Re: Ecclesiastes
Posted: Wed May 17, 2017 7:23 pm
Wisdom is a Choice (ECC 12:13, 14)
Let’s look at Solomon’s conclusion. After all the twists and turns we have taken in this book, the conclusion seems rather over-simplified.
Fear God and keep his commandments.
Why? He gives two reasons. First it is the duty of man to do this. And second, judgment is coming, and God will examine your every act, whether good or bad, and whether people have seen them or not. So, get out your Bible and make a list of everything God wants you to do or not do. Follow that list to a tee and you’ll be fine. Right?
People like lists and formulas. Then they don’t need to think for themselves. That is why legalism is so common. It takes the stress out of life because either God or the preachers have done your thinking for you and all you need to do is follow the instructions. It helps the church leaders too, because all they need to do is read the applicable rule to you. As a friend of mine says, it really cuts down on the late nights for them!
Well, I hope you recognize that for the sarcasm it is intended to be. Life just isn’t that simple. So, let’s look at this conclusion a little closer.
What does it mean to fear God? Serving God has always been a choice. It is a choice that has consequences, but the person who obeys the rules simply because of the consequences doesn’t really understand what God wants. First, such people seldom have any loyalty to the authority that they “obey.” In fact, if they were certain that they wouldn’t be found out, they would often have no compunction against disobeying.
When God first created man, it appears that He wanted someone He could fellowship with. Someone who would be His friend, and be loyal to Him. Yes, God made some rules, but God put them in place for man’s protection, not to be a hardship.
God is still looking for this kind of a relationship with men and women. He must be very disappointed when people try to serve him from a checklist, or set of rules, rather than trying to get to know Him and understand what He wants of them. I believe that the idea of fearing God goes much beyond being terrified of him or scared that he will punish you if you take a misstep.
We’ve already introduced what it means to keep His commandments. No matter how hard you tried, you could never be perfect enough or obedient enough to work your way into heaven. Jesus said, in the New Testament, that the greatest of the commandments was to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” The second commandment was similar, He added, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” In fact, “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In other words, these two commandments summarized all the rest.
Love is one of those things that you can’t fake. You’ve either got it, or you don’t. If you don’t, you can’t really fear God and keep His commandments. I don’t know if Solomon understood that or not. Maybe the Holy Spirit revealed the words to him and he wrote them down.
I hope he did understand. I hope you do too.
Let’s look at Solomon’s conclusion. After all the twists and turns we have taken in this book, the conclusion seems rather over-simplified.
Fear God and keep his commandments.
Why? He gives two reasons. First it is the duty of man to do this. And second, judgment is coming, and God will examine your every act, whether good or bad, and whether people have seen them or not. So, get out your Bible and make a list of everything God wants you to do or not do. Follow that list to a tee and you’ll be fine. Right?
People like lists and formulas. Then they don’t need to think for themselves. That is why legalism is so common. It takes the stress out of life because either God or the preachers have done your thinking for you and all you need to do is follow the instructions. It helps the church leaders too, because all they need to do is read the applicable rule to you. As a friend of mine says, it really cuts down on the late nights for them!
Well, I hope you recognize that for the sarcasm it is intended to be. Life just isn’t that simple. So, let’s look at this conclusion a little closer.
What does it mean to fear God? Serving God has always been a choice. It is a choice that has consequences, but the person who obeys the rules simply because of the consequences doesn’t really understand what God wants. First, such people seldom have any loyalty to the authority that they “obey.” In fact, if they were certain that they wouldn’t be found out, they would often have no compunction against disobeying.
When God first created man, it appears that He wanted someone He could fellowship with. Someone who would be His friend, and be loyal to Him. Yes, God made some rules, but God put them in place for man’s protection, not to be a hardship.
God is still looking for this kind of a relationship with men and women. He must be very disappointed when people try to serve him from a checklist, or set of rules, rather than trying to get to know Him and understand what He wants of them. I believe that the idea of fearing God goes much beyond being terrified of him or scared that he will punish you if you take a misstep.
We’ve already introduced what it means to keep His commandments. No matter how hard you tried, you could never be perfect enough or obedient enough to work your way into heaven. Jesus said, in the New Testament, that the greatest of the commandments was to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” The second commandment was similar, He added, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” In fact, “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” In other words, these two commandments summarized all the rest.
Love is one of those things that you can’t fake. You’ve either got it, or you don’t. If you don’t, you can’t really fear God and keep His commandments. I don’t know if Solomon understood that or not. Maybe the Holy Spirit revealed the words to him and he wrote them down.
I hope he did understand. I hope you do too.