This book is thought to be the "journal" of King Solomon. "The Teacher" rants and raves about what is fair and unfair and about how all of life is meaningless. But in the conclusion of this book "the Teacher" decides that no matter what life dishes out one must always remember this one thing, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil"(12:13b-14 NIV)
Verses the spoke to me:
3:1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
God has set a time for everything that happens, it all has a purpose
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3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Everything has its time, no one can understand the reasoning God has for the times that they happen
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9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Two are better then on and three are not easily broken--in marriage God is the third strand
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5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep.
15 Naked a man comes from his mother's womb,
and as he comes, so he departs.
He takes nothing from his labor
that he can carry in his hand.
6:7 All man's efforts are for his mouth,
yet his appetite is never satisfied.
8 What advantage has a wise man
over a fool?
What does a poor man gain
by knowing how to conduct himself before others?
All of these scriptures spoke to me about greediness, about how meaningless it is to be greedy because we all came into this world with not so much as a strand of cloth on our bodies and we will also leave with out any of the things we accumulate. Also much of it says a lot about how greediness and selfishness are never/will never be satisfied.
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7:1 A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man;
the living should take this to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke
than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of fools.
This too is meaningless.
We are only able to learn through our grief and sadness. God gives us trials so that we may grow in him.
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7:14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future.
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7:18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes .
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7:20 There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.
21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you may hear your servant cursing you-
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Words to live by
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7:26 I find more bitter than death
the woman who is a snare,
whose heart is a trap
and whose hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her,
but the sinner she will ensnare.
Sinners will be caught up in their own sins and be unable to get loose.
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8:8 No man has power over the wind to contain it [a] ;
so no one has power over the day of his death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
Don't worry with how many days you have left on this Earth, now one but God has any control over the time we have on Earth.
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8:14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.
Life on Earth is unfair. Earth is not where God resides, it is where Satan reigns...
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11:5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed [a] in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
Do not try to understand God's reasoning, just accept this life as it is.
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11:8 However many years a man may live,
let him enjoy them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness,
for they will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
Always fear God and remember that Satan is hiding in wait for each of us.
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11:10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.
Don't be anxious over things you cannot control.
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12:13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Keep God's commandments and remember after everything is said and done only the Lord will be the judge.
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