Bible Daily Bread Devotional (BDBD)

The conclusion: “Fear God and keep his commandments”. The reason for these is given, “For God will bring every deed into judgment. including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

So is everything “meaningless, meaningless”? People’s pursuits apart from fearing God and keeping his commandments are meaningless. From God’s perspective, our thoughts and actions are either good or evil. His commandments give us an idea of how we were meant to live. The root of his commandments is loving God and others.

When asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” he answered. “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

A common belief about the leading of the Holy Spirit is that we do nothing. Instead, it is believed that suddenly words just come to us. However, these verses reveal that the revelation of God’s words is not always (if seldom) like that. The Spirit’s moving is a mutual undertaking.

Solomon is the Teacher of Ecclesiastes. He was wise, his wisdom a gift of God (9). He pondered and searched out before he wrote this book (9, 10). The words were inspired by God. Yet the revelation came while Solomon thought. After he received divine inspiration through rigorous thinking, a pen did not suddenly stand upright and begin writing. No. Solomon picked up the pen and started to write. The Spirit’s moving is a mutual undertaking.

Solomon is not the only person who experiences this process of mutual processing. “The words of the wise” -meaning many people- “are given by one Shepherd” -meaning one God the Spirit (11). Many books are written and it is not easy to write a divinely inspired manuscript.

More-so, when all of God’s people contemplate his words, their lives, their generation, and the nature of God and godly things they are the same as Solomon the wise Teacher, vigorously flowing and wrestling with God for just the right words. Bible Daily Bread Devotion (BDBD) and FreeBibleStudyHelp.com are the makings of 1,640 web pages (and growing) and it wearies my body and mind. I am blessed.

The sentimental poem in verses 1 thru 8 is one of the most moving and yet underquoted compositions in the Bible. Read it silently once, speak it out twice, listen to it three times, and the Fourth brings it home.

A quiet Saturday morning is an atmosphere of the sound of “Truth” by Alexis Ffrench, fragrant candle and coffee, blueberry and butter whole wheat sugar-free toast, and the Spirit flowing from these verses.

Jesus’ words come to mind from the Fourth, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:4,5)

The Fourth brought Paul’s poem from a reference Bible in front of me, “What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
before the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when men rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
when men are afraid of heights
and of dangers in the streets;
when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags himself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then man goes to his eternal home
and mourners go about the streets.
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 spirit returns to God who gave it. 
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Everything is meaningless!” 

The general theme of these verses expands on the general theme of the book. Enjoy the light of good times; be happy and banish anxiety from your heart in them with a genuine pure focus for many dark times will come which you will have to deal with. Yet always remember that everything you do in the light and in the darkness God will bring you to judgment (9). After all is over and you stand before him on judgment day you will confess that many decisions if not all are meaningless.

A few things cannot be missed in these verses. First, I have a choice. I will be held accountable therefore it is I who decides.

Second, I can decide to be happy and enjoy life. It is possible to cast off the troubles of the body.

Third, I can decide to sow the seed and the morning and not to let my hands be idle in the evening.

Fourth, both good times and bad times come; more so bad than good. This I have no control over. I am subject to the many decisions of others and happen chance.

Fifth, I am always to keep in the forefront of my mind that God will bring me to judgment. The decision I made has consequences in this life and the next.

Sixth, following the ways of the heart and whatever I see, is a risky way to live. An undisciplined heart can lead to the cause of bad times and good. The brain must also be followed.

Might-have-beens and what-ifs should be avoided. They draw life to a slow crawl or even a standstill. They are like stepping into quicksand during a trek to a vacation destination; they keep me from peace and rest. Wisdom tells me to start where I am at and with what I have without getting stuck in the past.

Cause and effect are to be expected. “If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. (3)” Knowing and accepting present life patterns is important. If I learn while in school I expand my skill set. If later I decide I should have studied other subjects I should not remain in the past I should move on.

Paying attention to the present is more beneficial than living in the past. Anticipating the future by observing present events and knowing established natural cycles can benefit me. “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (4)”

Finally, I should recognize how limited my role is when things turn out not as I had hoped. “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.”

Humbly accept and acknowledge the past without dwelling in it. Live in the present and observe natural life cycles while looking and anticipating a better tomorrow.

Investing is a part of life under the sun for the wise. When thinking of investing money first comes to mind for money is the answer for everything in my generation (10:19). However, more basic and universal possessions are time, body, mind, and emotions. How do I use these?

“Casting bread upon waters” is saying I need to be long-term adventurous with my assets, like those who accept the risks and accept some loss. Eventually, the investment will yield a return, that is to say, “after many days I will find it again.”

Regarding eternity in the life to come Jesus said, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:9) This is akin to the great commission, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) And, “”Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19)

Human nature is to sit back and rest, take it easy, and not work at all. A lazy mindset is drinking poison laced with honey (18).

Nature has an insatiable desire to tear things down. Eventually rafters sag causing the roof of a house to leak (18). A lazy person who does not repair the sagging roof will eventually drown in his own wake.

