Musings on Ecclesiastes: Wisdom and Folly

Hello All,

King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, was the wisest man that ever lived.

In the course of writing this book, he noted down his observations and thoughts on wisdom and folly.

God had given him unparalleled wisdom to rule the kingdom of Israel and yet he acknowledged the limitations of his wisdom.

Musings on Ecclesiastes: Wisdom and Folly

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (28^th Dec 2013)

The wise man walks steadily with light on his path

He is cautious in his dealings and avoids wrath

The sound counsel of others, he does not despise

He in turn offers to others his good advice

However, the foolish man lunges recklessly

Without looking at what lies ahead, he thoughtlessly

Allows his whims and fancies to steer his actions

To the changing winds, he abandons all caution

Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!

What is the meaning of wisdom? What is folly?

Death befalls both the wise as well as the foolish

Both will come to the end of their lives and perish

So the wisdom and folly of mere mortal men

Will cease to be after death and come to an end

But true wisdom has found its immortality

In Jesus, the Word and Light for humanity

Would you receive the true wisdom that Christ offers?

Or would you mock and sneer at it like the scoffers

Who dismissed and condemned him to death on the cross?

Scorn not but trust the Saviour who died for the lost

Points for Reflection:

Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

(Ecclesiastes 7:19)

·         It is better to live wisely than foolishly on this earth. Wisdom is good for it keeps us safe.

·         A wise person is careful in handling his inheritance, unlike a foolish man who squanders his possessions. Earthly wisdom is able to preserve the life of a person while he is alive although it is unable to attain eternal life. It provides a sense of security, like money does, for life on this earth.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

(Ecclesiastes 7:11-12)

·         A fool loses his temper often, making no effort to control it; but a wise person practices self-control.

Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

(Ecclesiastes 7:9)

·         A wise person deals cautiously with people of authority, such as a king, by obeying them and not storming off in anger from their presence no matter how unreasonable they might be. However, that does not mean that we are to follow a king blindly in his evil cause although we should show them respect.

I say: Keep the king's command, because of God's oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence.             

(Ecclesiastes 8:2-3a)

Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he [the king] does whatever he pleases.

(Ecclesiastes 8:3b)

Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.

(Ecclesiastes 8:5)

·         True wisdom, being as wise as God is, is unattainable. No matter how wise you are, you can never fathom the depths of God’s wisdom.

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)

·         Have you been living wisely? Have you been prudent in the way you spend your money, relate to others and make decisions? In what areas are you lacking wisdom? How could you learn to be wiser?

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

(Proverbs 9:10)

·         Earthly wisdom is temporal and it cannot save you for eternity. Yes, it is able to secure your well-being while you are living in this physical world; but it cannot save your soul.

·         True wisdom is found in God, the creator of the universe. Who are we, mere mortals, to boast of our finite wisdom and have no regard for the infinite wisdom of our Creator?

·         Have you received the true wisdom that Christ offers? Have you put your trust in his death on the cross for your sin? What is preventing you from accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?

·         Those of us who trust in him can place our confidence in his wisdom for our salvation. Our loving God who keeps the earth spinning within its orbit without colliding with other planets will surely keep us trusting in him until we enter our heavenly abode with him. Isn’t that comforting to know? If you are feeling discouraged today, find comfort in the love and wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

(1 Corinthians 1:18)

·         How are you tempted at times to rely on your own wisdom in making decisions instead of seeking guidance from God’s Word? Are you submitting to Christ in the way you live or do you run life your own way?

Musings on Ecclesiastes: Pleasures and Wealth

Hello All,

Have you ever asked yourself, ‘What makes earthly pleasures and wealth so enticing? Why do people sacrifice so much to gain a little wealth and a little pleasure?’

The author of Ecclesiastes, whom many believe to be King Solomon himself, was the king of Israel at its prime and golden age. He was extremely wealthy and had access to all the pleasures that the world could offer.

And yet he began his book with, ‘Vanity of vanities!’

Musings on Ecclesiastes: Pleasures and Wealth

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (18^th Dec 2013)

I find no meaning in the life I live

What fulfillment can earthly pleasures give?

I keep grasping at what I cannot hold

Like purchasing goods that cannot be sold

Earthly riches are fleeting and futile

The delight they bring lasts but a while

Working hard, you labour and perspire

To fortify your fragile empire

‘I’ll lay hedges and prudently secure

My future investments which will endure

I’ll have no want for the rest of my life

For wealth, I’ll brave the challenges and strife’

So you gather your wealth and property

‘Just a little more, and I’ll be happy’

You spend your earnings on earthly pleasures

‘I’ll enjoy what I can at my leisure’

And then calamity strikes suddenly!

All you’ve amassed are gone in a jiffy

You grit your teeth and say resolutely

‘I’ll start over and gain back my money’

So you gain back your wealth and say gaily

‘I have secured my wealth and dignity

In my old age, I’ll rest and enjoy now

The riches earned from the sweat of my brow’

And then death storms in, your last breath he claims!

He spares not the rich or poor; they’re the same

Your wealth then passes down to your children

Who knows if they’ll squander your possessions?

