What Is Your Life If Not Lived For The Lord? (Part 24)

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”.   He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer.  Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34).  (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved.  May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question…  “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 8:1-5  – Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.  I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.  Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.  Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?  Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?

True Godly wisdom is a rare thing.  Many have a worldy type of wisdom, but few have a wisdom that can understand and explain the workings of the Lord and the application of His truths to our lives.

a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 

With the receipt of Godly wisdom comes joy, and kindness of heart as the wise man applies God’s Word to his own life and learns the importance of treating others with a Godly love and grace.

I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.    

Solomon gives us the advice to obey the higher authorities of this world as long as they do not contradict the promises of obedience we have given to the Lord.  We are to remain loyal servants of the king, standing in his presence awaiting his commands.  If we find ourselves disobeying his commands we are to not remain in disobedience but turn back to him with a repentant heart.

Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?  Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment. 

Why must we take great care in obeying higher authorities?  It is because they possess great authority. When they are set against us, they can do great harm to us and those around us.  The king’s authority allows him to simply speak and have his words come to pass.  No one can question his doings.

This is why we all need to obey the higher powers.  Then the king will not turn against us.  When a man is truly wise he will know when it is proper to obey the king and what judgment he will face if he disobeys.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

Possessing Godly wisdom will change our lives.  It will give us the ability to see things as they actually are, through the lens of the will of God for our lives.  It will open up to us the ability to apply God’s Word to our lives and treat others in a kind, Godly manner.  Finally, it will lead us to submit to higher authorities under the umbrella of the highest authority, the Lord Himself.

May we all seek the gracious gift of Godly wisdom that flows from  our Lord through His Word.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

Homepage…  http://www.settledinheaven.org

Text Blog…  http://www.settledinheaven.wordpress.com

Video Blog… http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven

Email… settledinheaven@gmail.com

 What Is Your Life If Not Lived For The Lord? (Part 23)

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”.   He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer.  Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34).  (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved.  May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question…  “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 7:24-29

That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?  I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.  Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:  Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?  I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

 Solomon was the first to admit that he could never perfectly come to an understanding of all the counsels of God and how He worked upon the earth.  Although he greatly desired to understand the role of Godly wisdom, earthly wisdom and foolishness in the world around him, he could only use his limited spiritual and human abilities to come to any conclusion on the subject.  He was freely admitting that his understanding of all these things was limited by his carnal, fallen, human nature.

And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. 

Through Solomon’s investigation, he recognizes that a seductive woman who seeks to ensnare men and hold them in carnal sins, produces worse pain, sorrow, and loss than death itself.  Of course, this woman can be speaking of any source of temptation that confronts men and can derail them and hold them captive, as they seek to serve the Lord.

He is clearly stating that it is far better for a Christian to be taken from this world than to become ensnared in sin and rendered useless for the cause of Christ.

Solomon observes that although the seduction of sin can be very powerful, it is possible for men to escape it through the intervention of the Lord.  In comparison the lost, seeking to escape from her grasp, realizes they cannot escape her grasp because they do not have the Lord in their lives.

Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:  Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. 

Solomon, the teacher (after a very systematic, detailed examination) has not found one man in a thousand, who could overcome the seduction of sin by their own merit.  In other words, there are no man, or woman, that could be found on the earth who perfectly rules over their flesh and lives a life of absolute sinlessness.

(Keep in mind the word “thousand” represents “all or every” as in Psa 50:10 where we are told the Lord owns “all the cattle on a thousand hills” ie…. He owns cattle on all the hills.   When Solomon says he cannot find a man among a thousand, he is saying he could find no man among them all.  Likewise he could find no perfect woman among all women.)

Although God has made man to be perfect and sinless, however, in a fallen man’s heart they always follow their own sinful desires due to the fallen nature that indwells us all.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

Solomon came to understand the inability for any of us to come to a full understanding of the need for Godly wisdom and strength in the fallen world around us.  Apart from the Lord’s intervention in our life, we have no chance of ever coming to an understanding of our great need of Him and His enabling to overcome sin.

