Old Sayings for a New Time

Any of these sayings sound familiar:
“All is vanity…”
“There is nothing new under the sun”
“There is a season to everything”
“Two are better than one…”
“A good name is better than…”
“The fastest runner does not always win the race”
“Cast your bread upon the waters.”
“God makes everything beautiful in His time” 

All are from Ecclesiastes, a sometimes overlooked book in the Old Testament. Our ladies’ Bible Study groups are doing a survey of the book, which most scholars agree Solomon wrote. Even with Solomon’s great God-given wisdom, the early verses in the book suggest a frustration with work, a lack of purpose, and failed outcomes leaving life meaningless and empty. Soon we discover the problem lies with the perspective. Do we work for man’s applause? How often do we engage in activities that are self-indulgent and for our own personal gain? 

In studying Solomon’s life, one will discover he asked God for great wisdom, and this gift was afforded him. Early on, he did make extraordinary efforts to achieve much for God’s glory, especially in building the Temple. Overtime, he began to indulge in many vices outside of God’s will, to include many foreign wives which diluted the faith. it is estimated Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He also began to believe in his own greatness. His perspective became worldly, a secular worldview of success. To know God exists is not enough. A relationship with God, the One True Source of joy, is the Christian perspective.

“Teach us to number our days that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 To seek God’s wisdom is a worthy endeavor, but even more important is to seek a relationship with God. Trusting the Sovereignty of God and counting our days serving Him as both useful and purposeful will help us develop a heart of wisdom. Our dependence on a Holy God defines our faith. God is the Source of all wisdom, and our purpose is to glorify Him. -dho