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The Scriptorium

Once More - For Emphasis

He keeps saying the same thing. Do you think it's important? Ecclesiastes 7.19-24

Ecclesiastes 7 (11)

Pray Psalm 30.3

O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Read Ecclesiastes 7.19-24.

Prepare.
1. What do we learn about sin?

2. What did Solomon learn about wisdom?

Meditate.
These verses cast into proverbs – “telling it slant” – the lesson Solomon outlined in the preceding section (vv. 16-18). Again, he counsels contentment and wisdom without pride (v. 19), acceptance of (though not complacency about) our sin – and of the sins of those who transgress against us (vv. 20-22) – and trusting in the infinite wisdom and goodness of God (vv. 23, 24), which are far beyond what we can know, but in which we may rest.

This is a realistic faith outlook. We must not allow ourselves to become utopian in our expectations, or we’ll think we have all the answers – pride leading to destruction. At the same time, we must not be complacent about the fact of sin – or else our folly will consume us. No, we can’t figure it all out, but we can know and trust the One Who has, and in Whom, by knowing Him, we can find true contentment in life.

This and the preceding passage give us an important insight into God’s approach to communicating His truth. He tells us once, in a narrative based on life experience; then He tells us again, this time in the poetry of pithy proverbs. This is a measure of the grace of God, that He reaches out to us in a wide variety of ways to make sure we hear His truth and can make it our own.

We must labor to communicate with our generation by every available means (1 Cor. 9.19ff.). The message of truth is too important to entrust to one medium of communication alone. Christians must explore all the possibilities available for making known the Good News of life “under heaven” to our “under the sun” contemporaries.

Reflect.
1. Wisdom is more important than physical prowess (v. 19). Why?

2. We all sin, and we’ll continue to sin until we go to glory. Does that mean we should simply shrug our shoulders and say, “Oh, well”, where sin is concerned? What is our responsibility for the sin in our lives? For the sin we see in our neighbors?  

3. Solomon again introduces the theme of knowing as much as we can, while knowing we can’t know it all (cf. Eccl. 3.11). Should this encourage or discourage us from seeking more wisdom? Explain.

Solomon, who was the wisest of all whether before him or in his own time, to whom God gave breadth of heart, and a flood of contemplation, more abundant than the sand, even he, the more he entered into profundities, the more dizzy he became. And he declared the furthest point of wisdom to be the discovery of how very far away wisdom was from him. Gregory of Nazianzus (329-389), On Theology, Theological Oration 2 (28).21

Give me wisdom, Lord, but give me also repentance and grace, so that I…

Pray Psalm 30.6-9.
Thank God that He has saved you, and that you are firmly hidden in Him. Set your daily needs before Him, and thank Him in advance for His provision.

Sing Psalm 30.6-9.
Psalm 30.6-9 (Madrid: Come Christians, Join to Sing)
Firmly in You we stand –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Kept by Your gracious hand –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!
Lord, when You hide Your face, I cry to You for grace.
Living, I’ll sing Your praise –
            You have lifted us, O Lord!

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.
Books by T. M. Moore

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