Daily Bread for Jul 25, Ecc 5-8

Today’s readings are Ecc 5-8.

In the first four chapters, the writer calls for people to fear God for His sovereignty. Now, in Ecc 5:1-7, he calls to fear God for His holiness and perfect righteousness. In considering this, we are reminded of our own lack of holiness and purity and our dependence on God for His grace. We are also made acutely aware that our lives should be characterized by submission to God rather than imposing our expectations upon Him.

The rest of Ecc 5:8-20 deals with the futility and folly of trying to accumulate material wealth which is temporary and of no eternal value.

While Ecc 5:19 speaks of acceptance of the things God provides, Ecc 6:2 begins a section that details the frustration in wanting more and more wealth, possessions or honor. In other words, it demonstrates the difference between setting our sights on worldly things at the expense of heavenly things.

Ecc 7 marks the contrasts between godly wisdom and folly repeatedly labeling those who forsake godly wisdom as fools. Ecc 7:14 reveals that God gives us the day of prosperity as well as the day of adversity. The writer advises us to avoid being wicked or foolish (Ecc 7:17), to not be overly sensitive to what people say about us (Ecc 7:21), to pursue wisdom (Ecc 7:19) and to understand that no one is truly righteous (Ecc 7:20).

Ecc 8 tells us that the way to avoid all the pitfalls mentioned in the previous chapters is to obey the Lord and keep His commandments.