Year 8, Day 349: Song of Songs 7

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Today, the reconciliation continues.  In fact, the reconciliation grows and brings about maturity.  There is a greater understanding that comes after the reconciliation that draws us even closer to one another.  Solomon is a new man, looking upon his bride with a new perspective.

One of my favorite things to do in the latter chapters of Song of Songs is to compare the changes in what Solomon praises about his bride.  Early in the book, when Solomon was still looking ahead to marriage, he largely praises her physical prowess.  He praises her looks and her shape in anticipation and obsession.  Some of that still remains, but Solomon also looks elsewhere.

For example, Solomon now lifts up his bride’s belly and compares it to a heap of wheat.  That’s an odd comparison.  However, a heap of wheat is sustaining.  It is nourishing.  It is more than just pleasing; it is useful.  Solomon desires his bride not just for how she looks but what she brings to his life.

As another example, in this chapter Solomon now speaks about his bride’s head as being her crown.  Before, Solomon spoke about her hair and lips and the beauty it brings.  Now, he values her mind.  Now, he thinks f her as a queen and not just a trophy. 

Solomon has grown through the conflict to see her in a new and deeper light.  There is a maturity here that isn’t present in the earlier chapters.  There is a perspective here that is new and refreshing, adding layers of depth to the relationship.  The conflict of the earlier chapter has been able to strengthen the marriage, not weaken it.

To be fair, though, it is important to understand the danger of conflict in a relationship.  We shouldn’t go out looking for strife because we believe that strife and conflict makes us stronger.  Sometimes conflict destroys completely.  Sometimes strife kills.  Conflict and strife are like hunting dangerous wild game.  Often, the payoff is amazing.  Every once and a while, though, the hunter becomes the hunted.  We shouldn’t fear conflict and strife because when overcome it makes us stronger, wiser, and more mature.  At the same time, we should respect the danger of conflict and strife, realizing that it does also have the power to kill and destroy.

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Year 8, Day 348: Song of Songs 6

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In today’s reading, we hear that the relationship has been restored.  Once more the bride and the groom share intimacy.  The distance has been forgotten and forgiven.  Once more love excites passionately.

I believe that this part of the book is even better than the first part.  In the first few chapters, the excitement was real, but it was easy.  A bride and groom should be dripping with passion and excitement.  It is good, but it is also easy.  Here in this chapter we see the fruit of work.  Relationships are hard and full of work.  It’s often the love and unity that follows tension that is far sweeter than relationship that is easy.

There are two things that must be present in reconciliation.  First is what we heard yesterday.  The offending party must be repentant.  There must be an understanding of wat went wrong and there must be a desire to change.

The second thing that must be present is the willingness to forgive by the offended party.  In this chapter, Solomon is happy to return to normal.  He’s happy to let go of the offense of his wife and dwell in the joy that forgiveness brings.  Solomon is willing to let go of any hurt feelings to dwell in joy and love.

Relationships are a ton of work.  They are full of give and take.  They are full of sin, repentance, and forgiveness.  That’s also what makes them strong and full of love and joy.  Only when a marriage is filled with two people who understand these dynamics will it grow strong and be filled with unbreakable bonds.

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Year 8, Day 347: Song of Songs 5

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This chapter is often thought of as a dream.  After all, the bride is sleeping, but her heart is awake.  That sounds like the setup for a dream to me.

What is the point of this situation, dream or not?  We see reality in the relationship.  The groom comes to his bride, but he’s locked out.  The bride makes excuses for why she can’t come to the door in a hurry.

The reality is that all relationships have moments of cooling.  It is a natural cycle within the marriage for things to seem normal, even bland.  Human beings find places of normalcy.  In fact, as much as we claim to love excitement, the truth is that many of us crave a normal day where things go as planned.  Normal, unexciting times in a marriage are just an outcropping of humanity.

That being said, normalcy should never equate to uncaring.  A stable relationship is not a cold relationship.  While we may not always have excitement, we should never be distant, either.  That’s where the bride shows she’s gone wrong.  When the relationship grew stable and normal, she allowed it to create emotional distance.

The great thing about this chapter is that it also shows a repentance of the heart.  The bride comes out of the expression of distance and immediately begins to praise her groom.  She refocuses upon the qualities that her groom brings to life.  When she becomes aware that she has allowed distance to grow out of normalcy, she brings herself back into the relationship with a new passion.

Relationships cycle.  It is entirely normal.  We need to be careful the normal doesn’t become distant.  When it does, like all sin in life, we repent and try again.

