Yes! There is Good News! August 18, 2018

Is there good news in examining a poem closely? If it is in God’s word there is!

I mentioned in a previous article that Solomon wrote this book of Ecclesiastes, which I believe is his book of repentance. And in the 12th chapter Solomon has an admonition for all of us. “Remember your creator” before it’s too late. “Remember Him before the silver cord is severed or the golden bowl is broken. Before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the breath returns to God who gave it.” What a beautiful ending to a remarkable poem.

We have, here in these first 7 verses of Ecclesiastes 12, a short yet vivid picture of the aging process. So why have we come to study this poem in our article about “good news”?

We began four weeks ago considering the question “Do you find satisfaction through the things you accomplish in your life day to day? And as an aid in answering this important question, I suggested we take a look at the book of Ecclesiastes. In it we saw Solomon suggesting that the things done in this life, for purely secular and selfish reasons are a chasing after the wind and are utterly meaningless. The truth of the matter is, anything we strive for in this world (i.e. “under the sun”) has little or no value if we have no hope of achieving entrance into the kingdom of God.

Let’s look again at an entry from that previous article: “There is a book in the bible that, in my opinion, addresses this subject. It is a book that I enjoy reading when the things of this life have gotten me down. It has the tendency to help me center myself in the true meaning and reason that God has placed us here on earth. The book of Ecclesiastes is a part of the bible called The Wisdom Literature.”

As I read this book and slowly ponder its words, I consider the joy I get from serving a true and living and mighty and wonderful God!!! I begin to forget my failures and frustrations and begin to let God erase them from my heart. I ponder the joy of the blessing He has given to me. I can once again “stand in awe of the works of His hands” and see and feel the beauty of His creation. When read in this fashion, the book of Ecclesiastes can truly refresh.

The reality in all of this? It becomes clear to me that it is all about God and not about me. And so I come to the conclusion of the matter: chapter 12 verse 10, “The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. The word of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails – given by one Shepherd. … Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”