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The Scriptorium

The Hammer of the Lord

Solomon nails it for Rehoboam. Ecclesiastes 7.13

Ecclesiastes 7 (7)

Pray Psalm 49.1-3.
Hear this, all peoples;
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
Both low and high,
Rich and poor together.
My mouth shall speak wisdom,
And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.

Read Ecclesiastes 7.13.

Prepare.
1. What is the work of God?

2. What is intended by the idea of “making straight” and “making crooked”?

Meditate.
This verse falls like a hammer on the nail of verses 1-12, thus constituting something of a break in this barrage of proverbs and common sense.

Solomon has been plying Rehoboam with the truth of God – explaining the way the world works. The world works according to the wisdom of God, because the world is God’s, and He rules over every aspect of it. All of life comes under the sovereignty of God, and it can only make sense and be fruitful when received and pursued according to God’s plan.

Solomon’s approach in this chapter is to pile up proverbs, but they contain truth from God, and they cannot be resisted without peril. If Rehoboam thinks that somehow, he can circumvent or ignore the divine plan, he has another thing coming. Solomon hammers away at his son’s conscience, hoping to avert God’s hammer crashing down on his eternal soul.

In our secular age Christians can sometimes give the impression that the truths of Scripture are only true for those who believe them: “This is just what I believe,” we say, meekly.

This, of course, is not the case. That’s why, when we share the Gospel with someone, and they reject it, we shouldn’t simply smile and say, “Well, have a nice day.” We need to say something like this verse: You cannot resist the will of God; either you will serve Him, or you will fall under His wrath (Rom. 1.18-32). You will never find the satisfaction you’re seeking, or the rest your soul desires, apart from believing in Christ.

We do the unbelieving world no favor when we allow them to think that they can reject God’s truth and ignore Him, and no harm will come their way. We must goad and provoke and urge people to consider the joy of life “under heaven”. The hammer of the Lord is always coming down to secure His Word and His works (Eccl. 12.11). The lost of our secular age may not agree with or accept that, but they – like Rehoboam – need to hear it.

Reflect.
1. What does it mean to “consider the work of God”? Who needs to do this? Why?

2. Which way of life has God “made crooked”? That “under the sun” or that “under heaven”? Can the crooked life ever attain the uprightness God intends (Eccl. 7.29)? Explain.  

3. But is it possible to make crooked the straight life God intends for us? How do we do that? How can we avoid doing that?

The crooked that needs straightening (1.15) is the presence of afflictions and adversities in life. Both prosperity and adversity come from the hand of God. For prosperity give thanks, but in adversity reflect on the goodness and comprehensiveness of the plan of God. Earl Radmacher (1931-2014), NKJV Study Bible Notes for Ecclesiastes 7.13

Lord, whatever crookedness remains in me, help me to straighten according to Your Word, as I…

Pray Psalm 49.1-20.
Give thanks to God for your redemption, and pray for the lost people in your Personal Mission Field, that they might see the light, understand their need, and turn to Jesus.

Sing Psalm 49.1-20.
Psalm 49.1-20 (Sagina: And Can It Be, That I Should Gain)
Hear this, you peoples, low and high; give ear as wisdom I proclaim:
My heart with understanding fills to hear and sing my Savior’s fame.
Why should I fear when foes arise, who trust in wealth and boast in lies?
Refrain v. 15

My God redeems my soul from hell!
His grace and mercy let me tell!

No man his brother can redeem, or give a ransom for his soul.
Let him leave off the vain attempt to gather redemption’s priceless toll.
Vainly he longs for eternal day, that he may not endure decay.
Refrain v. 15

See how the wise and senseless die, and leave to others all their gold.
Vainly forever they longed and hoped to have their names and glories told.
Man in his pomp will not endure; like any beast his end is sure.
Refrain v. 15

Thus go the foolish on their way, and all who approve their deceitful words.
Meekly like sheep to death they go, and meet destruction afterwards.
See how the righteous overrules the fleeting forms of dying fools!
Refrain v. 15


Let the redeemed of God take heart, though fools and all their wealth increase.
Death shall deprive him of all he owns, the grave shall make his glory cease.
Thus though he boasts, no light he sees; his end in hell shall ever be.
Refrain v. 15

T. M. Moore

Where does the book of Ecclesiastes fit in the overall flow of Scripture? Our series of studies, God’s Covenant, can show you, and help you discover the great beauty of the unity and diversity of Scripture, and how it all points to Christ. To order your copy of this important workbook, click here.

You can download all the studies in this series on Ecclesiastes by clicking here. If you value Scriptorium as a free resource for your walk with the Lord, please consider supporting our work with your gifts and offerings. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button  at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from
The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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