Ecclesiastes

1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12

Chapter 1: 1,2,3,4, 5 ,6,7,8,9

1:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

    Ecclesiastes is an account of Solomon's search for happiness and peace. In these 12 chapters he records the feeble attempts of his youth to live by his own rhythm and cadence. He entertained a variety of experiences that he thought would move him from one pace or another. Music, parties, accumulation of wealth, knowledge and fame, were apart of his great plan for himself.
    In his senior years, upon reflection, he acknowledged that life has its own rhythm; its own special tempo and syncopation of which is ordered by God.
    The rhythm of the physical man is depicted in the first four pairs of rhythms in verses 1-3. There is
    -a time to be born, and a time to die
    -a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted
    -a time to kill, and a time to heal
    -a time to break down, and a time to build up {Eccl 3:1-3 RSV}
    The steady rhythm cannot be better seen than by ebb and flow of birth and death, planting and harvesting, war and peace, building up and tearing down. The exact time for each is dictated by God himself. Solomon learned later in his life that the rhythms of planting and harvesting and death and birth were all part of life controlled by God himself.
    It is a time to laugh; there will also be a time to weep. It is in the rhythm of life. Likewise there is a time to mourn and a time to dance in celebration. Each of these are according to rhythm.
    Even in the areas of spirit and soul which control our thinking, feeling and choosing as we carry out the social encounters and interrelationships of life there is a rhythm:
     -a time to weep, and a time to laugh
     -a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
    The rhythm of life is not all steady beats. There is weeping as well as laughter. There is mourning as well as dance. We know its true for mortals because Christ himself was described in Isaiah 53:3 as a "man of sorrows" yet we see him full of gaiety and fun as he participates in a wedding in Cana of Galilee

1:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together

 In the 5th verse he noted that there is a time to cast away stones and a time to gather them. The opportunity and the special moment is represented as its time and in the course of his life, Solomon noted that doing the right thing at the right time pays off with great rewards for the wise. .

 1:6   Life's rhythm shows us that life is not confined to receiving. There is a time of giving. In essence a time to gather stones and a time to cast stones away. There is a time to seek and a time to lose. There is a time to hold on and a time to let go. There is "a time to keep and a time to cast away," (Eccl 3:6b) There is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak," {Eccl 3:7b RSV).
1:8    There is even a time for us to hate evil with a passion and a time to love good with an equal passion. There is "a time for war, and a time for peace," {Eccl 3:8b RSV}.
    Solomon's lesson was clear: There is a certain rhythm in life that includes good times and bad times, sunshine and rain; day and night, strength and weakness, sickness and health. The exact cadence of the rhythms we play in life is called by the heavenly father.
    Solomon learned in his senior years that it was vanity to expect the rhythm not to be uninterrupted or to expect it to continue with pauses and rests.
    The believer who trusts God knows the ebb and flow of life. He is not overwhelmed by its risings and fallings because God is calling the cadence.

1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.Is  there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.

  In the course of his life Solomon tried to find happiness, only to meet with one conclusion after every effort, all is vanity. As king, he spent the majority of his life looking for happiness through building construction, accumulation of riches, music, extensive study, music, and cultural pursuits.
  In all of his searching Solomon concluded that  his efforts were not new. He built a beautiful, expensive historic temple to worship the Lord, but his effort was not new. The Egyptians, hundreds of years before his time were built  pyramids and elaborate temples to their gods. The idea of great temple wasn't new.
  He studied astronomy and the movement of the stars, but even that too was done long before he set out to study them. Star gazers and astrologers were charting the course of the celestial bodies for centuries before Solomon. The fact that he could do it, was nothing new.
   He sought after beautiful women. married hundreds of them and kept hundreds more as concubines. But the pursuit of women was not new either.
   No matter what the area, Solomon learned that anything he attempted, any direction he attempted to go and any goal he tried to achieve had, to one degree or another, been performed before.
   Not only did Solomon notice that there was nothing new under the sun but he also noticed that there was a repetitive nature to all occurrences. In essence, he noticed that whatever we experience today has been experienced at another time by someone else. Whatever is done in one time has been done in another time by someone else. That's what he meant in verse 9 when he said, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."
   That's the way it is with man's efforts, imaginatively repetitive, resourceful but not creative, ingenious but not original.
   Any truly new thing comes from God. He is the only power that can create something new without building upon anything else. In Isaiah 43:19 the Lord declared, "I will do a new thing..I will make a way in the wilderness." In Jeremiah 31:22 there is another prophecy along the same line as God promises to do a new thing in the earth, as he projected the birth of Christ.

