he joins hands with Murphy and warns his sons that unfair stuff is going to happen. The ruler is going to get angry at you, so stay put and work it out. Worthy people are going to not get elected, but stupid ones are.

In a world where Murphy rules, you need wisdom and faithfulness. You need to trust God for justice to come eventually, because it is not always going to work out that way in the here and now. You need faith.

LORD, give us the courage to trust you, even when nothing goes right.

Posted in change, confidence, faith, faithfulness, Solomon, trust | Tagged Ecclesiastes 10 | 1 Comment