365 Reflections

I know we will spend most of our lives obsessing or dreaming or at least thinking of the things we want in life. But between getting them there will be long and diverse seasons where we get the opposite of what we want.  For me, I like birth, gathering, embracing, laughing, keeping, love and peace. But those events are not guaranteed for us as constants in the universe. Solomon saw both the good and bad times of life and realized that everything has a season. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV) For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Then he writes: Ecclesiastes 3:2–8 (ESV) a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time ...

What Solomon teaches in Ecclesiastes is one of the hardest lessons to learn. That pleasure and pursuits of this life cannot fulfill our lives. Why is this hard? Because every stage of life offers us another set of diverse pleasures and pursuits to chase. When we are young it's just fun with friends, then in our teen years, it's romance or partying. Then when we get older it's either harder partying, more serious romance, or professional accomplishment. We settle into marriage and it becomes weekend getaways and raising great kids. We get established in our work and it's a boat, a golf membership, something else we think will surely fill us up.  Solomon had every opportunity to chase every offering at every stage. Born to the already rich King David, Solomon inherited and increased his father's fortune exponentially.  Ecclesiastes 2:1–3 (ESV) I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of l...

On the heels of Solomon's great expose on wisdom - the book of Proverbs, we find ourselves in Ecclesiastes, the book Solomon wrote near the end of his life after pursuing all his heart desired was finished. And how does this book open? Ecclesiastes 1:2 (ESV) Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.  The word vanity is the Hebrew word "habel" which can mean "vapor" or "breath" but in this context - "emptiness." I'm writing a book on this concept that without God our lives are just that - vanity, fleeting and empty.  Now we know that's what Solomon is talking about in these first two chapters because he repeats a phrase "under the sun" to implicate the status of our lives without the One who is over the Sun.  He opens with a simple visual examination of the world - everything keeps going regardless of whether we live or die. Humans, for as much as they seek to make themselves the center of the...

When you go through a book of the Bible it's always interesting to find passages that are often lifted from that book for a single sermon or perhaps article and then realize how strange that passage is in relation to the rest of the book.  Proverbs 31 is one such passage. The passage on the excellent wife gets a lot of play perhaps on Christian teaching and books but it comes at the end of a book devoted to teaching young people wisdom from their elders.  Moreover, it focuses on what seems to be an impossible quest - to find a woman like this. Proverbs 31:10–11 (ESV) An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Some commentators relate this woman to Ruth from the time of the Judges. Ruth worked hard, she was trustworthy and loyal. She impressed all who knew her as she left her home and people to align with Israel for the sake of her mother-in-law to whom she had no legal bind...

Proverbs 31:2–3 (ESV) What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? 3 Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. In the beginning of this book, we are warned for several chapters about the dangers of immoral women and illicit sex. Now in the last chapter, the warning returns. This time from a different author. Wherein Solomon warned us in Proverbs 4-7, now king Lemuel writes about the same issue here.  We can clearly see the dangers of illicit sex in our world. The woman who is raped or the child who is abused speaks volumes about the disastrous power of sexual sin. Beyond them, the children from a divorced home, the ruined marriage from adultery, and the young person enslaved to pornography and distorting their minds are all sad pictures of the dangers and illicit sexual activity. So you can see why the King opens with the question, "What are you doing???" As if to say, stop going after wom...

Proverbs 30 describes one of the worst kinds of people. And I share this post with great concern that many people seem to have no problem adopting the very attitude described here: Proverbs 30:11–14 (ESV) There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers. 12 There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth. 13 There are those—how lofty are their eyes, how high their eyelids lift! 14 There are those whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, the needy from among mankind. Four basic realities about them are recorded: 1. They curse their parents. The very people who raised them and sacrificed for them are regarded as nothing. To be sure, some parents act terribly, but all parents are to be honored in spite of those mistakes. Being a parent is something you can only understand when you've done it. To curse them is to curse what you do not understand.  2. They believe they are always right...

Our lives are largely defined by who we trust. And in our world, we are given no end of options from which to choose. Will it be parents, friends, spouses, children, fans, followers or experts? Everyone is picking one of them every day.  But wisdom is found when we remember that God came down. He both formed us and lived among us. And Proverbs 30 invites us to examine the resume of Christ when examining who we trust.  Proverbs 30:4 (ESV) Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know! Even in the book of Proverbs, the incarnation was foretold. Who is the one who holds the winds and waters in his hand? Who is the one who began the Earth? God. And the first question and last refer to the Son who would ascend to heaven and come down with the power of the Spirit to ignite the church.  Prover...