Ecclesiastes 10 - 12

 Click HERE to read the passage.

Once again Solomon spews out one great proverb after another dealing with all kinds of issues. According to 12:11, the purpose of these pithy sayings are to “spur students to action and emphasize important truths.”  Here’s a few of them:

-          One stupid act of a wise and honorable man can ruin his reputation. (10:1)

-          You can tell whose wise and who’s foolish by the way they live. (10:2-3)

-          If your boss is angry with you, staying quiet and remorseful is the best way to go. (10:4)

-          Leaders often fail. They give fools a promotion, and fail to recognize those of proven worth. (10:5)

-          Life is full of risks, you can’t avoid them.

-          It’s foolish to get excited about your planned future, things can change!  (10:14)

-          Loose lips sink ships…as the saying goes.  (10:20)

-          Give generously to many. You never know who might help you in times of trouble. (11:1)

-          God’s ways are like the wind or the development of a baby in the womb – hard to know.

-          Advice for the young and old. The old should take advantage of enjoying every day they can for the day comes when you can’t do anything anymore.  As for the young, enjoy life to the fullest, but under the remembrance that God will judge everything you do!  (11:7-10)

 The last chapter of Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s summary.  Within it is advice to THE YOUNG! 

 He reminds them that while they still yet have their youth within them, their good eyesight, strong bodies, and the ability to go anywhere there is coming a day when all of that will come to a grinding halt. The body will no longer be able to walk far, your eyesight will grow dim, and you’ll no longer be able to do the things you’ve dreamed of doing. 

 As such, he encourages the young to take in life, enjoy it, but remember that God will one day judge them for ALL they’ve done. 

 In his final conclusion, Solomon writes in 12: 13-14 – “Here is the final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.”

 Life is meaningless without God, and without an understand of His purpose for life.  To really enjoy life, enjoy what you have, don’t complain about what you don’t have, seek wisdom, take note of how short life is and make the most of it, and remember that one day we all must give account to God.