A feller gets good at waiting—at least he does, if he hopes to survive.”
–J.V. James (Old As Old Boots)
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!”
“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!”
–Psalm 27: 14 (NKJV)
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I want to take a little more time with Ecclesiastes 7. I mentioned yesterday that I noticed several things in these verses and went over a couple of them. Now, let’s look at a little more. I want to remind you of a couple of things regarding Ecclesiastes. First, read the whole book before beginning to look at specific verses or you might get lost and forget the overall context. Second, see Ecclesiastes as a whole. Upon reading selected verses be sure and look at how it fits within the whole spectrum of the book.
“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is that laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.” –Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 (NKJV)
Here we see the mention of the song of the fools. What could that song be? Most likely it is not one particular song, but the general attitude of the fool. A song with no merit, a song of mirth, a song that may mock the wise, or a song that has no value to it. Ever wonder why there is such a glut of bad music? Because it comes from the lips of a fool. Listen–whenever the wise are rebuked, we hear the melody of the fool. Rehobam comes to mind. He was given wise counsel, but chose rather to heed the song of the fools. He could have continued Solomon’s legacy, but chose to listen to the wrong voices.
“Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, and a bribe debases the heart.
The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.”
–Ecclesiastes 7:7-10 (NKJV)
“I sure wish I could do that over again.” Have those words ever come from your mouth? Why? Is it because you did a haphazard job? Maybe you didn’t take the work seriously. This is important, that is why Paul admonishes us to work as unto the Lord. Whatever we do, it should be done for the Lord. There is much talk in Christian circles about second chances, but that must be kept in perspective. There are some things that are concluded one time. For instance, a project on a job with a due date. It must come in, yet somehow and for some reason, it did not come in on time. The company lost thousands of dollars, and guess what, the individual most likely lost their job. “Oh, give me a second chance,” they cry, but they were singing the song of the fool–procrastinating, doing sloppy work…
Look at those words, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning.” It is one thing to start a project, another to finish. When life comes to an end, hopefully you can say like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV) Eternity is waiting for those who have kept the faith. A fool’s perdition is for those who throughout their life sang the song of fools. Look at what you accomplished. A job well done. Someone has said “At the end there is no idealism, no unrealistic expectations, no lack of awareness–all has happened, all has developed.”
“Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry…” Think of all the time you spent at red lights–futile. Think of the minutes lost at checkout lanes–futile. There is no reason to be angry over your situation, learn to be patient. Luke writes, “By your patience possess your souls.” (21:19, NKJV) Hold on! Stand firm! Be patient, endure the situation. Take advantage of seemingly futile situations and make use of them. Don’t gripe or become angry. Don’t start singing the song of fools. “Our haughty spirit pushes wisdom aside, and when it does we play the fool.” (Charles Swindoll)
Why would you say the former days were better? What has happened to make you think that? Yes, there may have been some things better, but remember this–today, in this present life and society, is where God has placed you.
————————————–
I want to take a little more time with Ecclesiastes 7. I mentioned yesterday that I noticed several things in these verses and went over a couple of them. Now, let’s look at a little more. I want to remind you of a couple of things regarding Ecclesiastes. First, read the whole book before beginning to look at specific verses or you might get lost and forget the overall context. Second, see Ecclesiastes as a whole. Upon reading selected verses be sure and look at how it fits within the whole spectrum of the book.
“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is that laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.” –Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 (NKJV)
Here we see the mention of the song of the fools. What could that song be? Most likely it is not one particular song, but the general attitude of the fool. A song with no merit, a song of mirth, a song that may mock the wise, or a song that has no value to it. Ever wonder why there is such a glut of bad music? Because it comes from the lips of a fool. Listen–whenever the wise are rebuked, we hear the melody of the fool. Rehobam comes to mind. He was given wise counsel, but chose rather to heed the song of the fools. He could have continued Solomon’s legacy, but chose to listen to the wrong voices.
“Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, and a bribe debases the heart.
The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.”
–Ecclesiastes 7:7-10 (NKJV)
“I sure wish I could do that over again.” Have those words ever come from your mouth? Why? Is it because you did a haphazard job? Maybe you didn’t take the work seriously. This is important, that is why Paul admonishes us to work as unto the Lord. Whatever we do, it should be done for the Lord. There is much talk in Christian circles about second chances, but that must be kept in perspective. There are some things that are concluded one time. For instance, a project on a job with a due date. It must come in, yet somehow and for some reason, it did not come in on time. The company lost thousands of dollars, and guess what, the individual most likely lost their job. “Oh, give me a second chance,” they cry, but they were singing the song of the fool–procrastinating, doing sloppy work…
Look at those words, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning.” It is one thing to start a project, another to finish. When life comes to an end, hopefully you can say like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV) Eternity is waiting for those who have kept the faith. A fool’s perdition is for those who throughout their life sang the song of fools. Look at what you accomplished. A job well done. Someone has said “At the end there is no idealism, no unrealistic expectations, no lack of awareness–all has happened, all has developed.”
“Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry…” Think of all the time you spent at red lights–futile. Think of the minutes lost at checkout lanes–futile. There is no reason to be angry over your situation, learn to be patient. Luke writes, “By your patience possess your souls.” (21:19, NKJV) Hold on! Stand firm! Be patient, endure the situation. Take advantage of seemingly futile situations and make use of them. Don’t gripe or become angry. Don’t start singing the song of fools. “Our haughty spirit pushes wisdom aside, and when it does we play the fool.” (Charles Swindoll)
Why would you say the former days were better? What has happened to make you think that? Yes, there may have been some things better, but remember this–today, in this present life and society, is where God has placed you.