“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. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:12-14 ->me: I have reached the end of Ecclesiastes. What a great book! These last few verses struck me. First, the Preacher warns of trusting too much in the writings outside of what the Lord has spoken in His word (Revelation 22:18-19). He warns of spending too much time and putting too much stake in reading books and literature outside of God’s word for there is an endless amount that has and will be written. I have become careful to make sure that what I read is supported by the word of God; in fact I read very little outside of the bible and several commentaries (which I still search the Holy Spirit for its truthiness). Second, the Preacher culminates after saying ‘all has been heard, this is the end of the matter’ with the fact that we should ‘fear’ and ‘keep’; in that order. Fearing God is the realization of God’s unchanging power and justice. It delivers from wickedness, self-righteousness, and leads to a hatred of sin. This then leads to a ‘keeping of His commandments’; conduct is derived from worship. A knowledge of God leads to obedience. The reason for Fearing and Keeping -> because God will evaluate and judge everything (good or bad) that I think, do, and feel; there is nothing hidden from Him.
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