Kings and leaders are to serve the people if they want their kingdom to be secure and well off. If a king stops serving his people, becomes lazy, and seeks after parties and selfish gratification their realm will become weak and poor. Woe to the domain of a leader who is not a servant (16).

The leader of a house must work so as to counter nature’s insatiable desire to tear down what they are building. Build enough to maintain and yet enjoy the fruits of hard labor. Bless is the house whose head works for the strength of their house and not to quench the thirst of a lazy mind.

A fool according to the Bible is a person who refuses God’s teaching. A fool may be a knowledgeable and intelligent person and yet be a fool according to the Bible.

Since the general nature of a fool is to reject God and his teaching they tend to speak words about things they refuse to understand from God. They are consumed by their own words (12). A fool starts out by talking foolishness and ends up saying crazy things that are dangerous to themselves and others (13).

A fool rejects God’s wisdom as proclaimed in this book. The conclusion of Ecclesiastes is that we fear God and keep his commandments for this is the duty of man. It continues that thought with the truth that we should enjoy the labors of our hard work under the sun; stop, take time to enjoy the gifts of God, and be good to others. A fool rejects this. Instead, they work until they are so weary they cannot even find their way to their home (in those days all lived in villages, towns, and cities.)

A wise person who obeys God speaks gracious words (12). They may not know what is specifically coming (14). However, they know that it is good to trust God and his teachings. When asked why they believe this they tell others that it is good to have faith in God’s good intentions for their life.

When I was a young man I had several interests that I wanted to pursue; art, music, engineering, and horticulture. Preparing food came later. I was inspired and full of wonder at the masters of these life pursuits. I soon enough discovered that the master’s skill was much harder to match than their final products appeared to have been achieved. The spirit was willing, but the skill was weak.

I was a dull ax, its edge unsharpened (10). I was an uncharmed snake; killing results before I was charmed (11). I learned that skill will bring success (10). I needed skills to be happy and pleased by success. Skill would bring the profit of a job well done.

When I pursued an education in my heart’s desires I learned that refined skills required the determined pursuit of two things. I needed to learn and imitate the masters. And more than this I needed to practice, practice, practice. Continued use of these two can only be maintained by love, will, desire, and patience.

Since this is true when pursuing my heart’s desires I shouldn’t be surprised that it also applies to my character. How can I follow my Master expecting an immediate change of character? How can I follow my Master without applying these two principles to my life? I cannot. Since I want a good character I need to learn from the Master Jesus and practice, practice, and practice his way.

The simplest takeaway from verses 8 and 9 is that accidents happen and I may be the cause of the accident. When unintentional disasters and misfortunes happen I need to admit and accept my part in the cause. When I fall into a pit I dug, then admit and accept that I was the cause (8.). When I am bitten by a snake behind a wall that I brought through, then admit and accept that I was the cause (8). When stones fall on me that I broke free from a quarry wall, then admit and accept that I was the cause (9). When a splinter from a log I am splitting gets into my mouth or eye, then admit and accept that I was the cause (9).

Applying the principle of “self-causes result from self-effects” should be applied to all life decisions. The road to recovery, healing, and forgiveness of sins starts with admitting my guilt.

“He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) “When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned.” (Leviticus 5:5) “Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds.” (Acts 19:18) “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

The human heart is a bit of a mysterious thing. The existence of the human heart cannot be denied. The human heart is the center of our being; our emotions, thoughts, and will. The heart is the home of the personal life. Heart and soul are sometimes interchanged.

“The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.” The human heart is me and drives me.

To what extent can I control my heart? With discipline, a person may control thoughts, emotions, and will. Yet a person can only work with what they have. Make wine from spoiled grapes and the wine will be rotten.

I need not despair at the condition of my heart. “What is impossible with man, is possible with God,” Jesus taught. The Lord transforms that which is impure. He changes anything. Jesus changes water into wine. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Wisdom and honor are compared to perfume. Folly is compared to a dead fly. In my life, I may live in the wisest and most honorable decisions. Yet one foolish decision will tarnish my wisdom and honor enough to become useless and revolting.

“As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.” Knowing this truth I need to have vigilance of the heart.

Yet, what is folly? What are wisdom and honor? Are my understanding and practice correct? Folly and humor are not the same. Biblical wisdom refers to practical skills associated with understanding and living a successful life. These range from the ability to create highly skilled works to the intellectual capacity required to make choices that result in favorable outcomes and avoid troubles. Wisdom is associated with trust in and fear of God.

The book of Proverbs, the next book for BDBD has many references to folly and wisdom.

Emotions can lead us to wonderful moments. Emotions can also lead to dreadful moments. Emotional words can bring light or darkness; life and death; words of healing and words of destruction.

During emotionally charged arguments quiet words are spoken by the wise and shouts are spoken by fools (17). The capability to control emotions (and thus words) is a muscle that is in all humans. Every aspect of the physical body needs activity and drills to mature; muscles, mind, emotions, etc. An emotionally mature person has learned to control their emotions through determined repetition of control. Control of my emotions leads to controlling the words I speak.

Likewise, controlling the words I speak leads to controlling a heated moment. Wise words are better than weapons of war for they do not kill, they heal (18). Yet one dark word destroys much good (18).