Chapter 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

3:1-8  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace." 

  Ecclesiastes is an account of Solomon's search for happiness and peace. In these 12 chapters he records the feeble attempts of his youth to live by his own rhythm and cadence. He entertained a variety of experiences that he thought would move him from one pace or another. Music, parties, accumulation of wealth, knowledge and fame, were a part of his great plan for himself.
  In his senior years, upon reflection, he acknowledged that life has its own rhythm; its own special the tempo and syncopation of which is ordered by God. 
  The rhythm of the physical man is depicted in the first four pairs of rhythms in verses 1-3. There is a
  -a time to be born, and a time to die; 
  -a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 
  -a time to kill, and a time to heal; 
  -a time to break down, and a time to build up; {Eccl 3:1-3 RSV}
  The steady rhythm cannot be better seen than by ebb and flow of birth and death, planting and harvesting, war and peace, building up and tearing down. The exact time for each is dictated by God himself. Solomon learned later in his life that the rhythms of planting and harvesting, death and birth, were all part of life controlled by God himself.
If is a time to laugh, there will also be a time to weep. It is in the rhythm of life. Likewise there is a time to mourn and a time to dance in celebration. Each of these are according to rhythm.
   Even in the areas of spirit and soul which control our thinking, feeling and choosing as we carry out the social encounters and interrelationships of life there is a rhythm: 
  -a time to weep, and a time to laugh; 
  -a time to mourn, and a time to dance. 
  The rhythm of life is not all steady beats. There is weeping as well as laughter. There is mourning as well as dance. We know its true for mortals because Christ himself was described in Isaiah 53:3 as a "man of sorrows" yet we see him full of gaiety and fun as he participates in a wedding in Cana of Galilee. 
  Life's rhythm shows us that life not confined to receiving. There is a time of giving. In essence a time to gather stones and a time to cast stones away. There is a time to seek and a time to lose. There is a time to hold on and a time to let go. There is "a time to keep and a time to cast away," (Eccl 3:6b) There is "a time to keep silence, and a time to speak," {Eccl 3:7b RSV). 
   There is even a time for us to hate evil with a passion and time to love good with an equal passion.. There is "a time for war, and a time for peace," {Eccl 3:8b RSV}.
  Solomon's lesson was clear: There is a certain rhythm in life that includes good times and bad times, sunshine and rain; day and night, strength and weakness, sickness and health. The exact cadence of the rhythms we play in life is called by the heavenly father. 
  Solomon learned in his senior years that it was vanity to expect the rhythm not to be uninterrupted or to expect it to continue with pauses and rests.
  The believer who trusts God knows the ebb and flow of life. He is not overwhelmed by its risings and fallings because God is calling the cadence.

4:14  ”…and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 

 
  The story of Esther concerns a king called Ahasuerus, the grandfather of Cyrus the Great, who married a young Jewish girl named Esther, a captive taken from the city of Jerusalem. It also involves her cousin, Mordecai, who became a judge in the city gates in Susa, the capital of Media-Persia; and an officer of the King's court named Haman.
  The events of the Book of Esther take place when Israel was in captivity under King Ahasurus. Many of the Jewish people had been allowed to return home to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and restore their worship, others for various reasons stayed. The story is that of a king and his kingdom. The king divorces the queen who is at his side when the story opens, and thereby becomes a lonely man by his own decree. He is powerless to change the decree after it is issued, and in his loneliness, he begins a search for a new queen. Esther, under the control of her cousin, Mordecai, is brought before the king and he falls in love with her. Because of her beauty, he immediately chooses her to be his queen and exalts her to the second place in the kingdom.
   Esther’s rise to the throne was well timed. There was a movement being planned by Haman to destroy the Jewish people. She would ultimately be the single presence that would make the difference. Haman managed to pull the wool over the king's eyes and deceive him into signing a decree to destroy all the Jews in his kingdom. Haman and Mordecai are instantly in direct conflict because Haman was "the enemy of the Jews." Learning that Mordecai is a Jew, he vows to eliminate him from the kingdom. Mordecai overhears the plot and gets word to Queen Esther that she would need to act to save the people. He is confident that the people would be saved, either by her hand or by someone's hand because God would not allow his people to be destroyed. Thus he utters the words of this text, "and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
   Eventually Esther is able to expose Haman's plans, and save the people but not before watching Mordecai raised to a position of prominence and Haman hanged from gallows he built for Mordecai.

