Unconventional Proverbs

Eccles. 7:1-4

7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

• How is a good reputation important to you?
  - How is it better than soothing medicine?
  - How can a bad reputation affect you physically and emotionally?
  
• Why is the day of a person's death better than the day of their birth to Solomon?
  - How might this be true for Christians today?
  
• Which would you prefer: a house of mourning or a house of feasting? Funeral or party?
  - How do funeral impact the living?
  - What should a funeral remind the living of?
  
• Why is sorrow better than laughter to Solomon?
  - How does laughter push aside reality?
  - Which is wiser, an honest appraisal of mortality or an attempt to escape facing mortality?

Futility of life, yet again

Eccles. 6:10-12

10 Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. 11 The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

• How can anyone truly give a name to something that already exists?
  - Who truly knows what man is?
  - Do you truly know what you are? Who does?
  
• Who is the stronger one that man cannot dispute against?
  - When have you disputed against someone stronger than you? How effective was your dispute?
  - When have you disputed against God?
  
• How can words increase the futility of a situation?
  - If words are of uncertain advantage to man, why do we use so many so carelessly?
  
• Who does know what is good for a man during his lifetime?
  - If man does not know, why do most people want to direct their lives as if they do know?
  - Who knows what will follow a person when they are gone?
  
• How futile are your efforts to direct, plan, and control your life under the sun?
  - Who does direct and control your life?
  - How often do you struggle against Him?

Harold's Musings:
I like to be in control of things that are important to me. There are plenty of things in my life that I am not that invested in and I don't care very much who controls them. However, those things that I consider most valuable…, well I want to make sure that things are done correctly. I am starting to loosen my grip on more and more of my important things, but there are plenty left. I have found that my belief that I can do it better than anyone else is unfounded. Control is in opposition of trust. Attempting to control life is just vanity,

Satisfaction and Appetite

Eccles. 6:7-9

7 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. [1] 8 For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Footnotes[1] 6:7 Hebrew filled

• What do most people work for?
  - In your opinion, are most people generally satisfied with what they have?
  
• What new thing have you seen lately that you think you want to have?
  - In general, how long would you be satisfied by acquiring it?
  
• What do you have that you would like to replace with a new and improved version?
  - Does this need to be replaced or do you just want to replace it? How can you tell?
  
• Is your appetite for things ever really satisfied?
  - How do your eyes cause your heart problems?
  - Even if you wisely decide to not acquire something, do you still "see and desire" it?
  
• Is the problem of dissatisfaction limited to the fool and the rich?
  - How does a person learn to be fully satisfied in Christ instead of striving after wind?

Harold's Musings:
Yet another timeless observation from Solomon. If you want to feel dissatisfied, subscribe to a magazine about something you are interested in. If you are interested in cars, a car enthusiast magazine will produce feelings of desire for a different car. You new camera is perfectly adequate, but a photography magazine will quickly point out its flaws and why you need an even newer camera. We often bring our dissatisfaction on ourselves by looking for ways to stimulate our appetites. It is just foolish, vain, chasing of the wind.

Empty life is no better than No life

Eccles. 6:3-6

3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy [1] no good—do not all go to the one place?

Footnotes
[1] 6:6 Or see

• For an Israelite in Solomon's day, what would fathering 100 children signify?
  - What would living many years signify?
  - How are these external measures of a man's life inaccurate?
  
• From earlier passages, where does the problem of dissatisfaction originate?
  - Where does the ability or power to enjoy things come from?
  - What is the problem that the man in this passage has?
  
• How does Solomon describe a stillborn child?
  - Why does Solomon state that a stillborn baby is better off than the man in this passage?
  - Is an empty life, devoid of enjoyment and filled with dissatisfaction, be no better than no life at all? Why or why not?
  
• How does our understanding of heaven, hell, and the overall afterlife differ from that of Solomon and early Israelites?
  
• If God gives the power to enjoy your lot in life and your human desires are never really satisfied, who should you be trying to please: God or yourself?
  - Who do most people try to please?
  - What is their fate? Who is better off than them?

Harold's Musings:
When I read this passage in Ecclesiastes, I think of Elvis Presley and Howard Hughes. Both men had fame, fortune, women, power, and good looks. As we have learned more about their lives, we see that they were empty, striving after the wind. Elvis was probably the most recognized and famous personality of his day and he apparently worried every day that people would forget him. Howard Hughes spend the last years of his life in seclusion and in a form of luxurious squalor. Is it any wonder that many famous people wind up using drugs, alcohol, etc. just to get by in life. Thank you God for what you have given me.

God doesn't always give enjoyment

Ecces. 6:1-2

6:1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.

• What is the evil under the sun that Solomon has seen?
  - Who does Solomon seem to attribute this "evil" to?
  - The Hebrew word means evil, misery, distress, or injury. How do the other translations help you grasp the passage?
  - Why is this misery so prevalent among men?
  - Why would God do this?
  
• What is a possible relationship between the man's soul and God's withholding joy?
  - What does the man's soul desire?
  - How is accepting your lot (Eccles. 5:19) different from having your soul's desires (v 2)?
  - How does this passage flesh out Eccles. 5:10?
  
• How frequently do you not enjoy life because your desires are misplaced?
  - Why would God not empower the full enjoyment of life to someone whose soul desires something other than God?
  - Is this a truth for today? Why or why not?

Harold's Musings:
Eccles. 5:10 - 6:10 describe our world in ways that are rather amazing. We see the same quest for our desires that results in discontent and disappointment. We are a nation of discontented people fueled by a media system that shows us what is wrong and advertises what could be better. No one is saying that God provides enjoyment in our lot in life. We are too often driven to advance ourselves rather than simply do the best job we can. We apparently love to watch reality TV shows where scheming, dishonesty, and selfishness are rewarded. And we wonder why we have so many unhappy, hurt people in the world. God told us thousands of years ago. It is vanity.

