Ecclesiastes 10

Ecclesiastes 10 (NRSV)

Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a foul odor;
    so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
    but the heart of a fool to the left.
Even when fools walk on the road, they lack sense,
    and show to everyone that they are fools.
If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post,
    for calmness will undo great offenses.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as great an error as if it proceeded from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horseback, and princes walking on foot like slaves.

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
    and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a snake.
Whoever quarries stones will be hurt by them;
    and whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.
If the iron is blunt, and one does not whet the edge,
    then more strength must be exerted;
    but wisdom helps one to succeed.
If the snake bites before it is charmed,
    there is no advantage in a charmer.

Words spoken by the wise bring them favor,
    but the lips of fools consume them.
The words of their mouths begin in foolishness,
    and their talk ends in wicked madness;
yet fools talk on and on.
    No one knows what is to happen,
    and who can tell anyone what the future holds?
The toil of fools wears them out,
    for they do not even know the way to town.

Alas for you, O land, when your king is a servant,
    and your princes feast in the morning!
Happy are you, O land, when your king is a nobleman,
    and your princes feast at the proper time—
    for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Through sloth the roof sinks in,
    and through indolence the house leaks.
Feasts are made for laughter;
    wine gladdens life,
    and money meets every need.
Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts,
    or curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
for a bird of the air may carry your voice,
    or some winged creature tell the matter.

This is a chapter that takes some digging, and even then might not be one we can connect closely to. Some random pieces of advice; some sage (or not so sage depending on your station in life) views on wisdom and foolishness.

And some witty examples of poetic justice.

Some of this passage might not be so meaningful to us - in terms of kings and servants. 

We have different ideas of stations or class in life.

And yet, we all know people who might put themselves in a station that is what others might consider beyond them.

Have you ever asked of yourself, "Who does s/he think s/he is!?"

And sometimes we are that person who lifts ourselves up in terms of ego.

Or put ourselves down in terms of insecurity.

And we know that sometimes whatever part of life we have placed ourselves in, poetic justice is going to turn everything on its head.

Sometimes irony rules.

Sometimes foolishness prevails over wisdom.

And sometimes humor is the way to get through that!

Ecclesiastes is a great example of the dangers of reading scripture literally as a book of rules. 

And yet even within it, we find another kind of truth, even if it is one we one that might make us squirm with discomfort.

God, you afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. Be present with us regardless of which it is we need! Amen

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18

Ecclesiastes 9:13-1 (NRSV)

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There was a little city with few people in it. A great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So I said, “Wisdom is better than might; yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
    than the shouting of a ruler among fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
    but one bungler destroys much good.

It's hard not to think of our current political environment when reading this passage. 

Can you remember any of the words of quiet, wise, politicians?

We've begun to think that they aren't even out there, and seen examples where, even when they are out there, they feel pressured to give into the rhetoric of the loudest, most insensitive, and most bombastic.

Sometimes it seems that wisdom does not have it's way.

Sometimes it seems like wisdom loses.

Sometimes, as the teacher says here, wisdom actually does lose.

So do we give up on it?

The teacher says no.  The words of the wise should be heeded.

Because they are needed.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war.

Or weapons of bombastic words.

Or foolishness.

Wisdom may not seem to be having it's day these days. And yet we can cling to it with hope.

That's what we do. As Christians, we are a people of hope. We cling to it, even when it might seem futile. Even when wisdom doesn't seem to fall in line with prevailing reason.

Wisdom might not seem to have its way today in your life. But listen closely for it. Sometimes the speaker of wisdom might be talking softly and gently, and you'll have to tune your ears to catch it.

Lord, all true wisdom is yours.  Attune my ears today for your soft-voiced prophets so that I don't miss their words. Amen

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12(NRSV)

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the skillful; but time and chance happen to them all. For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them.

In other words, expect the unexpected!

So what do we do then to prepare for life's disruptions?

It seems being swift enough or strong enough or wise enough or intelligent enough or skillful enough isn't going to do it.

So what then?

Some read the text today and think that life is simply unfair.

Others read it and find comfort knowing that God, and not them, is in charge.

And others - and I probably include myself here if I'm honest - slide back and forth between the two notions.

I've always wanted to be prepared for whatever life throws at me. I struggle with anxiety, and that gets heightened when I have little control over a situation. 

I suspect I'm not alone here!

Life will give me - us - disruptions. And all my preparation won't stop that.

And yet still I - we - prepare, don't we? Because despite the fact that those preparations may not prevent tragedy from striking, they nevertheless help make life worth living. 

They nevertheless give me a way to relate to others.

To and then to help others when they too are faced with life's disruptions.