May we all remember that resisting temptation only comes through the gracious enabling of the Lord.  As such, may we all honor and praise Him exclusively when we find ourselves victorious over the sins that lie in our path as we walk life upon the earth.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

Homepage…  http://www.settledinheaven.org

Text Blog…  http://www.settledinheaven.wordpress.com

Video Blog… http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven

Email… settledinheaven@gmail.com

What Is Your Life If Not Lived For The Lord? (Part 22)

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”.   He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer.  Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34).  (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved.  May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question…  “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 7:11-23  – Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.  For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.  Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.  All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.   Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?  Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?  It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.  Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.  For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.  Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:  For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.  All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.  For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.

Although there is no value to accruing wealth and leaving an inheritance to the fool; for those who possess Godly wisdom, an inheritance is a very beneficial thing.  There are many beneficial uses for an inheritance which is controlled by a Godly man.

Both Godly wisdom, and wealth possessed by the wise can be used as a great protection  against poverty and abuse of the wise or those around him.

The highest type of knowledge reveals that Godly wisdom gives spiritual, eternal life to those who possess it.  This is because Godly wisdom leads a man to see his sinful condition; identify his Savior, Jesus Christ; and persuade him of the need to turn to Him for deliverance from his sin.

Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider:

Solomon now reminds us that the events of this life are under the absolute sovereign control of the Lord.  No man can change that which the Lord has decreed.  No man can make straight what He has made crooked.

In the pleasant days, be joyful and thankful to the Lord realizing He is the One that has brought it to pass.  In the days of affliction, stop and think…  the Lord is also in control of this and is allowing it to take place for a purpose.

God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. 

The Lord does all of these things to be a constant reminder of our total, absolute reliance upon Him.  He does this by constantly bringing new events into our lives, doing things in our lives we cannot change, and not allowing us to see what tomorrow holds for us.

All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.   Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?  Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? 

Before Solomon came to an understanding of the true meaning to life and the importance of Godly wisdom, he observed that a man who lived a lawful life died at a young age while a man who lived wickedly lived a long life.

This seemed to indicate that it is useless to pursue living a moral, lawful life because it only ends up hurting us.  Likewise, we should not go to the opposite extreme because excessive lawlessness can result in living lives of imprisonment, sickness, suffering and also, at times, early death.

It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. 

Based upon these examples, Solomon now reveals the true principle that we should cling to and never forget… The man that fears with Lord with a Godly type of wisdom will excel over both the earthly wise and earthly foolish man.  This is because the God fearing man will use this physical life to prepare for the eternal life that is to come.  He will do this by recognizing his sinful condition, recognize Christ as the only Savior, and turn from their sins to Christ in faith.

Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.   For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. 

Godly wisdom will lead the leaders of a city to reign in righteousness and lead others to follow the Lord.  This is a greater protection to the city than ten mighty warriors who fight in their own power and are not empowered by the Lord.

The greatest reason why Godly wisdom is so important for all mankind is because all men have sinned and are separated from the Lord due to their sins.  All men are in need of a Savior

Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:  For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. 

Another important principle that is known by the wise is to not listen to those who speak against us.  When we hear them, due to our sin nature, we will turn against the speaker and seek vengeance against him.  This will lead to possible mistreatment of the speaker.

If we stop and consider, we will realize that we are guilty of speaking against others and have no place to judge others who speak against us.

All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far

from me. 

These are all lessons Solomon has proven to be true as he gained Godly wisdom from the Lord.  This, in turn, helped him to understand the great need for wisdom in his life.  However, he also came to understand that true, Godly wisdom, cannot be gained through our good works nor our desire for them.  True Godly wisdom is a gift that is given by God, sovereignly, to those whom He chooses to receive it.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

Folks, throughout this lesson, we have seen the need for Godly wisdom emphasized again and again by Solomon.  As Christians, may we all come to understand the great need for Godly wisdom in our lives and the need to humbly come before the Lord and seek that wisdom which cannot be gained through human merit, education, nor desire.

