“Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? It is good that you grasp this, and also not remove your hand from the other; for he who fears God will escape them all.” Ecclesiastes 7:16-18 ->me: OVERRIGHTEOUS = the righteousness done to draw attention to one’s self or in self-sufficiency working to earn your way into heaven [Not unlike the Pharisees]. You can get to a point where your desire to do good works and live upright become more about you than reflecting the image of a loving and divine Creator. OVERWICKED = We are all sinners, we are all wicked at our fleshly core. I believe the Preacher is talking about the person who knows they are doing evil and continues in it as the old creature; not the new creature who recognizes their sin, confesses, and repents by turning the other direction. When I truly fear God and worship Him then I will come forth avoiding these extremes. I must understand that God is the deliverer; I cannot ‘righteousness’ my way into heaven. Heeding the nudging of the Holy Spirit in my daily life and reading the word of truth which is a divinely provided measuring stick; I can avert a provocation of the God of Wrath.
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