Monday, March 25, 2013

The Conclusion


8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. 12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  Ecclesiastes 12:8-14

Here we have the closing of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The preacher (I believe it is Solomon) tells us everything he has done.  He taught the people proverbs using knowledge and wisdom. As He taught he looked for acceptable words to be able to convey his message clearly and concisely.

Solomon says words of wise men can be like goads, or nails that are driven into our minds to help us learn and understand. Most of us can remember being drilled in school to help us retain information. I can still repeat sayings, poems or songs taught to me as a young child. These things “stick” in my mind. The word of God needs to “stick” in our minds.

Solomon reminds us that many books were being made. Can you imagine how many books have been made since Solomon’s time and how many subjects have been “investigated”? We need to be careful especially when it comes to the word of God. It is ok to read books about the word but it is much better to read the true and living Word.

Then, Solomon comes to the conclusion of everything he has said and done. Nothing absolutely nothing matters but to Fear God and Keep His commandments.

My journey through the book of Ecclesiastes has taken me quite a while to travel. I enjoyed writing down my thoughts and notes. 

Have a blessed day,
Donna

No comments:

Post a Comment