Enjoyment of life is a gift of God

Eccles. 5:16-20

16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment [1] in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Footnotes
[1] 5:18 Or and see good

• How does the "good and fitting" contrast with the "grievous evil"?
  
• What is man's reward under the sun?
  - Does this apply to Christians today? Why or why not?
  
• Who gives man the power to enjoy his life?
  - What specific things are given?
  - How is the empowered person different from the miserly person in yesterday's passage?
  
• How is accepting one's toils as a gift from God different from seeking money and abundance?
  - Which can provide temporary happiness?
  - Which can provide lasting joy?
  
• Why is it important for Christians to remember that we are pilgrims here under the sun?
  - How does Matt. 6:19-34 expand on the thoughts of Eccles. 5:10-20?
  
• How often do you enjoy the life that God has given you?
  - How often do you complain about the life God has given you?
  - What is the basis of your complaints?
  - How often do you realize that enjoying life is a gift you have to accept?

Mortality and Riches

Eccles. 5:13-17

13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.

• What is the purpose of hoarding riches?
  - What can happen to riches?
  - How effective is hoarding riches?
  - Why are riches a flimsy foundation to build an entire life on?
  - What are some specific ways that hoarding riches can hurt the owner?
  
• How often does your mortality come to mind?
  - How often does your mortality affect your daily actions?
  - How does your awareness of your mortality affect how your look at possessions? [v.15]
  
• What advantage is there in striving for riches under the sun?
  - How does a miserly attitude affect a person's enjoyment of life?
  - Who comes to mind when you read v. 17? (real or fictional)
  
• How do you approach your riches?
  - What riches do you have?
  - How might this passage apply to spiritual riches?
  - How can a person hoard their spiritual riches?
  - How happy is a person who hoards spiritual riches?
  - How happy is a person who shares his/her spiritual riches?

Harold's Musings:
This passage is a continuation from yesterday's, but this passage focuses on the hoarding of what you have. While money is the most obvious thing we can hoard, we have other riches that we keep to ourselves. If we have the joy of being in Christ and we hide it and keep it from others, what happens to the joy? We have every spiritual blessing but most of us keep them hidden and safely tucked away. What things like love, a smile, or a gracious word do you have that you are reluctant to share?

Money is empty

Eccles. 5:10-12

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

• When has this passage been realized in your life?
  - When have you wanted just a bit more income?
  - How soon afterwards did you want just a bit more income?
  
• Compare the amount of money "left over" at your first job to what is "left over" now?
  - What consumes your income?
  
• Why is love of money and abundance so dangerous spiritually?
  - Why is love of money and abundance a waste of time?
  - What things do you have that are valuable only to look at?
  - What wonderful, "gotta have it" things are setting in your garage, attic, basement, etc.?
  
• Why do riches cause loss of sleep?
  - What else might be involved beyond eating too much?
  - What does a rich person worry about that the working man does not?
  - How does the life of the working man encourage sleep?
  - How does the life of the rich man interfere with sleep?
  
• How do you rate yourself as a lover of money and abundance?
  - How would others rate you as a lover of money and abundance?
  - How would God rate you as a lover of money and abundance?

Harold's Musings:
Seems like a great passage to consider at this time of year. Enough said.

Chain of command and oppression

Eccles. 5:8-9

8 If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.

• Why did Solomon say you should not be shocked by injustice and oppression of the poor?
  
• What is the risk of bureaucracy?
  - Who do most people work to please: their employer or their customer?
  - How does trying to please a boss who is trying to please his/her boss cause stress?
  - Why is it easy to focus on pleasing one boss instead of pleasing a bunch of customers?
  
• Who is responsible for helping the poor?
  
• Who is responsible for assuring justice?
  
• How likely are the poor to be truly helped and justice truly dealt under the sun? Why?

Harold's Musings:
It is depressing to think that the poor must suffer for a country to be great. Yet if we honestly think about it, we know that it happens all the time. It is the line workers who provide the labor that makes a company great. It is the rank and file soldier that makes an army great. It is the average citizen that makes a country great. Yet each of these examples has layer upon layer of bureaucracy. Sometimes bureaucracy works, sometimes not. In general though, everyone is concerned about themselves and what the person over them thinks about their performance. If I need to fire someone to balance my budget, then they are gone, justice and righteousness aside. Heaven is looking even better and better.

Careful with your vows

Eccles. 5:4-7

4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Let not your mouth lead you [1] into sin, and do not say before the messenger [2] that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; [3] but God is the one you must fear.

Footnotes
[1] 5:6 Hebrew your flesh
[2] 5:6 Or angel
[3] 5:7 Or For when dreams and vanities increase, words also grow many

• What was involved in an Israelite making a vow to God? [See Numbers 30, Deut. 23:21-23]
  
• What does Solomon call a person who is late in paying their vow to God?
  - Was a vow required or voluntary?
  - Why might a person make a vow to God?
  
• Which was better: no vow or broken vow?
  
• How could a person's speech cause them to sin?
  
• What might be the outcome a person's foolish vow?
  
• When have you foolishly committed to do something and not done it?
  - How often does this occur?
  - Why did you commit to do it?
  - What caused you to fail?
  - Could you have predicted the failure beforehand?
  
• When have you carelessly made a vow and broken it?
  - How often does this occur?
  - When have you done this to or before God?
  
• Why are dreams and many words empty?
  - How are they related to your fear of God?

Harold's Musings:
At work I have a really strong tendency to over commit. As I have gotten older, I've gotten a bit wiser and more likely to say "No", but it is a struggle. I don't usually consider these commitments vows, at least not in the same way as wedding vows. Yet if I stop to think about it, when I commit to do something I am essentially vowing to do it. We may do this before God. We promise God we will stop doing a particular sin. We don't state "try"; instead we promised to do. When we fail to stop (and we usually do fail to stop), we have now two sins: the problem sin and the broken promise. Once again God warns, be careful with your words.

Careful in God's Presence

Eccles. 5:1-3

5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

• Why would Solomon caution his readers about how they went to the house/temple of God?
  - As a Christian you are a "brick" in the house of God. How might this passage speak to you?
  
