Bible Study Solomon's Pessimism

[hawkman]

No offense; but I have no interest in determining anything about you nor any other
member of the forum.
_

Well that is fine with me , let me ask a different way in a generic fashion .

This book refers to the
supreme being in a general sense; sort of like the common expressions: "Thank
God nobody got hurt" and/or "God forbid!" and/or "An act of God". There's nothing
particularly reverent in those kinds of expressions.

Explain why the expression , "Thank God nobody got hurt " could not be reverent . Wouldn't the heart of the person saying the expression be the deciding factor of the reverence ?

 

[Beetow]

Explain why the expression , "Thank God nobody got hurt " could not be reverent . Wouldn't the
heart of the person saying the expression be the deciding factor of the reverence ?

Consider the context. We're dealing with a collection of sayings in the Bible that are
basically philosophical, i.e. Ecclesiastes is one man's observations of life "under the
sun" In other words: in this book, Solomon's thoughts express a natural perspective
rather than a spiritual perspective.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 3:1 . . A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under
heaven.

This next section smacks of fatalism and predestination, but actually it only speaks
of events that are quite normal and commonplace under the sun.

● Ecc 3:2a . . A time for being born and a time for dying,

Every person experiences a birth, and each will experience a death too. Birth
and death are like appointments. As soon as a women senses that she has
conceived, she knows it's only a matter of time before she gives birth to a child so
she has to begin planning for its arrival. Same with death. We all know we're going
to die some day; it's just a matter of time.

But the problem with death is its stealth. We're young only till somewhere in our
mid thirties and then to our horror begin to gradually wither. One of the biggest
surprises of Billy Graham's life was age. He always believed he would die some day,
but Billy wasn't prepared to get old first. His is not an unusual case. Most of us
readily anticipate death; but seldom anticipate losing form and function along the
way there.

● Ecc 3:2b . . a time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;

Farmers are constantly cultivating, planting, harvesting-- and then tilling what's left
after the harvest to prepare for the next crop.

● Ecc 3:3a . . a time for slaying and a time for healing,

A rabid dog has to be put down. But when your pet is hit by a car, you take it to the
vet.

● Ecc 3:3b . . a time for tearing down and a time for building up;

My dad worked many hours with his bare hands building us a home when I was a
kid. He sold it when I was 11 years old. Twenty-three years later, all of dad's hard
work was torn down and hauled off to make way for an RV storage lot; and the
property denuded of trees and scraped bare by bulldozers. It's like we were never
even there.

● Ecc 3:4a . . a time for weeping and a time for laughing,

Sometimes people laugh and weep all at the same time; like at a wedding.

● Ecc 3:4b . . a time for wailing and a time for dancing;

In a war, the victors celebrate and the vanquished mourn-- like in professional
sports. The cameras always show the winners elated, jumping up and down,
clapping themselves on the back, emoting for the press, and pouring ice water on
the coach; but over on the other side, the losers are all glum and silent and
dragging themselves back to the locker room.

● Ecc 3:5a . . a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,

It would be nice if the Palestinians would follow that and pick up after themselves
when they're done pelting Israeli soldiers.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 3:5b . . a time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;

Sometimes lovers and friends need to make up and settle their differences before
they hug.

● Ecc 3:6a . . a time for seeking and a time for losing,

In other words: A time to search and a time to give it up for lost.

● Ecc 3:6b . . a time for keeping and a time for discarding;

Today's in-vogue couture is tomorrow's Good Will donation.

● Ecc 3:7a . . a time for ripping and a time for sewing,

When doctors need access to an injured patient's body, they often cut clothing off
with scissors rather than fussing with buttons and zippers. The very same clothing
can be repaired later by needle and thread.

● Ecc 3:7b . . a time for silence and a time for speaking;

They say silence in golden, but sometimes it's yellow; know what I mean?

● Ecc 3:8a . . a time for loving and a time for hating;

A time for love might be when your friends come over for dinner-- through the front
door. However, if they sneak in the back way while you're out, and steal your 50"
plasma TV so they can sell it for meth; that might be reason enough to dump your
friends for new ones.

● Ecc 3:8b . . a time for war and a time for peace.