--- 

   Haman managed to pull the wool over the king's eyes and deceive him into signing a decree to destroy all the Jews in his kingdom. Haman and Mordecai are instantly in direct conflict because Haman was "the enemy of the Jews." Learning that Mordecai is a Jew, he vows to eliminate him from the kingdom. Mordecai overhears the plot and gets word to Queen Esther that she would need to act to save the people. He is confident that the people would be saved, either by her hand or by someone's hand because God would not allow his people to be destroyed. Thus he utters the words of this text, "and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Eventually Esther is able to expose Haman's plans, and save the people but not before watching Mordecai raised to a position of prominence and Haman hanged from gallows he built for Mordecai.
  How is God's providence revealed in the book of Esther?
  1. Although highly improbable Esther was able to win a beauty contest and become Queen (2:15-18)
  2. Mordecai's overhearing of the plot to destroy the people.
  3. The casting of the lots that produced a date a year away gave Esther time to persuade the king to change his mind. (3:7-51)
  4. The King's tolerance for Esther although he had others in his harem
It shows that while God's name was never called in Esther his hand was felt in the way he caused things to happen for his people.

Chapter 10: 19, 20

10:19  A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

   Solomon, in his old age, reflected on the power and impact of money on the lives of men. He warned against extravagance of parties, drinking and feasts at the expense of the people, because they all cost money.
   Solomon's wisdom is reflected in the depth of this truth: With respect to things, money has much to say. He says it clearly, "but money answereth all things." In essence, what Solomon said was that when it comes to "things," money talks. Things, refers to Matter and matter is defined as anything that takes up space and has weight. With respect to the material things of this world, Solomon concluded that money has a lot to say.

10:20 Curse Not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

  The saying about the little bird probably had its roots in a Bible verse in Ecc. 20:10 which warns us to be careful what we say or even think for the word will get back on the wings of a little bird.
   It may be described in the simple terms of a "little bird told me", but there is another truth here too ...whatever we think and do is being observed by our Lord and Savior and it will not escape his scrutiny.
   The Angels of the heavens bear witness to our acts of compassion, good deeds, kind words and expressions of love. 
   But conversely, on the wings of the wind, God also knows about our bad deeds, harsh words, evil thoughts and negative expressions.
   Therefore, as Christians we should remind ourselves that God sits high and looks low, sees all and comprehends all. Nothing we do will escape his observation and all is being spiritually video taped and is coming up again one day!

Chapter 11: 1,2

11:1-2: Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth

  The text seems to suggest that those who have been blessed should not hoard their blessings. They are encouraged to cast them upon the waters.
   Casting bread upon the waters is a striking phrase. It is supposed that it is drawn from the Egyptian practice of sowing seeds upon the river Nile while it overflowed it banks. When the waters subsided the seeds would take root somewhere along the Nile bank system and would grow into fine stalks of corn. The sower would cast the seed but had no idea whether it would take root in the immediate vicinity or take root in another place. However, the sower knew properly sown they would take root somewhere. Just as he sowed in one place and expected his seed to probably grow up in another, there were other sowers in other places along the river's edge that were also sowing. There seed would probably be that which finally took root in his area. In any event, the sowers cast seed upon the waters in this way, not knowing what the final outcome would be while trusting the gods to provide for them.
    The converse of this practice would have been to wait until the waters subsided, then plant the seed in a specified area where only the planter to could benefit from it. It required little dependence on others and the gods. Yet, they made the practice of sowing on the waters to secure for themselves a confident link in the chain of goodwill among the people.
    Solomon's reference to this practice as a wise choice for modern man suggests that those who have had bountiful blessings from God should share the benefit of their blessings with everyone, even when there is little prospect that the benefit given will in someway return. Often it may appear that the kind deed done has little effect or is meaningless, but down river, somewhere the seed will take root and grow. Those who are recipients of the seed did not plant it themselves but are the recipients of the providence of God through the sowing of others.
    After many days the seed cast would be reaped, not necessarily in the place where it was sown or by the sower, but it would be reaped by someone somewhere. What of the sower? He or she would reap seed too, that which was probably cast by someone else and blessed by the providence of God.  Those who perform good deeds should not expect the results to be immediate. 
   The time span has been predicted to be "many days." How long is "many days?" For the widow woman of 1 Kings 17:15 who prepared her last cruise of oil and meal in a feast for the prophet "many days" meant she was blessed as long as necessary for her obedience. In Ezekiel, 12:27 the prophecies that were given by this great man of God were said to be "many days" into the future. Many days in this instance meant generations. In Daniel 10:14 "many days" meant the vision he shared was many years away.  "Many days" therefore means a time that could be immediate or  many years, but as long as it takes.
  Solomon encourages us to give a portion to seven, if that appears to be the right or perfect number for your resources, but then go beyond that. Share resources even when you can't afford to do so.