• What was the recommended goal of going near the house of God?
  - How often do you go to God in prayer to tell Him something rather than to hear from Him?
  
• What might have been the sacrifice of fools?
  - Why is ignorance not always an excuse?
  
• How does v. 2 conflict with today's approach to prayer?
  - Is it wrong to lay every detail of life before God? Why or why not?
  - How might praying about life's details keep you from praying about more important things?
  - How might praying about life's details keep you from hearing God speak through his Word?
  - How might praying about life's details keep you aware of God's presence throughout the day?
  
• Eccles. 5:1-7, as a unit, address making vows before God. How often have you made a hasty, impulsive promise to God?
  - How often have you expected God to provide the effort for the promise you made to Him?
• In general, are you a person of many words or many actions?
  - Does this extend to your relationship with God?

Harold's Musings:
Realizing that I am a temple of God is one of the most important things I frequently forget. We like the tangible so we find it hard to recognize God's presence in our life. We want to feel something that says that God is there. We want to put the responsibility of knowing God's presence on God. We are often like the friend that complains that we do not call enough; yet they seldom make the call either. One attempt to know God's presence is to pray often throughout the day, which is great. How often do we actively listen for God? How often during our busy lives do we take the initiative to find where God is in our life? Like I said, I frequently forget the most important things.

Wisdom and popularity

Eccles. 4:13-16

13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that [1] youth who was to stand in the king's [2] place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Footnotes
[1] 4:15 Hebrew the second
[2] 4:15 Hebrew his

• Which is better: wisdom or experience? Why?
  - When might experience not produce wisdom?
  - Why is inexperience with willingness to learn better than "know-it-all" experience?
  
• Why might a poor, average person make a better king than one who inherits the kingdom?
  - Why do people under the sun seem to support any changes in leadership?
  - Why might people support the new young, common man king?
  
• Why might wisdom result in unpopularity under the sun?
  - Why do people under the sun frequently not appreciate wisdom?
  - Why is seeking popularity empty and chasing the wind?
  
• How does this passage somewhat foreshadow Jesus? [Note: It is not totally clean, but there are some interesting similarities.]

Harold's Musings:
I wish I better understood the context that Solomon was thinking of when he wrote this. I see a some of David replacing Saul, a king that did not take advice. I see a little of Joseph, who emerged from prison to essentially rule Egypt. I see Jesus, a man of humble status, receiving a king's welcome from the people who would soon want him killed. I see us today electing someone to political office and soon after complaining about them. Which are you chasing: wisdom or popularity?

Weakness of being alone

Eccles. 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

• What was God's evaluation after he made Adam? (Gen 2:18)
  
• What specific circumstances might this passage be talking about?
  
• What are the benefits of working with someone else on a job or task?
  
• Why is it more comforting to walk with someone at night instead of walking alone?
  
• Why can loneliness such a distressing feeling?
  
• Why would a person believe that God would want them to live as an isolated Christian?
  - What might be the underlying reasons for comments like, "I don't need church to be a Christian"?
  
• Why does Satan like to get us into real or perceived isolation?
  - In general, do you behave better around Christians or non-Christians?
  - If you spiritually fall around non-Christians, who is there to lift you up?
  - If you see a fellow Christian fall, how likely are you to lift him up or to walk away?

Harold's Musings:
To paraphrase an old saying, "People, can't live with them and can't live without them." As a mildly introverted, perfectionist, American male, I would generally rather do things for myself. I am willing to ask for help, after I have tried for too long to do it myself. While that might be OK for puttering around the house, it is not so safe in dangerous environments. If I were going to walk down a dark, probably dangerous street, I would want someone else with me. Well, the world in general is a dangerous place because Satan is roaming it. We foolishly thing we can deal with Satan one-on-one. How foolish! We need each other's help even if our self-reliant nature says we do not.

Why Work?

Eccles. 4:7-8

7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.

• How does your commitment to family motivate you to work?
  
• Why do people work and accumulate wealth?
  - How often do you hear people mention plans to leave an inheritance for their children?
  - How often do you hear people just wanting things to have things?
  - Why is it common to not be satisfied by riches?
  
• How likely are you to work hard and not stop to enjoy life?
  - How often do you ask the question "For whom are I laboring?"
  - When is your labor vanity and chasing the wind?

Harold's Musings:
Here Solomon talks of a man with no dependents and has apparently put work into that void. Some of us have been guilty of putting work into the family's space, even when we have family. Solomon is pointing out that work for works sake is not worth it. Money for money's sake is not worth it. Neither is truly satisfying in the long run.

Envy and Rivalry

Eccles. 4:4-6

4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.5 The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

• How many scientific advances were the off-shoot of the "space race" or "arms race"?
  - Why did it take a "race" to produce the everyday advances that were eventually `seen?
  - Why weren't the everyday advances motivation enough?
  
• Why is competition a powerful motivator in many people?
  - What are some positive outcomes of competition and rivalry?
  - What are some negative outcomes of competition and rivalry?
  - Why is rivalry and competition vanity and chasing the wind?
  
• How often are you motivated by rivalry?
  - How strong is your competitive nature?
  - Which would produce your best performance: a comparison with yourself or with someone else?
  
• What is Solomon's view of rest?
  - What does it mean when a fool folds his hands?
  - Why is one hand full of rest better than two fists full of labor?
  - How do you achieve the balance between rest and labor?
  - How does your motivation help guide the balance?

My apologies

I have not posted in awhile and I apologize. It has been due to a combination of things; some of which could not be avoided, but some could have. I'll try to do better moving forward. Thanks for your patience and endurance.

Oppression

Eccles. 4:1-3

4:1 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

• What do you consider oppression to be?
  - When have you been truly oppressed?
  - How do you feel when you see news accounts of oppression of various forms?
  
• What are some of the acts of oppression that Solomon probably saw?
  - How different are things today?
  - How do government programs impact oppression in this country?
  