Lord, prepare me for life and stay with me when life gives me the unexpected! Amen

Ecclesiastes 9:1-10

Ecclesiastes 9:1-10(NRSV)

All this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hate one does not know. Everything that confronts them is vanity, since the same fate comes to all, to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to those who sacrifice and those who do not sacrifice. As are the good, so are the sinners; those who swear are like those who shun an oath. This is an evil in all that happens under the sun, that the same fate comes to everyone. Moreover, the hearts of all are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. But whoever is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no more reward, and even the memory of them is lost. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished; never again will they have any share in all that happens under the sun.

Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

The same theme continues in chapter 9, with a couple more things to consider:

First, hope.

With everyone sharing the realities of life and a similar fate, regardless of their human condition, what is the advantage that some have over others?

Hope.

And hope is a pretty good thing to have one your side. It gets you through some of the worst of times.

The other advantage that some have over others in life is living.

That sounds redundant, yeah. But do you know people who don't seem really to be living life? Living it fully?

Do you ever feel like you aren't?

Are you living it with all your might? Doing each thing with might and purpose and life?

I'm not going to lie. I don't always.

But what is life like when we do?

And isn't it amazing that we have a God who wants us to live a life of might and purpose and abundance and, well...

...life?

Lord help me to grab onto this life with both hands! Amen

Ecclesiastes 8:10-17

Ecclesiastes 8:10-17 (NRSV)

Then I saw the wicked buried; they used to go in and out of the holy place, and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. Because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the human heart is fully set to do evil. Though sinners do evil a hundred times and prolong their lives, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they stand in fear before him, but it will not be well with the wicked, neither will they prolong their days like a shadow, because they do not stand in fear before God.

There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.

When I applied my mind to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how one’s eyes see sleep neither day nor night, then I saw all the work of God, that no one can find out what is happening under the sun. However much they may toil in seeking, they will not find it out; even though those who are wise claim to know, they cannot find it out.

Tucked down into the middle of this passage on righteous and evil people is one of the lines that gives us the famous "eat, drink, and be merry." (the other is Isaiah 22:13: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die").

As the ebb and flow of life goes on - good people and evil people going about their lives and living them out often in ways that mirror each other - and even in the midst of pain and suffering, we can still find blessing in looking for those moments in our life to find joy.

Whether in a good meal, or drink with friends, or Sabbath time with your family, we are allowed - even expected - to see enjoyment and merriment and happiness.

But for me, what stands out is the last paragraph. 

That with all the work of God, no matter how much we try, we cannot really find out what God is up to.

How often do we try?

And how often do we see the guesses and judgments about what God is up to being lobbed at others as a weapon?

When we as a people try to determine who is the "righteous" one and who is the "evil" one.

Perhaps, even in that, God reminds us we would wise not to assume.

Lord, your love falls on this earth and brings life among both the good and the righteous. Let us bask today in that love, reveling in it's generosity rather than try to keep it only for ourselves. Amen.

Ecclesiastes 8:1-9

Ecclesiastes 8:1-9New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Who is like the wise man?

    And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
Wisdom makes one’s face shine,
    and the hardness of one’s countenance is changed.

Keep the king’s command because of your sacred oath. Do not be terrified; go from his presence, do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is powerful, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever obeys a command will meet no harm, and the wise mind will know the time and way. For every matter has its time and way, although the troubles of mortals lie heavy upon them. Indeed, they do not know what is to be, for who can tell them how it will be? No one has power over the wind to restrain the wind, or power over the day of death; there is no discharge from the battle, nor does wickedness deliver those who practice it. All this I observed, applying my mind to all that is done under the sun, while one person exercises authority over another to the other’s hurt.

I've just come back from the annual retreat to Rehoboth Beach I go to with a fabulous and creative group of women.  It always recharges me and fills my soul. This year even more than some other years.

We talked of letting go, and in the closing worship, which I had been asked to put together, I used Ecclesiastes as the basis. 

This wasn't the passage, but it very well could have been.

Everything is vapor.

This is what we've learned so far from the Teacher.

Vapor. Vanity. Meaningless.

Meaninglessness especially is a hard word to hear, and can perhaps lead us to be depressed and fearful and anxious about this world of God's we are in.

Yet the paradox is often that when we acknowledge the meaninglessness in future context, we are open to the deep meaning of the moment.

The wind blows where it will. We know this. There is no meaning to it. It happens.

Troubles happen.

Death happens.

And yet in the midst of this we hear the most common call in scripture.

Do not be terrified.

Do not be afraid.

Do not fear.

For in the midst of troubles, winds and death...

In the midst of meaninglessness.

Life happens.

This moment happens.

Now happens.

