Ec 1:12 ¶ I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
These verses demonstrate the folly of seeking for peace and joy outside of the Lord. Solomon had been given all wisdom and yet he sought out all things done under heaven. this search yielded nothing but sorrow for his soul. Our society pushes young people to experience everything the world has to offer, and the sad truth is that most things the world has to offer will bring them sorrow. I have heard parents accused of harming their children by not allowing them to do one thing or another. The lesson that we see here from Solomon is that abstaining from worldly pursuits will keep us from sorrow not hinder us.
The great truth of this passage is that God had given Solomon everything that he needed to be happy and successful, yet Solomon was not satisfied with God's provision of wisdom and wealth. The key to peace and joy in life is found in this thought that Solomon rejected dispite his wisdom, that godliness and contentment therewith are all you need. 1Ti 6:6 ¶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. Paul later says 1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. Jesus in the Gospels tells us not to worry about the things that the world seeks after, Luke 12 is a great passage on contentment, instead we are to seek after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
It is telling that the wisest man that has ever lived did not know this without experiencing the trouble of violating these principles. you and I are no wiser than Solomon, but we have the benefit of two things. First, we have the account of his folly so that we can learn from his mistakes and walk wisely. Secondly, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit of God to speak to our hearts and guide us into all truth. What a great blessing to know that in these things we can have peace and joy in our lives.
Sorry for the lack of posts over the last few days, Angela and I took a couple days the first of this week to get away and rest. We went over into Arkansas to where we had never been before and did some diamond mining, (to no avail). We had a great time but are glad to be back.
Jo Ellen is back in the Hospital, and Mr. Biggalo is going home today.
We had a great time with the Witness group here last night, they did a great job.
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