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Year 8, Day 346: Song of Songs 4

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Yesterday we got to hear about the bride’s anticipation of the groom.  Today we hear the opposite.  Today is about Solomon and his anticipation of his bride.  The themes are still the same, however.  Love should be memorable.

When Solomon speaks of the bride, he flatters her with images.  He compares her to fawns frolicking in a field.  There is a mystic and innocence in that image.  He compares her to the tower of David.  That speaks to her wisdom, her steadfast nature, and her regal nature.

Notice that Solomon also paints a very memorable image of her face.  Her lips are scarlet, speaking to her passion and his fascination for her.  He compares her hair to leaping down the slopes of a mountain.  Her eyes are doves, soft and calming.  Solomon gives us an image of what has captured his attention.

Solomon doesn’t stop there, however.  Solomon demonstrates how captivated he is by his bride.  She is like a locked garden, waiting to be experienced by only the person allowed in.  He compares her to expensive and rare spices, speaking to her unique and pleasing nature.

What is the point of all of this?  Solomon paints a memorable picture.  How do we know it is memorable?  Solomon’s bride invites him in to partake of her.  His bride allows him to quench his obsession.

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Year 8, Day 345: Song of Songs 3

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Love should be memorable.  Yesterday, when we were looking at the passage we talked about obsession.  In the middle of love, it is our focus.  When we are apart from our love, we should long to be together again.

That is what is going on in this chapter.  In the first half, the bride wakes and is apart from her groom.  She longs to be with him.  She is in love.  Her thoughts go to him and what it feels like to be with him.  She sets out to seek him.

Notice that when she does set out, she does it reasonably.  She tries to wait but is unable to do so.  She then goes out to the watchmen.  She asks if they have seen her love.  They haven’t, but she doesn’t go far until she finds him.  She longs for her obsession, but in her obsession she still acts rationally.  Love should be no excuse for irrationality.

In the second half of the passage, we hear the bride speak about her groom as he comes to her.  It is the wedding day, and Solomon, the groom, comes adorned as such.  There is pomp and circumstance.  As was said in the beginning, love should be memorable.

Notice how love is protected.  Solomon comes with men dressed for war.  Nothing will get into the way of this love.  The wedding will go as planned.  Solomon will be with his bride and it will be memorable.

Look how Solomon comes.  He comes in a litter made from the cedar of Lebanon.  It contains silver and gold.  The cloth within is purple, a sure sign of royalty.  Again, we see that love is celebrated and memorable.  The wedding, the obsession of love, will be remembered by all.  In its memory, it is also inspirational.

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Year 8, Day 344: Song of Songs 2

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I think that it is fair to say that obsession is a part of every love.  Love captures the heart, that’s a part of what it does.  Many people realize that they are in love when they find their focus always returning to the same person.  That obsession means that there is a person with whom we always want to share our day, a person to whom we always watch to tell our funny jokes and stories, a person for whom we always want to be the center of attention.  Obsession is part of what it means to be in love.

We see that here in this passage.  The bride is focused in on her groom.  She longs for his embrace.  She is soothed by his voice.  She is sustained by his presence.  She is brought forth out of the winter of life by the simple call of his voice.

While all of this is true – and even good, within certain limits – there is also a great amount of wisdom at the end of the first major section in this chapter.  She adjures the people of Jerusalem to not awaken love until it is the right time to be pleasing.  This is phenomenal advice.

I’ve seen brilliant people do stupid things for the sake of love.  I’ve seen sensible people make awful choices for the sake of love.  I’ve seen rational people become irrational for the sake of love.  I’ve seen people miss great opportunities for the sake of love.  I’ve seen many people make many mistakes because of the obsession that love brings.

In the right time and context, those things are good.  It is good for a married man to miss out on the possibility of romantic involvement with other people besides his wife.  It is good for a married woman to make the occasional irrational decision when it is for the good of the family.  Each of these scenarios – and many others – involve a context where the obsession that comes with love can be fulfilling and even beneficial.

Outside of those contexts, though, awakening love at the wrong time can lead to disastrous effects.  Depression can follow when love isn’t returned.  Anger and bitterness can sprout when the context for love isn’t right.  Harm can come when people make poor choices at the wrong time.

Love is a great thing.  Marriage and the obsession that comes with it can be one of the most fulfilling elements of life.  There is a proper time for it, though.  As with all things, there is a season for love.  In it’s season, though, love is much like it is described in this chapter: two deer frolicking in the lilies seemingly without an outside care in the world.