So you’ve insured yourself against all things

You have enjoyed all that this life can bring

But eternal life you could not insure

For you have rejected Christ, the Saviour

Turn now to Christ before it is too late

Do not trade him for wealth at any rate

Find rest in him instead of vain pleasures

Gain forgiveness and life in your Saviour

Points for Reflection:

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

(Ecclesiastes 5:10)

·         You say to yourself, ‘If only I could have a certain amount of money stashed safely in my bank account… That would be enough for me to enjoy for the rest of my life… I would not need to work and worry anymore…’

·         The fact is, even if you did manage to accumulate that targeted amount of mammon, it would never satisfy you. And so you continue setting a higher and higher target for yourself to achieve. But you find yourself becoming increasingly dissatisfied after having surpassed each level.

·         No, money is not the answer to true satisfaction in life. It is a slave master which drives you to procure it and then it leaves you unsatisfied, craving for more.

·         Money itself is not evil, it is our lust for it that is evil.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

(1 Timothy 6:10)

·         Do you love money? How far would you go to procure it? Are you seeking your satisfaction, self-worth and meaning of life in wealth? Are you tempted to forsake God for money?

               

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.     

(Ecclesiastes 2:1)

·         There are many reasons why people love money.

·         One of the reasons is the earthly pleasure that money can buy.

·         It is a common practice for many of us to save up money for a highly anticipated vacation and have a splendid time. However, when the vacation comes to an end, we feel unsatisfied and say to ourselves, ‘This vacation was not long enough. I wish it was longer. I will look forward to the next vacation and save up enough money for it.’ And this cycle repeats itself over and over and over again. The thrill just wears off after a while.

·         If we are hoping to find our ultimate fulfillment in earthly pleasures, we will more often than not be disappointed.

·         Are you seeking your ultimate fulfillment in earthly pleasures? How do you feel when the thrill and excitement of that pleasure wears off? Why don’t you find your ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ instead?

There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand.

(Ecclesiastes 5:13-14)

·         I have seen too many who have lost their life savings on a bad venture. In great hopes to amass more money, one can easily lose it all in a blink of an eye.

·         During economic depressions, stories of suicides of heavily indebted individuals flood the news. Those are tragic tales of people who gave up on life itself after losing all that they had invested their existence in.  

·         But there are those who pick themselves up again and regain their wealth. Now, there is nothing wrong with starting over after a bad venture but what makes it so wrong is doing it with no regard of God. The people who say (or rather sing) to themselves, ‘I did it my way’, make themselves puny gods who are uncannily enslaved to wealth.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

(1 Timothy 6:9)

·         Have you yourself, or other people you know, lost money in a bad venture? What were your thoughts and feelings during those difficult times? During those times, did you depend solely on your own ability and resources or did you look to God for help?

As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind?

(Ecclesiastes 5:15-16)  

·         We do not come out from our mother’s womb with money tucked at our sides. We were, in actual fact, plain naked without a single stich of clothing on us.

·         We cannot take a single cent to the grave, even if we were to literally bury our money with us.

·         It is unwise to place so much value in perishable things. And yet so many of us do.

·         And it is extremely unwise of us to reject Jesus Christ and the eternal life that he offers to those who trust in him. Why do you work so hard for earthly and perishable wealth and neglect your ultimate rest in Christ which is of eternal value? Even if you are a Christian, be always on guard against the love of money which could easily lure you away from following God. Look to the cross for ultimate meaning and satisfaction in life. Be contented with what you have and find rest in Jesus Christ.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

(1 Timothy 6:6 ESV)   

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

(Hebrews 13:5 ESV)

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”   

(John 4:13-14 ESV)

A Christian Haiku

Hello All,

Today I will be sharing with you my first Christian Haiku.

Haiku is a very short form of Japanese poetry which consists of 3 lines per stanza.

The 1^st and 3^rd lines are made up of 5 syllables each whereas the 2^nd line contains 7 syllables (5-7-5 pattern).

A Haiku does not actually need to rhyme but I have made it a tradition to rhyme all my poems.

May God open your eyes to his Word through the words of this Haiku

A Christian Haiku

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (27^th September 2013)

God has chosen me

Even though I’m unworthy

To bring him glory

Christ died on the tree

For a great sinner like me

From sin I am free

Help me Lord to see

The life you’ve set before me

Lived for your glory

Points for Reflection:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

(Ephesians 1:3-4)

·         As Christians, isn’t it comforting to know that God has chosen us to be his children even before the creation of the world?

·         He is not a distant God but he had us in mind even before we were born.

·         Does this knowledge bring you joy or has it become just a mundane piece of information? Why don’t you take some time to thank God for his goodness? It would also be a good opportunity for us to apologize to God for taking his kindness for granted.

·         If you are not a Christian, what are the things which are keeping you from trusting in the one true God? Why don’t you put your trust in him?

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned... For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

(Romans 5:12,17)

·         All of us a wretched sinners by nature in our thoughts, speech and actions. We have turned away from God, rejected his loving rulership and enthroned ourselves as the king of our own lives.