And that is a gift. 

It can't be taken from you. It is yours.

In our retreat this weekend, I pondered those things that I can let go of that keep me from feeling and holding onto the moment I have right now.

What life can you find in the now? What meaninglessness can give you life and meaning in the present?

The wind blows as it will and no one has power to restrain it.

But breathe it in.

Right now.

And see the gift it gives you.

Lord of Life, you give meaning to each and every moment. Help me to catch my breath and notice! Amen

Ecclesiastes continues next week, so a verse for today

There are five more chapters of Ecclesiastes to go, and I'm getting ready to leave for a retreat, so I'll finish it up when I get back starting next week.

In the meantime for today, I leave you with today's verse of the day from Bible Gateway, the search engine I use for this devotional:

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 NRSV"


There's something in this that parallel's the teacher's call in Ecclesiastes for us to live in the moment. How often are we wondering or worrying about the future to the point where we are missing what is in front of us?

Missing the here and the now.

There might be some things weighing on you in your future. Stresses, bills, too many meetings to go to, health scares, etc.

But as scary as some of those things may be, God holds your future close to God's own heart. God provides companionship and hope as we move through the pain and suffering and stress. 

We are not alone.

We are not promised freedom from pain, but we are promised a future with hope.

Today may God's promised hope fill you with peace and bless you all the day long!

Amen!

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29

Ecclesiastes 7:15-29New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

In my vain life I have seen everything; there are righteous people who perish in their righteousness, and there are wicked people who prolong their life in their evildoing. Do not be too righteous, and do not act too wise; why should you destroy yourself? Do not be too wicked, and do not be a fool; why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of the one, without letting go of the other; for the one who fears God shall succeed with both.

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

Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning.

Do not give heed to everything that people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you; your heart knows that many times you have yourself cursed others.

All this I have tested by wisdom; I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which is, is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? I turned my mind to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the sum of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness. I found more bitter than death the woman who is a trap, whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters; one who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. See, this is what I found, says the Teacher, adding one thing to another to find the sum, which my mind has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. See, this alone I found, that God made human beings straightforward, but they have devised many schemes.

There's some comedy to me in that last line: God made human beings straightforward.

Because this passage is to me anything but! :-)

Do not be too righteous?

Do not act too wise?

The wisdom perhaps is in realistically knowing ourselves.

Can we be wise just by saying so?

How do we know we are righteous?

Have you ever known someone that has thought they were wiser perhaps than they actually were?

Or less righteous to your eyes than they claimed?

So likely the same is true for us.

"Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning."

There we get to the heart of the matter. It is true, is it not?

We cannot be too wise. Or too righteous.

Because at the end of the day, we do all still have our schemes.

And yet fear of God...

Awe of God...

Love of God...

Amazement of God...

makes us in the end both wise and righteous.

God gives wisdom and insight.

And God makes us righteous.

So all those other folks who don't seem all that wise or righteous to us?

Maybe we need to cut them a little slack!

Lord, you alone are wise and you alone are righteous. Thank you for loving me even when I forget that and bask in my own self-righteousness! Amen

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

Ecclesiastes 7:1-14New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

A good name is better than precious ointment,
    and the day of death, than the day of birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
    than to go to the house of feasting;
for this is the end of everyone,
    and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
    for by sadness of countenance the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning;
    but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise
    than to hear the song of fools.
For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,
    so is the laughter of fools;
    this also is vanity.
Surely oppression makes the wise foolish,
    and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning;
    the patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.
Do not be quick to anger,
    for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.
Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?”
    For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
Wisdom is as good as 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 gives life to the one who possesses it.
Consider the work of God;
    who can make straight what he has made crooked?

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that will come after them.

There is a lot of advice and adages here to draw your attention.

Read through this a couple of times. What are the lines that jump out for you?

What are the ones you come back to or maybe you go "hmmm..." 

Or cause you to grimace?

Or cause you to smile?

That make you ponder?

For me, the line is "better the end of a thing than its beginning."

Ponder, ponder, ponder...

I think of the excitement this summer when I was going to Italy. The anticipation of the arrival.

The seeing the countryside for the first time.

And then the sadness when I had to leave.

And yet...

I also think of the project that haunts me as I struggle to get started.

And the satisfaction when it is completed.

I wonder here if the teacher is again reminding us to be mindful of the present moment. I'm not sure about you, but when I am at the beginning of something I tend to let my mind race to the future and get ahead of myself sometimes. 

But when something is over, I can savor that moment.

Dialogue with the teacher in this passage. Ponder and mull. Read it aloud and then ponder some more.

And see what wisdom comes from it.

Lord help me to see your wisdom. Amen.