In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said, “I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem”, and in chapter one and verse thirteen of his book Solomon said, “I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things”, where we read,
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail has God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
The verse reads, “And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven:” Solomon began with the words, “and I gave my heart” or “and I, Solomon, put, set, ascribed, devoted and dedicated my, Solomon’s soul, mind and will” “to seek and search out” which means “to resort to, frequent, inquire and explore and spy out” “by wisdom” or “through the means of skill, shrewdness, prudence and wit” “concerning all things” which means “according to, on account of and for the sake and matter of each, every, the whole and one every one of the acts, deeds, gadgets and devices” “that are done under heaven” or “which are fashioned, accomplished, performed beneath the visible sky, atmosphere and universe”. Solomon dedicated his soul, mind and will to inquire and explore every act, deed, gadget and device that are made and performed beneath the visible sky.
The verse goes on to say, “this sore travail has God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.” Daniel continued with the words, “this sore travail” or “this bad, disagreeable, malignant and unpleasant occupation, task and job” “has God given” which means “has the Supreme Deity put, set, granted, permitted and ascribed” “to the sons of man” or “to the offspring belonging to human beings” “to be exercised therewith” which means “by which people may be occupied, busied, afflicted, oppressed, humbled and bowed down”. Solomon discovered that God has ascribed to people a miserable and unhappy existence through his seeking and searching of every act, deed, gadget and device beneath the sun.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Solomon how he purposed in his soul and mind to explore every act, deed, device and gadget made and performed by people. This caused him to come to the conclusion that people were made miserable by all of them. What a perspective he had. We should remember again at this point that the conclusion to this book helps with our perspective about Solomon’s writing, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” (See Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) With an eternal perspective in mind, God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind, and when He raised Him from the dead after three days, He made the way through faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord” to be forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and provided with true satisfaction in life through His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth in this life and the life to come.
Next time Solomon says, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment