Ecclesiastes Per Day

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Ecclesiastes 5:1-6


● Ecc 5:1 . . Be not overeager to go to the House of God: more acceptable is obedience than the offering of fools, for they know nothing [but] to do wrong.

Old Testament Judaism was built around a fully functioning Aaronic priesthood whose duty was to collect sacrifices and offerings from the people. But the worshippers abused the system because they lived like the Devil during most of the year and tried to make up for it with sacrifices. To see how God feels about that kind of religious hypocrisy, just read the first chapter of Isaiah.

In no uncertain terms, God angrily spurned his people's offerings-- their prayers, their holy days, their festivals and feast days, and yes even their sacred Sabbath observances because although they were very religious, they were, at the same time, a hard-hearted, stubborn pack of scofflaws.

You can see the very same thing going on in Christianity. Many pew-warmers live utterly worldly, carnal lives all year long and expect that church attendance on Easter Sunday will somehow make up for it. That day is the most heavily attended church day in Christendom. People who normally wouldn't step over the threshold of a church door all year long, will attend on Easter Sunday so they don't feel completely heathen. Easter service, to them, is some sort of redemption day, somehow wiping away a whole year's worth of impiety and is supposed to convince Jesus they truly love him after all.

NOTE: Just for the fun of it some day, position yourself where you can watch the front of a church when it's let out Sunday morning and observe the number of Christians that J-walk back to their cars. (chuckle) You might be surprised.

● Ecc 5:2-3 . . Keep your mouth from being rash, and let not your throat be quick to bring forth speech before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; that is why your words should be few. Just as dreams come with much brooding, so does foolish utterance come with much speech.

You know, prayer is not a mandated requirement. If you've really nothing to discuss with God, then skip it: say nothing; remembering that God is a king, and kings shouldn't be treated as if they're dumb enough to suffer fools and waste their time listening to filibusters and bombastic rhetoric.

● Ecc 5:4-6 . .When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. For He has no pleasure in fools; what you vow, fulfill. It is better not to vow at all than to vow and not fulfill. Don't let your mouth bring you into disfavor, and don't plead before the messenger that it was an error, but fear God; else God may be angered by your talk and destroy your possessions.

The "messenger" is translated from mal'ak (mal-awk') which is somewhat ambiguous. It can mean an angel, or a prophet, or a priest or a teacher.

At Gen 48:16 it refers to God; and it probably refers to God here too in Ecc 5:4-6.

A sacred vow is between you and God, not between you and your church. So don't be rash with your promises nor make excuses for reneging. A promise is a promise; and God will hold you to your vows even if you can't afford it. You just try to be lax in your payments with a shylock and see what happens. You risk fractured ribs by men who are very good at breaking things over people's heads. When the points are due, that's when they're due; not later. If shylocks are to be feared, then God needs to be feared even more.

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Ecclesiastes 5:7-11


● Ecc 5:7 . . For much dreaming leads to futility and to superfluous talk.

God's people should be known for keeping their feet on the ground, and their head out of the clouds. Religion is not supposed to be in words. It's supposed to be in shoe leather, in your everyday life. It's supposed to be in honesty and integrity-- it's in few words, and it's in keeping your word. Flowery prayers, and showy vows and pledges don't please God near as much as just simply being a man of your word. You can't buy God off with churchianity nor can you fool Him with it into thinking you are somehow pious and above reproach when the truth is; you're not.

● Ecc 5:8 . . If you see in a province oppression of the poor and suppression of right and justice, don’t wonder at the fact; for one high official is 7protected by a higher one, and both of them by still higher ones.

Existing alongside America's elected officials, is a shadow government called the bureaucracy. Bureaucrats are non-elected officials who are actually the ones conducting much of the government's business. High profile bureaucrats would be the President's cabinet. But many others operate completely invisible to the general public until they become implicated in a news-worthy scandal.

Too many bureaucrats are looking out only for themselves; most especially their jobs. So they tend to make every effort to please their superiors; often to the detriment of the voting public's best interests. No one should be shocked at this. It's pretty normal because after all, human government is staffed by human beings with human feelings and ambitions.

● Ecc 5:9 . .The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

Government officials are sometimes said to be feeding at the federal trough. Like greedy swine, they gobble up a large percentage of the gross national product to pay their own wages, perks, and benefits; and to finance ear-marks and pork. But citizens benefit in many ways from taxes too. So the government is not the only one taking a piece of the country's wealth.

● Ecc 5:10 . . A lover of money never has his fill of money, nor a lover of wealth his fill of income. That too is futile.

Money may not be the number one thing in life; but it's way ahead of whatever is number two. When Shia LaBeouf's character asked Josh Brolin's character-- in the movie: Wall Street/Money Never Sleeps --what his number is; viz: the number of dollars that would be enough for him to walk away from investment banking and retire; Brolin's character answered: More.

People obsessed with money actually love and revere it; and make any and every sacrifice to get it. They stay up late, work long ridiculous hours, disconnect from their families, and even betray their friends' trust to get it. Their minds are filled with thoughts about money, their lives are controlled by getting it and guarding it; and while they have it: they feel a great sense of pride, achievement, security, and independence.

The amount of money they possess pales in importance compared to their rabid desire to simply amass it. I've heard it said that success is the best revenge. There are too many people out there in the business world who need money simply to feel better about themselves, and to get one over on their rivals.

● Ecc 5:11a . . As his substance increases, so do those who consume it;

The wealthy often find themselves hounded by foundations, causes, charities, and freeloading relatives and friends. MC Hammer, a very popular rapper in the 80's and 90's, was quite rich at one time but spent it all on not just himself, but on his entourage as well. Making money in a big way involves the employment of a staff; and those kinds of staffs aren't cheap. They all average six figures; not to mention their bonuses which commonly run up to seven.

● Ecc 5:11b . . what, then, does the success of its owner amount to but feasting his eyes?

Past world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis was heard to say: I don't like money actually, but it quiets my nerves. Yes, money is good for feasting the eyes, and provides a certain sense of security. However, money is no guarantee your nerves will be calm, nor that your sleep will be sound; nor that your security is assured.

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Ecclesiastes 5:12-16


● Ecc 5:12 . . A [slaves'] sleep is sweet, whether he has much or little to eat; but the rich man's abundance doesn't let him sleep.

When you have nothing, you don't worry too much about losing it. But when you have a lot, then you fear going broke; and along with riches comes eating gourmet foods which sometimes cause indigestion and acid reflux.

I know a man who, as he got older, became concerned about dying before owning a really good watch. So, he took some money out of his home equity line and bought a Rolex Explorer II, a TagHeuer Chronograph, a Rolex Datejust, and an Omega Double Eagle Chronograph. All totaled, he shelled out roughly $20,000. He's very happy with the watches, but now worries all the time they might get stolen. He didn't have those kinds of worries when he owned timepieces no more expensive than a Casio G-shock.

● Ecc 5:13-14 . . Here is a grave evil I have observed under the sun: riches hoarded by their owner to his misfortune, in that those riches are lost in some unlucky venture; and if he begets a son, he has nothing in hand.

That is so sad. The ENRON scandal brought to light the dangers of investing in a retirement system that is solely dependent upon just one company's prosperity. When the stock price of ENRON plummeted, the value of its employee retirement system plummeted too; and so steep was the collapse, that many of the energy giant's rank and file were left with virtually zero dollars in their retirement accounts.

A veteran electrician with PGE (Portland General Electric) related how his account was worth something like $348,000 before ENRON's value began to fall. He couldn't do anything about it because his account was frozen while the executives at ENRON were permitted to move their money to safety. By the time the PGE electrician's account was unfrozen, its value had dropped to $1,200.

The sub-prime Wall Street disaster did the very same thing to a pretty good number of vulnerable retirement accounts. Though the Federal Reserve bailed out the big investment banks, it did nothing for the little banks nor for the innocent folks who were ruined by the collapse.

● Ecc 5:15 . . Another grave evil is this: He must depart just as he came. As he came out of his mother's womb, so must he depart at last, naked as he came. He can take nothing of his wealth to carry with him.

I once heard a story about a very famous rich man who died. At the reading of his will, newspaper reporters were required to remain outside and not allowed to interview the heirs until later. When the reading was over, a reporter approached one of the lawyers and asked how much the old gentleman left. The lawyer replied: He left it all.

Yes, the rich man couldn't take a single dime of his wealth into the next life. It all stayed here and he went into eternity completely broke.

There is a story, in Luke 16:19-31, of a rich man who died and went to the fiery portion of Hades. In life he lived sumptuously, eating the best of foods and drinking the best of wines. But in Hades, the poor fellow doesn't even have so much as a glass of water.

Restaurants put glasses of water on our tables as a matter of courtesy. The water is free. It's on the house. You don't need to be wealthy to merit a glass of water in a restaurant. But in the fiery portion of Hades, nobody is given any courtesy whatsoever no matter how prominent they may have been in life.

● Ecc 5:16 . . So what is the good of his toiling for the wind?

It isn't intrinsically evil to save and invest. After all, Solomon wrote in Proverbs that it's wise to look ahead, and parents are wise who lay something aside for their children. But the people who hoard, and who amass wealth simply for the pleasure of possessing it for themselves, are laboring for the wind. They can't possibly keep it into the next life, so the best thing for them to do is share it while they are here where it will do the world some good. It's okay to keep enough for yourself for now and for the future, but when there's a ridiculous surplus, find a way to disperse it. Otherwise, your hoarding serves no useful purpose, and at death your wealth is surrendered anyway.

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Ecclesiastes 5:17-20


● Ecc 5:17 . . Besides, all his days he eats in darkness, with much vexation and grief and anger.

Wealthy people don't usually eat in the dark. Many have very nice chandeliers over the table. But in their hearts often lurk evil thoughts, bad memories, regrets, grievances, resentments, disputes, hard feelings, and a bad conscience. They're really no different than the average man in that arena. Like they say: So and so puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

● Ecc 5:18 . . Only this, I have found, is a real good: that one should eat and drink and get pleasure with all the gains he makes under the sun, during the numbered days of life that God has given him; for that is his portion.

Solomon mentions death so often that you might think he was obsessed with it. But really, he wasn't. His philosophy of life was such that he took death into consideration so that his days weren't spent as if they were infinite and he expected to live forever. A balanced philosophy of life has to include the very real possibility of imminent death to keep things in proper perspective.

"Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." (Jas 1:9-11)

"Come now, you who say; Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a profit-- you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears." (Jas 4:13-14)

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away" (1Pet 1:24)

"A voice rings out; Proclaim! Another asks; What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, all its goodness like flowers of the field: Grass withers, flowers fade when the breath of the Lord blows on them. Indeed, man is but grass: Grass withers, flowers fade" (Isa 40:6-8

Man is but perishable fruit like peaches, pears, strawberries, cantaloupe, avocado, and oranges: and no amount of refrigeration will keep him fresh. Regardless of the amount of rest, fresh air, good diet, and exercise; man begins to wither right around the age of 32 or 34.

Youngster's can't picture their expiration date as three brief decades: to them, 32 years seems long and way out in the distance. Hence the withering process often sneaks up and takes them by surprise like starting a frog off in cool water and slowly bringing it up to a boil. Of a sudden, one day it swats them in the face like a rolled up newspaper that they're "old school" replaced by a young, hip generation wherein they've been accustomed to thinking all along was themselves.

The withering process, once it starts, is relentless. Like a Terminator: it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop-- ever! --until you are dead. Once the withering process sets in, from that moment on, man is shackled to a living death

● Ecc 5:19-20 . . Also, whenever a man is given riches and property by God, and is also permitted by Him to enjoy them and to take his portion and get pleasure for his gains-- that is a gift of God. For [such a man] will not brood much over the days of his life, because God keeps him busy enjoying himself.

Within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes, a "gift of God" should never be taken literally. It's just a colloquialism, like the common term "act of God" used to label the cause of natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, storms, miscarriages, and stuff like that.

I'm in my retirement years, and one of the things I avoid is keeping too busy because I don't want the final years of my life to pass quickly. They'll pass soon enough; but when you keep busy, time really has a way of flying. On the flip side is one's mental health. Keeping busy does have a way of preventing people from doing too much introspection and reminiscence thereby developing a chronic case of the blues. One's mind can atrophy too if they never do anything to exercise their intelligence. So I try to strike a balance: I keep somewhat physically busy, and I keep somewhat mentally busy too; while carefully avoiding excess in either area.

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Ecclesiastes 6:1-8


● Ecc 6:1-2a . .There is an evil I have observed under the sun, and a grave one it is for man: that God sometimes grants a man riches, property, and wealth, so that he does not want for anything his appetite may crave,

Here we go with that "gift of God" thing again; but these are typically a genre of gifts that Solomon observes "under the sun" rather than in the sphere of true providence. Just because somebody is rich is no indication their prosperity was engineered by God. Even career criminals, Wall Street barracudas, predatory lenders, and corrupt politicians are often rich; no thanks to God. Some feel the Kennedy clan is blessed, yet they are very well off due to grandpa Joe's lack of scruples.

● Ecc 6:2b . . but God does not permit him to enjoy it; instead, a stranger will enjoy it. That is futility and a grievous ill.

That is the classic "the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord" attitude. Calling any act of God "futility and a grievous ill" would normally be considered accusing God of sin, except that in this case, Solomon doesn't really mean it that way. To an intellectual, the concept of God is merely academic; and an "act of God" is really no more literal than pie in the sky or the man in the moon.

A common example of this "evil" about which Solomon spoke is someone who worked hard all their life, saved and invested wisely, and then one day WHAM, during a routine physical exam, their doctor shocks them with the life-changing news they have on-set Alzheimer's. Guess where that person's savings and investments will end up now. Yes, towards medical attention and long term care. The health care system, and it's medical professionals, will make a big dent in their life savings.

● Ecc 6:3-6 . . Even if a man should beget a hundred children and live many years-- no matter how many the days of his years may come to, if his gullet is not sated through his wealth, I say: the stillbirth, though it was not even accorded a burial, is more fortunate than he. Though it comes into futility and departs into darkness, and its very name is covered with darkness, though it has never seen or experienced the sun, it is better off than he-- yes, even if the other lived a thousand years twice over but never had his fill of enjoyment! For are not both of them bound for the same place?

One advantage a stillborn child enjoys over and above the living is that although it never had a chance to live; it doesn't know what it missed either. In its case, ignorance is truly bliss. The person who had the means and the wherewithal to enjoy life, but failed to take advantage of it before they died, will suffer unspeakable mental anguish throughout eternity for missing their chance to enjoy life before it was too late. In that respect, the miscarried child is much better off because it has more peace of mind than others even though it never owned anything; no, not even so much as a name to call its own.

I knew an older man once who owned a very expensive wrist watch that he reserved for special occasions. Well; that is short sighted if you ask me' He should wear that nice watch whenever he gets the chance because life is so uncertain. People should enjoy their nice things while they can rather than wait till they're at the point of death. Life is not a do-over. You've got live it as you live it: not wait till a more opportune moment; which, as sometimes happens, quite possibly may never come. Carpe Diem: seize the day. People who put off living life to its fullest till later often find out it's too late to do so.

● Ecc 6:7-8 . . All of man’s earning is for the sake of his mouth, yet his gullet is not sated. What advantage then has the wise man over the fool, what advantage has the pauper who knows how to get on in life?

Food and water are two things in life that, like sleep, cannot be taken just once because once is not enough. You have to eat again, you have to drink water again, and you have to sleep again. That is a law of life for both the stupid and the intelligent, for both the rich and the poor, for both the female gender and for the male gender. No one is exempt from that law-- all are equal in those respects-- except for the reticent 17 year-old Twilight vampire Edward Cullen of whom it's said never needs sleep.

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Ecclesiastes 6:9-12


● Ecc 6:9 . .What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.

Sometimes I think the most content people are the blind because they go shopping with their heads instead of their eyes. People invariably buy things that are far more expensive than what they could get by with if they had to.

This same weakness of the eyes will compel a boy to marry a beautiful girl who is totally wrong for him. The Creator made women to be a man's very best friend first, his lover second, and the mother of his children third. But some men just can't get past a girl's looks; and as all women know, when it comes to love; men use their eyes much better than they use their heads. They often pick a wife without thinking because looks mean almost everything to the average man; and a woman's personality is only secondary, if it's taken into consideration at all.

Women, as a rule, focus on the aspects of intimacy and relationship; but men, as a rule, focus on the physical aspect. One of Billy Crystal's lines from City Slicker says it all: "Women have to be in the mood, while men just need a place."

Take a look around the magazine racks in Barnes & Noble some time. The regular racks contain lots of magazines with girly covers; and inside them are lots of girly photographs; while over in another aisle away from the racks, are shelves displaying the romance novels. Most guys don't care for romance novels; those are for the women; because romance novels are to women what girly pictures are to men; just in a different way. Photographs stimulate men through their eyes, while novels stimulate women through their feelings; which easily explains why some men would rather walk the neighbor's dog than sit through a chick flick.

● Ecc 6:10 . .Whatever happens, it was designated long ago and it was known that it would happen; as for man, he cannot contend with what is stronger than he.

I guess you could call that attitude fatalism.

Some things really are predestined and often we just have to face the facts; e.g. old age and death are two of life's unpleasant realities. Everyone is stuck with debilitation and there's no use in fighting it. Menopause is another chipped-in-stone fact of life that is just as real as the air we breathe all around us. If couples aren't careful, and let too much time slip by, menopause will steal away their chances for a baby. And on top of that, the older a woman gets, the more her eggs age and become less viable than when she was young. The same problem exists for men, just in a different way. Men aren’t born with all their sperm cells. Fresh ones are manufactured by their bodies all the time. However, those fresh cells are the cells of an aging man. So if a man waits to have children when he's old, his chances of producing a child with birth defects increase.

Some people enjoy toying with death; and go hiking in the wilderness all alone and/or jump off high places with a bungee cord. Some say people like that have a death wish. No, what they really have is a wish to flirt with death and live to tell about it. Their attitude is: If you aren't walking on the edge; then you're taking up room.

Personally, I don't want to die like a fool. People who tempt fate by participating in extreme sports are just asking to be dead and/or crippled for life before their next meal-- and then what?

● Ecc 6:11-12 . . Often, much talk means much futility. How does it benefit a man? Who can possibly know what is best for a man to do in life-- the few days of his fleeting life? For who can tell him what the future holds for him under the sun?

Solomon's comment pertains to a man's time "under the sun" rather than after his death.

They say for every action there's a reaction; and that's generally true. But who can really predict the repercussions of their decisions? In other words: when a butterfly flaps its wings in England, does it put in motion other acts of nature that eventuate in a typhoon in Samoa?

Life isn't like a chess game where the masters can see twelve moves ahead. No, life is oftentimes a gamble. A young fellow contemplating the risks and responsibilities of marriage once lamented to me how chancy it is to get married in these days with the world in such turmoil and the economy uncertain. But I said to him: Life goes on.

My friend realized of course that life does go on even under the extreme threats of nuclear war, terrorism, air and water pollution, drug cartels, road rage, brown-outs and water shortages, insane oil prices, acid rain, crime, prejudice, drive-by shootings, global warming, unemployment, economic collapse, and reactor melt-downs. People do manage to somehow cope and keep going. Well, not long after that, he married his best girl; who proved to be just the right one for him too. His pretty bride made him forget all about the dangers of lay-offs, spiraling medical costs, and mortgage debt. My young friend never felt better in his life. Carpe Diem.

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Ecclesiastes 7:1-4


● Ecc 7:1a . . A good name is better than fragrant oil,

A companion to that saying might be a proverb also authored by Solomon.

"Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman bereft of sense." (Prv 11:22)

Cosmetics, fashions, jewelry, hair, manicures, wonder bras, pantyhose, killer curves, and/or Spanks and scents can't make up for a bad name. No matter how dolled up, or shined up, nor how good a person smells; if they are a pig, they will continue to act like a pig. Better to be a plain Jane with a sweet personality than a super model who affects everyone around her with a witchy attitude.

● Ecc 7:1b-2 . . and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting; for that is the end of every man, and a living one should take it to heart.

Nobody under the age of twenty-one is ever going to take that one seriously. Birthday parties and beer busts are far more fun than funerals; although as I get older, I tend to dread my birthdays more and more. When I was young, birthdays were fun, and getting older was exciting. But aging is not so fun anymore. Age is turning me into an ogre, and I can't stand the sight of myself in a mirror; especially one of those large full-length bathroom mirrors they invariably install in motel rooms.

But a funeral can really make you aware of your own mortality in a very special way. My wife's mother died in 2005, my own mother one year later as well as a good friend at work; and my favorite nephew dropped dead to the floor in 2015. All those passings disturbed me because I realized the grim reaper had started picking us off one by one, and it's only a matter of time now before my own number comes up.

● Ecc 7:3-4 . .Vexation is better than revelry; for though the face be sad, the heart may be glad. Wise men are drawn to a house of mourning, and fools to a house of merrymaking.