Chapter 12: 1,13

12:1 Remember Now thy creator in the days of thy youth while the evil day come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.."

  Solomon who lived through the teeny bopper period of his time. He writes about the experiences he had during his youth. In this book of Ecclesiastes he talks about his love for music, and dancing, the opposite sex, the fine things money could buy, and knowledge. He even talked about his quest for fame, popularity, and the pursuit of the good times.
  Solomon concluded a message for the young people who would follow him saying "Remember God" while you are young.
   Although you may live in world that has a sign posted "No one over 17 admitted", when it comes to our personal salvation our lives should be rated G- living for God.
   Often that may mean coming in conflict with the world. Romans 12:2 presents it to us clearly: "be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

   Solomon is credited with being the wisest man of all times. Early in his life he asked God for the gift of wisdom and received it. Yet there were some lessons that he had to learn through difficulty, despite his unique gift of wisdom.
   Ecclesiastes is a book that details Solomon's attempts to discover what was really important in life. Since he was king, he had the ability to involve himself in a large number of activities that he thought would ultimately bring him happiness and fulfillment. The results of his life pursuit was recorded in this book as a guide for generations that would follow. He hoped those who came after him would benefit from his experiences and learn from his mistakes.       In Chapter 1 he said he first sought wisdom and knowledge, thinking that after he acquired great knowledge and wisdom that he would be fulfilled. At verse 16, he noted that he had accumulated more wisdom than all of those before him, but yet he concluded that all of his wisdom and knowledge only brought him frustration. In verse 18 he said the more he learned the sadder he became. The essence of life is not simply to accumulate wisdom and knowledge.  
      In Chapter 2 he explored the possibility of the night life, partying and drinking. In verse one he said he would pursue "mirth" and "Pleasure" two words that indicate that he explored the party scene. Being king he was able to stage the best pleasurable events available. He concluded that it was "vanity." That means that it did not accomplish what he sought. In other points in his life he made the construction of great works his top priority in life. Building became a top priority with him. He fortified many cities in Israel and built what he called "store" cities. In addition, he built a great temple complex in Jerusalem that not only consisted of the temple but various "porches" or pavilions. He even built a palace for one of his special wives. In verse 4 he said he built fine houses, vineyards and other constructions only to see that once completed all of the things he built did not bring him fulfillment.  
      His quest went beyond building, partying, knowledge acquisition and drinking, but it even included acquiring possessions and money. In verse 7 he detailed how he enjoyed what he thought was the good life with servants, land, cattle and money. He even lost himself for a while in music. He brought in the best singers and musicians who gave command performances for him. He was in a position to lose himself in the best music of his day. In verse 10 he said, "Whatsoever my eyes desired, I kept not from them." If it felt good or looked good Solomon said he did it or acquired it.  
      Yet even with the music, money, building, wisdom, knowledge and constant parties, he still found that there was something missing. In verse 11 he said, "all was vanity and vexation of the spirit and there was no profit under the sun."  
      He reached a point when he hated life (v.17) and decided to just "chill out" concluding that there was a time for everything. He became philosophical and decided that life was about living and enjoying everyday because after he dies it can't be done. (v. 22) 
   At the conclusion of his search for what life is all about he recorded his finding in 12:13, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

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