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1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
-Ecclesiastes 5:1 (NKJV)
Chapter 5 is a summary for what we’ve read so far but also serves as a transition for the next seven chapters.
We’re stuck within a cycle and even more distressing smaller cycles within bigger cycles. Life is just going in circles. Pursuing our own interests is not wrong, necessarily, but will not satisfy. Enjoying being in the moment can bring some relief, for a time, but will not satisfy in the long term. Focusing outwardly and helping others, having relationships and the like will provide some comfort and allow us to be useful but, is to a large degree self promoting and will not fulfill us completely. This can lead us to despair and despondency or if allowed to go unchecked-complete insanity (eventually). Nothing is more self destructive than a life of geometrically growing discontent.
What do we do?
The only thing which can save us is to have a higher purpose. We must have something greater than ourselves to which we belong to give context and meaning to our lives. Something outside of the trap of life we’re involuntarily a part of which will give us hope. We need someone to explain the chaos and the way through it and to reassure us there is light at the end of the tunnel and it’s worth sacrificing for.
There is however, one very important thing to consider…
When coming to God, it must be to learn, not making the mistake of believing it’s to teach. One very serious downside to those who’ve accomplished a lot in their personal life is the belief they’ve nothing to learn. One of the greatest lies to be told is that those who are successful in career, school, the secular world, etc. are automatically qualified to be in the ministry and lead people spiritually. Nothing could be further from the truth! Although someone has a long list of self aggrandizing honorifics after their name (PhD., mDiv, B.S., etc.) they may in fact be the least qualified to teach people about God. Theoretically, they’ve learned skills which can be applied to the ministry and should be helpful. In reality, they’ve built their house on a foundation of sand. Secular professors who are enamored with their false gods (Karl Marx, Che Guevarra, Howard Zinn and other hyper intellectualized imbecilic pseudo-intellectuals of their perversion) have codified the impressionable young minds with errors. The young minds, and older minds who are aroused by the philosophical pornography of those mentioned in the parentheses, are incapable or unwilling or both to recognize and correct those errors on their own. They should undergo years of training (deprogramming) by qualified elder boards before being allowed to play games with the eternal state of the flock they are unfortunately shepherding. This however, is a separate and very lengthy discussion of it’s own and not the main topic for this time.
What’s the point?
The point…
We have to understand our lives here are fleeting and brief (vanity) in respect to eternity. There’s a lot going on to keep us on edge and distracted and ineffective (chapter 5 verses 8-17). God has a sincere desire for us to thrive and be content. This is not an advertisement for any sort of prosperity gospel mindset. He does want us to be genuinely happy in the midst of our pursuits. The only way this can happen is to keep our eyes focused on Him throughout those pursuits and distractions and all the things which keep us on edge.
18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
-Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (NKJV)