Those kinds of "wise men" are well known as party poopers. While it's true that revelry can't make a person truly happy on the inside, it would still seem a much better choice than dwelling upon Death. You know; it's only natural that Solomon would believe that mourning is better than revelry because he was a wet blanket to begin with; and his nature to shun merriment. (Ecc 2:1-2)

Solomon didn't even know how to have fun. The problem is; he was just too smart for his own good; so smart in fact that all his knowledge and intellect clouded the man's spirit and prevented him from having any fun at all. (Ecc 1:16-18)

Solomon really needed to get out and paint the town once in a while; see a good movie, ride a pony, go to Las Vegas, stroll the beach, take in a Broadway play, roll the dice, joust a windmill, drop a coin in a wishing well, go boating, let his hair down, play a video game, maybe even get plastered sometime-- anything but sit around thinking about old age and death. No wonder the poor man was so negative! In the movie Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio convinces Kate Winslet that there is more to life than being rich. He suggests she learn to ride a horse like a man and learn to spit like a man. Sure: why not take off the Spanx, lose the Silkies panty hose and Jimmy Choo heels, and try something silly like skipping a stone across a pond?

I once heard Billy Graham say: The smallest package in the world is a man all wrapped up in himself. Well . . amen to that! Billy was so right. And I would add that the most unimportant man in the world is one who is totally self-absorbed. Some people really need to get out and do a little mixing and have a good time once in a while: break the monotony, do something stupid, get out of their rut; live a little.

But Solomon just couldn't do it. There are some people not only fun-challenged, but they can't permit themselves to indulge in fun. It's like a mental block-- a hang-up. They're afflicted with fun-impotence. They feel guilty about having fun, they scorn fun, and look down upon themselves for letting any into their lives.

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Ecclesiastes 7:5-9


● Ecc 7:5-6 . . It is better to listen to a wise man's critique than to listen to the praise of fools. For the levity of the fool is like the crackling of nettles under a kettle; for that too is transitory.

The "praise of fools" is from the Hebrew word shiyr (sheer) which means: a song; singing; viz: a lullaby. I guess you could liken a fool's praise to the chirping of a bird-- tweet, tweet, tweet. Birds make sweet sounds; actually very soothing and entertaining at times, but nonetheless, they only serve to help us escape reality-- they don't tell the hearer very much truth about himself.

Nettles make very poor firewood. They burn very brightly, go up with a woosh almost as soon as they're thrown into a fire; but produce very little heat and soon go out. Oak and Pine are far better. Those sturdy woods burn slowly and quietly, make good coals, and produce lots of usable heat for a long time. The praise of fools is like birds twittering and nettles burning: noisy, momentarily soothing, a brief caress with no long-lasting usefulness; while a wise man's critique may not be so cheering, but can result in life-changing improvements.

● Ecc 7:7 . . Unjust gain robs the wise man of reason and destroys the prudence of the cautious.

The praise of fools is typically unmerited, and often falls in the category of flattery; which, if a wise man takes seriously, he's just downright stupid no matter what his IQ.

The word for "fool" is from keciyl (kes-eel') which means: fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or silly. I guess that means some people are fat-heads. Roget's Thesaurus synonyms for fat-headed are: dull, asinine, and thick-witted-- in other words: a numbskull. Those are not attributes you need to see in a person who is patting you on the back and telling you how wonderful you are and how good a job you did. You certainly would not want to take a fat-head's praise too seriously because to see yourself through the eyes of a fat-head is to accept a false impression of yourself; and that could prove to be very self-destructive in the long run.

● Ecc 7:8-9 . .The end of a matter is better than the beginning of it. Better a patient spirit than a haughty spirit. Don't let your spirit be quickly vexed, for vexation abides in the breasts of fat-heads.

Not all matters are pleasant matters. Some are bitter. Those matters are best not taken up at all; and quickly ended if they begin.

To start a quarrel is to open a sluice; before a dispute flares up, drop it." (Prv 17:14)

Parenting is one arena where it doesn't pay to be a fat-head. It's very important to pick your fights with care, rather than simply react. It is not a good idea to flare up and quarrel with your children over every little thing. Let little things slide; and only make a fuss over things that really make a difference in the long haul.

"Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged." (Col 3:21)

One of the most dysfunctional families I've ever seen is the fictional one portrayed on the HBO series Sopranos.

AJ Soprano's dad Tony is a mob boss whose parenting style mirrors his criminal management practices; which is that of a despotic, bullying sociopath. Tony constantly oppresses his son AJ with thoughtless remarks, manhandling, unfairness, profanity, purple epithets, sarcasm, ugly criticism, bickering, demeaning humor, confrontations, sneering, scorn, relentless ridicule, intimidation, shouting, rage, and threats.

AJ rarely, if ever, is given a word of sympathy or encouragement. Typically, everything he does is wrong and his father impossible to please. Subsequently; AJ feels unwelcome in his own home-- a person of little consequence whose thoughts and feelings neither matter nor count. His home's living hell turns AJ into not only a loser, but also an emotional train wreck; and then his dad ends up asking the inevitable question eventually asked by every abusive parent: Where did I go wrong? Duh.

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Ecclesiastes 7:10-14


● Ecc 7:10 . . Don't say; How has it happened that former times were better than these? For it is not wise of you to ask that question.

The problem with the good old days is that we often conveniently forget the bad parts and sometimes invent good parts to take their place; viz: the good old days are often a combination of poor memory and a good imagination.

Lyrics in Carly Simon's song Anticipation say: "I tell tomorrow, these are the good old days". Get her point? You are living in some good old days right now, this very moment; and in the future you'll look back on them with the same wistful fondness that you are now looking back on earlier good old days. Carly's song was released on an album in 1972, some 40 years ago as of 2012. Was she right? Were those days good old days for her?

Sometimes there's no denying the good old days really were better than our present lot in life. People with serious illnesses and handicaps were certainly better off before those problems degraded their quality of life. I think a young girl with Herpes and/or an unwanted pregnancy would agree that things were better before.

Myself, I would have been dead with appendicitis as a teen-ager were it not for modern medicine. And yet again in my 40's with a kidney stone. And yet again in my fifties with Grave's Disease (hyperactive thyroid). I think anyone would agree Americans are far better off today economically than the 1930's. So not all the good old days were good. Some of those good old days would have been fatal for many of us-- not only in health, but also in hard labor and low pay.

● Ecc 7:11-12 . .Wisdom is as good as a patrimony, and even better, for those who behold the sun. For to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be also in the shelter of money, and the advantage of intelligence is that wisdom preserves the life of him who possesses it.

Solomon's comment is for those who "behold the sun" as opposed to those who behold the face of God.

Wisdom isn't just an accumulation of information like a journal or an encyclopedia. Wisdom is a combination of knowledge and understanding gained through experience. That's why so many young people are air-heads. Although they're better educated; they just haven't lived long enough to really know the score.

But youth isn't necessarily an indicator that somebody hasn't got any sense. If young people are fortunate enough to have the benefit of a mentor, like say a savvy parent or a connection in the Big Brother program of their town, then they have on tap the wisdom of an older person who knows many ins and outs of life. However, too many young people are vain, conceited, and arrogant, and tend to have the attitude of a know-it-all. For them, a mentor serves no purpose because those kinds of young people are of the sort who want to find out everything for themselves, rather than be instructed.

Wisdom is a far better inheritance for a young person than money and property. Wisdom will enable a wise youth to get the money and property later. But no amount of money will enable a dunce to attain wisdom.

"What good is money in the hand of a fool to purchase wisdom, when he has no mind?" (Prv 17:16)

Good sense is far more important than money. A young co-worker of mine, who had been out of work for quite a while, took his very first paycheck to a sound shop and spent the entire thing on a $700 stereo system for his car. The car was an old clunker and the stereo was actually worth more than the car. Now there was a boy who seriously needed some counseling.

"There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it." (Prv 21:20)

● Ecc 7:13-14 . . Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

Solomon's references to a God are mostly rhetorical in the book of Ecclesiastes. When he says "consider the work of God" I suspect he's just referring to the natural order of things under the sun.

The Scottish poet Robert Burns noticed that life sometimes throws a curve ball at you in spite of your best precautions. Fate often casts its long shadow when human beings set about planning their lives.

Burns was out one day plowing in the field and uprooted a mouse's underground nest who was all set for the oncoming winter. The mouse had picked a fallow field as the site for its winter retreat thinking it would be safe and snug; unmolested during the cold. But it didn't (or maybe we should say it couldn't) know the workings of powers higher than itself-- in this case, human beings and their farm machinery.

But, mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men [Oft go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain for promis'd joy.

Take for example Job (Job 1:1-3). He was all set to enjoy retirement when of a sudden, without the slightest warning, his world fell apart even though he was the most righteous man of his day and deserved only the best of luck rather than bad. But completely unknown to him were higher powers-- God and the spirit world --in a contest of loyalties; with 'ol Job right smack in the middle of their contentions. Consequently; he lost everything-- his family, save for his (un)loving wife, his livestock, all his houses; and his health. In very little time, Job went from wealthy retiree to disabled pauper.

Job surely knew he didn't deserve the bad luck that came his way. But like Robert Burns said: The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry. Why? Because as Solomon indicated; you can neither predict nor fathom the ambitions of powers and circumstances beyond your control. The spirit world is a higher power than Man, just as Man is a higher power than mice. However, as mice cannot control the ways of Man, neither can Man control the ways of the spirits. Therefore; both men and mice are subject to the whims of powers beyond their control so that neither one is superior to the other in that respect.

I have seen property owners forced out and/or displaced because of ambitious free-way construction, road widening projects, and port of entry expansion along waterfronts. That's a very common sight here in America. So then, like the mousie in Burns' poem; your land is never really your land. Higher powers are at liberty to condemn your property and take it away from you at will for what they inevitably call "the greater good".

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Ecclesiastes 7:15-18


● Ecc 7:15-16 . . In my own brief span of life, I have seen both these things: sometimes a good man perishes in spite of his goodness, and sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of his wickedness. So don't overdo goodness and don't act the wise man to excess, or you may be dumfounded.

Some ultra ascetic types are obsessed with self denial-- don't do this, don't do that, don't go here, don't go there, don't look at this, don't look at that. I once knew an ascetic type who actually felt guilty simply by walking through the door of a Blockbuster video store; and was so offended by young people's music that he made his teen-age son listen to his boom box outside; even in inclement weather.

Dr. Laura (who's normally pretty level-headed) says that any parent that would take their child to a mall that has a Victoria's Secret store is a bad parent. That's asceticism (not to mention bigotry). Well; asceticism can guarantee no one long life nor does it necessarily make one a better person. Asceticism can, in fact, result in a superiority complex and, maybe even neurosis.

It would seem that the best way to enjoy) a long life, as opposed to merely existing, is by sensible practices in diet and health. But those things, as sensible as good diet and healthy habits may be, won't guarantee good health and a long life. I once worked in a family-owned boatyard in San Diego run by a man and his three brothers, and his two sons. One of the sons was a model citizen and the picture of health. He was married and had a little girl, didn't run with a bad crowd, didn't smoke or drink, didn't stay out late, didn't eat fatty foods or sweets, jogged regularly, attended church every Sunday and played piano for the choir, and he was young; barely twenty-six years old.

Well, one day he complained of stomach pains and upon examination there was found in his abdomen a cancerous growth as big as a child's nerf football. He underwent surgery, lost a ball, suffered through chemo-therapy, and last I knew, was doing okay. The cancer was in remission but they had to keep an eye on him all the time.

In contrast, the vaudeville, TV, and movie star George Burns smoked a cigar every day of his life until he died at age 100. Go figure.

You know, life is short. If us "good" people deny ourselves every little pleasure, one day we'll regret it, especially if our own life ends too soon and those we consider wicked live full, prosperous lives long after we ourselves are passed away.

● Ecc 7:17-18 . . . On the other hand, don't be too wicked either-- don't be a fool! Why should you die before your time? So try to walk a middle course-- but those who fear God will succeed either way.

The recommendation in that passage is to do everything in moderation. That's the key. Excess is what ruins people-- too much tobacco, too much coffee, too much gambling, too much education, too much ignorance, too much quarreling, too much sugar and fatty foods, too much alcohol, too much work, too much play and even too much religion. Too much of anything is bad; even too much recreation. Everyone knows that, but no one takes it to heart. Some abstain from everything thinking to make themselves ultra pious. But piety is not found in excessive self-denial. After all, God created all things for Man to enjoy, rather than abstain from them. (1Tim 6:17)

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Ecclesiastes 7:19-22


● Ecc 7:19 . .Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

It's not too difficult to find city managers with lots of political savvy, but at the same time, too many are irresponsible adults who can't be trusted with either money or power.

The wise man is circumspect; which Webster's defines as careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences, i.e. the wise man is smart enough, and prudent enough, to decide upon a course of action that's best for everyone rather than only for himself and/or special interests.

● Ecc 7:20 . . For there is not one good man on earth who does what is best and doesn't err.

Solomon was a keen observer of people in power. He knew they couldn't be trusted. Too many people look to government to improve their quality of life and to remedy society's ills. That is a bad habit because human government is made up of human beings, and human beings cannot be trusted to always do what is right because they have private ambitions, axes to grind, hands to shake, boots to lick, favors to repay, promises to keep, opportunities to grab, and friends to curry. They also have mental, physical, and emotional problems that effect their judgment and sometimes put them in a bad mood. Sometimes they drink, which loosens them up and often disposes them to do things that are not in the public's best interests.

Only the foolish believe their government to be as pure and honest as the angels of God. They aren't. They weren't in Solomon's day; and they sure aren't now. The voters who put their hero in office, believing him to be a Messiah capable of healing their country's ills and giving people hope, are often very disappointed to discover he's just another cheap politician with a charismatic persona and feet of clay rather than gold.

● Ecc 7:21-22 . . Finally, don't pay attention to everything that is said, so that you may not hear your slave reviling you; for well you remember the many times that you yourself have reviled others.

There are some instances in life where ignorance is truly bliss; and this is one of them. Some people just have to know everything others are saying about them. That's not a good idea. People are only human, and humans love to gossip and say negative things about others. If you are prone to talk about others, then it is a sure bet others are prone to talk about you, because they are just as human as you. Solomon advised against being overly wise and overly foolish. I would add: don't be overly sensitive.