Peace is much to be preferred to war. But sometimes war is necessary to procure
and to preserve peace. We live in a big bad world where there are people more
than happy to oppress you, abuse your human rights, control your movements,
restrict your speech, clamp down on dissent, take away your wealth and
possessions, destroy your home, separate you from your family, and put you to
work in a gulag where you'll be underpaid, malnourished, constantly hungry,
politically indoctrinated, and poorly clothed for the rest of your life.

● Ecc 3:9 . .What value, then, can the man of affairs get from what he earns?

In other words: What does the worker gain from his toil? Well . . one thing he does
not gain is control over the "times" listed in the previous eight verses because
many circumstances in life are unpredictable and out of our hands no matter how
much money a person might be prepared to spend.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 3:10 . . I have observed the business that God gave man to be concerned
with:

The "business" of course just being the daily round of life under the sun.

● Ecc 3:11 . . He brings everything to pass precisely at its time; He also puts
eternity in their mind, but without man ever guessing, from first to last, all the
things that God brings to pass.

Man is fraught with anxieties; and some of those anxieties are aggravated by
uncertainty about the future. Within no sphere is that more evident among
Americans than in their thoughts about retirement. Oftentimes people are so
concerned about their futures that they fail to enjoy the present; so life slips past
them until one day they realize they should have lived life when they had the
chance instead of waiting till they retired.

● Ecc 3:12-13 . .Thus I realized that the only worthwhile thing there is for them is
to enjoy themselves and do what is good in their lifetime; also, that whenever a
man does eat and drink and get enjoyment out of all his wealth, it is a gift of God.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with preparing for the future, but surely not to
the expense of missing out on life in the present. It's far better to enjoy life as you
live it, and thank whatever god it is that you recognize for the pleasures you have
at hand right now, not for the ones that may or may not come your way later. I've
actually known men in my line of work who stayed on the job as long as age
allowed just to get that very last penny of retirement benefit only to die within two
years after leaving.

● Ecc 3:14a . . I realized, too, that whatever God has brought to pass will recur
evermore: nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it--

That frustrates and irritates some people because they would like to make some
changes in the universe and change the world to suit their feelings. But the gods
aren't budging. They're the ones in control. Man is not the one controlling the
scheme of things. Man is a prisoner of the gods' sovereign control and there is not
one single thing he can do about it.

● Ecc 3:14b . . and God has brought to pass that men revere Him.

Unfortunately Man hates God for being the one in control. They neither fear Him,
nor respect Him, nor yield to His sovereign authority. On the contrary, they very
much resent God, and want Him deposed.

● Ecc 3:15 . .Whatever exists today and whatever will exist in the future has
already existed in the past. For God calls each event back in its turn.

What's that saying? History repeats itself? Who would have thought that people
3,000 years ago shared today's evaluation of world events? Modern man's thinking
isn't really so modern after all; is it?
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 3:16 . . And, indeed, I have observed under the sun: Alongside justice there
is wickedness, alongside righteousness there is wickedness.

My personal favorite was a San Diego municipal judge back in the 1980's when
one day, to his utter shock and dismay, a hooker he frequented appeared in court
as a witness to testify in a case he was hearing. Upon taking the stand, the hooker
greeted the guardian of jurisprudence and expressed amazement that one of her
Johns was on the bench.

● Ecc 3:17-18 . . I mused: God will doom both righteous and wicked, for there is a
time for every experience and for every happening. So I decided, as regards men,
to dissociate them [from] the divine beings and to face the fact that they are
beasts.

When you get right down to it: when you strip away people's accouterments;
what's left is really little more than human wildlife. In point of fact, to call a human
being a beast is an insult to the animal kingdom because people are capable of
doing things that are below an animal.

● Ecc 3:19-20 . . For in respect of the fate of man and the fate of beast, they have
one and the same fate: as the one dies so dies the other, and both have the same
life-breath; man has no superiority over beast, since both amount to nothing. Both
go to the same place; both came from dust and both return to dust.

Some people are inclined to think it is arrogant of Man to suppose he's the only
form of intelligent life in the universe. But what is Man anyway but an unsanitary
primate with a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue sufficing for a mind? We
should want more of his ilk in the universe? I don't think so. Man is hardly more
intelligent than an orangutan; and ten times immoral.

Beasts die and people die too; so people really have no advantage over a cow in
that respect. True: a cow won't die rich, but then the rich take nothing out with
them when they die; same as the cow: so who's really better off in the ground? The
bovine or the rich man? Neither: they're equals in that respect.