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Year 8, Day 343: Song of Songs 1

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Song of Songs is a love poem written by Solomon – and perhaps his wife and others.  As such, it should be celebrated.  Like the “others” in the poem, we should celebrate a good marriage when we see one.  Marriage is one of the hardest, yet one of the most rewarding, parts of life.  A marriage done well is a joy to watch.

One of the things that Song of Songs does well is give us a persistent key to marriage.  Marriage is best done when each spouse feels the appreciation of the other.  Each person in the marriage needs to know what the other person values.  People in a marriage need to support one another and encourage one another.

Solomon does this well with his wife.  He tells her that she is like the Pharaoh’s chariot.  The Pharaoh’s chariot would be beautiful to behold.  It would be a symbol of majesty and grace.  It would be something to be followed.  Solomon is telling his wife that she is all of these things.  She is beloved and treasured because of her beauty, her grace, her splendor, and her ability to lead others.

Solomon’s wife does the same in return.  She tells Solomon that he is treasured because he provides for the family.  Obviously, being king of Israel, he is wealthy.  His house is well-constructed and sturdy, but it is also full of splendor.  It is a pleasure to dwell in his family.  He is a good provider, making life easy.

In this opening chapter, what we really see is the husband and wife complementing one another.  They want to show the other that there is value.  This is one of the key elements to a solid marriage.  When we feel valued, we will inherently feel more happy in our position.

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Year 8, Day 342: Ecclesiastes 12

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Today we have a fitting ending for the book of Ecclesiastes.  All book long we’ve been talking about contrasting ideas.  We’ve continually landed in the truth that anything – even good things – taken to extremes are vanity.  Moderation, and its varied perspective, brings about good situation and truth.

In the end, the best advice is last.  Fear the Lord.  Remember Him in our youth.  We’ll have good days and bad days.  We’ll have days of rain and days of sunshine.  All of those days will come and go.  What will remain is the Lord.  One day we will return to Him when our life here is spent.  We should focus on being in Him.

He will be our judge.  He will know and reveal what is in our heart.  There will be no hiding from His truth and knowledge and justice.  Fortunately, there will also be no hiding from His mercy, either.

He is the end.  Truth comes from Him.  In fact, the author tells us that we should be wary of truth and sayings beyond what He can offer us.  That really is the point of this whole book.  That which outside is vanity.  That which is apart from God will fade away.  If we want to know lasting joy, we need to make sure we a re a part of things that are a part of God.

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Year 8, Day 341: Ecclesiastes 11

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The beginning portion of Ecclesiastes 12 gives us a couple of metaphors.  “Cast your bread on the waters,” it says.  For those of us who are a little too literal, this doesn’t make sense.  When you put bread on water, it gets soggy and gross.  But that’s not the image we’re going for.  In ancient cultures, seeds were sometimes sown into flooded plains.  As the waters receded, the seeds would be well hydrated, and many would take root in the ground.  The crops would grow and there would be a harvest.

What, therefore, does this expression mean?  Sometimes to get a harvest we need to be willing to let go of control.  Quite often in life we simply need to be generous and loving to the people around us, not knowing if it will be noticed, recognized, or even take root!  We spread the seed of God’s love not knowing were it will grow and produce a harvest.

We then move into an exhortation to share with seven or eight people.  There isn’t any particular magic about seven or eight people.  It is simply an acknowledgement that we need a community of support.  The likelihood of seven or eight people all losing resources at the same time is far less than the likelihood of one or two losing access to resources.  If we can create a modest network of support, we’ll will be better insulated from unforeseen circumstances.  In other words, if we share with others in their need, we will be more likely to be able to navigate our own lean years.

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Year 8, Day 340: Ecclesiastes 10

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Ecclesiastes 10:10 is an inspiring verse.  If the iron is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, it requires more force.  I love this expression on many levels.  Most basic, of course, is the simple physical explanation.  Most people get cut with dull knives because their cutting is unreliable so they have to push harder.  If you try to cut things with blunt edges you end up doing more tearing than actual cutting.  The point is that blunt things aren’t as useful.  In fact, blunt things make a job harder than they need be.

There is a deeper level to this.  Notice that the saying includes a condition.  The verse says, “and one doesn’t sharpen the edge.”  There is an assumption here.  The assumption is that the smart things to do is to sharpen the edge.  If a blunt edge makes life harder, sharpen the edge so it isn’t blunt anymore!  However, while this is the common sense thing to do, it isn’t what actually happens most of the time.  If it did, then this saying wouldn’t exist!  The reality is that many people won’t take the time to improve themselves.  They will simply stay the way that they are, doing things the hard way. 

I see this all the time in school.  A student struggles.  Rather than get help, the student continues to do what they’ve always done.  No surprise, they continue to struggle.  Instead of sharpening their mind, they continue to swing away at their education with a blunt tool.

Students aren’t the only ones guilty of this offense, though.  Adults do it all the time.  We bury issues rather than sharpening our minds and dealing with them.  We continue in bad habits rather than sharpening our life and changing our ways.  We react with raw and blunt emotions rather than sharpening our responses through logic and reasoning.

The truth is simple.  When we live life with blunt aspects – whether it is our mind, our emotions, or our actions – our life is harder.  When we allow ourselves to be sharpened, life becomes easier and better lived.

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Year 8, Day 339: Ecclesiastes 9

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Progressing through Ecclesiastes is like listening to a good debater.  A good debater can debate either side of an issue, and they know that the truth is actually somewhere in the compromise in the middle.  So it is with Ecclesiastes.  Often we read the latter chapters and discover that truth lies in the middle ground, not with the extreme.

For example, take the story near the end of this chapter about the small city saved by a poor wise man under the siege of a great king with much resource.  It isn’t the resources of the king that won.  It isn’t the power of might of the king.  It isn’t the size of the city.  In that war of attrition, it was wisdom that triumphed over strength and status.

Lest we think that wisdom is the answer, though, the author reminds us that death happens to us all and wisdom cannot escape its grasp.  Even the wisest fall victim to random chance.  If someone intends to do us evil, wisdom cannot always prevent us from becoming the victim of the person who desires to harm us.  Wisdom may be great, but it isn’t the be-all or end-all.

One paragraph that I really love in this chapter is the paragraph about spending life with the person you love.  Life is fun; life is hard.  Why go through it without having people you care about to share it with?  God has given us our portion to live in life, find people who can share your joy and encourage you in it.

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Year 8, Day 338: Ecclesiastes 8

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As difficult as the last few chapters have been, this chapter is straightforward.  It really can be summed up in a simple sentence.  Do what’s expected of you.  Maybe said a little better we would end up with this sentence.  When insurmountable power beckons, get in line behind it.

The problem with this is that it doesn’t sit well with those of us who aren’t necessarily party-line junkies.  The free-thinkers of the world don’t care for this kind of thinking.  That’s where the difficulty resides here.  While it is good tactical advice, we have issues in implementation.

Take the first section of this chapter.  It seems that the point here is to obey the king.  After all, when someone with absolute power and makes a demand, how do you say no?  How do you disobey the king when the king is judge, jury, and executioner?

See what I mean?  It’s great tactic advice.  Obeying the king will keep you out of trouble.  But what if the king asks you to do something wrong?  The story that comes to mind is when David tells Joab to put Uriah the Hittite in the middle of the battle so that Uriah dies and David can take Bathsheba for a wife.  What does Joab do?  He obeys.  But does he do the right thing?  That’s the rub.  He keeps himself from trouble, but is it right?

This is why the author tempers this advice with the words about not having the ability t retrain the spirit.  In other words, we cannot stop the process of death.  We cannot be the Lord over life.  What the author is trying to say is that in this world and in this life, sometimes we have to make the best with what we are given.  Sometimes we can only choose the lesser of two evils instead of an actual good.

This is how we come to the end.  While we are not given the power to retain the spirit, to stop death, or even always choose righteousness, there is someone who can.  God can.  Therefore, those who fear Him will be in the right place.  Those whose eyes are on God will be able to put their lives in His hands and obey His decrees.

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Year 8, Day 337: Ecclesiastes 7

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Chapter 7 is a difficult chapter to grasp.  To me, it feels like reading poetry.  I know there is meaning out there, but its meaning is always just out of my grasp.  The same is true with this chapter.  Being a part of God’s Word I know it is useful for instruction.  But its meaning is just out of reach.  It will take some stretching and mental lunging to pull the meaning in.

For example, take the first third of this chapter.  At first pass it seems to be saying that it is pointless to be happy and we should all live in sadness.  After all, it is in sorrow that the face of the heart is made glad.  What kind of a verse is that, right?  Or, we can rad that it is better to go into a house of mourning than a house of feasting.  But really, who wants to go into a house where something terrible just happened when we could go into a house where people are happy and excited and loving the life they are living?  What is the author trying to tell us?