The golden rule applies here as well as any other place: Do unto others as you would like it done unto you. So don't crowd people or monitor their conversations like Big Brother or something. They need to be free to talk about you; just as you need freedom to talk about them.

But beware of vicious gossips and rumor mongers. Some of us talk about others for fun and don't really mean anything by it; but some are out to stir up trouble and deliberately assassinate reputations. They come up to you and say: "You should hear what so and so is saying about you". People like that are a menace to society.

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Ecclesiastes 7:23-27


● Ecc 7:23-25 . . All this I tested with wisdom. I thought I could fathom it, but it eludes me. [The secret of] what happens is elusive and deep, deep down; who can discover it? I put my mind to studying, exploring, and seeking wisdom and the reason of things, and to studying wickedness, stupidity, madness, and folly.

Well; Solomon is not the first one to grapple with the mystery of life and fail to make any sense out of it. Many famous philosophers of the past came up empty handed too. The happiest people seem to be those who don't think very deep. They just live out their lives like a nutria or a dragonfly without the slightest concern about their origin nor the way things are, nor of the future. Maybe they have the right idea after all.

● Ecc 7:26-27 . . Now, I find woman more bitter than death; she is all traps, her hands are fetters and her heart is snares. He who is pleasing to God escapes her, and he who is displeasing is caught by her. See, this is what I found, said Koheleth, item by item in my search for the reason of things.

Most men "under the sun" would agree with Solomon that women are a necessary evil; and mostly evil. "You can't live with 'em, and you can't live without 'em." How many times I've heard unhappy men sound that lament.

According to Gen 2:18-24, God created Woman so the male would have a supportive friend; a certain somebody who understands him and relates to him; someone he could lean on. Adam discovered that animals can't relate to Man, unless of course a particular man happens to be an animal himself. One of my all-time favorite bumper stickers goes like this:

MEN ARE NOT PIGS!
Pigs Are Gentle, Sensitive, Intelligent Animals.

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Ecclesiastes 7:28-29


● Ecc 7:28a . . As for what I sought further but did not find,

Apparently, the thing that Solomon sought further (in addition to the investigations he has made up to this point) was a human being free from the foibles of human nature. Is it actually possible that the world cannot produce even one single human being who is 100% rational and sensible?

● Ecc 7:28b . . I found only one human being in a thousand, and the one I found among so many was never a woman.

(chuckle) If left up to Solomon, America would never have a female President.

His comment doesn't mean Solomon did actually find a truly 100% percent sensible person; only that he found one that was sensible in his own opinion; which is a subjective evaluation. That kind of determination has no value in reality because it's a judgment based upon one's own personal (and possibly biased) point of view. Although it appears in that verse that Solomon is being terribly sexist about the intelligence of women; he isn't actually suggesting there are no sensible women at all, but that in his own personal experience, sensible women were even more rare than sensible men.

In the movie "As Good As It Gets" one of the main characters (a writer played by Jack Nicholson) was asked by an admirer how he was able to understand women so well— knowing what goes on in their hearts and minds and putting it down on paper. He answered; "I start with a man, and take away reason and accountability." (chuckle) Nicholson's character, by the way, was a very self-centered, obsessive-compulsive individual who harbored some strong anti-social opinions about women and LGBT.

● Ecc 7:29a . . But, see, this I did find: God made men plain,

Plain can mean simple or uncomplicated; which seems to be exactly what he's saying. God made Man an uncomplicated being; but he didn't stay that way.

● Ecc 7:29b . . but they have engaged in too much reasoning.

The word for "reasoning" is from chishshabown (khish-shaw-bone') which means: a mental or mechanical contrivance, i.e. a warlike machine or a mental machination, e.g. sophistry and rationale.

Some people do tend to complicate everything by over-thinking. They can't just take things as they are, and let things happen. No, they have to complicate everything. Then there are those who can't permit themselves to accept anything they don't understand. So their minds remain forever vacillating in a limbo between two opinions. They're indecisive, and oftentimes insecure, because for minds like that, there are no absolutes and no way of knowing what's for real and what's not for real. So they're forever stalling with yeah-but, maybe, possible, could be, and what-if.

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Ecclesiastes 8:1-5


● Ecc 8:1-2a . .Who is like the wise man, and who knows the meaning of the adage : A man's wisdom lights up his face, so that his deep discontent is dissembled? -- I do!

There's another way to say some of that.

"Crafty people know how to hide their true feelings."

Every day I'm asked by somebody; "Hey, how's it going?" or "How are you today?" Of course I always smile and say; "Great" or "Okay" but inside I might not be having a good day at all. People don't want to hear about your problems. Sometimes just for fun I'll answer those kinds of greetings with; "I'm blue, depressed, overweight, in ill health, despondent, and wish I was never born." Or I'll say; "I feel pretty good; for a guy my age." (chuckle) Those always gets a reaction.

● Ecc 8:2b . . Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God.

An oath taken "before God" may not seem valid to an atheist, but when the wording is formal; as in legally binding oaths required for various government positions, then the oath becomes enough rope to hang yourself with if you go back on it.

● Ecc 8:3-5a . . Leave his presence; do not tarry in a dangerous situation, for he can do anything he pleases; inasmuch as a king’s command is authoritative, and none can say to him: What are you doing? One who obeys orders will not suffer from the dangerous situation.

In Solomon's day, it wasn't wise to provoke a king, nor to interfere with his business, nor to block his way when he came down your street. Kings were despotic monarchs: they answered to no one, and could have people executed at whim all without the bother of due process. This is still true today in a number of nations. Every year, Parade magazine publishes a list of the world's ten worst dictators. Those men practice a degree of tyranny that you definitely do not want to oppose if perchance you're one of their citizens.

● Ecc 8:5b . . A wise man, however, will bear in mind that there is a time of doom.

No matter who you are, or how high your station in life, no one is above the law. Those who become just a little too familiar with kings, dictators, and presidents, sometimes think their association with those high-ranking leaders gives them some sort of immunity. That's when they get careless, goof up and cross over a line; and the ruler, who in the past was their friend, then becomes their dread enemy.

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Ecclesiastes 8:6-8


● Ecc 8:6-7 . . for there is a time and a judgment for everything. Yet it is a great affliction for man that he is ignorant of what is to come; for who will make known to him how it will be?

We have to expect to get caught up sometimes in circumstances beyond our control. Often those circumstances are unforeseen and blindside us-- they catch us off guard, and unprepared to cope with them.

Sometimes in the performance of duty, or in compliance with the law, (serving King, country, or employer) people have to do unpleasant things in order to avoid unpleasant consequences; e.g. young men in the Marines may be called to go kill people they've never met; or construction workers may have to destroy crucial habitat for a mall; or friends may be subpoenaed to testify in court against their buddies.

Sure they could refuse to go off to war, and they could refuse to drive a bulldozer through wetland habitat, and they could refuse to testify. But there is a price to pay for anarchy and insubordination. The young Marine could be prosecuted for dereliction of duty, the construction guy would most likely be fired, and the friend who refuses to help the law convict their buddy could be hauled into court for the crime of misprision. Those kinds of circumstances are cold, hard facts of life; they are a normal part of the human experience. They come at us like juggernauts; big-foot trucks that crush us under their tires; permanently altering our personalities and the way we feel about ourselves.

