Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

 Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus today is a commentary-assisted review of the the first division of the text Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14, which is explored in the commentary chapter entitled Aging Is Meaningless without Jesus.  The commentary describes the first division as 11:7-10 with the division entitled Enjoy Life as God Intended.  The commentary highlights how Solomon shares that life is fleeting (see James 4:14) and that in light of this we should enjoy life, including all of the ups and downs of life.  At the same time, we are encouraged to live as God intends and according to His design as God warns us that if we don't harsh judgement awaits.  See also this post from John Piper on DesiringGod.com.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who is the source of glorious and inexpressible joy - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this joy that You freely give to Your children.  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 continue to 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.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom....Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom....Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:12, 14

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary-assisted review of Ecclesiastes 9:7-10, which the commentary outlines as the second division for chapter 9.  The commentary's title for this division is Death Can Render All of Life’s Actions Meaningful.

Excerpts from the commentary for this division:

• "Contemplate death and take it to heart so you can enjoy life. That is his point. Go to a funeral rather than a party so that you can contemplate your frailty and finitude as a means to live wisely and enjoy life."
• "Solomon tells us that in the face of death’s harsh reality, we should enjoy life. He commands us to seize the day—carpe diem."
• "Solomon tells the reader to enjoy life—eat and drink well—because “God has already accepted your works.” Wow! God favors our enjoying the gifts He has given to us. So let’s be clear: it is not a sin to enjoy life (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 331). Many in America were raised on a brand of Christianity that communicated life is a drag and holiness is boring. Many were taught that holiness in Christianity means having no fun—holiness is found only in abstaining from fun (Driscoll, “Cleaning Your Plate”)....God wants you to enjoy life, He wants it to feel good, and He wants you to be happy in Him. God is the author of fun, and He gave these gifts to be enjoyed as He intended."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves and blesses me with my salvation and so much more - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and 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.

Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.... Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might[.]

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.... Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might[.] Ecclesiastes 9:8, 10a

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is an unassisted review of Ecclesiastes 9:7-10, which the commentary outlines as the second division for chapter 9.  Here, Solomon's message is that given all of us face death at some point or another (see vv1-6), we should enjoy the life given to us by God (v7,9).  We are told to be white or holy and to be anointed with oil or consecrated to God (v8). We are also told to do everything with might (v10) - similar to Paul's writing the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 10:31 that we should, in "whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."  Yes, we all die, which makes everything we do before we die matter and believers exist to glorify God - so yes per yesterday's post we must number our days, and be a light for others to see (Matthew 5:14-16) so that others are drawn to God's Kingdom and made one of His elect.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives live now to the full and for eternity - You bless in ways that are too many to describe as my cup overflows.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation and all the amazing grace and mercies You pour out for me.  I am not deserving.  My sin is overwhelming and it continues...every day.  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 continue to 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.     

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom....Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom....Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:12, 14

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary-assisted review of Ecclesiastes 9:1-6, which the commentary outlines as the first division for chapter 9. 

Main point from the commentary for Ecclesiastes 9:1-10: Death can render all of life’s actions meaningless, but Jesus gives an abundant and eternal life. 

Excerpts from the commentary, including from the introduction and for the the first division:

• "That is Solomon’s point here in Ecclesiastes. It does not matter how wise you are, how much money you make, how much comfort you have, how successful you are, how religious you are, or how cleanly you live your life. Death is the great equalizer.
• "Solomon was a sage who methodically examined the reality of death in this cursed world. He analyzed how the righteous and the wise and their actions are in God’s hands and how man does not know if that indicates God’s love or hate (9:1). Here is the basic idea: God sovereignly rules over our lives, which according to Ecclesiastes 3 are subject to His timing, and our surroundings give us no clue as to what God really thinks of us (Enns, Ecclesiastes, 82). We cannot use our circumstances to determine if God loves us or hates us, accepts us or rejects us."
• "Being in God’s hand is not synonymous with prosperity, health, or a pain-free life (Hunt, Ecclesiastes, 51). God’s people do suffer, but we trust that Jesus is enough, that He is in control, and that His timing and plan are best in the midst of the suffering!"
• "Solomon makes an explicit connection with the fall. We have inherited corruption, sin, and death from our first father, Adam (cf. Romans 5:12-19). If any of us doubt this reality, we can just look at our children and see that we all inherit a sin nature."
• "Ecclesiastes 9 makes clear that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, and the wages for that sin is death for all. Because I sin, death will come for me. Because you sin, death will come for you."
• "[I]f life under the sun is all there is, then death wipes away everything—all our memories, all our possessions, all our feelings, and all our relationships. Plus, if life under the sun is all there is, there is nothing beyond the grave. On the other hand, the living at least have hope because they can be conscious of the fact that they will die. That is the advantage. The living have a chance to reckon with the reality of death and do something about it (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 331). They can enjoy life as a gift, repent of evil, and live differently in the face of death."
• "Do not live every day as if it were your last, but do live as if you have a set number of days. Live as if you do not get an endless supply. Living your life with this in mind is wise because it will help you not be careless with your spouse, miss out on time with your children, be indifferent at your job, or other such distractions."
  