I believe the point here is that if we are looking for truth, we need to go to the hard moments in life.  When people are at a party, they aren’t looking for truth.  They are looking for fun.  When people are wrestling with a dark moment of life, that is when they are most likely to encounter truth and wisdom.  If we want life to have meaning, we need to chase the real moments in life, not the party.  The party will always fade; we’ll always be chasing it.  The real moments will linger and allow us to explore the truth contained within.

The next portion of this chapter seems to be about the wisdom of moderation.  Do not be too wise, but don’t be a fool.  Be joyful in prosperity, yet consider that God has also ordained the time of adversity.  When we step back from this we see that it is really the same sentiments as the first third of this chapter.  We want to be joyful at the party, but there is so much to be learned about life in the hard moments.  We wish life was all fun and excitement, but the truth is that life is more real than just the happy moments.

Then we get to the closing third.  I think this section is about our perspective.  No human is perfectly righteous.  We all make our fair share of mistakes.  Don’t get upset if someone says something harsh about you, because you’ve done the same to other people.  Don’t be surprised if you get caught up in the schemes of other people, especially the less righteous you are acting.  It’s all about seeing humanity through an honest lens.

We tend to want to see the best in others.  After all, what fun is there in being a skeptic all the time? I should know, I am one for most of my life except when I’m actively teaching or actively mentoring.  But the point of this last section is that we need to have a realistic approach.  Accept that other people are not perfect, just as I’m not perfect.  Accept that people will do rash things that are fueled by their emotion.  We all have those moments!  Don’t judge them by their rashness, but do not be caught off-guard by it, either.  Live with an honestly righteous perspective.

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Year 8, Day 336: Ecclesiastes 6

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This chapter is easy to get wrong.  If we read it too lightly, we hear verses such as Ecclesiastes 6:3 and think that life is not worth living unless we are having fun.  If we take this too far, we end chasing happiness, not God.  We end up making decision based on what will please me rather than what is right.

However, if we read through this chapter and put too much emphasis on the other end, we become too legalistic.  We think that life is only best lived if it is right.  The truth, however, if that God doesn’t want a miserable legalist!  There is no point in a person who does everything right but has no joy along the way!

Life is best lived with an understanding that we should pursue God’s righteousness, but do it with a cheerful heart.  Pursue all things of God, but focus on the things of God that genuinely bring joy to your soul.  What is the point of life if we are not given pleasure by the righteous choices that we make?  On the flipside, what is the point of life if we do not increase in righteousness by that which gives us pleasure?

In the end, who truly knows what is good for us but God.  As human beings, we go forward in faith.  We try things, knowing that the closer a choice gets to being hindsight the better our perspective will become.  We will make mistakes in judgment, naturally.  That’s why we need guideposts.  On one hand, we need the guidepost of righteousness.  Yet we cannot lose sight of the other guidepost.  We are flirting with vanity if we pursue righteousness and give no consideration to whether our hearts are filled with joy.

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Year 8, Day 335: Ecclesiastes 5

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I think that there are two very good overarching messages for Ecclesiastes 5.  In the first paragraph, there is much discussion about how to approach God.  The author tells us that how we come is more important than what we do while we’re there.  To be blunt, he says that it is better to come and listen than to offer the sacrifice of a fool.  Better to come and humbly learn that to do something that is wrong.  In teaching, I have found a similar thought.  It is easier to answer a dumb question than to fix a dumb mistake.  There is another saying similar to this.  Better to be a fool and keep silent than to open one’s mouth and prove it correct.  What is the point?  Humbleness always trumps poor action.

This truly gets into the human dream.  When we dream, our expectations and our mind increase.  Our words become lofty.  Soon we are chasing things that may not only be impossible but even worse may not be things that God wants us to chase in the first place!  It is not bad to dream, but we should always keep our dreams in check by God’s will.  Our actions should be where our dreams and interests intersect with God’s will and calling.

Next, turn to the message in this chapter about wealth and toil.  This is a very simple message today.  Work is good.  There is nothing wrong with honest work.  In fact, honest work sits better with us than slothfulness.

I’ve gone to bed after having a hard day – regardless of whether the day was hard mentally or physically.  On days like those, I go to bed and am asleep in minutes – if not seconds.  On the other hand, I’ve had days where I really didn’t do much.  Instead of being productive, I don’t get much accomplished mentally or physically.  On those days, I am often grumpier as the day goes by.  When I go to sleep, I usually am not overly tired, so I don’t sleep well.  That makes it easier to have a bad day the next day.