• What was the troubling thing about the oppressed people that Solomon saw?
  - What comfort do you have that those people did not? See 2 Co 1
  - Where do most people today seek their comfort from oppression?
  
• Would you agree with v. 3 today? Why or why not?
  
• Why is life under the sun so oppressive?
  - How does your life under the sun help you long for life above the sun?

Harold's Musings:
I get upset when I see, hear, or read about the atrocities that occur in other countries. This passage expresses my feelings. I think I feel safe to be upset with that oppression because I really cannot do anything about it. I'm less sensitive to the oppression around me. Even when I hear of something locally, I am comfortable that the authorities will deal with it. Thanks to my wife, I am more involved with things that happen outside my family (church and physical). Perhaps we should all see the oppression around us and merely help. Perhaps we will truly be a light to the world.

Just animals

Eccles. 3:18-22

18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?

• How is man without God's influence different from the beasts of the earth?
  
• From Solomon's pre-Christ perspective, how are man and beast the same?
  - If man and beast are the same, why bother with being righteous?
  - If man and beast are the same, what is better than being happy in what you do?
  
• How did the coming of Christ make the difference between man and beast clearer and wider?
  - Without Christ, how is man's fate different from the beasts?
  - With Christ, how is man's fate different from the beasts?
  - Without Christ, how is man's motivations different from the beasts?
  - With Christ, how is man's motivations different from the beasts?

Harold's Musings:
Once again, Solomon concludes it is better to just rejoice in your work. At this stage in the journey, things are not looking hopeful. You bury a man and his dog; then dig them up years later, you see roughly the same thing: bones. As Solomon says, who knows if their fate was the same or different. If I look around me today, I hear people saying there is no difference; that when you die you are over. People are reaching the same conclusion that Solomon did. But we have insight that the wisest man on earth did not. We know that Christ came and that he provided a solution for the question posed here. I love my dogs, but God loved me enough to send His son to die for me and you. I am different than a beast because I am in Christ.

Where is justice?

Eccles. 3:16-17

16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

• How different is your observation of life under the sun from Solomon's?
  - How has mankind changed in the thousands of years since Solomon?
  
• When have you been treated wickedly (or at least badly) instead of justly?
  
• When have you treated someone wickedly (or at least badly) instead of justly?
  
• When do you consider God's future judgment to be a promise?
  - What level of satisfaction do you have knowing that a wicked person will be punished later?
• When do you consider God's future judgment as something to dread?
  - How has Christ changed your view of the upcoming judgment?
  - When have you knowingly sinned because you were sure of Christ's forgiveness?

Harold's Musings:
I can easily get angry, especially when I see the evil that someone is doing. I was angry when the planes hit the World Trade Center. I was angry when I saw the photos of the puppy baked alive by two teenage boys. I continue to get angry when I see the insanity of the radical Muslims in Iraq. I want God to deliver justice now. But there will be a time when these things will be judged by the righteous and unbribable judge of all of us. While I may want justice for evildoers now, God knows best the time for judgment.

Rejoice and Do Good

Eccles. 3:12-15

12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man. 14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. [1]

Footnotes
[1] 3:15 Hebrew what has been pursued

• Previously {Eccles. 2:24) Solomon stated that there was "nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good." What does he now add to the "nothing better" list?
  
• Why might it be hard to rejoice/be glad under the sun?
  - What influences your willingness to rejoice and be glad?
  - How does your life's quests influence your willingness or ability to rejoice?
  - How does comparing your efforts to those of others influence your rejoicing?
  
• Where does the rejoicing, doing good, eating, drinking, and seeing good in your work come from?
  - How does recognizing this influence your outlook on life?
  
• Why does Solomon move next to God's works?
  - Why is it important to remember the permanence of what God has done?
  - Why has God worked?
  - What are some of the results of mankind's ignoring that God has worked in the world?
  
• When might you want to add to or alter God's works?
  - When have you complained about God's design? [If I'd only been born with ...]
  - When have you complained about God's decisions? [Why did you let ...]
  - How does fearing God relate to rejoicing and being glad?

Eternity in your heart

Eccles. 3:9-11

9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

• Since God has appointed times for everything, why should you strive and struggle to make a difference under the sun?
  - What profit do you seek from your work under the sun?
  
• What are some of the forces that drive people to work?
  
• According to Solomon, why did God give man labor to do?
  - What can happen when people are idle?
  - What is the difference between idleness and relaxation?
  - How does God's giving labor to man fit with His time table?
  
• What does it mean by God set eternity in man's heart?
  - How is this manifested?
  - How have you noticed this in your life?
• How might the following be the result of the "eternity setting"?
  - quest for fame
  - quest for heirs
  - quest to build and/or accomplish great things
  - sense of "why bother"
  
• How does the "eternity setting" relate to knowing what God has done?
  - How does the "eternity setting" relate to God's time table?

Harold's Musings:
Every once in awhile you get a glimpse of what is under your hood. You get to see your engine, the thing that drives you. You have eternity set in your heart but you have finite life. It is like having the fastest Ferrari made, but having a 30 mile per hour speed limit all around you. In our inner being we know: We were made for eternity. We were made for Eden. We were made for perfect relationships. Yet we groan because that is not what we have. Our groanings cause us to look for substitutes; yet Solomon has stated that the substitutes are vanity. Now that you know the "eternity setting" is on, you can live with a view to eternity; if you choose to not chase the wind.

To every thing ...

Eccles. 3:1-8

3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

• Which would you choose from each pair of opposites?
  - Which choices do you feel the most strongly about?
  
• Why do the "bad" things have appointed times like the "good" things?
  - What do you feel when it is time for the "bad" things? Why?
• How does this list reinforce the empty nature of life under the sun?
  - What bothers you most about the list: its basic futility or your lack of control?
  - What pleases you most about the list: that good will happen or that God controls?
  
• How do you know which thing it is time for?
  