● Ecc 3:21 . .Who knows if a man's life-breath does rise upward and if a beast's
breath does sink down into the earth?

Solomon has a point. Who today has a secure line connected to the afterlife?
Nobody. People pride themselves on their faith in holy books like the Bible, the
Vedas, the Gathas, the Talmud and the Koran; but really don't know for certain
whether or not all of the writings in any of those holy books are actually 100%
true and reliable.

Solomon never met anyone who came back from the dead with a tale to tell about
the afterlife. How about you? Who have you known personally who died, was
buried, and then later came back up out the ground; or was restored to life after
cremation?

As brilliant and as intellectual as Solomon was, he was just as much in the dark
about life after death as everybody else. Can you prove beyond a shadow of all
sensible doubt that there exists another life for human beings after death? No, you
can't; and you won't know for sure until the day comes when you actually make the
trip yourself.

● Ecc 3:22 . . I saw that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his
possessions, since that is his portion. For who can enable him to see what will
happen afterward?

Is that really such bad advice seeing as no one really knows for sure what happens
after we die? What if all those super pious ascetics practicing a life of strict self
denial discover later after death that it was all for nothing? Wouldn't that be tragic?
It is stupid to suffer self denial when no one really knows for rock-solid sure
whether or not it counts for anything.

NOTE: Seeing as how Ecclesiastes consists of philosophy rather than "scripture"
then it's no surprise when we encounter things in here from the perspective of
common sense instead of faith.
_

 

[hawkman]

Since you are in this book I thought this would be of interest .

Your Likes Are But Dust

 

[hawkman]

Some people are inclined to think it is arrogant of Man to suppose he's the only
form of intelligent life in the universe. But what is Man anyway but an unsanitary
primate with a 3-pound lump of flabby organic tissue sufficing for a mind? We
should want more of his ilk in the universe? I don't think so. Man is hardly more
intelligent than an orangutan; and ten times immoral.

I believe we are more than a few notches above an orangutan , what does the bible say . A little lower than the angels .

Hebrews 2:7 Context​

4God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? 5For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. 6But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? 7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: 8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. 9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

As brilliant and as intellectual as Solomon was, he was just as much in the dark
about life after death as everybody else. Can you prove beyond a shadow of all
sensible doubt that there exists another life for human beings after death? No, you
can't; and you won't know for sure until the day comes when you actually make the
trip yourself.

We now have an advantage as Christians over Solomon , we have a helper the Holy Spirit ! Do I know for sure I will be with Christ after this life is over , YES I do . That is what the Bible tells us . I have proof in myself don't you too Beetow ?

 

[Beetow]

I believe we are more than a few notches above an orangutan, what does the bible say. A little
lower than the angels .Hebrews 2:7 Context, etc. etc.

I have chosen to discuss Ecclesiastes from the perspective of a man under the sun
rather than the perspective of a man seated in heaven. Consequently, many of my
comments will continue to be rational rather than spiritual because I sincerely believe
that is how Solomon intended his personal world view to be taken into consideration.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 4:1-3 . . I further observed all the oppression that goes on under the sun: the
tears of the oppressed, with none to comfort them; and the power of their
oppressors-- with none to comfort them. Then I accounted those who died long
since more fortunate than those who are still living; and happier than either are
those who have not yet come into being and have never witnessed the miseries
that go on under the sun.

I'd be curious to know just exactly when, where, and how Mr. Born-with-a-silver
spoon-in-his mouth king Solomon was exposed to the "tears" of the oppressed.
Maybe he was talking about all the hapless Jewish men he conscripted to work like
slaves in his stone quarries and logging camps.

Some people really are better off dead, and also better had they not been born. I
mean, for some people, what's the point of living at all. It's difficult for the average
American to appreciate the misery of people in other countries living in poverty, want,
squalor, tyranny, despotism, and oppression.

When I was a little boy living in San Diego back in the early 1950's I went on a trip
with my parents to Tijuana. As we walked across a bridge over the Tijuana River, I
looked down below at a pitiful community just like the community filmed in the
movie Slum Dog Millionaire. The jam-packed homes (rudimentary shelters actually)
were constructed of cardboard, sheets of plywood, corrugated tin, and sign boards.
The children were all barefoot and there were no streets and sidewalks; just
riverbed soil. I have no clue what they did for sanitation. It's my guess all their offal
went into what there was of the Tijuana River as raw sewage.

Those people down in that riverbed weren't living; they were surviving, and that
with no more dignity than a hog in a wallow. (In later years, the community was
washed away by unusually high water and subsequently the site permanently
closed to squatters by the government.)

Hafez al Assad, deceased father of the current dictator of Syria, Bashar al Assad,
was ruthless towards his political opponents. In the early 1980's, Hafez dispatched
his air force to bomb the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood's densely populated
neighborhoods in the area of Hama. (I'm talking about Syrian citizens in a Syrian
city; not foreigners in a foreign country). Afterwards, Hafez had his army bulldoze
the smoking remains. Between 10,000 and 40,000 people were slain, and
thousands more were jailed, tortured, and left to languish in prison. Protests from
human rights organizations bounced off Hafez like a BB off depleted uranium
plating.

Ryan Crocker, a US ambassador who served in Damascus during the transition from
Hafez to Bashar, said of the son: "Any suggestion that Bashar is a push-over is an
illusion. He's so personable that it's easy to underestimate him. But rest assured,
he is his father's son." Mr. Ryan is so right. It isn't unusual this very day to be
dining out in Damascus while at the same time having to listen to dreadful screams
coming from a second-floor window of the Bab Touma police station. In the street,
people cast each other knowing glances but nobody says a word because someone
might be listening.

There's little to no justice in China. Fully 99 percent of all trials result in a guilty
verdict. If you're executed with a gun, the state sends your family a bill for the
bullet.

In North Korea, three generations of a family can be punished for one member's
alleged crime. As of 2008, an estimated 200,000 North Korean citizens were
detained in labor camps: and don't get me started on Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

NOTE: I penned this section quite a while ago. By now, the world's political
environments have undergone significant restructuring.
_

 

[hawkman]

I have chosen to discuss Ecclesiastes

Good , now we can discuss the question I left for you in my post . Can you answer for me , it will be part of the discussion you are wanting to have of Ecclesiastes . I want to discuss the question with Beetow the forum member who is a Christian , not your persona you are writing with .

 

[Beetow]

I want to discuss the question with @Beetow the forum member who is a Christian , not your
persona you are writing with.

I get accused of plagiarism from time to time, and AI too, but this is the first time
ever that I've been accused of a split personality.
_

 

[hawkman]

I get accused of plagiarism from time to time, and AI too, but this is the first time
ever that I've been accused of a split personality.
_

It was a simple question at the end of post #28 from me , but you gave no answer and I am not sure why , that is all . And you did say this below . The split I see is between the rational and the spiritual . I wanted my answer from the spiritual Beetow . You have too much personality to be AI , LOL . AI is pretty bland and formulaic .

Consequently, many of my
comments will continue to be rational rather than spiritual because I sincerely believe
that is how Solomon intended his personal world view to be taken into consideration.

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 4:4 . . I have also noted that all labor and skillful enterprise come from men's
envy of each other-- another futility and pursuit of wind!

Most of us are reasonably satisfied with what we have until we see someone with
something better. Just because the Devil wears Prada, is it really essential that
everyone else does?

They say money is the root of all evil. Well, I would have to say that envy is
money's kissing cousin. Both are very strong motivators.

● Ecc 4:5 . .The fool folds his hands together and has to eat his own flesh.

Just the opposite of those who strive to get ahead, is the lazy good-for-nothing,
who can't be motivated to go out and find work or start a business. The others have
it all, while he has nothing at all. At least the greedy and the envious have food on
the table and a place to live. The fool is either homeless or behind with his rent;
and probably lives out of dumpsters, or worse, panhandles and mooches off friends.
(One of my all-time favorite panhandler's cardboard signs said: Dreaming Of A
Cheeseburger)

● Ecc 4:6 . . Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and
chasing after the wind.

In between the go-getters, and the homeless bums, are the moderate people. They
don't have to have the best that life has to offer, nor the most money, and they
don't want it. Their motto is: Better isn't necessary when adequate will do. These
are happy with what they have and make do with what they can afford.