The message is simple.  Be productive.  The day is meant for getting something done.  Our life is best lived when each day has a purpose and we fill our life with meaning.

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Year 8, Day 334: Ecclesiastes 4

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I love the varied dynamics of Ecclesiastes 4.  We get a perspective on age and wisdom mixed with youth and receptivity.  We get chance to think about companionship.  There is a perspective on human oppression.  There is the natural continued perspective on toil.

Start there first.  We receive two pieces of wisdom regarding toil.  First, toil and work come from envy after what another one has.  While I’m not sure I quite fully buy into the absolute nature of this saying, I do think it has much merit. If I think about many of the things that I am good at doing, it is because I saw it in other people and I wanted to be good in it as well.  Most of my skills come because I saw them on display in other people.  On that level, the saying is true.

I like the second saying even better.  It is better to have a single handful of quietness than two handfuls of toil and striving after wind.  In other words, it is good to know one’s limitations and then accept them.  It is good to reach for the stars and know when you’ve peaked.  Striving after the unattainable is not striving at all.  It is an exercise in frustration.

Look at the perspective on companionship.  If a person falls into a pit and they are alone, what will they do?  But if they have a companion, they can be rescued.  It’s always good to have a second perspective.  When things go wrong, and they will to varying degrees, we want to be able to get advice, get help, and have some cheer for us and help us get back to our feet.  Companionship – genuine friendship – is a great blessing in life.

Then there is my favorite passage of the chapter.  A young an who can take advice is better than a wise old man who can’t.  So often we berate the young for their inexperience and foolishness.  Sometimes, it’s genuinely deserved.  Yet, there is something I’ve learned as a high school teacher.  My teenagers can admit when they are wrong and outclassed.  They can admit when they’ve gotten a thing or two to learn.  They can embrace their growing edges!  The danger with growing old is that we learn to be blind to our growing edges.  We think that in our wisdom our growing edges shrink.

In truth, They shouldn’t.  Think about a physical example.  Let’s say my maturity is equal to a sphere.  As I grow, the sphere becomes bigger.  But, that means that the surface area of the sphere because greater and a far faster rate than the radius does!  The bigger the sphere gets, the greater the need for more paint to cover it.  In other words, the greater the area for growth!

So it is with human beings.  As I get older, I get more experience.  Yes, I do become wiser in the ways that used to trip me up.  However, as wise as I get in the old struggles, I have that many more new areas in which to struggle!  Growing older is an excuse to become more receptive to advice, not an excuse to become less receptive.  I pray that I will always be open to a friendly critique.

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Year 8, Day 333: Ecclesiastes 3

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In Ecclesiastes 3 we can hear much of the same tone as was discovered last chapter.  Everything that is done is done best when it is partnered with God.  Toiling is best done when we toil for God.  Being joyful about our toil is accomplished when we focus on the Lord.  If we are looking for fulfillment, look first to the Lord and then go out and do.

Look at the opening set of verses for a deeper perspective on fulfillment.  Naturally, this is one of the most famous sections of scripture thanks to the Byrds.  There is a time for everything, of course.  Everything has its season.  There is more to this set of verses, though.  So often we like to think the God is in the good and Satan is in the evil.  That’s not nearly deep enough.  God is in everything.  When there is birth, God is there.  But when there is death, God is still there!  When things are being built up, God is there.  God is still there when things are being torn down and ripped apart, too!

It’s easy to see God in the fun places.  It’s easy to see God in the places of joy, happiness, and pleasure.  God is in the dark places, too.  When we stumble and fall, God is there to pick us up.  When the winter seasons come in life, God is there to carry us through and remind us that spring will come again.  There is a season for everything, but God is still a part of it all.

This thought brings light to the last paragraph in this chapter.  Everyone will go to the same end.  Everything that has known life will also know death.  Human beings will know life and death.  Animals also know life and death.  Even plants know life and death.  If this is our perspective, it is hard to have hope!  But when we remember that God is a part of it all, we can have hope.  On our own, the last thing that we will know will be death.  With God, though, our ending changes.  With God, the last thing that we known will be life – and life eternal at that!

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Year 8, Day 332: Ecclesiastes 2

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In this chapter, Solomon examines things that the world typically thinks are worth living for.  First, start with passion.  Solomon says that he didn’t hold back from anything.  Whatever he wanted, he let himself have.  He built great things.  He was master over many people.  He accumulated all kinds of riches.  In the end, Solomon considered it striving after the wind.  The pleasure was fleeting, unable to be grasped onto firmly like the wind.

