SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/28/2013
11:24 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Death is
Unavoidable PT-3
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ecclesiastes
9:4-10
Message of the
verses: Dr. Wiersbe wrote the
following in his commentary that will aid us in understanding where we are in
Eccl. 9: “Solomon pointed out three
possible responses that people make to the ever-present fear of death.”
Endurance (Eccl. 9:4-6):
“4 For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a
live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know they will die; but
the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their
memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have
already perished and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under
the sun.”
Not all people give false hope to the dying, some just
grit their teeth and endure it. A good
paraphrase of verse four could come from an old saying or motto from the third
century BC: “Where there’s life, there
is hope.” Dr. Wiersbe points out that a
Greek poet named Theokritos wrote a poem in which he said “Counsel yourself,
dear Battos things may be better tomorrow.
While there’s life there’s hope.
Only the dead have note.” This
surely sounds like Solomon’s writing in Ecclesiastes.
To begin with, let’s keep in mind that one day we shall
die (vs. 5). “5 For the living know they
will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward,
for their memory is forgotten.” Now as
far as believers we have a “living hope” and not a dead hope. Let’s look at a couple of sections from the
NT that confirms this: “3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God
through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter
1:3-5). “10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of
our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).” We have this living hope because of what
Christ did for us on the cross. Solomon
is saying in this section that the dead do not know what is happening on planet
earth, but the living do. The dead
cannot add anything to their reward or their reputation. The dead cannot relate to people on planet
earth. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Solomon was emphasizing
the importance of seizing opportunities while we live, rather than blindly
hoping for something better in the future, because death will end our
opportunities on this earth.” I do have
on slight disagreement with this and that is that there are people who are now in
heaven who will continually receive rewards for their works on earth because
their works still continue while they are in heaven. I think of D. L. Moody whose Bible Institute
is still doing things for the Lord, and I am sure that there are others.
Enjoyment (vs. 7-10):
“7 Go then, eat your bread in
happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already
approved your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil
be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days
of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your
reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun. 10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no
activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.”
Solomon has been writing about enjoyment of life in
earlier parts of this book, and he continues on this theme in this section
here. Solomon is suggesting that
enjoyment of life should begin in the home with things like happy leisurely
meals, and family celebrations, and loving the wife of your youth having a
happy marriage. This is far different in
what we have in our mixed up society with people trying to find happiness by
living with people of the same sex or just a man and a women living together
without getting married. This surely
will not bring happiness. If one takes a
look at our country in years past they will discover that when the country was
close to the Lord, that is living in the fear of the Lord, the country was
doing much better because God was blessing our country. Are we at the point in our countries where as
Paul wrote in Romans chapter one that God is giving us over to the sinful
desires we want and will have to then live with the consequences?
Enjoy your meals
(vs. 7): “7 Go then, eat your bread
in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already
approved your works.” Dr. Wiersbe writes
on this subject: “The most important
thing on any menu is family love, for
love turns an ordinary meal into a banquet.
When the children would rather eat at a friend’s house than bring their
friends home to enjoy their mother’s cooking, it’s time to take inventory of
what goes on around the table.”
Enjoy every
occasion (vs. 8): “8 Let your
clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.” We see the word white referring to their
clothes and this is talking about when the family would get together for celebrations,
like weddings or like family reunions.
Giving thanks to the Lord must not only be done when we are celebrating
on special occasions for Paul wrote to the Philippians “Rejoice in the Lord
always. Again I say rejoice.”
Enjoy your marriage
(vs. 9): “9 Enjoy life with the
woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to
you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you
have labored under the sun.”
Let’s look at what Solomon wrote about a wife in
Proverbs: “He who finds a wife finds a
good thing And obtains favor from the LORD (18:22).” “House and wealth are an inheritance from
fathers, But a prudent wife is from the LORD (19:14).” It is too bad that Solomon did not live up to
the values that he penned in the books he wrote.
Enjoy your work
(vs. 1): “10 Whatever your hand
finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or
knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.”
Some people think that work is a result of the curse that
God put upon the earth as a result of sin.
While are work is harder because of the fall Adam was working in the
garden tending it before he sinned so work was ordained by the Lord before the
fall. Work can be a ministry as we meet
unsaved people and can led them to the Lord.
Work can bring satisfaction to people along with the income they need to
survive. Paul writes that “If any would
not work, neither should he eat” in 2 Thes. 3:10. There were some in that day who though that
the Lord would return soon and so they did not need to work so Paul had to set
them straight.
Dr. Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section by
writing “If we fear God and walk by faith we will not try to escape or merely
endure life. We will enjoy life and
receive it happily as a gift from the Lord.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: What I get from this section is that I am not to fear death;
I am to enjoy my life that God has given to me as a gift and that I am to love
my wife for she is a gift from the Lord.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Pr. 3:5-6 “5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own
understanding. 6 In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Cor. 5:17-21
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who
knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
Question: “General Epistles.”
Today’s Bible
Question: “Of which two precious metals
were the children of Israel not to make gods?”
Answer in tomorrow’s SD.
5/28/2013 12:27 PM
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