"REMEMBER ALSO YOUR CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH, BEFORE THE EVIL DAYS COME AND THE YEARS DRAW NEAR WHEN YOU WILL SAY, "I HAVE NO DELIGHT IN THEM";"REMEMBER ALSO YOUR CREATOR" -In addition to remembering that you must eventually stand before God in judgment (Ecclesiastes 11:9), remember that it... [ Continue Reading ]
"BEFORE THE SUN, THE LIGHT, THE MOON, AND THE STARS ARE DARKENED, AND CLOUDS RETURN AFTER THE RAIN;"BEFORE THE SUN" -note the declining order, the sun, which is the most powerful giver of light, then the moon, then the stars, which are the bearers of the faintest light. Some think this is an illusio... [ Continue Reading ]
"IN THE DAY THAT THE WATCHMEN OF THE HOUSE TREMBLE, AND MIGHTY MEN STOOP, THE GRINDING ONES STAND IDLE BECAUSE THEY ARE FEW, AND THOSE WHO LOOK THROUGH WINDOWS GROW DIM;"WATCHMEN OF THE HOUSE TREMBLE" -"Likened to. great house in decline, it's former glories of power, style, liveliness and hospitali... [ Continue Reading ]
"AND THE DOORS ON THE STREET ARE SHUT AS THE SOUND OF THE GRINDING MILL IS LOW, AND ONE WILL ARISE AT THE SOUND OF THE BIRD, AND ALL THE DAUGHTERS OF SONG WILL SING SOFTLY"."DOORS ON THE STREET ARE SHUT" -i.e. on the street side. Some say this refers to the picture of the lips sinking in, due to the... [ Continue Reading ]
"FURTHERMORE, MEN ARE AFRAID OF. HIGH PLACE AND OF TERRORS ON THE ROAD; THE ALMOND TREE BLOSSOMS, THE GRASSHOPPER DRAGS HIMSELF ALONG, AND THE CAPERBERRY IS INEFFECTIVE. FOR MAN GOES TO HIS ETERNAL HOME WHILE MOURNERS GO ABOUT IN THE STREET." "afraid of. high place and of terrors on the road" -the... [ Continue Reading ]
"REMEMBER HIM BEFORE THE SILVER CORD IS BROKEN AND THE GOLDEN BOWL IS CRUSHED, THE PITCHER BY THE WELL IS SHATTERED AND THE WHEEL AT THE CISTERN IS CRUSHED;"BEFORE" -this verse goes back to the admonition found in Ecclesiastes 12:1. God is admonishing all young people to seriously consider what the... [ Continue Reading ]
"THEN THE DUST WILL RETURN TO THE EARTH AS IT WAS, AND THE SPIRIT WILL RETURN TO GOD WHO GAVE IT."THEN" -following the moment of death. The physical body will immediately begin the process of decay, and the spirit will return to its Creator. Man is. dual being (James 2:26). Here we see the vanity of... [ Continue Reading ]
"VANITY OF VANITIES," SAYS THE PREACHER, "ALL IS VANITY!" This is. conclusion summing up Solomon's observations of this physical world or life under the sun. He has indeed proven his point. "Having demonstrated the limitations of all human efforts (Ecclesiastes 1:12-Ecclesiastes 6:9) and of all hum... [ Continue Reading ]
"IN ADDITION TO BEING. WISE MAN, THE PREACHER ALSO TAUGHT THE PEOPLE KNOWLEDGE; AND HE PONDERED, SEARCHED OUT AND ARRANGED MANY PROVERBS." Solomon didn't not merely possess wisdom or. high IQ, but made good use of it for the instruction of others. And neither was Solomon. proud thinker who has not... [ Continue Reading ]
"THE PREACHER SOUGHT TO FIND DELIGHTFUL WORDS AND TO WRITE WORDS OF TRUTH CORRECTLY."FIND DELIGHTFUL WORDS" -"Made search for words which were pleasing" (Bas); "He did not hastily record what he sought to impart but implies. careful search after the most acceptable 'right' terms for conveying the me... [ Continue Reading ]
"THE WORDS OF WISE MEN ARE LIKE GOADS, AND MASTERS OF THESE COLLECTIONS ARE LIKE WELL-DRIVEN NAILS; THEY ARE GIVEN BY ONE SHEPHERD." "words of wise man are like goads" -"The goad was. rod with an iron spike, or sharpened at the end used for driving oxen (Judges 3:31; 1 Samuel 12:21; Acts 9:5)" (P.P... [ Continue Reading ]
"BUT BEYOND THIS, MY SON, BE WARNED: THE WRITING OF MANY BOOKS IS ENDLESS, AND EXCESSIVE DEVOTION TO BOOKS IS WEARYING TO THE BODY."BE WARNED" -"Curiously enough, as verse 12 perceives, this may not suit us. We grow addicted to research itself, in love with our hard questions. An answer would spoil... [ Continue Reading ]
"THE CONCLUSION, WHEN ALL HAS BEEN HEARD IS: FEAR GOD AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, BECAUSE THIS APPLIES TO EVERY PERSON."THE CONCLUSION" -lit., 'the sum of all'. The final result after all is learned. "WHEN ALL HAS BEEN HEARD" -The point is that no matter "how much" could be said…we would always reac... [ Continue Reading ]
"FOR GOD WILL BRING EVERY ACT TO JUDGMENT, EVERYTHING WHICH IS HIDDEN, WHETHER IT IS GOOD OR EVIL." Points To Note: 2 "with the final blow that is sharp enough to hurt, but shrewd enough to jolt us out of apathy. It kills complacency to know that nothing goes unnoticed and unassessed, not even the... [ Continue Reading ]