● Ecc 8:8 . . No man has authority over the life-breath-- to hold back the life-breath; there is no authority over the day of death. There is no mustering out from that war; wickedness is powerless to save its owner.

The ultimate life-changing circumstance-- DEATH --is the supreme circumstance, the undefeated champ, rated as among those beyond our control. No king can stop it from laying claim to his life; as if it were one of his subjects. No draft dodger can run away to Canada to avoid Death's induction. Death's time cannot be delayed by failure to appear in court.

One day; in spite of anyone's strong objections to the contrary, our number will come up-- at that time no matter who we are, or who we were, we will die; and it matters little how, or when, or where we depart. The world was getting along just fine without us before we arrived, and it will do just fine without us after we're gone. A supervisor once told me; "Cliff, don't ever think you can't be replaced."

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Ecclesiastes 8:9-13


● Ecc 8:9 . . All these things I observed; I noted all that went on under the sun, while men still had authority over men to treat them unjustly.

Solomon's venue throughout the book of Ecclesiastes is "under the sun". It's important to always keep that in mind or risk getting the wrong impression from his sayings. His is not a book of inspired doctrine; but rather of inspired philosophy from the perspective of an earthy man rather than a heavenly man.

I have personally experienced Solomon's observation on several of the internet forums I've been on in the last fifteen years. I have been given infractions by forum managers for flaming based solely on complaints lodged by somebody whose nose got bent over something I posted. I was summarily convicted of flaming without the prosecution first establishing intent of malice. That is not only unjust, but it isn't even rational jurisprudence in a land where the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. (emphasis upon proven).

Another unjust habit that internet forum managers have is that of construing the language of their rules to mean whatever suits their purpose. Forum contributors don't stand a chance against those kinds of arbitrary management practices.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin eliminated threats to his power through Purge Trials and widespread secret executions and persecution of his own fellow Soviet citizens. He left behind a legacy of repression and fear as well as industrial and military power. Stalin rid himself of all potential rivals in the party, first by having many of them condemned as deviationists, and later by ordering them executed.

To ensure his position and to push forward "socialism in one country" he put the Soviet Union on a crash course of collectivization and industrialization. An estimated 25 million farmers were forced onto state farms. Collectivization alone killed as many as 14.5 million Soviet people, and Russia's agricultural output was reduced by 25 percent, according to some estimates.

Stalin is only one example of the many oppressive rulers in the course of human history, like Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Robert Mugabe, Hosni Mubarak, and Kim Jong Il who use and abuse their citizens; instead of managing countries for the country's good, these kinds of rulers manage countries for their own personal good. Their citizens are valued as commodities rather than fellow men.

● Ecc 8:10a . . And then I saw scoundrels coming from the Holy Site and being brought to burial

It is truly amazing how the wicked of the world have the nerve to attend church and synagogue. Where's their conscience? And then their families have the chutzpah to make sure the wicked get honorable, Church sanctioned funerals when they die!

Paul Castellano-- John J. Gotti's predecessor as boss of the Gambino clan --was denied a funeral mass in 1985 based upon the notoriety of his background. The decision was backed up by canon law, which prohibits funeral Masses that would engender public scandal among the faithful.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Rome can deny a Mass of Christian Burial in the case of those persons who have not lived in communion with Rome according to the maxim which comes down from the time of Pope Leo the Great: (448) quibus viventibus non communicavimus mortuis communicare non possumus (We cannot hold communion in death with those who in life were not in communion with us).

● Ecc 8:10b . . while such as had acted righteously were forgotten in the city.

Many good people often live out their lives in total obscurity, never basking in any limelight nor making a name for themselves. Their funerals? You won't see them on a nationally televised broadcast.

● Ecc 8:10c-13 . . And here is another frustration: the fact that the sentence imposed for evil deeds is not executed swiftly, which is why men are emboldened to do evil-- the fact that a sinner may do evil a hundred times and his [punishment] still be delayed. For although I am aware that it will be well with those who revere God since they revere Him, and it will not be well with the scoundrel, and he will not live long, because he does not revere God.

Justice is indeed slow, especially if the accused has lots of money because their lawyers can tie up the courts for as long as ten years with appeals and continuances.

BTW: John J. Gotti died in 2002. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn finally did permit a mass of Christian burial for Mr. Gotti but only after he was in the ground. Still it just seems so preposterous to grant a man like that any kind of Christian burial let alone one garnished with a high mass.

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Ecclesiastes 8:14-17


● Ecc 8:14 . . here is a frustration that occurs in the world: sometimes an upright man is requited according to the conduct of the scoundrel; and sometimes the scoundrel is requited according to the conduct of the upright. I say all that is frustration.

Nowhere is that principle more evident than in group discipline. The military commonly punishes an entire platoon for the bad conduct of just one man. In that scenario, there is no individual justice; but collective justice; so that the innocent suffer right along with the guilty. The same effect occurs in group rewards. The people who performed well get no more honor than the people who did poorly because the group as a whole gets the credit; not the individual.

Injustice of that nature is indeed frustrating; but nevertheless, unavoidable under the sun.

● Ecc 8:15 . . I therefore praised enjoyment. For the only good a man can have under the sun is to eat and drink and enjoy himself. That much can accompany him, in exchange for his wealth, through the days of life that God has granted him under the sun.

There are some things in life; like injustice, that we just have to accept. To fret about it is totally a waste of precious life and energy. It is far better to cope, to adjust, to adapt, and to enjoy life as best as possible with what you have at hand to work with and within the circumstances wherein you find yourself imprisoned.

● Ecc 8:16 . . For I have set my mind to learn wisdom and to observe the business that goes on in the world-- even to the extent of going without sleep day and night--

Well; Solomon was one of the filthy rich and could afford to lose some sleep now and then, but working men dare not deprive themselves of sleep. They need their rest; and don't need to lay awake nights fretting over things in the world that are beyond their IQ, and beyond their control.

● Ecc 8:17 . . and I have observed all that God brings to pass. Indeed, man cannot guess the events that occur under the sun. For man tries strenuously, but fails to guess them; and even if a sage should think to discover them he would not be able to guess them.

The View Point Inn, perched along the rim of the Columbia Gorge in Oregon, was slowly sinking into financial ruin for lack of business. Then, out of the blue, the production company of the first of the Twilight series of movies selected the inn for Edward's and Bella's prom scene. Subsequently the inn became a popular tourist attraction, and co-owner Geoff Thomson said the inn's business improved 30 to 40 percent. You just never know what a day will bring forth.

Chess masters can often see twelve moves ahead. But they cannot see into their opponent's mind. Just when the master thinks he has the game figured out, his opponent launches an unsuspected strategy and throws the master's calculations off and he must begin to calculate a different twelve moves ahead than before.

Solomon may have been just a bit too superstitious in this regard. He seemed to think that God's hand is in everything. Although that really isn't true, it is a pretty good way for a philosopher to explain away things that we can neither control, alter, foresee, understand, nor do anything about.

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Ecclesiastes 9:1-3


● Ecc 9:1 . . For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether [it will be] love or hatred; anything awaits him.

