Ecclesiastes 12:1-8

Ecclesiastes 12:1-8(NRSV)

Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return with the rain; in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; when the doors on the street are shut, and the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low; when one is afraid of heights, and terrors are in the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along and desire fails; because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher; all is vanity.

We are nearing the end of the Teachers musings on life.

And still all is vanity.

So where in the end is life meaningful?

Where is wisdom?

Why is wisdom important? 

What is a well lived life?

Does the teacher ascribe any meaning?

Whatever meaning we see here is not one of the eternal variety. It is grounded in the now and present. And the meaning from it comes from God.

What does that say about faith?

About eternal life?

What does it say about living our life with only eternity in our hearts?

In the end, maybe Ecclesiastes brings about more questions than it answers.

But is that a bad thing?

Lord, teach me to love questions and not simply answers! Amen

Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Send out your bread upon the waters,
    for after many days you will get it back.
Divide your means seven ways, or even eight,
    for you do not know what disaster may happen on earth.
When clouds are full,
    they empty rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
Whoever observes the wind will not sow;
    and whoever regards the clouds will not reap.

Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything.

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening do not let your hands be idle; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.

Even those who live many years should rejoice in them all; yet let them remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.

Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Or you could say: youth and the dawn of life are meaningless.

Are vapor.

They are here. Present.

And then they are not.

And you could look at that as terrifying, or, as the teacher chides the reader, you could let anxiety about that be banished from your mind.

It simply is.

And that's not meant to be terrifying.

If anything, it perhaps is liberating.

As Michael Gungor, podcaster and an co-founder of the band Gungor, as well as Bloom Church in Colorado, says: God makes meaning out of meaninglessness.

All of that that fades away: youth, pleasure, pain, age, joy is meaningless until God takes a hold of it and drives meaning right through the heart of it.

God takes pain and brings growth.

God takes suffering and creates humility.

God takes both youth and age and brings about wisdom.

What today are you fearful of losing?

What today seems meaningless to you?

A vanity? Vapor.

Look again and see what meaning God is giving it!

God of mystery and meaning, open my heart and eyes to what is before me so that as it slips away, I am ready to grasp on and go where you lead me next! Amen

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.