Wrapping Up a Ragged-Edge Journey
The book of Ecclesiastes ends with the rebel back in the pulpit, now that his heart and soul are above the sun.
Our world desperately needs models worth following. Authentic heroes. People of integrity whose lives inspire us to take God seriously, to follow His Word obediently, to pursue Christ passionately.
Thankfully, the Bible places before us a spiritual "hall of fame"—raw, uncensored, gritty stories of men and women sometimes soaring, often stumbling, through the incredible life of faith. They wrestled with sin, experienced God's grace, struggled with weakness, and overcame by faith. Their inspiring biographies have been memorialized in Scripture, not simply because of their faith in God but because of God's faithfulness to them.
These great lives from God's Word not only provide realistic portraits for appreciation but also relevant principles for application.
The book of Ecclesiastes ends with the rebel back in the pulpit, now that his heart and soul are above the sun.
Since all of us will “return to the earth” and since our spirit “will return to God who gave it,” now is the time to remember Him in all our ways.
Enjoying life is inseparably linked to the life and plan of our Creator.
Perhaps the best way to paraphrase Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 would be the five-word command, “Stop existing and start living!”
In Ecclesiastes 10:12-20 Solomon goes further into detail, supplying additional information about the characteristics of a fool.
In Ecclesiastes 9:11-18, each verse is a maxim, loosely connected to the next, comprising a whole chapter of contrasts: wisdom versus folly.
Ecclesiastes 9:11-18 is a section of Scripture that invites you to pull out of the rat race and take an honest, studied look at life.
This section of Ecclesiastes, though direct and bold, is very much in tune with life today.
In this paragraph out of Solomon's journal (Ecclesiastes 8:10-17) we find the wise man, hoping to balance idealism with realism.
In Ecclesiastes 8, wisdom is personified in the life of “the wise man.” These principles can be applied to today's leaders.