Moderate people aren't lazy, but then again, neither are they achievers nor overly
industrious. They don't need a lot, they're easy to please, and are usually very
content; e.g. when they shop for diamond jewelry, the stones don't have to be
flawless; just sparkly and pretty. They might splurge on a consumer-priced Bulova
or a Seiko, but won't shell out the extra dough for a Breitling or an IWC even
though they're the better timepieces. They prefer cars that are economical rather
than cars that are cool, fast, and tricked out with the latest electronics. They eat at
ordinary buffets and restaurants rather than fancy, black-tie supper clubs; and their
back yards are likely to have just as many weeds as ornamental shrubs. While
others chase status, moderates prefer to chase sales and clip coupons.

But the sad part is; those greedy, leveraged-to-the-hilt hedge-funders are the very
ones ravaging the moderates' retirement plans. And if the fund goes belly up-- as
many did in the last sub-prime blood bath --what do they care? It wasn't their
money that was lost; it was yours while they escaped with a bail-out and/or a
golden parachute. And the bail-outs? Who pays for those? Duh . . . the moderates;
via the national debt, of course.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 4:7-8 . . And I have noted this further futility under the sun: the case of the
man who is alone, with no companion, who has neither son nor brother; yet he
amasses wealth without limit, and his eye is never sated with riches. For whom,
now, is he amassing it while denying himself enjoyment? That too is a futility and
an unhappy business.

That surely describes people like Ebenezer Scrooge-- Charles Dickens' friendless
loner in "A Christmas Carol" --the prince of misers. The man has great wealth, and
sees the amassing of wealth as the only justifiable reason to be alive. He despises
family life, shuns circles of close friends, and regards charitable causes as theft. The
man won't even spend his money on decent food to nourish himself; let alone wood
or coal to heat his dismal home. His fortune does neither him nor anyone else any
real good at all except provide him with questionable old-age security.

● Ecc 4:9-10 . .Two are better off than one, in that they have greater benefit from
their earnings. For should they fall, one can raise the other; but woe betide him
who is alone and falls with no companion to raise him!

Webster's defines "synergism" as: interaction of discrete agencies, agents, or
conditions such that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual
effects.

John Nash put that principle into his Nobel Prize-winning economic theory. He felt
that it is possible to not only do yourself the better good, but at the same time to
do it in such a way that your efforts mesh with the efforts of others so that all
benefit.

Marriage is a synergic arrangement. Partners are more secure, and usually
accomplish much more together than an individual on their own; and they look out
for each other too. When a wife gets a muscle spasm in her back, and can't walk,
then the husband can put her on a blanket and drag her down the hallway to the
bathroom. When the husband's car blows a heater hose on the way home from
work, the wife can use her own car to come and get him at the repair shop and
bring him home for dinner. Plus, if both work, their combined income makes it
possible to carry a mortgage instead of throwing money away on rent.

● Ecc 4:11 . . Further, when two lie together they are warm; but how can he who
is alone get warm?

To be warm, as in Ecc 4:11, implies more than merely warding off a chill. It means
to be comforted. There is very little solace to be found in solitude. Loner type of
people often end up plagued with feelings of isolation, depression, and dark
thoughts.

● Ecc 4:12 . . Also, if one attacks, two can stand up to him. A threefold cord is not
readily broken!

All he's saying there is that a single strand of hemp by itself is weak; but when
woven together in multiple strands, becomes very strong; viz: the combined
strands become force multipliers.

In the darkening days in which we live in America, jogging, hiking, and bicycling
alone can be very dangerous in a City, State, or National park; especially after
sundown. It's far more sensible to mingle with others; even if they're strangers.
People alone are easy marks. Nobody's invincible. Even tough guys like Chuck
Norris and Jason Stathan can be taken down. As Arnold Schwarzeneggar said in the
Hollywood movie Predator, "If it bleeds, we can kill it".
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 4:13-16 . . Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no
longer has the sense to heed warnings. The youth may have come from prison to
the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that
all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor.
There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came
later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after
the wind.

That passage observes the instability of political power, and the fickleness of
popularity. The incumbent ruler may have at one time heeded his advisors' input
and lead his country wisely. But when he got old, he stopped listening to them. As
a result, a younger generation despised him for being egotistic, out of touch, and
insensitive to his countrymen's feelings. His arrogance and egotism made him a
prisoner of his own foolish mind and eventually, he was either deposed, or voted
out of office.

A younger man, unknown till now, an underdog, whose platform preached political
reforms, a hope you can believe in, environmental improvement, and economic
recovery; made impressive speeches and won the people's hearts. He took over,
led his country out of economic depression and to great victories over their
enemies. His country enjoyed worldwide prestige and great prosperity.