• How does this list encourage increased dependence on God?
  - How might this list be discouraging in general?

Harold's Musings:
In 1965, the folk rock group the Byrds recorded Turn, Turn, Turn, a song based on this passage. I suspect that was the first time I ever looked at this book. As a high school student, I thought I knew what this passage was about. With many years of experience, I look back and see something much different. At first glance, it suggests everything is just fate and you cannot control it. Or maybe your first glance challenges you to know the right time for everything so that you can control it. I now see the futility of worrying about so much. God is in control and I am not. So what if I miss the right time to gather stones, God can deal with it. If God were not on my side, then life would be even more stressful. I'm so thankful that God loves me and cares for me.

Nothing Better

Eccles. 2:22-26

22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. 24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment [1] in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him [2] who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Footnotes
[1] 2:24 Or and make his soul see good
[2] 2:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts apart from me

• What does it take to have true enjoyment in life?
  
• After Solomon evaluates labor under the sun and finds it futile and empty, what does he say that a man should do?
  
• Why would Solomon stress mere eating and drinking?
  - How many of us would be content with mere eating and drinking?
  
• Why should a man tell himself that his labor is good?
  - How often have you quested for the recognition of others?
  - How often have you labored so that others would tell you how well you did?
  - Is there anything wrong with receiving recognition?
  - What are the risks of seeking or questing for recognition?
  - How might Gal. 6:3-5 harmonize with v. 24?
• What is God's role in your enjoyment of life?
  - How much do you enjoy life?
  - Is your enjoyment based on the pleasures of life or God's part in your life?
  
• What does Solomon say is a result of being good in God's sight?
  - How does this reflect the promises of the God's covenant with Israel?
  - Should you expect this today? Why or why not?

Harold's Musings:
In this passage, we first find a pair of themes that will be repeated throughout the book: If God gives the ability to enjoy, then enjoy the simple things of life. It is not quite as straightforward here as it will be later, but it is there. Discontentment with our life is a tool that Satan uses to get us to strive after the wind. We buy something we have been wanting in the hope that it will make us happy and content. We get the Sunday ads or read a new online article and then we find the better, newer, greater thing is out. Our discontentment is back. According to Solomon, we should be content to eat, drink, and find enjoyment in our work under the sun. We should be content with the simple things and not fill our lives with empty stuff. God is the one who lets you enjoy life. Is this something we should be praying for each other?

What about work?

Eccles. 2:18-23

18 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

• How did Solomon feel after his evaluation of wisdom and folly?
  - How did that affect his view of all that he had accomplished?
• Briefly, what was the problem that Solomon saw with accomplishing great things?
  - What are the risks of seeking to leave a legacy under the sun?
  - Why did Solomon conclude that leaving a legacy of accomplishments was vanity?
  
• What was Solomon's appraisal of a person's labor under the sun?
  - What was the curse that God put on man in the Garden?
  - How does that curse show up in Solomon's appraisal?
  
• How does being aware of your mortality influence the decisions you make daily?
  - How much of your identity is attached to your work or accomplishments?
  - Why is it tempting to attach your identity to an accomplishment?
  
• How many nights have you lost sleep over some project at work?
  - What have you gotten from your lost sleep?
  - Why do some people obsess about their work and others don't care about their work?
  - What are the risks of each?

Harold's Musings:
Oh, this passage speaks to me at this point in my life! Nearly thirty years ago I had an idea for something at my job. Between 1980 and 1998, I had tried and failed 8 times to realize this idea. With full support of my employer, the idea came to partial fruition in late 2001. Much of my life, thoughts, and energy are tied up in this vision that I had. I've reached the age where retirement is something to think towards and one of the little nagging concerns is what will happen to my idea. Will the person who comes after me take the baton and continue the race or will they drop the baton and decide to clean their shoes? To deal with the vanity, I have had to change my identity. I have to see the idea as a good thing, not an eternal thing. It took almost 20 years of technological advancement for me to be able to move the idea forward. In another 20 years, my idea will undoubtedly be replaced by something better. Is what you are chasing simply a good thing or do you have your identity tied up in it? If the latter, it is just vanity.

Wisdom or folly or fame

Eccles. 2:12-17

12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

• Why did Solomon consider wisdom, madness, and folly after his evaluation of pleasure?
  
• Which did Solomon consider best: wisdom or folly? Why?
  
• What is the fate of every person under the sun?
  - Why did Solomon find this frustrating?
  - How often do you find this frustrating in day-to-day life?
  
• Why did Solomon hate life?
  
• What is the problem with life under the sun?
• How is the quest for knowledge (and maybe wisdom) seen in today's culture?
  
• What is the purpose for seeking more knowledge today under the sun?
  
• How is the quest for fame seen in today's culture?
  
• What is the fate of most who seek fame?
  
• If life under the sun is so bad and frustrating, what hope does the average person have? What hope do you have?

Harold's Musings:
Interesting conclusion here. Wisdom is better than folly, but not really. At first glance, the passage seems to be about wisdom and folly, but then Solomon throws the curve. The foolish man and the wise man both die and no one remembers. For me, I would hope that wisdom would keep me from making foolish mistakes, like seeking fame. Yet it seems that others have their hope in this world and seek the fleeting warmth of fame. If Solomon was seeking fame, it seems that he was a fool walking in darkness. Yes, he was chasing the wind.

Who could ask for more?

Eccles. 2:4-11

4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the children of man.

9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

• What did Solomon do in his quest for pleasure?
  
• How often have you thought or even said that you would be happy if you had...
  - a new / larger / more luxurious house
  - your own park with swimming pools, gardens, and trees
  - someone to wait on you and serve you without question
  - a more money and better income
  - more CD's, DVD's, and videos
  - more lovers
  - more prestige and power
  - a new / sportier / larger / more luxurious car
  - more of whatever it is that turns you on
  
• How does Solomon's quest compare to the world's quest today?
  
• What pleasure did Solomon withhold from himself?
• How did Solomon feel about what he had done?
  