Next, Solomon decided to live wisely.  We all know that living in wisdom is better than living in folly.  It might seem like more work in the short-term, but in the long term the wise life is far less work and far more greatly rewarding.  However, there’s a problem.  The wise and the foolish still end up in the same place: dead.  The wise and the fool are both doomed to die and be slowly forgotten.  Seeing this, Solomon asks what the point is.

Then, Solomon focused on hard work.  He reaped benefit of hard work, but the lesson didn’t change.  What, in all of that he accumulated, would persist in life, much less death?  In fact, once death comes doesn’t the hard work simply pass on to someone who didn’t work to obtain it?  It all seems kind of pointless, which absolutely is Solomon’s point.

What does that leave?  It leaves God.  The thing that everything has been missing up to this point was God.  There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life, but we should enjoy it through God’s grace and love.  There’s nothing wrong with wisdom, but we should be wise in the ways that God has for us.  There’s nothing wrong with working hard, but we should be working hard where God is also at work.  In the end, without God death is the great equalizer.  The only thing that brings us above the great equalizer of death is being in the Lord.

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Year 8, Day 331: Ecclesiastes 1

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Ecclesiastes is a book after my own heart.  Perhaps it is better for me to say that my heart is after a book like Ecclesiastes.  There is much wisdom in the book – the kind of wisdom that people often try to sweep under the rug.

For example, one of the most popular quotes of Ecclesiastes is that there is nothing new under the sun.  While there are certainly new applications – what did the world do before social media, right? – the reality is that the motivations and drives behind the so-called new things aren’t really all that new.  Why is Facebook so popular?  People need to be heard (for whatever reason, good or bad).  Why do we all carry cell-phones around with us when twenty years ago most people would have balked at the idea of being reached everywhere they go?  Because in the end we want access to everything we want in the moment and are fundamentally impatient at our core. The reality is that Human beings are inventive people and we keep inventing new things.  But the inventions are simply things that try to meet age-old issues within human beings.

It goes back to a great analogy that we find in the passage.  The rivers continually run into the ocean, yet the oceans are never full.  Think about that for a second.  Why are the oceans never full?  Scientifically, we understand the process of evaporation and rain and climate.  Metaphysically, though, why are the oceans never full?  They are never full because their job is to receive the water from the rivers!  They are never full because they aren’t meant to be full.  In the same way, human beings are always inventing new things because we are trying to fill needs that we are unable to genuinely fill forever.

There isn’t anything new under the sun.  Human beings are human beings.  We have needs that never remain satisfied.  This is the foundation for Ecclesiastes.

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Year 8, Day 330: 2 Timothy 4

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There are many memorable chapters in the Bible that were authored by Paul.  Some of them are in Romans.  A few are in Galatians.  Most Christians quote one chapter in 1 Corinthians every time they do communion.  Those, however, are significant because of the great theology that they teach.  This chapter is a great chapter from Paul for an entirely different set of reasons.

In this chapter we hear about Paul’s defeats.  He has every reason to be warn out.  He has had injustice after injustice done to him.  He can list his accusers personally.  He’s apparently lost some clothing and books – whether they were stolen, confiscated, burned, or something else we don’t know.  Even some of his own disciples are abandoning him.

With all of these negative thoughts, what is it that makes this such a great chapter?  Paul exhorts Timothy to keep on teaching.  Paul himself is not giving up.  Paul wants books and parchment so that he can continue his work.  He has every reason to quit and give up.  Nobody would blame him if he did.  Yet, here he is planning to finish his race strong and encouraging Timothy to keep running his race!  After all he’s been through, he’s advising Timothy to follow in his footsteps.

That says something special about what Paul is doing.  He’s willing to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel.  He’s willing to endure hardship if Gentiles come into a knowledge of God.  He’s willing to deal with the scorn of the world for the peace of the Father.  In the end, it’s worth it.

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Year 8, Day 329: 2 Timothy 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here

People read 2 Timothy 3 and think that Paul is talking about the last days before Christ returns.  Truth be told, he could be!  I don’t think that this is the only way that it need to be read, however.  After all, think about the context out of which Paul is writing.  He is writing to Timothy, who is probably worried about the persecution that he hears is happening to Paul.

