Eccles. 7:27-29
Solomon is continuing his search for wisdom mentioned yesterday. Remember he started the book looking at wisdom, pleasure, labor, fame, etc. and his early results are in. There is no clear scheme of things, no system to explain why things are the way they are. A good man is hard to come by. His experience with over a thousand women has been less successful. The really interesting point is in v. 29. God made man upright, but man invents his own schemes. God may have a plan that is truly wise, but mankind will follow its own path. Sounds terribly familiar, doesn't it? Even in areas where God has given us clear instruction, mankind says that those instructions are just suggestions. This passage is a precursor to Romans 3:9-23. Mankind is just unable to be righteous on its own. Praise God for His mercy in sending His Son.
27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
- What had Solomon been seeking?
- What had he been investigating?
- What was Solomon's discovery?
- How common is uprightness among mankind under the sun?
- Some authors have suggested that v. 28 uses a literary device to emphasize the inclusiveness of Solomon's discovery.
- What do you think of his "results"? - What is the source of mankind's unrighteousness?
- How did God make mankind? - The word schemes is also translated invention. Other translations use devices.
- Why does mankind seek out unrighteous ways and means? - When have you thought that mankind's behavior couldn't get any worse?
- Why is it hard sometimes to remember that God made all mankind to be upright?
Solomon is continuing his search for wisdom mentioned yesterday. Remember he started the book looking at wisdom, pleasure, labor, fame, etc. and his early results are in. There is no clear scheme of things, no system to explain why things are the way they are. A good man is hard to come by. His experience with over a thousand women has been less successful. The really interesting point is in v. 29. God made man upright, but man invents his own schemes. God may have a plan that is truly wise, but mankind will follow its own path. Sounds terribly familiar, doesn't it? Even in areas where God has given us clear instruction, mankind says that those instructions are just suggestions. This passage is a precursor to Romans 3:9-23. Mankind is just unable to be righteous on its own. Praise God for His mercy in sending His Son.
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