Ecclesiastes 7:14

"In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider----God has made the one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything that will be after him."be happy….consider" -"God brings both prosperity and recession. When times are good, one should enjoy the prosperity; when times are bad, one should reflect on the fact that this too is from God's hand" (Garrett p. 321). Compare with Philippians 4:10-13. Note the word "consider". Instead of complaining, reflect! Instead of being tempted to find fault with God's management of this world, learn from the hardship (Psalms 119:71). "a little classic on the right approach to good times and bad, which is to accept both from God for what they can give: not with the Stoic's impassiveness, nor with the restlessness of those who cannot bring themselves to accept. bonus with delight, or. blow with an open and reflective mind" (Kidner p. 68).

Points To Note:

1 Those who can come to terms with the above verse will find peace. Those who can't, are destined to live. life that is frustrating. 2. In good times don't become arrogant, rather be thankful. In hardship, don't abandon or blame God, rather, grasp and learn those lessons which only hardship can deliver (Romans 5:3). 3. But how many people resent the bad times, and then miss the good times because they are always saying, "This can't last for long,. know something bad is right around the corner".

"may not discover anything that will be after him" -This doesn't apply to the afterlife, for the righteous know what the future holds beyond this life (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Rather, this applies to the events in this life (James 4:14). No man can predict the future, God mingles good days and bad, so that man never knows what tomorrow may hold. Such. verse should humble us and clip the wings of our self-sufficiency. We can either rebel against this fact of life, resent it or determine to prove God wrong on this point, or we can accept it, be thankful that we don't have to worry about the future, for such would be pointless, and realize that the unpredictable future is always in the hands of. faithful God. Even the wise can't predict the future. This should be. warning to every investor or forecaster. Just about the time that you think that you have every trend understood, figured out and predicted, God will throw you. curve ball.

The Proper Application Of Religion

In this section Solomon isn't arguing that trying to serve God is. waste of time, for that would contradict the conclusion of the book (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Rather, he is correcting an abuse in religion. He is reminding all of us that prosperity isn't. sure indication of God's approval and hardship isn't. sure indication of God's disapproval. In every age some religious people have gotten the idea that serving God will result in automatic material gain and protection from all physical adversities.