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Ecclesiastes Chapter 2
Love of the world mindset
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 I
said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth,
therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
- 2 I said of
laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
- 3 I sought in mine
heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with
wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that
good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven
all the days of their life.
He sought those things that many of the
world seeks after but it is all vanity and a waste of time.
John the apostle said:
- 1John 2:15 Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- 16 For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world.
- 17 And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will
of God abideth for ever.
As soon as our body leaves this life
and goes into eternity, all works we did here, both good and bad
cease to exist. What we do now with out lives count. Any wealth we
achieve here, we do not take with us.
- Ecclesiastes 2:4 I
made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me
vineyards:
- 5 I made me gardens
and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of
fruits:
- 6 I made me pools of
water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
These things are great to have while we
are here but if we leave God out and ignore the needs of others it's
all vanity and a waste of time. Using what God has blessed us with
to help the poor brings joy to them and ourselves when we see them
have what they need to survive.
In my youth I use to think our tax
dollars going to foreign countries was actually helping the poor in
those countries. When I found out, we were giving it to the leaders
of the countries, giving them weapons of war and some were getting
rich by money laundering, I was so disappointed. I thought we were
helping.
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 I
got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house;
also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all
that were in Jerusalem before me:
- 8 I gathered me also
silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the
provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the
delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of
all sorts.
- 9 So I was great,
and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem:
also my wisdom remained with me.
That would be awesome if they were
employed and making a living and their singers glorified God and led
in the worship of God.
- Ecclesiastes 2:10
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I
withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all
my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
- 11 Then I looked on
all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that
I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation
of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Rich men and women can use these things
to help the poor to cause good and not evil. Some rich kings used
their wealth to exert authority and oppress people instead. There
were many that were not satisfied but wanted to rule over other
countries, not being content to stay where they were. One was
Alexander the Great. He wanted to take over the world as did Hitler
and Stalin. Yet all those men are dead to us and in eternity
somewhere. What good did it do them? Something to consider. It was
all vanity.
More Vanity of Living even in Wisdom
- Eccleciastes 2:12
And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly:
for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that
which hath been already done.
- 13 Then I saw that
wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
- 14 The wise man's
eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I
myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
- 15 Then said I in my
heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me;
and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this
also is vanity.
- 16 For there is no
remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing
that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten.
And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
- 17 Therefore I hated
life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous
unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
All his wisdom, his many wives, his
riches, his houses, and his authority did not bring him peace in his
soul. That is why we need Jesus and the Holy Spirit within us.
Nothing else can satisfy our souls and brings us peace. Here is an
example of walking after the flesh or choosing having Jesus in our
lives so that we can walk in the Holy Spirit.
- Galatians 5:16
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the
lust of the flesh.
- 17 For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would.
- 18 But if ye be
led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
- 19 Now the works
of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
- 20 Idolatry,
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies,
- 21 Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I
tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they
which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
- 22 But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
- 23 Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.
- 24 And they that
are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and
lusts.
- 25 If we live in
the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
- 26 Let us not be
desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one
another.
The Vanity of Laboring and hard work
if it is not centered around God.
Again I say, it stays here and others
do with it what they want. It does us no good in eternity.
Jesus said:
- Matthew 6:19 Lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
- 20 But lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust
doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
- 21 For where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Being full of God's presence and walking in
His will daily may help all this confusion. Adam use to walk with
God every evening before the fall of Adam and Eve into sin.
- Ecclesiastes 2:19
And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet
shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured,
and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is
also vanity.
- 20 Therefore I went
about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I
took under the sun.
- 21 For there is a
man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity;
yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it
for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
- 22 For what hath man
of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he
hath laboured under the sun?
- 23 For all his days
are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not
rest in the night. This is also vanity.
- 24 There is nothing
better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he
should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw,
that it was from the hand of God.
- 25 For who can eat,
or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
- 26 For God giveth to
a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy:
but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up,
that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is
vanity and vexation of spirit.
God does indeed give us good things to
enjoy. If a person does not know the Lord and lives his or her life
without God, it is all for nothing. If a person knows the Lord but
departs from him and begins to do his own thing, live selfishly and
neglects his spirit, it is all for nothing.
Living for God, bringing others to God,
helping the poor, doing the will of God will cause us to live a life
that is worth the heartache that comes with it at times. The Holy
Spirit is a comforter. He is a teacher, a helper. He comes along
side and dwells within us when we come to Jesus for salvation. We
can be baptized with the Holy Spirit, walk in the Holy Spirit and we
are never alone. There is a better way to live whether we are rich
or poor. Even the poor that lives for God is really rich in the
things that count. -DC
Ecclesiastes
Chapter 3
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