Author: Ben Bourland

“Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart [if you are righteous, wise, and in the hands of God], for God has already accepted your works.  Let your garments be always white [with purity], and let your head not lack [the] oil [of gladness].” Ecclesiastes 9:7-8 ->me:  This is a great follow on from yesterday.  It essentially states the same thing but it hit me stronger and pulled with several other verses that I have floating around in the back of my mind. 1) “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.” Psalms 1:1-3  2) “…your heavenly Father knows [everything that you need].  Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day.” Matthew 6:32b-34 MAIN POINT: Do not do as the world does; focusing all energy on getting what you want, being better than the other guy, or creating great storehouses.  Instead, set your eyes on the eternal prize, living as Jesus does (not to be served but to serve) [an example the Preacher did not have], and seeking to understand the heart and mind of your Savior – when you do these things you can rest in the few contentment’s He has given us here on earth.

“When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to see the business activity and the painful effort that take place upon the earth—how neither day nor night some men’s eyes sleep—then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun—because however much a man may toil in seeking, yet he will not find it out; yes, more than that, though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, yet will he not be able to find it out.” Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 ->me: I find such relief in these verses!!!  The Preacher (Solomon – the wisest man in all of history), after using his wisdom to seek out all that he could about understanding the ways and purposes of God, the answers to life’s biggest questions, and what we are here for…he relents and accepts that he CANNOT KNOW.  I must be content not to know everything.  No amount of hard work, persistent searching, skill, or experience will unravel these mysteries.  The greatest minds and scientists will say they have certain things figured out but never in their lifetime will the secrets be explained or revealed.  In verse 15 (the verse just before these 2) the Preacher instructs us to be content and enjoy the aspects of life God has given us to enjoy -> a good meal, great companionship, and to just be happy in who we are in the Lord: these are the good things from God in this life ‘under the sun’.  I pray that I can keep these things in balance, caring for the less fortunate, winning souls to the Kingdom, growing in my knowledge of the Almighty through His word, enjoying the beauty of His creation, loving every moment I get to spend with the ones I love, and of course -> enjoying a good meal.  🙂

“Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his days [seemingly] are prolonged [in his wickedness], yet surely I know that it will be well with those who [reverently] fear God, who revere and worship Him, realizing His continual presence. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not [reverently] fear and worship God.” Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 ->me: Here is a time where the Preacher says something other than ‘I saw’ or ‘I have seen’…he says “I know”. This is a statement of confident faith. Those who fear God will be well in the end. These are the people who revere the name of God, worship Him, and they realize and are confident in the Lord’s presence in their lives. It will not be so with the wicked. Although justice might be delayed here on earth, judgement after this life ‘under the sun’ will be swift. The unrighteous will not flourish beyond the grave.

“There is no man who has power over the spirit to retain the breath of life, neither has he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in battle [against death], neither will wickedness deliver those who are its possessors and given to it.” Ecclesiastes 8:8 ->me: There is so much packed into this little verse. It is a stark reminder that we are not in control and that we have no way of knowing the day we will leave this earth. It seems obvious that there is no form of wickedness will save the person given over to it, but this is the state of every unbeliever. This is why I must reach out with the truth at every opportunity the Lord puts in front of me. Whether that is here at work, on the street, at home, with a friend, or a complete stranger for that matter. I must never allow myself to be an unused vessel; I am most rewarded by being the conduit by which the Lord calls someone to Himself. Lord help me to hear your voice and recognize the opportunities when they are presented. Growing your Kingdom is my goal.

Ben’s QTVOTD – “Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 ->me: This entire chapter of Ecclesiastes (chap 7), has been on the Preacher’s (Solomon’s) struggles is with understanding life through earthly wisdom. He concludes the chapter with several points: 1) His life was foolishness and madness until he sought the wisdom of the Creator, and turning from relying on what he could answer in his own earthly wisdom. 2) True wisdom is rare and he could scarcely (1/10th of 1 percent) find any men with it. 3) Man was created by God to walk upright (a heart disposed to faithfulness and obedience) but it is man who is to blame for our current condition. Sin has entered in and man’s sin is all of these things – Perverse (we invent things to change the norm), Deliberate (Persistent/Proactive), Universal (everyone is affected through the seed of Adam and Eve), and Multi-Form (many many manifestations – “Everyone to his own way’). The uber point is that there is no use in using earthly ideas, thought, or wisdom to discern the aspects of life and death separate from God. Peace comes from God to the man whose heart is stayed on Him — Isaiah 26:3a.