·         When we look around at the suffering and pain in this world, many of us wonder why our world is in the state it is in. There are a good number of people who blame God for it. But the fact is we, sinful human beings, only have ourselves to blame. We chose to turn away from God.

·         But God loved us so much that he sent his dear beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to take on the punishment for our sins on the cross.

·         Jesus is the only perfect man who has ever walked on the face of this earth. You can’t die for my sins and neither can I die for yours for we are far from perfect.

·         For those of us who have put our trust in Jesus, we are no longer condemned for our sins but we have been justified by faith.

·         However, as Christians we must not persist in our sins but we should allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and hearts to follow God wholeheartedly. Our lives should be lived for God’s glory.

·         If you are a Christian, are there certain sins in your life which you are not allowing God to change? Why don’t you take this time to repent and confess your sins to our loving and merciful God?

·         Are you living your life for God’s glory? Or are you living your life for your own glory? 

Unbelief (John 12:37-50)

Hello All,

I am sure that we would have heard of at least one of the following expressions:

‘Have some faith in me. Believe me. Trust me. Have confidence in me. Count on me.’

But what does it mean to believe? To believe can be alternatively defined as having faith or confidence in something or someone.

So our next question would be: Who or what do you believe in?

Today’s poem is not taken from my own compositions but it was very kindly contributed by other fellow Christians who wish to remain anonymous.

 

Unbelief (John 12:37-50)
(Anonymous, Year 2012)

Before Jewish eyes, the Lord’s signs he does,
They’d not believe, as Isaiah records:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
to whom was revealed the arm of the Lord?”

Again Isaiah had long ago said;
“Their eyes he’s blinded, their hearts he’s hardened,
Lest their eyes might see, their hearts comprehend,
And they might turn, and I would heal them”

The Jews, in blindness, refuse what they heard,
Living in darkness, rejecting their king.
Rightly Isaiah had spoken these words,
For he’d seen Christ’s glory and spoke of him.

Yet many believed, yet would not confess,
Even authorities new belief took;
Dead silence they kept in great fear, lest,
Out of the synagogue they’d then be put,

Christ had convinced them the truth of his word,,
Still they turned from him, still fleeing their king;
The glory of man to him they preferred,
Sadly, the glory of God, disdaining.

Jesus cried out, "He who believes in me,"
"Believes in the Father, not me only,"
"When one beholds me, it's not just me he sees,"
"But the One who sent me, I say, truly."

"Into the darkness, I've come as a light,” 
 "That those who believe would receive their sight."

"I'm not the judge of the person who hears"
"Who hears my words but does not obey them,"
"I judge him not, for I've entered this world,
"Not to judge but to offer salvation."

"But there is a judge who on the last day,
Will condemn him who rejects me and the words I say."

"The how and what of my speech is not mine,"
"For I do not speak on my own accord,"
"But by the command of the Father divine,"
"From his command eternal life springs forth."

Hence, everything that I say is indeed,
What the heavenly Father has decreed. 

Points for Reflection:

Though he [Jesus] had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him.

(John 12:37)

·         The people of Jesus’ days had seen him perform many miraculous signs and witnessed Jesus fulfilling prophecies in Scriptures concerning the promised Messiah (known as the ‘Christ’ in Greek which means ‘The King’). He is the promised King that the Old Testament of the Bible has been pointing to.

·         But sadly, they still did not believe in him. Their unbelief was aptly spoken of by Isaiah, a prophet from the Old Testament many centuries ago:

So that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”

(John 12:38-40)

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

(Isaiah 53:1)

Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

(Isaiah 6:10)

·         Like the people in Jesus’ days, are you still refusing to put your faith in Jesus Christ, the one true God? If so, what are things in your life that are hindering you? Why are those things preventing you from believing in Jesus? Take a moment to reflect and pray for God to open your eyes and soften your heart. If you are a Christian with loved ones and friends whose hearts remain unreceptive to God’s Word, do not give up praying for their salvation.

Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him [Jesus], but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

(John 12:42-43)

·         We have looked at the first group of people who did not have a single ounce of belief in Jesus.

·         Now we come to the second group of people who believed in Jesus but did not dare to confess their belief for they were afraid of the consequences. They were afraid of being put out of the synagogue, of losing their reputation and place in society.

·         This is a solemn warning not only to non-Christians who ‘believe’ but this is also relevant to professing Christians who would not dare to stand up for Jesus when the going gets rough. Do you value your reputation and well-being above your faith in Jesus Christ? Would you stand up for Jesus even if it entails persecution from your family, friends and society?

So everyone who acknowledges me [Jesus] before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

(Matthew 10:32-33)

·         For those of us who are facing persecution or have forsaken earthly benefits for our Lord Jesus Christ, let us not lose heart or be discouraged. But let us continue to encourage each other to focus on the eternal and heavenly reward which awaits us in paradise. For the riches and glory of this world are temporal and will pass away but the Kingdom of God will endure forever.

And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my [Jesus’] name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

(Matthew 19:29)

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  

(Matthew 6:19-21)