Solomon

Tonight, while enjoying some new bath salts, I read the book of Ecclesiastes. It's been a while since I've had a good read through this book and, as usual, it did not disappoint. One of the verses that struck me the most tonight and actually made me laugh out loud was this one:

Enjoy Life with the One You Love

7.Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

8.Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.

9.Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10.Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)

Look at verse 9 in particular. I had to laugh because the first two verses just drip with Gospel, and it seems to be continuing until that word "vain" slips in and you are brought back to reality. Oh yea, this is all just stupid sinful life and we're all, righteous by Christ and unrighteous alike, on our march to death. 

I laughed to my husband that in one word it's like Solomon went from this sweet Gospel speaking man to him: 

Look into my eyes!!!

And yet, all joking aside, in a way this photo is very appropriate. None of us can escape death or the lairs and traps of this evil life. It is awful, it is wretched, and evil happens to those made righteous by Christ and evil alike...as do blessings.

I thought more about Solomon when I had finished the book. Here you have the richest and wisest of all men of all time. And yet over and over he laments his wisdom...earthly human wisdom, even the greatest of all wisdom, is nothing, NOTHING in comparison with the wisdom of God that only He possesses. For none of us can comprehend the ways of God.

So what is left? To eat, drink, be merry, and to set about our work that we have been given to do.

And I am sure in time this will be added to me but there is also a time to weep. A time to mourn. A time to fast.

It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Ecclesiastes 7: 2-4)

Brokenness, trials, suffering...they strip us naked of all false hopes, of all conceit, of all idols, it leaves us face to face with our ultimate fear: ultimate failure and utter ruin...damnation. But when we open our eyes to come face to face with the enemy, instead, those who have been baptized into Christ see this instead:

photo credit

He is already there, He has already conquered. You are saved.

For a time we fast. We fast to acknowledge the brokenness, to tell our flesh that it is not our Lord, and to pray, Lord come. But after awhile we lift our heads up and are fed by our Lord and then we must keep on in the work He has given us to do. For it is all there is until He comes for us. May we be merry in our doing.