See also Psalm 90:12-14. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - thank You for Your amazing grace and the salvation You provide which is the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving.  My sin is daily and it frustrates me.  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 continue to 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. 

For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 3

For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 3:19

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 3:18-22, which is the second division of the commentary chapter titled Politics and Justice Are Meaningless without Jesus (covering Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3, and 5:8-9). The commentary describes how Solomon reflects on how we - collectively as humanity - treat one another as beasts:  "[E]ven though we have moral sensibilities, we treat one another like animals. We deal with one another in the most disgusting ways imaginable. From Hitler to Stalin to Polpot and the Khmer Rouge killing fields, we see barbaric acts that humans commit against other humans. My first mission trip was to Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge wiped out so much of the population. As we walked over the killing fields with the missionaries, they showed us trees where babies were bashed to death. The barbarism was sickening. That is Solomon’s point. Wickedness increases, and like the days of the flood where both animals and humans died, judgment is needed!" The commentary then highlights how God created man in Genesis 1 to have dominion over the beasts, yet we became like the beasts in how we treat one another. The commentary goes further sharing how beasts are described throughout scripture, including how "evil nations...attack Israel (see Psalm 80:13, Daniel 7:3)," and how "the antichrist and the false prophet  are called beasts (see also Revelation 13)." As the commentary winds down for this division, it explores vv19-21 more closely by sharing that while we have certainty of our own death, we have less certainty what happens after death: "[s]ince we do not know what happens beyond this life, we have to rely on the eternal God who put eternity in our hearts. We are told to enjoy His gifts while we can. Ecclesiastes 3 ends with another carpe diem passage that tells us to live life to the fullest. Ecclesiastes does not deny the afterlife, but it does commend us to take death seriously. Just as the psalmist tells us to number our days (Psalm 90:10-12), Ecclesiastes says that life is short and we need to make the most of it (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 305)." Making the most of our lives must include loving God and loving others as He intends - the two most important commandments!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - giving me hope in this life and hope that You are saving me a place in Heaven - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love me, bless me, save me, and seal me so that no one can take from You.  Thank You - but again I am not deserving...not at all.  Please forgive me for my sin that is great and daily.  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 continue to 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.

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers....So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers....So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:5-6,12

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion. The highlighted text today mildly emphasizes a somber message on one hand - death - while largely focusing on the hope believers have how God offers renewal and new beginnings...appropriate for a year ending message.  John Piper entitles this devotion - Death Rehearsal - as he begins by describing how he treats year's end as a rehearsal for his actual death.  Of course because he has not died, Piper is able to reflect on the past year, and the extent to which he glorified God (pointing to Matthew 25:21).  Through this reflection, Piper looks back at positives and negatives, and how the Psalmist in the highlighted text describes how we should treat each day as something that is gone leaving us with fresh start in the new day.  Piper writes: "[n]umbering your days simply means remembering that your life is short and your dying will be soon. Great wisdom — great, life-revolutionizing wisdom — comes from periodically pondering these things."  Piper also refers us to 2 Timothy 4:7-8 as another example in scripture that gives a litmus test for how we should measure each passing year.  Piper concludes by sharing "...if we discover that we did not keep the faith this past year, then we can be glad, as I am, that this year-end death is (probably) only a rehearsal, and a whole life of potential faith-keeping lies before us in the next year."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of how You give me life and the mercies that are new every morning.  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.  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.