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Intro To Ecclesiastes Pt.2

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“The phrase “under the sun” is used twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. It is frequently paired with hebel. Many commentators take the phrase to be an expression of life without God. The reality is that “under the sun” is just life. It is life for everybody” – Brian Borgman

 

The most crucial aspect to understanding Ecclesiastes and how it connects with our life is to properly grasp the word which our translations translate “vanity,” “futility,” or “meaningless.”………. The Hebrew word translated “vanity” is hebel. It is used 38 times in this book, which is about half of all Old Testament uses. But when we consider that Solomon says twice, “Hebel of hebels. Hebel of hebels. Everything is hebel,” then we have a keyword and a key theme that helps us understand this book…..

We now understand that everything is hebel of hebels, but what does it mean?…….. One of the first things to observe is that Abel’s name is the Hebrew word hebel, depicting the brevity of his life. The word is used in many contexts and, according to the way words work, may have a variety of implications. The basic sense of hebel is breath, mist, fog, or vapor……

Based on the above understanding of hebel, it becomes apparent that Ecclesiastes should read: “Breath of breaths. Breath of breaths. Everything is breath.” Or, “Vapor of vapors. Vapor of vapors. Everything is vapor.” Or as David Gibson suggests, “The merest of breaths … the merest of breaths. Everything is a breath.”

Hebel Is for Everybody –  Hebel is a constant in everyone’s life. The life of the sinner and the life of the saint are both marked by hebel. Nobody escapes it. It is a reality for those who love God and those who hate Him. There is no escaping it. Life is short and elusive, for everyone. ……The point of the book is not how to get around hebel, but how to cope with it and thrive within it.

Hebel Is from God –  Hebel is not only a constant for everyone, but also the constant condition of this present life because of God’s judgment. Hebel is part of the curse. It is the graffiti written all over a fallen world. Therefore, God is the one who is in control of hebel.

Hebel and Life Under the Sun – The phrase “under the sun” is used twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes. It is frequently paired with hebel. Many commentators take the phrase to be an expression of life without God. The reality is that “under the sun” is just life. It is life for everybody. Every mere mortal lives “under the sun.” It is the perspective, as one writer put it, of our death row cell existence.

Hebel and Chasing After the Wind – The phrase “striving after the wind” is used seven times, and six of those are paired with hebel. Chasing the wind, or shepherding the wind, is trying to do something impossible. It is trying to control the uncontrollable……..For those who think they have their future wrapped up with a neat bow, for those who have done everything right and made all the proper preparations for a life of joy, know this: the wind can shift. No one can shepherd the wind. Making plans is wise, but in a life that is a breath on a cold morning, you never know what awaits you at the next turn. This short life is unpredictable and uncontrollable.

Ecclesiastes stands out in our Bibles as an unusual gift. It is a book of inspired wisdom that sounds different from other books. It deals with the exceptions and mysteries of life. Ecclesiastes helps us break through the make-believe, pretend views of life, which are designed to anesthetize us. If we live anesthetized, fabricated lives, we will be unprepared when it is time to die. Ecclesiastes shouts, “Life is a gift, it is really short, you will die, and you need my wisdom to live it joyfully.” Ecclesiastes is an unexpected source of joy that warns us and equips us to not waste our breath before it ends in death. – Brian Borgman

Everyone gives mental assent to the fact that we will die oneday, but because the society has been designed to distract us from facing the reality of death, so many do not live as those ready to stand before God and give an account for their lives. Ecclesiastes challenges us to put first things, first. – Elizabeth

Soli Deo Gloria

 

 

Recommended Resources: 

“Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End”

By David Gibson

“Don’t Waste Your Breath: Ecclesiastes and the Joy of a Fleeting Life”

By Brian Borgman

Intro to Ecclesiastes

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Ecclesiastes wrestles with the brevity of life, not its meaninglessness…..
It’s a book in the Bible that gets under the radar of our thinking and acts like an incendiary device to explode our make-believe games and jolt us into realizing that everything is not as clean and tidy as the “let’s-pretend” world suggests…..

