My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:12-13
I continue my study today of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Ecclesiastes 12:8-14. The commentary describes use of "goads" and "one Shepherd" from v11: "[a] goad is a herding tool used to poke and prod livestock in the right direction. The author compares the words of Ecclesiastes with this cattle prod because metaphorically the words of the sage are meant to sting and convict, and thus they move the reader in the right direction of walking in wisdom. The ultimate Author of Ecclesiastes—the Spirit of God—uses the words of the book to convict the human heart of its need for Jesus. These words are given by 'one Shepherd'[.]" The commentary then shares how this name - single shepherd for Jesus - is only used three times in the Bible, and how Ecclesiastes is a messianic book in how it points to Jesus; we are referred to these three other places in the Bible: Ezekiel 34:23-24, 37:24-25, and John 10:11-16. The commentary also emphasizes how Solomon is writing to his own son and how parents, especially fathers are called by God in a special role to shepherd the hearts of their children. The commentary for the text concludes by Solomon ultimately seeks to direct our hearts to Jesus: "[w]e will face judgment, and the bad news is that we have fallen short. This reality is meant to crush us in order to drive us to Christ. That is the good news: Jesus lived the life we could not live, a life without sin in perfect obedience to the commandments, and He died the death we deserved to die. He took the entire curse of sin and futility and death on Himself in order to redeem us from the curse (Galatians 3:13)." Thank You Jesus!
Comment and discuss this post.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who died on the cross so that I could have life now to the full and life in eternity with You in Heaven! Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of these blessings. My sin is great and it continues...daily. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