I can learn to control my emotions before it turns my tongue into a weapon to harm me and those I am speaking to. I first need to sense a powerful emotion rising in my heart. Then I need to exercise restraint; stop, think about it, breathe, harness the emotion, and force my self-preservation to head to selfless wise words.

Some people practice so they can be sarcastic. They learn control of emotions, yet speak unhealthy words. I can practice so I can be kind. I can learn to control of emotions so as to speak healthy words.

Jesus is the poor wise man whose wisdom is despised and his words are no longer heeded. Several of his followers have lived this way too. Their wisdom saves the city from the wrath of God. Yet nobody remembers them.

“The race is not to the swift.” Just ask Aesop’s tortuous and hare. “The battle does not belong to the strong.” USA revolutionary war against Britain, the world power at that time proves this.

“Food does not come to the wise.” Just ask the sage walking down from his mountain retreat to obtain food. “Wealth does not belong to the brilliant.” Just ask the professor expelled for indecent conduct with a student. “Favor and success do not belong to the skillful and learned.” Just ask the undiscovered starving artist.

“Time and chance (unpredictable events) happen to them all.” Predominantly who we are and the decisions we make affect our future. However, nothing is guaranteed. No one can predict that which is unpredictable. Who predicted the pandemic? Yet, it had more impact on everyone than most of the decisions we made, are making, and have made.

Those who trust in and believe in themselves grow weary and/or despair when stuff happens. Those who trust in and believe in God find comfort and rest when all doesn’t go their way. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” says Jesus. (Matthew 11:28)

Consider this: death awaits you and you do not know when it will come. Consider this: you do not know what will happen in the future; whether good or bad, whether love or hate; whether sickness or health, whether wealth or poverty.

The righteous, wicked, good, bad, clean, unclean, those who are religious, and those who are not will experience death. The righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits them.

Admit it or not the hearts of all contain evil and we do not know where it hides (3). In a dungeon we falsely think is well fortified lingers madness that always is ready to escape (3). Like cancer that is in everyone is benign today, tomorrow it may start to grow and consume other cells.

Considering these “go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.” What awaits is judgment for the decisions made under the sun.

Some people believe to one degree or another that if a person does bad or evil eventually they will be punished. They also believe that if we do what is right then goodness will follow us all the days of our lives. However, in life on earth (under the sun) sometimes righteous people may get what the wicked deserve, and wicked people may get what the righteous deserve (14).

Take for example Joseph who did nothing wrong and was sold into slavery merely because his brothers were jealous. He remailed in slavery and even went to jail for perhaps 20 or more years. Meanwhile, Saul remained king for over twenty years while David lived as an outcast in caves and deserts. Though it is true that Joseph became the second in power in Egypt and David became king of Israel. That doesn’t mean much when sitting and sleeping year after year in a dark damp prison and cave.

Solomon considered the uncertainty of those who live righteously or wickedly. He recommended the enjoyment of life because nothing is better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad (15). Enjoying life is a choice that does not depend on how much wealth or power we have. Enjoying life does not mean we engage in sensual pleasures that weary the body and soul. Enjoying life means making the simple things link eating and drinking joyful.

Making the daily decision to enjoy each moment no matter how simple is assurance that joy will accompany us in our work all the days of the life God has given us under the sun (15). Jesus lived in a poor back-water Roman-occupied territory. His short three-year ministry was not without obstacles and challenges. Still, he lived a life of joy that attracted thousands of people who wanted to have what he had.

Everyone wants to live, not die. Occasionally we may consider committing suicide and a few go thru with it when they lose all hope. Still, for the majority of our lives, we want to live as long as possible. The fear of death is part of living under the sun. The fear of death is a base compelling emotion.

Dealing with the fear of death is subjective to our life perspective. A person with a wicked heart will commit many crimes believing they are extending their life (12). A person with the fear of God will refrain from sin though it may shorten their life. A good person will even lay down their life instead of sinning and/or lengthen someone else’s life.

Death of the physical body is not the end of existence. After death, each person will be judged by God. The motivation of our actions will be justly reviewed. “God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil.” (Romans 2:6-9)

“Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.”

The heart of all people is the same from generation to generation. The people who have decided that either God does not exist or if there is some kind of God he/she does not care for humanity and/or themselves, their sense of morality is self-defined. Personally defined codes of ethics shift, swirl, and fade away like clouds in the sky.

When it is discovered that crimes go unpunished we humans begin to seek a way to get what is wanted even though it may be illegal in our society (11). The heart of mankind can easily become filled with schemes to do wrong.

The basic principle applies to any social group including congregations and families. When a toddler discovers they got away with eating a cookie and some candy they will go back for more until they are caught. A tweenager will sneak out a window late at night once and then many times that follow if they get away with it the first time. When a man or woman cheats on their commitment to their spouse once they soon find themselves in another’s bed many times after that until it is discovered.

The compulsion to do that which is unwise, unhealthy, socially harmful and evil is strong. Even when we want to do right, doing so can be hard to resist doing wrong. A remedy exists. Allie with God and his strength will enable us to do what is good and right for ourselves and others.