“All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?” Ecclesiastes 7:23-24 ->me: Yesterday was not only a true test of my character under the headship of God by my headship as a protector and father to Bella. We had a very long travel day of 11 hours from Salinas, CA to Roseburg, OR. We had very thick wildfire smoke from the Montecito Complex fire (now biggest in California history) and the Carr fire northeast of Redding. For most, driving through smoke is disconcerting and ominous but Bella has asthma and those stints very much scared her. We prayed, sang, and petitioned God to get us through…Which He did (at one point pretty amazingly where we popped out into a clear spot very quickly as a reprieve). This exercise of praying with Bella (and hearing her pray) and then seeing the Lord deliver was awesome! Then, when we arrived in Roseburg the Hotel we had secured overbooked themselves and had no rooms for us when we arrived at 9:45pm. After all the other anxiety of the day this was a little much for Bella. Again we prayed and the Lord provided a hotel that had been newly renovated just a mile down the road…seeing God answer again. These verses help us see that even the most wise man in all of history could not grasp God’s plan and purpose. So, when God allows the conundrums and adversity in our lives to come along…both Bella and I can tell you that God answers prayer, God provides comfort, and God provides peace when the answers are not clear to man’s earthly wisdom.

“Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.” Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 ->me: This passage I read this morning (19-22) starts off in 19 talking about the fact that wisdom in the Lord is better than the experience of a group of experienced leaders.  Power from within is needed more than advice from without.  Then 20 makes a declarative statement we all know – that no one is without sin.  Now onto our 2 current verses -> I love these instructions from the Preacher.  No one is immune from the destructive power of words.  James spends a ton of time on this topic.  The Preacher is telling us that we should not let the inaccurate words of others play too heavily on our minds and self-worth.  We know this because we ourselves have used the tongue of fire to lash out at others and that even though the words were coming from our mouth, it was meant to inflict pain but did not represent truth.  I should remember that speech is literally on the tip of mine and others tongues.  Not too much thought goes through our noggins before we let them loose.  Lord help me to keep a better leash on my own tongue and have a thick skin for the inaccurate things thrown my way.   

“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.

“Consider the work of God: who can make straight what He has made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider that God has made the one side by side with the other, so that man may not find out anything that shall be after him.” Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 ->me: I had other things I was going to write but I just now read these 2 verses backwards and really helped me see, what I believe, is the meaning.  ‘Why can’t man find anything out that comes after him? -> because God has MADE (in the Hebrew this is SET which I like better) adversity and prosperity to sit side by side with each other in this life.  We have no ability to change what God has put in place in His purposes and will…So, consider Who you should lean on in your life – God or your own devices?”.  Ok, this is a little choppy but it made the point clear to me.  When things are going great it is easy to lose sight of the One all the good things come from.  When things get challenging it is an opportunity to turn to the One Who can either change my circumstance or give me the comfort, peace, and wisdom to manage through it.  These last two days I was given the blessing of leading Bella and Sophie in an exercise of trusting God in either being spared the 24 hour Stomach Flu (that Marianne and Prim got) or “consider” what God might teach us if it was His will that we all go through it.  We prayed that first night (each of us while Prim and Marianne were down) that if we were spared we would give God all the glory and if we came down with it as well that we would use the opportunity lean into Him more for comfort and leniency.  Our trust in God will take us the distance – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

“Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yes, more excellent it is for those [the living] who see the sun.  For wisdom is a defense even as money is a defense, but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the life of him who has it.” Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 ->me: Wisdom is something I pray for all the time (I did it today asking that the Lord would give me wisdom on what to do with the unsick people as the Stomach Bug runs through the house picking us off one by one – first Prim and now Marianne).  God tells us that He is the giver of wisdom and here in Ecclesiastes it is telling us that wisdom is a gift that can benefit those who live under the sun (all of us).  Money and wealth can protect you through buying protection or building a fortress, but wisdom and knowledge not only shield a person through avoiding situations that are precarious, but through decisions, relationships, and God fearing that cause the one, who possess wisdom and knowledge, to persevere through life.  Better to be poor and wise than an old and foolish king…remember that from Ecclesiastes 4:13?  Yesterday’s and today’s reflections together are very powerful.  Yes, I can gain wisdom from the Lord but I need to rely on Him to retain it.