Likewise may those who do not know Christ, come to an understanding of their great need for Godly wisdom as well.  May they see that the first step to gaining Godly wisdom is through possessing a personal relationship with Christ through repentance from sin and belief in Christ as Lord and Savior.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

Homepage…  http://www.settledinheaven.org

Text Blog…  http://www.settledinheaven.wordpress.com

Video Blog… http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven

Email… settledinheaven@gmail.com

What Is Your Life If Not Lived For The Lord? (Part 21)

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”.   He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer.  Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34).  (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved.  May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question…  “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 7:1-10 

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.  (2)  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  (3)  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  (4)  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.  (5)  It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.  (6)  For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.  (7)  Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.  (8)  Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  (9)  Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.  (10)  Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Solomon now describes for us many different areas of our lives that can lead us to prideful living.  He attempts to answer the question.. “Does living a life of pride and arrogance lead to a fulfilling life on earth?”

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. 

Living a life of humility that results in possessing an honorable, respected name among mankind is far better than accumulating the most valuable of ointments.  Prideful living would choose the wealth of this world over the good testimony of a man humbled before the Lord.

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 

It is far better to face difficulties, sorrows, and loss in this life than to enjoy the pleasures of this world without any heartaches or trials.  This is because a man who is faced with many trials, can more easily see his frail, fallen condition and need of the enabling graces of the Lord in His life.  True Godly wisdom, humility and dependence upon God, many times, is rooted in the hardships of life.  In opposition to this, many times, living a life of pleasure and joy without heartaches can lead to a man to a prideful spirit, as he feels immune from trials and superior to others who are suffering abound him.

It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.  For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity. 

Possessing a humble spirit always willing to hear words of correction from a wise man is far better than for a man to selfishly, pridefully seek counsel from fools. A wise man knows the importance of recognizing our weaknesses and great spiritual needs, while the prideful fool does not recognize his need, but only thinks upon receiving pleasure and enjoyment in the here and now.

A fool’s counsel and merriment is much like burning wood under a pot, it makes much meaningless noise that lasts for only a moment and disappears into smoke.

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. 

A wise man recognizes abuse and mistreatment of others and becomes angry over it.  But a gift that is received from the abuser (as a bride) will pervert the wise man’s judgment and turn his eyes and hatred from the abuse.

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. 

Solomon now tells us it is far better to finish a task than to simply plan to do it with no work being done to bring it to completion.  A wise man recognizes it takes a humble, patient spirit to finish the task at hand.  Impatience leads to frustration and anger which is a sign of a prideful, foolish man.

Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. 

It is foolish and prideful are not to ask why the days of old were better than present times.  We must humbly recognize the Lord controls both our past and present days. We should accept our current circumstances of life humbly and wisely knowing that all things are working for our good and His glory.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

Folks living a life of pride and arrogance will only develop in us a self-reliant attitude that does not recognize our great spiritual needs. This type of lifestyle results in living a wasted life and an unpreparedness to enter eternity.  May we all seek to lead a life of humility and submission, understanding the great need of Christ in our life as our Lord and Savior.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

Homepage…  http://www.settledinheaven.org

Text Blog…  http://www.settledinheaven.wordpress.com

Video Blog… http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven

Email… settledinheaven@gmail.com

What Is Your Life If Not Lived For The Lord? (Part 20)

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”.   He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer.  Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34).  (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved.  May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question…  “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 6:11-12

Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?  For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? 

In this study, so far, we have seen many many things that Solomon has identified as “vain”.

Ranging from pleasing our carnal desires to accumulating physical possessions to possessing worldly wisdom, Solomon came to understand that ANYTHING that exists “under the sun” (i.e. in this physical world in which we live) is short-lived and of no lasting value…

Ecc 1:2 – “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

If we understand that all found under the sun is vain, then we can also come to understand that these things do not benefit man in any lasting ways.  Man is no better after accumulating and partaking of the things of this world, as he was when he was first born into this world.

For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? 

From an earthly standpoint, with no concern given to God and His Word, who in this fallen world can know what will profit man in this earthy existence on a fallen, sinful world?  The implied answer is “no one” because none of this world’s offerings benefit man.