• What was Solomon's evaluation of what he had done?
  
• Why do you think he came to this conclusion?
  
• What is your conclusion about your quest for happiness?

How about pleasure?

Eccles. 2:1-3

2:1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.

• What did Solomon set out to test after evaluating wisdom and knowledge?
  
• What was his basic purpose in doing this?
  
• Why are pleasures so appealing and enticing?
  
• Why is laughter so appealing and enticing?
  
• How is laughter related to pleasure?
  
• What is wrong with experiencing pleasure and/or laughter?
  
• When do pleasures under the sun become a physical problem? A spiritual problem?
  
• What does pleasure accomplish?
  
• How long does pleasure last?
  
• How long does the thing that produces pleasure satisfy?
  
• Why did Solomon use wine?
  
• How did Solomon plan his use of wine?
  
• How did wine help Solomon take hold of folly?

Harold's Musings:
So Solomon found hurt in seeking wisdom. What is the opposite of hurt? Pleasure. So he sought out pleasure and laughter. How often do we do that? We are hurt in some way so we seek comfort. Maybe it is food. Maybe a video game. Maybe sex. Maybe drugs or alcohol. You fill in the blank. Yet we all know what Solomon learned. It is vanity. It is empty. It is foolishness. The ice cream and chocolate only last a short while. The sex only lasts a short while. The alcohol only lasts a short while. Soon we want more. The hurt has not gone away but the relief has. It is all just vanity.

Wisdom hurts

Eccles. 1:16-18

16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

18 For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

• God caused Solomon to be the wisest man that ever lived. How would you like God to do that for you?
  
• What did Solomon set out to know?
  
• Why would you want to know wisdom?
  
• What does it mean to know wisdom?
  
• Why would you want to know madness and folly?
  
• How would you set out to know wisdom?
  
• How would you set out to know madness and folly?
  
• Why did Solomon decide his quest was like chasing the wind?
  
• When is the quest for wisdom over?
  
• If you are seeking folly, when is your search over?
  
• Why does wisdom contain much grief or vexation?
  
• Why does increasing knowledge increase pain and sorrow?
  
• When have you known that hurt and sadness were heading at you but could not avoid it?
  
• When have you watched those you love do what you knew to be foolish things?
  
• How did your knowing it was foolish cause you grief?
  
• Why is resting your identity, pride, and hope on knowledge unwise?
  
• Why is resting your identity, pride, and hope on earthly wisdom foolish?
  
• What was the main temptation that Satan used on Eve?
  
• Why was one of the curses of eating the fruit actually the believed benefit of eating the fruit?
  
• How does having to make wise choices cause grief when you don't?

Unhappy business

Eccles. 1:12-15

12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart [1] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.[2]

15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Footnotes
[1] 1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions
[2] 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (so throughout Ecclesiastes)

• What did Solomon set out to do?
  
• What is the unhappy business that God has given mankind?
  
• How did the events in the Garden of Eden result in the vanity Solomon saw?
  
• Why is it important to keep in mind that Solomon is looking at things "under heaven" or "under the sun"?
  
• Would you agree or disagree with Solomon? Why?
  
• Why might Solomon conclude that all the works done under the sun are empty and like chasing the wind?
  
• Does your experience on earth lead you to agree with Solomon or not? Why?
  
• What is crooked in this world?
  
• Why can't it be straightened?
  
• What is lacking under the sun?
  
• Why can't it be counted?

Harold's Musings:
Ecclesiastes is one of those books that stands the test of time. It is not one of the more common books for us to study, but that is our oversight. Every time I read it I find myself agreeing with Solomon yet again. My life has had so many "vanity/emptiness" events. Chasing professional recognition, striving for breakthrough innovation, struggling with inner wants and desires, all vanity. As you have seen so far, there are likely to be more questions than my musings in this study. Please seriously think through your answers. We have unhappy business to tend to.

Nothing new

Eccles. 1:9-11

9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has been already
in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things, [1]
nor will there be any remembrance
of later things [2] yet to be
among those who come after.

Footnotes
[1] 1:11 Or former people
[2] 1:11 Or later people

• How important is newness to you?
  
• What is the most common reason you want to replace something with its newer counterpart?
  
• How often do you want the newest version of whatever interests you?
  
• How does newness influence satisfaction?
  
• How important is novelty to you?
  
• How often do you seek out things you have not seen, tasted, felt or otherwise experienced?
  
• Why might being overly interested in novelty be risky spiritually?
  
• How many of today's cultural fads are truly new?
  
• How many of today's spiritual fads are truly new?
  
• What problems arise from focusing on newness?
  
• How often do people look at what happened to other fads before committing to the new one?
  
• How well do you learn from your past experiences?
  
• How well do you learn from the past experiences of others?
  
• How many new discoveries are more than just uncovering what God put there in the beginning?
  
• How many inventions are more than replicating something God put here in the beginning?
  
• When is man's God-given creativity a problem?
  
• Why does man want to move from copying or understanding God's work to being Creator?
  

Can't get no satisfaction

Eccles. 1:5-8

5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens [1] to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness;
a man cannot utter it;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
nor the ear filled with hearing.

Footnotes
[1] 1:5 Or and returns panting

• How many times have you said, "If I could just do/finish [fill in blank]"?
• What are you implying about satisfaction by your statement?
• How many times has the task been truly finished?
• How are the internal demands for time and energy like the sun rising or the wind blowing?
• How are the external demands for time and energy like the sun rising or the wind blowing?
• How many times have you said, "If I could just get/have [fill in blank]"?
• What are you implying about satisfaction by your statement?
• How many times have you been truly satisfied with your want?
• How much are you like the ocean?
• What song have you liked so much you wanted to hear it almost all the time?
• How often do you want to hear it now?
• What recipe have you liked so much that you wanted to eat it at every meal?
• How long did it take before you didn't want it for every meal?
• How often do you feel weary, not tired but weary?
• How is being weary different from being tired?
• What is your most common cause of weariness?
• Why are the things under the sun, the things of this world so appealing?
• How much satisfaction do the things under the sun provide?
• Where are you trying to find satisfaction?

