Ecclesiastes 8:1-9 Keep the king’s command… (v. 2) Today we get some very practical advice from the Preacher: Be a good citizen, keep your head down, don’t offend the authorities, and hope for the best. As usual, the Preacher’s advice is firmly rooted in reality — specifically the reality that crossing the most powerful person …
Category Archives: RTB 2022 – Psalms and Wisdom Literature
November 12 / Ecclesiastes 7:14-29
Ecclesiastes 7:14-29 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? Ecclesiastes 7:23,24 We know from our study of Proverbs that wisdom is well worth pursuing, that we should …
November 11 / Ecclesiastes 7:1-13
Ecclesiastes 7:1-13 Review for a moment your own personal history and pick out the top three most positively impactful experiences you’ve had, those things that changed you for the better and taught you good, solid life lessons, those things that brought you significantly closer to God. If we are truly honest in making our lists, …
November 10 / Ecclesiastes 6
Ecclesiastes 6 Today’s reading again smacks us in the face with hard realities. Ecc. 6:1,2 speaks of the person who has everything but is incapable of enjoying it. I expect that we have all encountered such people, perhaps up close and personal, perhaps more from a distance. At the very least we’ve seen them on …
November 9 / Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 In Living Life Backward (page 37), David Gibson quotes Iain Provan (Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs [The NIV Application Commentary Ecclesiastes]) as summarizing the main message of Ecclesiastes this way: “Life in God’s world is gift, not gain.” He later condenses that a bit into, “Life is gift, not gain.” I love that, not …
November 8 / Ecclesiastes 5:1-9
Ecclesiastes 5:1-9 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Ecclesiastes 5:1 With today’s reading I feel like we have stepped onto holy ground, and I am reminded …
November 7 / Ecclesiastes 4
Ecclesiastes 4 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can …
November 6 / Ecclesiastes 3:9-22
Ecclesiastes 3:9-22 Today’s reading offers the Preacher‘s most positive perspective yet. Having observed that [f]or everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (Ecc. 3:1), he recognizes gifts from God. He sees that: In contrast to the transient works of man and the repetitive cycles of nature, the Preacher recognizes …
November 5 / Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Walk down the street and ask people at random whether today’s reading sounds familiar. I am sure that the vast majority of responses would be akin to “Of course!” But that familiarity is not likely to be due to widespread faithful reading of the Bible. Instead we can chalk it up to the …
November 4 / Ecclesiastes 2:12-26
Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 The Preacher starts today offering a glimmer of hope, that wisdom is better than folly: Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. (v. 13) That idea is of course entirely consistent with Proverbs, where wisdom is treasured …