 

The Bible’s Problem Child Ecclesiastes has been called “the black sheep of the Bible.” It has been called the “problem child of Scripture.” Iain Provan has commented, “Ecclesiastes has a long history of perturbation behind it.” And yet for all its bad press, the book has always captured my attention. When I was in college I took an elective on wisdom literature, trying to better understand Scripture’s “problem child.” When I was in seminary, I took another class that covered Ecclesiastes. Although I was able to grow some in my understanding of the Bible’s “black sheep,” I could not unravel the mystery. I collected articles, books, and commentaries. I read, I asked questions, read more, and still the message of this book eluded me. The mystery of the book is wrapped up in so many of the apparent pessimistic and even contrary statements to what is in the rest of the Bible.

This book was like a jigsaw puzzle to me. Some expositors held up various pieces and claimed to know what the picture on the box was supposed to look like. But those claims always sounded off or incomplete. Was I chasing the wind? In the back of my mind, I wanted to preach Ecclesiastes, but I knew I was not ready. I had not found the corner pieces of the puzzle. I had not discovered the edges. It is a fool’s errand to try to put a puzzle together without the corners and edges. I knew I needed to see the forest if I was ever going to understand the trees. My “hebel moment” gave me the impetus to put the puzzle together. I was driven………

My journey in Ecclesiastes has led me to believe that this is a wonderful, even positive book that shows us that life is a gift from God which is to be enjoyed for His glory. Hebel is not meaninglessness, it is vapor, breath, or mist (as I will demonstrate). Ecclesiastes wrestles with the brevity of life, not its meaninglessness……-Brian Borgman

The book of Ecclesiastes is one of God’s gifts to help us live in the real world. It’s a book in the Bible that gets under the radar of our thinking and acts like an incendiary device to explode our make-believe games and jolt us into realizing that everything is not as clean and tidy as the “let’s-pretend” world suggests…….- David Gibson

 

Recommended Resources: 

“Living Life Backward: How Ecclesiastes Teaches us to Live in Light of the End”

By David Gibson

 

“Don’t Waste Your Breath: Ecclesiastes and the Joy of a Fleeting Life”

By Brian Borgman

 

Soli Deo Gloria

God The Source of All Good

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Subdue in me the love of sin, Let me know the need of renovation as well as
of forgiveness,   in order to serve and enjoy thee for ever.

 

O LORD GOD, WHO INHABITEST ETERNITY,

The heavens declare thy glory,
The earth thy riches,
The universe is thy temple;
Thy presence fills immensity,
Yet thou hast of thy pleasure created life,
and communicated happiness;
Thou hast made me what I am, and given me
what I have;
In thee I live and move and have my being;
Thy providence has set the bounds of my habitation,
and wisely administers all my affairs.

I thank thee for thy riches to me in Jesus,
for the unclouded revelation of him in thy Word,
where I behold his Person, character, grace, glory,
humiliation, sufferings, death, and resurrection;
Give me to feel a need of his continual saviourhood,
and cry with Job, ‘I am vile’,
with Peter, ‘I perish’,
with the publican, ‘Be merciful to me, a sinner’.
Subdue in me the love of sin,
Let me know the need of renovation as well as
of forgiveness,
in order to serve and enjoy thee for ever.

I come to thee in the all-prevailing name of Jesus,
with nothing of my own to plead,
no works, no worthiness, no promises.
I am often straying,
often knowingly opposing thy authority,
often abusing thy goodness;
Much of my guilt arises from my religious privileges,
my low estimation of them,
my failure to use them to my advantage,
But I am not careless of thy favour or regardless of
thy glory;
Impress me deeply with a sense of thine
omnipresence, that thou art about my path,
my ways, my lying down, my end.

 

From the Valley of Vision

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Fear Not little flock….

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Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. – Luke 12:32

 

Believers are a “little flock.” They always have been, ever since the world began. Professing servants of God have sometimes been very many. Baptized people at the present day are a great company. But true Christians are very few. It is foolish to be surprised at this. It is vain to expect it will be otherwise until the Lord comes again. “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leads unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matt. 7:14.)

Are we members of Christ’s little flock? Then surely, we ought not to be afraid. There are given to us exceeding great and precious promises. (2 Pet. 1:4.) God is ours, and Christ is ours. Greater are those that are for us than all that are against us. The world, the flesh, and the devil, are mighty enemies. But with Christ on our side we have no cause to fear.

True Christians should never be greatly moved by the persecution of man. Their enemies may be strong, and they may be weak; but still they ought not to be afraid. They should remember that “the triumphing of the wicked is but short.”

