Ecclesiastes 7 (12)

Pray Psalm 30.8-10.
I cried out to You, O LORD;
And to the LORD I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my blood,
When I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me;
LORD, be my helper!”

Read Ecclesiastes 7.25, 26.

Prepare.
1. To what did Solomon apply himself? What was he hoping to accomplish?

2. What did he learn about himself instead?

Meditate.
Even the best of intentions can be hijacked by sin when we fail to keep watch over our souls (Eph. 5.15-17).

This, in many ways, sums up Solomon’s struggle. He wanted to be wise and to understand the divine economy – a good thing. He also wanted to be mindful of wickedness and folly – to know it for the madness that it is, which could have been a good thing, but which blew up in his face.

He went too far in seeking wisdom – and ended up prideful; and when he turned to testing the waters of wickedness, he found a snare he could not escape: wanton women.

Every person has his or her own snare. Your weakness may not be sex; perhaps it is alcohol or drugs, pride or material possessions, sloth or wastefulness, or just needing to be the center of attention at all times. That snare is likely to be with you as long as you live. Solomon indicates that, even though he had by the time of this writing made the journey back to God, the snare remained: note the present participle, “find” here (v. 26): “I continue to find.” Know your snares and stay away from them (Prov. 1.17).

“You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.” So Martin Luther is reported to have distinguished between temptation and sin. There will always be temptations. When temptation comes, we will choose one of two paths: recognize the temptation, resist it, and grow through it. Or recognize the temptation, yield to it, and fall through it to sin.

The temptations Solomon struggled with may not be ours; however, pride and folly are in all our hearts. Thus, no matter the form of our particular snare, we must recognize it and guard ourselves from the pride of thinking we can “handle it”, lest we fall into the folly that waits on the other side.

Reflect.
1.Do you agree that everyone has his snare, his “besetting sin”? What’s yours? How do you guard against it?

2.What would you say are the keys to not becoming so spiritual that pride destroys us, or so indifferent to sin that we fall into it?  

3.When temptation arises, how should we respond so that we find the way of escape?

Be admonished, O man: for, if such men as these have been brought to ruin through women, what is your righteousness, or what are you among the holy, that you consort with women and with maidens day and night, with much silliness, without fear of God? Clement of Rome (fl. ca. 92-101), Letters on Virginity 2.10

Let me not be naïve about sin, Lord, but give me grace to…

Pray Psalm 30.10-12.
Give thanks and praise to God for the many ways He has redeemed and saved you from sin. Mourn, and seek repentance and forgiveness for any lingering sins in your life, so that you can dance with gladness through the coming day.

Sing Psalm 30.10-12.
Psalm 30.10-12 (Madrid: Come Christians, Join to Sing)
Lord, hear our earnest plea –
         You have lifted us, O Lord!
and our strong Helper be –
         You have lifted us, O Lord!
You turn our tears to song; praises to You belong.
Thanks is our endless song!
         You have lifted us, O Lord!

T. M. Moore 

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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).