But the younger leader's popularity didn't endure. He himself aged and stopped
listening to the voice of the people and his advisors' input, and he too then became
unpopular with a younger generation; who then began clamoring for his overthrow
just like his own generation had done to his predecessor. It's an endless cycle.
Politicians are loved when they are voted in, and hated when they are voted out.

Oliver Cromwell, who took the British throne away from Charles 1, and established
the commonwealth, said to a friend: "Do not trust to the cheering, for those same
persons would cheer just as much if you and I were going to be hanged."
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 5:1 . . Be not overeager to go to the House of God: more acceptable is
obedience than the offering of fools, for they know nothing [but] to do wrong.

"What is more pleasing to The Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your
obedience to His voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to Him is
much better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as bad as the sin of
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols". (1Sam 15:22-23)

Old Testament Judaism was built around a fully functioning Aaronic priesthood
whose duty was to collect sacrifices and offerings from the people. But the
worshippers abused the system because they lived like the Devil during most of the
year and tried to make up for it with liturgy. To see how God feels about that kind
of religious hypocrisy, just read the first chapter of Isaiah.

In no uncertain terms, God angrily spurned his people's offerings-- their prayers,
their holy days, their festivals and feast days, and yes even their sacred Sabbath
observances because although they were very religious, they were, at the same
time, a hard-hearted, stubborn pack of scofflaws.

The very same thing can be osberved in modern Christianity. A number of pew
warmers live utterly worldly lives all year long and expect that church attendance
on Easter Sunday will somehow make up for it. That day is the most heavily
attended in church. People who normally wouldn't step over the threshold of a
church door all year long, will attend on Easter Sunday so they don't feel
completely heathen. Easter service, to them, is some sort of redemption day,
somehow wiping away a whole year's worth of secular impiety and is supposed to
convince Jesus they truly love him after all.

NOTE: Just for the fun of it some day, position yourself where you can watch the
front of a church when it's let out Sunday morning and observe the number of
Christians who J-walk back to their cars. (chuckle) You might be surprised.

● Ecc 5:2-3 . . Keep your mouth from being rash, and let not your throat be quick
to bring forth speech before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; that is
why your words should be few. Just as dreams come with much brooding, so does
foolish utterance come with much speech.

If you've really nothing to discuss with God in prayer, then skip it: say nothing;
remembering that God is a king, and kings shouldn't be treated as if they're dumb
enough to suffer fools and fritter away their time lending audience to bombastic
rhetoric.

● Ecc 5:4-6 . .When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. For He has no
pleasure in fools; what you vow, fulfill. It is better not to vow at all than to vow and
not fulfill. Don't let your mouth bring you into disfavor, and don't plead before the
messenger that it was an error, but fear God; else God may be angered by your
talk and destroy your possessions.

The "messenger" is translated from a somewhat ambiguous Hebrew word. It can
mean an angel, a prophet, a priest or a even just a teacher.

In this location, mal'ak likely refers to a church officer to whom you made a pledge,
e.g. a faith promise.

A sacred vow is between you and God, not between you and your church. So don't
be rash with your promises to God nor make excuses for reneging. A promise is an
obligation; and God will hold you to your vows even if you can't afford it. You just
try to be lax in your payments with a shylock and see what happens. You risk
fractured ribs by men who are very good at breaking things over people's heads.
When the points are due, that's when they're expected; not later. If shylocks are to
be feared, then God ought to be feared even more.

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the
honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? says the Lord
Almighty." (Mal 1:6)

Better not to make a promise than to make one without resolve to keep it. (cf. Matt
5:33-37)
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 5:7 . . For much dreaming leads to futility and to superfluous talk.

Flowery prayers, and showy vows and pledges don't please God near as much as
just simply being a man of your word.

● Ecc 5:8 . . If you see in a province oppression of the poor and suppression of
right and justice, don’t wonder at the fact; for one high official is protected by a
higher one, and both of them by still higher ones.

Existing alongside America's elected officials, is a shadow government called the
bureaucracy. Bureaucrats are non-elected officials who are actually the ones
conducting much of the government's business. High profile bureaucrats would be
the President's cabinet. But many others operate completely invisible to the general
public until they become implicated in a news-worthy scandal.