What has become of the Pharaohs and Neros and Diocletians, who at one time fiercely persecuted the people of God? Where is the enmity of Charles the Ninth of France, and Bloody Mary of England? They did their utmost to cast the truth down to the ground. But the truth rose again from the earth, and still lives; and they are dead, and mouldering in the grave.

Let not the heart of any believer fail. Death is a mighty leveler and can take any mountain out of the way of Christ’s church. “The Lord lives” forever. His enemies are only men. The truth shall always prevail.

 JC Ryle

 

 

 

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Benefit of Affliction

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There are no lessons so useful as those learned in the school of affliction

 

Affliction is one of God’s medicines. By it He often teaches lessons which would be learned in no other way. By it He often draws souls away from sin and the world, which would otherwise have perished everlastingly. Health is a great blessing, but sanctified disease is greater.

 Prosperity and worldly comfort are what all naturally desire; but losses and crosses are far better for us, if they lead us to Christ. Thousands at the last day, will testify with David, and the nobleman before us, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.” (Psalm. 119:71.)

Let us beware of murmuring in the time of trouble. Let us settle it firmly in our minds, that there is a meaning, a needs-be, and a message from God, in every sorrow that falls upon us. There are no lessons so useful as those learned in the school of affliction.

There is no commentary that opens up the Bible so much as sickness and sorrow. “No chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous — nevertheless afterward it yields peaceable fruit.” (Heb. 12:11.) The resurrection morning will prove, that many of the losses of God’s people were in reality eternal gains.

-JC Ryle

Soli Deo Gloria!

Faithful & Solemn Admonitions to a Religious Professor

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I stand in doubt of you. — Gal. 4:20.

 

 How solemn, if after all your profession you have yet to take the very first step in the divine life! Examine yourself by the revealed Word of God and see how matters stand between Him and your own soul.

This is a mighty concern, and one not to be trifled with. It is not a mere profession that will stand at a dying hour; you must have something essentially more. God has to do with the HEART. “I, the Lord, search the heart. “If you have never yet felt yourself a lost sinner, then you have not sought Christ with your whole heart. “Ye shall find Me when ye seek Me with your whole heart.” Trifle not with yourself, trifle not with an endless eternity, for God will not be trifled with.

The world is still in your heart, and after your idol you will go. What will it profit you if you gain the whole world and at last lose your own soul? A little space is yet allowed you; let me entreat you to make the best use of it to gain an interest in Christ. Why will ye die? Look fully at Christ; see what He suffered for sinners. Look at the wonderful goodness of God in giving His well-beloved Son that sinners might be saved from the wrath to come.

O flee to Christ just as you are. Lose not a moment in settling this great concern. Keep your eye upon the finished work of Jesus and aim to get a close acquaintance with Him. The more you know of the desperate wickedness of your own heart, the more you will love Christ, and see how suitable He is in every way to meet your lost condition. The more you hate yourself, the more you will love Jesus. Keep far from trifling religious professors and be much in secret prayer.

 

– Mary Winslow

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Holy Admonitions

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You have begun your career heavenward; run, and look not back, but keep your eye upon Jesus, and so run that you may at last attain the crown of glory laid up for you in heaven, which Jesus will give you in the last day.

 

Beloved in the Lord, how is it with your soul?
Are you traveling onward?
And what part of the heavenly road are you in now?

Never forget that Jesus is with you; and although, through the mists of this poor world, which the enemy may draw around you, you may lose the sensible presence of your best and constant Friend, yet when the mists obscure your sight, call upon Him at once, and rest not until your language is,“I cried unto God with my voice, and He gave ear to me”.

Precious sister in Jesus, I bless God on your account. He has done great things for you, whereof my heart rejoices. Hold fast your confidence. Suffer not the enemy or his emissaries to beguile you of your rich reward. He has many agents, but ask the Lord that you may know; and strengthen you to overcome them in His name. You are like one who has conquered a mighty foe, but have too hastily gone into the midst of the enemy’s camp again; and you re beset on the right and on the left. Look afresh to Him who once helped you to conquer, and you will find him a present help in time of need.

You have begun your career heavenward; run, and look not back, but keep your eye upon Jesus, and so run that you may at last attain the crown of glory laid up for you in heaven, which Jesus will give you in the last day.

