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Day 8 Ecclesiastes 8 Ecclesiastes 8:1 Who is as the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 2 I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he does whatsoever pleases him. 4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What do thou? 5 Whoso keeps the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment. 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. 7 For he knows not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? 8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. 9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man rules over another to his own hurt. 10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. 11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he fears not before God. 14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. 15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun. 16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night sees sleep with his eyes:) 17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it. Have you determined to know as much as you can about everything that interests you? Some people I know seem to know everything. I can ask them any question, and they have the answer. Are you like that? Solomon determined to know as much as he could about everything. He said he saw and applied his heart to know every work under the sun. In his day, that was a lot, and he was a businessman, entrepreneur in many different works. He kept vineyards, was an architect, built the temple of God, known as Solomon’s Temple, his homes, and an irrigation system. As the king of Israel, he needed to know the law of God as well as the priests, as God commanded that the king read the law daily. Therefore, Solomon applied his heart and mind to God’s Law, and his strength to physical labor. As Christians, you are told to labor for the Lord until Christ’s return. That is applying your heart and mind to reading and obeying God’s Word, and working with your hands, providing for yourself and your family. Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needs. You see the purpose for working – to give to those in need. There are those who need your help because they don’t have the means or ability to work. In helping those in need, you can also teach them the basics. As the story goes: give a person a fish and he’ll have food for a day, teach a person to fish, and he’ll have food for a lifetime. When you teach a person how to grow their own food, and do simple things with their hands, you are providing a means for that person to provide for their family, and in so doing you are giving them a sense of self-esteem and honor. As you do, you are honoring God, and fulfilling God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself. Solomon’s conclusion was that no matter how wise you are, you will never know everything God gave to man, but you can learn as much as you can and in doing so, honor God in everything you do. Let’s pray: Father, help me give what I can to those in need, helping them, teaching them, and showing them your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 8 August 2017 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay