Ecclesiastes 7
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Ecclesiastes 7:5–29 (NKJV)
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
There are many fools singing the song of affirmation.
Affirming people of their desires and their lifestyle, eventhough it is destructive.
2 Tim 4:3 “3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;”
There is a tendency to day and un inclination for one to surround oneself with people that affrim your behaviours even though they are unproductive and self destructive.
They will sing you this song, yet it is only vanity.
2 Chronicles 18:1–17 (NKJV)
1 Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab.
2 After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.
3 So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war.”
4 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”
5 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” So they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.”
6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?”
7 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla.” And Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say such things!”
8 Then the king of Israel called one of his officers and said, “Bring Micaiah the son of Imla quickly!”
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, clothed in their robes, sat each on his throne; and they sat at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
10 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed.’ ”
11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the Lord will deliver it into the king’s hand.”
12 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.”
13 And Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.”
14 Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!”
15 So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”
17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Proverbs 15:31-32 “31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise. 32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.”
Proverbs 16:22 “22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.”
The only way a fools is going to be corrected is with his folly.
Proverbs 15:10 “10 Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way, And he who hates correction will die.”
Psalms 141:5 “5 Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked.”
The important of compliments and praise for what people do right.
Romans 13:7 “7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”
If you are going to correct and rebuke someone for what they are doing wrong you have to also learn to praise what they are doing right.
What is the point of uprooting the weeds if you are not going to water the plants.
1 Cor 1:4-9 “4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Proverbs 25:12 “12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.”
7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, And a bribe debases the heart.
8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Job 8:7 “7 Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.”
To get to the end and and see it, will require patience.
9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
James 1:19 “19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”
Everybody gets angry at some point but you have to excercise self control so that it takes quite a lot to get you angry.
Ephe 4:26-27 “26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.”
10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
God does not wan’t us to live in the past.
For God’s people, what is ahead is greater than what is in the past.
For the Church of the living God what is ahead is greater than what is in the past.
Philippians 3:12-15 “12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.”
Proverbs 4:23 “23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”
Have you tried to drive will look behind you, it will only lead to a crash.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.
12 For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Proverbs 4:7 “7 Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;
14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.
16 Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens;
20 By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion;
22 So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck.
23 Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.
13 Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
Job 2:9-10 “9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” 10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”
Eph 5:20 “20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”
15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.
16 Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?
This is not to be used to justify one’s desire to be worldy.
This is given as godly wisdom to restrain those who have the tendency to take things to the extreme.
Example fasting
Some read the 40 day fast of Moses and Elijah and Jesus without water or food, and conclude that if anyone is to fast it has to be without water and food.
Hence not only destroying themselves in their overrighteousness but also teaching others to their own destruction.
Going beyond what is necessary, or what is required.
Also it is disregarding the law of Mercy inorder to meticoulasly follow the letter of the law.
Example of the Sabbath
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Example of Paul and his use of Roman civil Right
Acts 22:22–29 (NKJV)
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”
23 Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,
24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?”
Under Roman law
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
27 Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”
28 The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.”
29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
Another Example
Acts 25:1-12, Read,
Those of you working in secular Jobs, and you see people doing wrong and you have the company policy on your side. do not hesitate to use it to get justice for yourself.
Whatever right is given to you by the government and also by the company don’t hesitate to use it.
Matthew 10:16 “16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
18 It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all.
Please grasp this important word of wisdom
19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city.
20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.
23 All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; But it was far from me.
24 As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out?
25 I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness.
26 And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.
27 “Here is what I have found,” says the Preacher, “Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,
28 Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But a woman among all these I have not found.
29 Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”