That was certainly true of Joseph. He was a very good boy; favored by God, yet sold into Egyptian slavery by his own kin. Same with John the baptizer. He too was a good, and wise, man-- the forerunner of Christ. Yet at the young age of thirty, still in the prime of his life, he was beheaded at the whim of a silly young girl whose dancing happened to please a tetrarch. God did nothing to prevent it. Are any of us any safer?

● Ecc 9:2-3a . . For the same fate is in store for all: for the righteous, and for the wicked; for the good and pure, and for the impure; for him who sacrifices, and for him who does not; for him who is pleasing, and for him who is displeasing; and for him who swears, and for him who shuns oaths. That is the sad thing about all that goes on under the sun: that the same fate is in store for all.

Oftentimes when people contract fatal diseases, they whine: "Why me" Answer: Why not? Yes, why not because we're all just lobsters in one of those fish tanks they have in sea food restaurants.. The cook gropes about and the lobster he catches is just a matter of chance. And eventually he gets them all, one by one.

It seemed to Solomon that good people shouldn't have to die. But actually, death is merciful. What if people lived forever? They would continue to age more and more till they were totally debilitated and looked like emaciated mummies. They would have to be carried around like baggage, completely dependent upon the young for subsistence; and forever enduring an unbearable quality of life.

● Ecc 9:3b . . (Not only that, but men's hearts are full of sadness, and their minds of madness, while they live; and then-- to the dead!)

The word for "madness" is from howlelah (ho-lay-law') which actually means folly; not insanity. Webster's defines folly as (1) a lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight, (2) criminally or tragically foolish actions or conduct, (3) a foolish act or idea, and (4) an excessively costly or unprofitable undertaking.

If we take the far view-- if we weigh the value of Man's thoughts and endeavors against the depth of eternity --then nothing a man under the sun does has any real meaning and purpose. After the earthly man lives out his pointless existence, he dies and rots away like common road kill.

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Ecclesiastes 9:4-10


● Ecc 9:4 . . For he who is reckoned among the living has something to look forward to-- even a live dog is better than a dead lion--

As long as people are still alive, there's always the thought that one day their ship might come in. But once you're dead, there are no more ships other than the one that ferries people across the river Styx.

● Ecc 9:5-6 . . since the living know they will die. But the dead know nothing; they have no more recompense, for even the memory of them has died. Their loves, their hates, their jealousies have long since perished; and they have no more share till the end of time in all that goes on under the sun.

On the face of things, those who have passed on experienced the final phase of life; the last item on their bucket list: and now have nothing left to do. They're all done. They were born (we all are) they lived (we all do) they died (we all will). And everybody not only experiences the final phase, but most everyone also experiences the common experiences of life-- love, hate, and rivalry. Every generation goes through the very same things while they're here.

● Ecc 9:7-10 . . Go, eat your bread in gladness, and drink your wine in joy; for your action was long ago approved by God. Let your clothes always be freshly washed, and your head never lack ointment. Enjoy happiness with a woman you love all the fleeting days of life that have been granted to you under the sun-- all your fleeting days. For that alone is what you can get out of life and out of the means you acquire under the sun. Whatever it is in your power to do, do with all your might. For there is no action, no reasoning, no learning, no wisdom in Sheol, where you are going.

That's the first, and the only time in Ecclesiastes where the word "sheol" appears. It's from the Hebrew words she'owl (sheh-ole') and/or sheol (sheh-ole') which are essentially equivalent to the New Testament's haides which was the ancient Greeks' world of the dead (usually subterranean; viz: the netherworld)

Sheol is often interpreted "grave". That's a good choice of words for the man under the sun, i.e. a rational man thinking to himself whose perception of reality is moderated by what he can see going on around him in the physical universe rather than what he cannot see going on around him in the non-physical sphere.

The man under the sun generally understands that he needs to squeeze every drop of juice out of the orange of life before it's too late. That is both sad and frustrating for many because circumstances will not permit them to enjoy life as much as they would like. They will never achieve their highest potential, never eat right, never dress right, never have a family of their own, never be pretty, never be handsome, never be thin, never be rich, never be intelligent, never be famous, never be popular, never have good health, and never have a home of their own-- the grave precludes the possibility of achieving any of that.

Since a lifetime is so little time to enjoy life, it's tragic that the good life is taken away from us so easily because there's simply not enough time in life to make up for lost time.

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Ecclesiastes 9:11-12


● Ecc 9:11a . . I again saw under the sun that the race is not [always] to the swift, and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise, nor wealth to the discerning, nor favor to men of ability;

Typically races are won by the swift, but if the swift should trip and fall, they will lose the race in spite of their superior speed. Battles are usually won by the valiant, not the timid. But again, not always. If the valiant are dunces, then the timid with brains can outsmart them. Food and money are usually plentiful in the homes of people who have a head on their shoulders; but again, if the wise should suddenly lose everything by an economic catastrophe; like the Wall Street collapse of 2008, then all the financial know-how in the world won't buy them a single loaf of bread down at the local Safeway.

The word "favor" is from chen (khane) which means: graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty). For some strange reason, nature allows only a relatively small percentage of beautiful people to have any brains or develop any really useful, productive skills. Most of the achievers in life, like chemists, astronomers, architects, mathematicians, writers, movie makers, physicists, engineers, and designers et al; are ordinary-looking people. The beautiful people are often dead wood (and dead heads). Whenever I look behind the scenes of really difficult movies like Inception, Matrix, Avatar, and Monsters Inc.; I'm amazed at the rather unexceptional looks of many of the makers of our favorite movies. They just don't appear to be all that smart and creative.

I noticed the same thing in my job as a Federal civilian employee. The headquarters in my district has a noticeable shortage of attractive men and women because the government, as a rule, doesn't hire people in respect to how well they fill out their clothes, but in respect to how well their minds work.

● Ecc 9:11b . . for time and chance overtake them all. /b]

There are no guarantees in life. It's a gamble. I know of a clerk in Costco who spent four years in college majoring in Sociology. There was plenty of demand for people with that kind of a degree when he entered college; but by the time he finished school, the demand had vanished and my graduate friend had to get a job as a fry cook in a Mongolian grill.

● Ecc 9:12 . . And a man cannot even know his time. As fishes are enmeshed in a fatal net, and as birds are trapped in a snare, so men are caught at the time of calamity, when it comes upon them without warning.

A machinist employed by the Corps of Engineers here in Portland Oregon where I once worked as a welder, volunteered to go and help out with the rescue and clean-up operation in New York after the World Trade Center was hit with airliners flown by Islamic extremists. On return, he remarked how he was puzzled by parking structures near ground zero full of very expensive autos like BMW, Corvette, and Lexus that were covered with dirt day after day. He wondered why the people who owned those beautiful cars never washed them.

Then he realized why. It was because those cars once belonged to commuters who worked in the Trade Center-- commuters who were caught by total surprise in the sudden destruction of not only their place of employment, but also of their very lives. Whatever they had planned for that day, was instantly canceled forever. The owners never dreamed that the miles they drove to work that day would be their very last.

Sudden-death incidents like that happen all the time. Not long ago actor Bill Paxton was in the hospital for treatment of an aortic aneurism when he suddenly died of a stroke on the operating table. It took his life right out of the blue like a stray bullet from a drive-by.

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