Too many bureaucrats are looking out only for themselves; most especially their
jobs. So they tend to make every effort to please their superiors; often to the
detriment of the voting public's best interests. No one should be shocked at this.
It's pretty normal because after all, human government is staffed by human beings.

● Ecc 5:9 . .The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from
the fields.

Government officials are sometimes said to be feeding at the federal trough. Like
greedy swine, they gobble up a large percentage of the gross national product to
pay their own wages, perks, and benefits; and to finance ear-marks and pork. But
citizens benefit in many ways from taxes too. So the government is not the only
one taking a piece of the country's wealth.

● Ecc 5:10 . . A lover of money never has his fill of money, nor a lover of wealth his
fill of income. That too is futile.

Money may not be the number one thing in life; but it's way ahead of whatever is
number two. When Shia LaBeouf's character asked Josh Brolin's character-- in the
movie: Wall Street/Money Never Sleeps --what his number is; viz: the number of
dollars that would be enough for him to walk away from investment banking and
retire; Brolin's character answered: More.

People obsessed with money actually love and revere it; and make any and every
sacrifice to get it. They stay up late, work long ridiculous hours, disconnect from
their families, and even betray their friends' trust to get it. Their minds are filled
with thoughts about money, their lives are controlled by getting it and guarding it;
and while they have it: they feel a great sense of pride, achievement, security, and
independence.

The amount of money they possess pales in importance compared to their rabid
desire to simply amass it. I've heard it said that success is the best revenge. There
are too many people out there in the business world who need money simply to feel
better about themselves, and to get one over on their rivals.

● Ecc 5:11a . . As his substance increases, so do those who consume it;

The wealthy often find themselves hounded by foundations, causes, charities, and
freeloading relatives and friends. MC Hammer, a very popular rapper in the 80's
and 90's, was quite rich at one time but spent it all on not just himself, but on his
entourage as well. Making money in a big way involves the employment of a staff;
and those kinds of staffs aren't cheap. They all average six figures; not to mention
their bonuses which commonly run up to seven.

● Ecc 5:11b . . what, then, does the success of its owner amount to but feasting his
eyes?

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis was heard to say: I don't like
money actually, but it quiets my nerves. Yes, money is good for feasting the eyes,
and provides a certain sense of security. However, money is no guarantee your
nerves will be calm, nor that your sleep will be sound; nor that your security is
assured.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 5:12 . . A [slave's] sleep is sweet, whether he has much or little to eat; but
the rich man's abundance doesn't let him sleep.

Rich folks typically don't perform any manual labor during the day, and they can
choose their own hours. Unfortunately that can lead to trouble sleeping due to a
lack of adequate exercise.

Plus; when you have nothing, you don't worry too much about losing it. But when
you have a lot, then you fear going broke; and along with riches comes rich foods
which sometimes cause indigestion and acid reflux.

I know a man who, as he got older, became concerned about dying before owning a
really good timepiece. So, he took some money out of his home equity line and
bought four high-end watches totaling roughly $20,000. He was happy with the
watches, but now worries all the time they might get lost, stolen, or damaged. He
didn't have that kind of anxiety when he wore drug-store timepieces.

● Ecc 5:13-14 . . Here is a grave evil I have observed under the sun: riches
hoarded by their owner to his misfortune, in that those riches are lost in some
unlucky venture; and if he begets a son, he has nothing in hand.

That is so sad. The ENRON scandal brought to light the dangers of investing in a
retirement system that is solely dependent upon just one company's prosperity.
When the stock price of ENRON plummeted, the value of its employee retirement
system plummeted too; and so steep was the collapse, that many of the energy
giant's rank and file were left with virtually zero dollars in their retirement accounts.

A veteran electrician with PGE (Portland General Electric) related how his account
was worth something like $348,000 before ENRON's value began to fall. He couldn't
do anything about it because his account was frozen while the executives at ENRON
were permitted to move their money to safety. By the time the PGE electrician's
account was unfrozen, its value had dropped to $1,200.

The sub-prime Wall Street disaster back in 2008 did the very same thing to a pretty
good number of vulnerable retirement accounts. Though the Government bailed out
the big investment banks, it did nothing for the little banks nor for the innocent
folks who were ruined by the collapse.

● Ecc 5:15 . . Another grave evil is this: He must depart just as he came. As he
came out of his mother's womb, so must he depart at last, naked as he came. He
can take nothing of his wealth to carry with him.