Empty, It's all empty

Ecclesiastes 1:1-4

1:1 The words of the Preacher, [1] the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 Vanity [2] of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.

Footnotes
[1] 1:1 Or Convener, or Collector; Hebrew Qoheleth (so throughout Ecclesiastes)
[2] 1:2 Hebrew vapor (so throughout Ecclesiastes)

• How often have you staked your pride, identity, hopes, and dreams to something on earth?
  
• How much does your job mean to your pride, identity, hopes, and dreams?
  
• How much does your family mean to your pride, identity, hopes, and dreams?
  
• How much does your favorite sport mean to your pride, identity, hopes, and dreams?
  
• How much does your favorite entertainment mean to your pride, identity, hopes, and dreams?
  
• What has happened to the things that you have cherished the most over the years?
  
• Why would the richest, wisest, most famous, and most powerful king of Israel look back at his life and consider it futile, meaningless, vain, and empty?
  
• How many people today look back on their life and find it futile, meaningless, vain, and empty?
  
• A person works hard on the job for 25 years, contributed ideas that helped the organization, sacrificed hours with his family, considered church as a way to network with influential people, smoozed the bosses, and generally tried to advance himself. Suddenly the organization changes and he finds himself laid off or demoted. What advantage did he have in his work under the sun?
  
• A person has researched an area of study for 30 years. He has fought for funding, operated the lab, guided the graduate students, written paper after paper, and grown expert in this area of study. In his personal life, he has sacrificed hours with his family and considered spiritual matters unproductive. One day a new article is published that shakes the foundation of all his research and shows it to be inaccurate because of new and different research. What advantage did he have in his work under the sun?
  
• A person has been successful. She has fought her way through the glass ceiling. Along the way she has had to make choices. She gave up getting married. She gave up a family. She had no time for spiritual things, because she had to make it and she has. She is now wealthy, retired, and alone. Her fortune will be left to charities and her cats. What advantage did she have in her work under the sun?
  
• How many times over the centuries have these sorts of things happened?
  
• What word(s) would you use to describe these lives?
  

The Power of Prayer

James 5:13-20

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. [1] 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes
[1] 5:16 Or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power

• In what situations does James recommend prayer?
  
• Why might you be reluctant to confess your sins to another person?
  
• How does it help when both parties confess their sins to each other?
  
• Which seems more powerful to you: prayer that stops rain for over 3 years or prayer that asks for forgiveness from God?
  
• Why might you be reluctant to try to turn a straying Christian back to the truth?
• What is the benefit of turning back a straying Christian?
  
• How does your relationship with other Christians determine how fully you will obey this passage?

Harold's Musings:
This passage says so much to me about the type of relationships that a Christian should have. The level of openness and interdependence is hard to grasp. Running throughout is the thread of prayer for one another. While I struggle with v. 15 and whether saving is eternal or physical and whether the lifting up is out of bed or into heaven, the point is clear: we need to be praying for each other and we need to share our needs with each other. The most difficult but perhaps the most important is the confessing sins to each other and the corresponding prayer. Some groups expect confession to be unidirectional, which is not what James says. We need to be open with each other, even to sharing our flaws. Tough stuff for poor old Harold.

Don't Swear

James 5:12

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

• Why does James consider this command to be above all the others that he has stated?
  
• How does this command impact "swearing in a witness", "swearing into an office", etc.?
  
• How does this command impact "taking the oath of office"?
  
• In what way does swearing or taking an oath put you at risk of judgement?
  
• Why has this little admonition been seemingly ignored in the recent past?

Harold's Musings:
Interesting little verse tucked in among the "big" topics. Very similar to Jesus' teaching on the mountain (Matt. 5:33-36). James puts the essence of Jesus' teaching between "above all" and "condemnation". It seems that James considered swearing something to be extremely risky. Swearing or taking an oath connects your well being with the anchor of the oath. Breaking your oath carried a cost. Here the cost seems to be condemnation. The only one who can condemn is God; thus it seems that God considers oaths and swearing something special as well. While we are seldom "sworn" into office, we probably promise stuff all the time. From my perspective a promise is very much the same as an oath. "Cross my heart and hope to die" is a common swearing/oath that kids say. What do you think? Are promises and oaths the same? Should we be cautioning our children about their oaths?

Patient Endurance

James 5:7-11

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

• How does the coming of the Lord influence you daily life?
  
• Why is it often easier to be patient about the big things than it is about the small thing?
  
• What does grumbling about one another have to do with patience and endurance?
  
• Which would you rather do: patiently endure suffering or receive comfort?
  
• How frequently are you impatient with God?
  
• What is usually the circumstance when you are impatient with God?
  
• If Christ is full of compassion, why are you having to endure the hurts in your life?
  
• When will the hurts of your daily life be over?

Harold's Musings:
My life is full of deadlines, projects, long-range goals, and tactical plans. While I am very aware of the power of a clear long-term vision, results are accomplished in the "now". I find I don't get impatient about the long-term stuff, but I am most certainly impatient about the "now" stuff. I change my impatience by focusing on the long-term plan.
I think my spiritual view is the same. I'm patient about the Lord's coming, but impatient that things are not going my way now. Somewhere I think we have grown to believe that the Declaration of Independence statement "pursuit of happiness" is a Biblical teaching. Even though I know I shouldn't, I want my happiness, and I want it now. I don't want to endure hurts and struggles. But I find that I need to focus on the long-term fact of Christ's coming in order to endure the "now". Jesus is coming, folks. Hang on to that hope.

Woe to the Rich

James 5:1-6

5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

• Why would James include this passage in a book to Christians?
  
• Do you consider yourself rich?
  
• How much of your energy and thought goes toward your possessions?
  (Consider getting, maintaining, enjoying, etc)
  
• How much of your energy and thought goes toward your pleasure?
  