Read much in the Psalms. You will always find a word there to meet your case and present necessity.

– Mary Winslow

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Follow Him

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The LORD is my shepherd – Psalm 23:1

 

We are such forgetful creatures; too often forgetting what we are, and what a God He is.

How poor and unsatisfying are all things here below; even the best and the loveliest! Oh, to walk more intimately with Him, to live above the world, and hold the creature with a looser hand, taking God’s Word as our guiding light; our unfailing spring of comfort.

God is my Shepherd, and all my concerns are in His hands. Blessed, forever blessed, be His dear and holy name, who has looked with everlasting mercy on such a poor, vile sinner as me; and encouraged me with such sweet manifestations of His love, to trust my soul and all my interests in His hands!

The world and its ‘nothings’ are often a sad snare to God’s saints. Oh that by faith we may overcome it all, and keep close to Jesus! We are not of the world. Let us try and not attend to its gewgaws! Keep a more steadfast, unwavering eye upon Christ. He has gone a little before us, and stands beckoning us to follow. Live for eternity! Let go your hold upon the world!

Let us aim in all things to follow Him who, despising this world’s show, left us an example how we should walk. Have your lamp trimmed and brightly burning, for every day and every hour brings us nearer and nearer to our home!

Dearest Jesus! help Your pilgrims to live more like pilgrims, above a poor dying world, and more in full view of the glory that awaits them when they shall see You face to face!

-Mary Winslow

 

 

 

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!

 

A Loving Physician

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My groaning is not hid from thee. —Psalm 38:9

One of the strongest and sweetest consolations God gives to His sick and afflicted ones is the assurance that He not only “knows their sorrows” and tenderly sympathizes with them in their griefs, but that the appointment of the trial proceeds from Him, and that its whole course and continuance are watched by Him with infinite love and care.

As a physician keeps his finger on a suffering patient’s pulse, that he may know just the limit to which pain may be safely endured, so does our God hold our right hand while we are passing through the furnaces of trial that lie on our road to heaven, that He may support us through them and bring us forth in due time to praise Him for His comforting and sustaining grace.

Do remember, dear friend, that the God you love, the master you serve, is never indifferent to your grief or unwilling to hear your cry.

In time of trouble, the soul is greatly helped by cherishing great thoughts of God; they are sure to induce great longings after Him, great faith in Him, and great love toward Him.

Pain, whether bodily, mental, or spiritual, is always unwelcome and at first sight wears an aspect that alarms and discomforts us. But it is often an angel in disguise, and many times we have found that, underneath its terrible exterior, there are hidden the tender smiles of God’s love, the gentle discipline of His teaching, and the sweet pity of His marvelous forbearance.

-Susannah Spurgeon

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Mourner’s Comfort

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“The Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces.”—Isaiah 25:8.

 

Come, all ye sorrowful, mourning souls, and see what a fair pearl of promise your God has brought to light for you, out of the very depths of the sea of your affliction.

Come, and we will together—for I also am a mourner,—look into this precious Word of our God; we will dwell upon its unspeakable love, we will think upon its gentle pity, till our tears catch its soft radiance, and glisten with the beauty of the” rainbow round about the throne.”

The salt drops which steal down our cheeks through physical suffering,—wrung from our eyes by mortal pain and weakness, are all seen by our loving Lord; they are put into His bottle, His purpose concerning them shall be manifest when their mission is accomplished, and then the source from whence they sprang shall be forever dried up. “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

“The Lord God will.” There is not the shadow of a doubt about this, poor sighing soul. Not only did our Father inspire His prophet Isaiah to speak thus assuredly, but, twice repeated, He gave the same sweet message to the apostle John at Patmos: “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” As a fond mother hushes her child, as a tender husband solaces his spouse, so, weeping one, shall thy God comfort thee when He brings thee home, and thy consolation shall be so complete that thou shalt “no more remember thy sorrow.”

Blessed be Thy dear Name, Lord, for this “strong consolation”—this “good hope through grace.” Tears may, and must come; but if they gather in eyes that are constantly looking up to Thee and Heaven, they will glisten with the brightness of the coming glory.

 

-Susannah Spurgeon

 

 

 

 

Soli Deo Gloria!