Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

Solomon continues his observations of life and that which is not as it ought to be.  The plight of man because of sin is a disturbing thing.  Men treat one another with disdain and harm one another.  Certainly there is plenty of wrong in this world and contemplating it alone apart from God’s promises will inevitably lead us into despair.  We must learn to look at the injustices of this world from the perspective that God has paid the price for sin, set us free from the power of sin and will one day make all of these things right.  Our memories of this world will only serve to make the pleasures of our eternal state that much sweeter.

THE DISGRACE OF SUFFERING: Suffering is a reality that has been imposed upon this world because of sin.  Men oppress one another in an effort to get ahead.  Those who are oppressed seem to be at the mercy of their oppressors who have all of the power which leaved the oppressed without hope and without comfort.  Solomon considers death or even never having been born to be far better than to live a life under oppression.  Men work and labor day after day in order to grind out the sustenance necessary to stay alive and at the end of their lives they have nothing to show for all of their labor and suffering.  Certainly, if our hope is for this life alone our suffering makes us the most disgraced people on the planet.  But we have an eternal hope that will make all of our sufferings fade away.

THE DANGER OF SOLITUDE: We are not meant to live in isolation of one another.  Our lives are far more successful and enjoyable when shared with others.  Relationships are essential to our well-being and we must avoid the danger of solitude.  Marriage is perhaps the best illustration of partnership where two can help one another and warm one another when things go wrong or the night gets cold.  However, I don’t believe that this passage is only applicable to marriage.  We should invest in friendships and relationships with one another for the purpose of spiritual accountability and mutual encouragement.  God must always be at the center of all of our relationships as He gives us strength, when coupled with godly relationships that cannot be broken.


THE DEMISE OF SUPERIORITY: When a slave or a poor man becomes king of a nation his tendency is to exact revenge on the people who he feels were oppressing him.  He feels that he is superior to others and above what he was.  This is a terrible condition for a nation and even for the new king.  A king who thinks himself superior to everyone will not take advice from others and will end up casing great harm to himself as well as those who serve under him.  The nation will come to ruin and the king will not only be despised by his own generation but his infamy will last from generation to generation.  Humility is a key quality for every leader to pursue, without it he and others will come to demise.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more