Paul tells Timothy to not worry about persecution.  After all, if we are to be with the Lord, then by definition we will not be with the world.  We won’t see eye to eye.  That doesn’t mean we need to go out and intentionally make enemies.  It does mean that we shouldn’t be surprised when enemies come our way.  It happens.

In fact, it is this realization that makes me consider that this passage isn’t just about how to read the signs of Jesus’ return.  Paul himself reminds Timothy how Moses was opposed.  The prophets were opposed.  We know that Jesus was opposed.  Paul is being opposed.  All of these events happened prior to Paul’s life, showing us that persecution is not just an end of the world kind of thing.

That being said, it does make sense to consider that as the time of Christ grows closer that persecution will about.  The time for Christ to return will be marked by more widespread rebellion against God.  As people find less and less room in their life for God, it makes sense to think that there will be less and less tolerance for God’s people, too.

How do we respond?  There is only one legitimate way to respond.  Stay firm in the faith.  Draw closer to the faith that got us where we are.  Christ was persecuted, but He did not abandon the faith.  If we are to imitate Christ, we need to be ready to imitate Him in faith in both the good times and the bad.

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Year 8, Day 328: 2 Timothy 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In this chapter, Paul emphasizes the need for Timothy to focus.  This is great advice.  How often do we set out with great ideas and great potential only to find ourselves distracted?  The next thing you know, the focus has been shifted in the distraction.  More distraction happens, and the focus shifts once more.  Soon the goal of our great ideas don’t even look the same as they did in the beginning.  Often when we realize that the goal shifted, we can’t look back and point to a specific moment where we went astray.  Usually it is a small moment of transition followed by more small moments of transition.  We lose focus and our direction chases.

More specifically, Paul hits repeatedly on the idea that Timothy should focus on avoiding foolish controversies.  I have a hate-hate relationship with foolish controversies.  Religious people love to foolish controversies.  Is baptism a sprinkling with water, full emersion, or only valid if done in moving water?  Is communion real bread or wafers?  What about the great grape juice or wine debate?  Should the color of the carpet always be red?  Is church only valid on Sunday morning?  Can I actually use a version of the Bible other than the King James or whatever the pastor preaches from?  Can pastors marry or not?  Can women actually preach and hold positions of influence?  What the instruments allowed in church?  Should kids be allowed to stay for the whole service?

I can keep going, but I think the point is clear.  Human beings – Christians among them – love to draw distinctions and get wrapped up in arguments.  It is how we show our identity.  In a sense, human beings find out who we are by setting up walls that indicate who we aren’t.

I love the words that Paul uses when he speaks about people who argue about foolish debates: gangrene. (Warning: I may have gotten that word from the ESV translation)  It’s a sickness that spreads.  It’s a disease that infects and causes death unless it is treated or cut off.  It saps our strength until we no longer have the strength to carry on.

Instead, we should focus on righteousness, faith, and love.  These things inspire us to do more rather than sap our strength.  Ever do something nice for a person and see their smile?  That makes you want to do it again.  Ever be there when someone needed you?  That grows trust.  Ever do the right thing when nobody is looking?  That makes you realize God in each of us.

Stay away from foolish quarrels that sap the love within.  We are not defined by that which separates us from one another.  We are defined by the God who desires to bring people together.

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Year 8, Day 327: 2 Timothy 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Paul’s second letter to Timothy is written during a low spot in Paul’s life.  The churches in Asia – what we would call Turkey today – have begun to turn against him.  We know about the struggle in Galatia and how the Jews began to infiltrate and teach that unless the converts followed Jewish laws like circumcision and kosher that they wouldn’t really be pleasing to God.  I remember back to how Paul had Timothy circumcised when he joined Paul and I can’t help if Paul regrets that decision and the precedent that it made.

That being said, I love Paul’s focus.  He tells Timothy to rejoice.  In the midst of the persecution, Paul says to rejoice.  When his world is crashing around him, Paul tells people to celebrate.  It is an incredible focus.

The second thing that we hear Paul tell Timothy is to not be ashamed.  It is very easy to doubt when people turn against you.  It is easy to change one’s story when we start to make enemies.  Who wouldn’t want to make friends instead of enemies?  Paul turns to Timothy and makes sure that he understands to stay strong in the faith rather than pursue the popular decision. 

This takes us back to where Paul left of in chapter 6 of 1 Timothy.  We shouldn’t be pursuing wealth or popularity of ease of lifestyle.  We should be pursuing the truth.  We should be after righteousness.  When the chips are down, we should have what it takes to stay focused on God and join Him in His work.

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