• When have you mistreated someone in order to make or keep money?
  
• When have you hurt a relationship over money?

Harold's Musings:
There was obviously some rich Christians among James' readers else he would not have included this. James comments are much like Jesus' in Matthew 6:19-21. This passage comes immediately after he addressed quarrels with others over desired things, warnings about being friends with the world, pride and judging others, and making plans to make money. The lead-in for this passage indicates just how dangerous our wealth can be. One of the major areas of conflict in marriages is money. Worries about money are probably among the most common worries of people in the US. So who is your god? The everlasting God or temporary stuff? That is a lot to think about.

Planning and Boasting

James 4:13-17

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

• How frequently do you make plans without considering God?
  
• What might change in your routine plans if you considered God first?
  
• How would your plans change if you knew you only had a fixed time to live?
  
• Why is planning without God considered boasting and arrogance?
  
• How does v. 17 fit into the passage?
  
• Why is it so easy for you to plan so much of your life without considering God's will first?

Harold's Musings:
This passage puts me to shame. It is my nature/personality to be looking at the future and making plans to achieve something. Usually this is at work where it is a major part of my job. The problem is not the planning. It is the leaving God out of the plans. I read about Nehemiah and his in-front-of-the-king prayer before presenting his request and I am ashamed. I make my plans and maybe remember to ask God to bless this one before I go to the next plan. I have been told by others (and my self) that God gave me the ability and that using the ability is enough. That is not what this passage says. This passage also does not say that merely taking on "Lord willing" covers the plan. I've got some plans to make today. I need to start praying now.

Judging One Another

James 4:11-12

11 Do not speak evil [1] against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Footnotes
[1] 4:11 NAS: speak against one another; NIV: slander one another; NKJ: speak evil of one another

• In light of the previous warnings about the tongue, what sort of fires are started by speaking against a brother?
  
• What does a judge do?
  
• How do you pass judgment against others?
  
• Why would slandering or judging a brother be considered speaking or judging God's word?
  
• What is said about the one who judges God's law/word?
  
• When are you most tempted to speak evil of others? (Consider circumstances, feelings, physical condition, etc.)
  
• Who do are you most tempted to speak against and why?

Harold's Musings:
I've blogged about this passage before. I want to look at it today in its bigger context. So far in this letter, we've seen that partiality is wrong. Isn't common for us to overlook a fault in a friend but speak against another for doing it? Sounds like partiality. He talked about only looking at God's Word and not doing what God wants. James has addressed the good old tongue, which is the match that we use to burn others with our words when we speak against them. Quarreling commonly is just me judging you and eventually speaking against you. It comes down to this: we believe that we are the correct judge of people in oh so many ways. Even if we do not say a word, but in our hearts we judge them we are telling God that His word is inadequate, that your new rule should be added to his, and that He should deal with the situation now. Boy, are we ugly when we do that?!? May God have more mercy on us than we do on others.

Draw Near

James 4:4-10

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

• How is God's grace connected to your humility?
• What is necessary to be close to God?
• Which of the actions listed are the hardest for you to do?
  
• What are the rewards for being close to God?

Harold's Musings:
No, I did not just copy yesterday's blog. I want to focus on the last four verses. I have heard for much of my life to resist Satan. That is definitely in this passage. What I have not heard so much is the requirement to submit to God as a key to resisting Satan. What I have perceived is that it is just between Satan and me, but as I read this, it starts with my humility before God. Our pride of life is a foothold for Satan. Our pride of life allows Satan to blind us to our sins and wrong attitudes. Our pride of life results in a lack of trust in God. Drawing near to God means to draw near on His terms, not walking up to Him with our heads held high. When you are being tempted today, ask God to show your prideful heart and then humble yourself. I'm not sure the arrogant fallen angel can deal with a truly humble heart. I think he will run.

Divine Jealousy

James 4:4-5

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?

• When have you been jealous of someone?
• What is it like to be a friend of the world?
  
• When are you more likely to be tempted to be a friend of the world?
  
• How does God feel when you are friends with the world?
  

Harold's Musings:
I've had my moments of jealousy. Generally these have occurred when a close friend was friendly with someone else. On a few occasions this involved a girl and then the feelings were even stronger. I knew the jealousy was wrong, but the feelings were real. Sometimes I forget that God has feelings. I have an underlying image of God as a cold, dispassionate judge in white robes. I intellectually know better but... It is hard for me to think that God is jealous of me when I snuggle up close to the world and the sin connected to it. It is hard to think that I am God's enemy all over again because I am a friend of the world. God loves you and me. He wants what is best for you and me. He knows that our friendship with the world will hurt us very badly and He does not want to see that. Perhaps I should be thinking more of God's feelings and how I don't want to hurt Him.

You Started It!

James 4:1-3

4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions [1] are at war within you? [2] 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Footnotes
[1] 4:1 Greek pleasures; also verse 3
[2] 4:1 Greek in your members

• What are you most likely to quarrel or have conflicts about?
  
• Which pleasures wage war within you and result in conflict?
  
• What sort of murder is he talking about here? (look at Mat 5:21-22)
  
• What are the reasons you might not have the things you desire?
  
• What portion of your prayers are requests for physical things for you?
  
• What portion are requests for physical things for others?
  
• How might the tongue play a role here?

Harold's Musings:
Pretty condemning passage. Definitely boot camp material. One of the first things that jumps out is the concept of passions/pleasures within us. Very reminiscent of James 1:12-15. Our selfish nature is the root of most of our spiritual problems. Small wonder Jesus taught so much about dying to self. We do not have because we do not ask and when we do we ask for the things that are causing quarrel, i.e. our pleasures. In the heat of a quarrel, we say things with the tongue that kill relationships or at least wound them because we want to win. We want the stuff we want more than we want what is best for others. Our prayers are more focused on our physical wants than on our spritual needs. Ouch! I thank God for His mercy and grace, because reading this makes me realize just how far I have to go in my walk.