With that in mind, below are some selections from Ecclesiastes, paired with responses from Jesus' teachings.The general approach was suggested to me by the way that the phrase "eat, drink, and be merry" from Ecclesiastes is taken up by Jesus in one of his parables, and that Jesus had also alluded to Moses in a similar way.
All such things are wearisome. There
is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:8, 9)
I observed all the happenings
beneath the sun, and I found that all is futile, and pursuit of wind.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14)
For what does a man get for all the
toiling and worrying he does under the sun? All his days his thoughts are grief
and heartache, and even at night his mind has no respite. That too is futile.
(Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)
Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will
give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am humble and lowly in
heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
(Matthew 11:28-30)
What real value is there for a man
in all the gains he makes under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 1:3)
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? (Matthew 16:26)
So, too, I loathed all the wealth
that I was gaining under the sun. For I shall leave it to the man who will
succeed me – and who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? And he will
control all the wealth that I gained by toil and wisdom under the sun. That too
is futile. (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)
Therefore I praised enjoyment. For
the only good a man can have under the sun is to eat and drink and be merry.
That much can accompany him, in exchange for his wealth, through the days of
life that God has granted him under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
And I will say to myself: “You have many goods laid up for many
years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry.”
But God said to him, “You fool, this night your soul shall be
required of you. Then whose shall those things be, which you have provided?”
So it is with the one who lays up treasure for himself, and is not
rich toward God. (Luke 12:19-21)
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, as naked as he came. He can take nothing of his wealth to carry with
him. So what is the good of his toiling for the wind? (Ecclesiastes 5:14-15)
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth
and rust corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break in or steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
If you would be perfect, go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
If you would be perfect, go and sell what you have and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
A twisted thing that cannot be made
straight, a lack that cannot be made good. (Ecclesiastes 1:15).
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.
(Ecclesiastes 4:1)
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be satisfied. (Matthew 5:3-6)
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. (3:17-18)
Both go to the same place; both came
from dust and both return to dust. Who knows if a man’s life breath does rise
upward and if a beast’s breath does sink down into the earth? I saw that there
is nothing better for man that to enjoy his possessions, since that is his
portion. For who can enable him to see what will happen afterward?
(Ecclesiastes 3:20-22)
Blessed are the
merciful: for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. (Matthew 5:7-10)
For the same fate is in store for
all: for the righteous, and for the wicked; for the good and pure, and for the
impure. That is the sad thing about all that goes on under the sun: that the
same fate is in store for all. (Ecclesiastes 9:2, 3)
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered
all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25:31-32)
Here is a frustration that occurs in
the world: sometimes an upright man is requited according to the conduct of the
scoundrel; and sometimes the scoundrel is requited according to the conduct of
the upright. I say all that is frustration. (Ecclesiastes 8:14)
For I say to you, that what is written must yet be accomplished in
me, “And he was reckoned among the transgressors”: for the things written
concerning me are reaching fulfillment. (Luke 22:37)
No man has authority over the
life breath – to hold back the life breath; there is no authority over the day of
death. (Ecclesiastes 8:8)
I am the good shepherd. I lay down my life for the sheep.
No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power
to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I
received of my Father. (John 10:14, 15, 18)
All this I tested with wisdom. I
thought I could fathom it, but it eludes me. (Ecclesiastes 7:23)
For I have set my mind to learn
wisdom and to observe the business that goes on in the world – even to the
extent of going without sleep day and night – and I have observed all that God
brings to pass. Indeed, man cannot guess the events that occur under the sun.
For man tries strenuously, but fails to guess them; and even if a sage should
think to discover them he would not be able to guess them. (Ecclesiastes 8:16-17)
I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and learned, and have revealed them to little
children. Even so,
Father: for so it seemed good in your sight. (Matthew 11:25-26)
The point of this is how our wise cynicism isn't as wise as we think,
and how Jesus addresses the "rational" points made in our bitterness.
Or as Paul summed up, "The foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom."
Well done. By that I mean the selections, and the way you have arranged them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement. It is so welcome.
ReplyDeleteTake care & God bless
Anne / WF