I once heard a story about a very famous rich man who died. At the reading of his
will, newspaper reporters were required to remain outside and not allowed to
interview the heirs until later. When the reading was over, a reporter approached
one of the lawyers and asked how much the old gentleman left. The lawyer replied:
He left it all.

Yes, the rich man couldn't take a single dime of his wealth into the next life. It all
stayed here and he went into eternity penniless not knowing whether the
beneficiaries would manage their shares of his wealth wisely or fritter it away on
trivial pursuits..

● Ecc 5:16 . . So what is the good of his toiling for the wind?

It isn't intrinsically evil to save and invest. After all, Solomon wrote in Proverbs that
it's wise to look ahead, and parents are wise who lay something aside for their
children.

But the people who hoard, and who amass wealth simply for the sake of possessing
it for themselves, are laboring for the wind. They can't possibly keep it into the next
life, so the best thing for them to do is share it while they are here where it will do
the world some good. It's okay to keep enough for yourself for now and for the
future, but when there's a ridiculous surplus, find a way to disperse it. Otherwise,
your hoarding serves no useful purpose, and at death your wealth is surrendered
anyway.
_

 

[Beetow]

.
● Ecc 5:17 . . Besides, all his days he eats in darkness, with much vexation and
grief and anger.

Wealthy people don't usually eat in the dark. Many have very nice chandeliers over
the table. But in their hearts often lurk evil thoughts, bad memories, regrets,
grievances, resentments, disputes, hard feelings, and a bad conscience. They're
really no different than the common man in that arena. Like they say: So and so
puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

● Ecc 5:18 . . Only this, I have found, is a real good; to wit: that one should eat
and drink and get pleasure with all the gains he makes under the sun, during the
numbered days of life that God has given him; for that is his portion.

Solomon mentions death so often that you might think he was obsessed with it. But
really, he wasn't. His philosophy of life was such that he took death into
consideration so that his days weren't spent as if they were infinite and he expected
to live forever. A balanced philosophy of life has to include the very real possibility
of imminent death to keep things in proper perspective.

For example: actor Treat Williams was killed June 12, 2023 when his motorcycle
collided with a car, approaching in the opposite lane, made an unexpected left turn
practically right over him. Ten seconds earlier and the car would've missed him,
and ten seconds later it would've missed him too. But no, Treat and the car met at
just the right moment to end his life: he never saw it coming.

Man is but perishable fruit like peaches, pears, strawberries, cantaloupe, avocado,
and oranges; no amount of refrigeration will keep him fresh. Regardless of the
amount of rest, fresh air, good diet, and exercise; man begins to wither right
around the age of 32 or 34.

Youngster's can't really appreciate their expiration date as three brief decades: to
them, 32 or 34 years seems long and way out in the distance. As a result, the
withering process often sneaks up and takes them by surprise like starting a frog
off in cool water and slowly bringing it up to a boil. Of a sudden, one day it swats
them in the face like a rolled up newspaper that they're "old school" and replaced
by a younger, hip generation wherein they've been accustomed to thinking all along
was themselves.

The aging process, once it starts, is relentless. Its personality is sort of like that of
the robot in Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie "The Terminator" which is a machine
that can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with, it doesn't feel pity or
remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop-- ever! -- until you are dead.

The aging process is a cold as steel wake-up call that your tenure on this planet is
rapidly winding down to a close; and one day, it will be like you were never here.

● Ecc 5:19-20 . . Also, whenever a man is given riches and property by God, and is
also permitted by Him to enjoy them and to take his portion and get pleasure for
his gains-- that is a gift of God. For [such a man] will not brood much over the days
of his life, because God keeps him busy enjoying himself.

Within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes, a "gift of God" should never be taken
literally. It's just a figure of speech, like the common term "act of God" that labels
the cause of natural calamities like earthquakes, floods, storms, miscarriages, and
stuff like that.

I'm in my retirement years, and one of the things I avoid is keeping too busy
because I don't want the final years of my life to pass quickly. They'll pass soon
enough; but when you keep busy, time really has a way of flying.

On the flip side is one's mental health. Keeping busy does have a way of preventing
people from doing too much introspection and reminiscence thereby developing a
chronic case of the blues. One's mind can atrophy too if they never do anything to
exercise their intelligence. So I try to strike a balance: I keep somewhat physically
busy, and I keep somewhat mentally busy too; while avoiding excess in either area.
_