Man’s life on earth is like a shadow, constantly changing and lasting for only a brief period of time.  (Psa 144:4)

Man’s life on earth is fluctuating, always shifting… because of this, no man can tell us what lies on the morrow.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

Solomon reminds us that everything we find “under the sun” is of no value to us in the eternal things of God. May we continue to seek out the Lord’s will for our lives, seeing the importance of seeking the eternal things of God compared to the temporal things that this world has to offer us.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

Homepage…  http://www.settledinheaven.org

Text Blog…  http://www.settledinheaven.wordpress.com

Video Blog… http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven

Email… settledinheaven@gmail.com

 What Is Your Life If Not Lived For The Lord? (Part 14)

INTRODUCTION:

Solomon addresses himself as “the Preacher”.   He is the one that will proclaim the spritiual truths of God to those in his nation and to Christians throughout time.

Keep in mind, Solomon learned these truths by trying to find the meaning to life through experiencing all this world has to offer.  Solomon was uniquely suited to learn these lessons and share these truths with the people of God…

First of all, very few men possess sufficient wealth and power to be able to sample all this world has to offer (1 Kings 10:23).

Secondly, only Solomon and a few others throughout time, have been universally respected causing his teachings to be taken very seriously and thoughtfully by all (1 Kings 4:30-34).  (Keep in mind, even Christ Himself and His teachings were rejected by many of those around Him.)

Solomon was God’s man, in God’s place, at God’s time, by God’s grace, to learn this most important truth and proclaim it with authority to those he loved.  May we all listen carefully as Solomon reveals to us the true meaning to life and answer the question…  “What Is Our Life If Not Lived for The Lord ?”.

TODAY’S TEXT:

Eccl 5:1-7

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.  Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.  When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore would God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?  For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Solomon now begins to look at the making of vows (promises) to the Lord…

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 

When we come into God’s presence during times of worship, prayer and devotions, we are to be careful with our attitudes, motives, words and actions.  We are to possess humble spirits that are willing to hear and submit to the will of God for our lives.

It is far better to have a quiet humble spirit before the Lord, than to be pridefully active in outward promises and acts of service with no concern for God’s will for our lives.   In reality, religious acts done without faith, apart from God’s will for us are acts of pride and sinfulness.

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.  For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. 

When we speak before the Lord, we should not be rash (speaking without thinking) nor are we to speak hastily (quickly blurting things out without proper consideration).

We should always remember that our Lord is over us.  He holds greater power, authority, and ownership of us. He is our Creator and we are simply a part of His creation which resides on the earth.  Because of this we should “let Him do the talking” and desire to simply humble ourselves and learn His will for our lives.

We need to take great care to find the Lord’s will for our lives because there are many ways we can get sidetracked from obeying Him.

First of all, we can get sidetracked from God’s will when we get heavily involved in a multitude of affairs in this world.   When this takes place, the affairs of this world can quickly dominate all of our desires, hopes and dreams.

Secondly, we can get sidetracked when we foolishly speak things that cause us to stray from His will.  Instead of weighing all of our words and being certain they align themselves with God’s will, we speak quickly without thought.  In doing so, we utter sinful words, make promises we cannot keep, or promises that go in direct opposition to God’s will for us.

When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 

Solomon emphasizes the seriousness of making vows to God. Solomon tells us that when we make a promise to the Lord we should quickly work to keep that vow and not delay.  To make a vow and delay in keeping it is the action of a fool.

Solomon again stresses the seriousness of the vow when he states “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.”    

Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?  For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God. 

When we make rash vows that depart from God’s will for our lives, there are only two possible results:

1. We will keep our sinful vow which we result in sinful actions on our part.
2. We will attempt to change or rescind the promise. This is described by Solomon as “say before the angel, that it was an error”.    The “angel” here is referring to Christ (Mal 2:7, Isa 63:9, Gen 48:16 etc), the One to whom the promise was made.

In either case, we end up angering God and ruining our testimony and service to the Lord.

Because of all of this, Solomon comes to the understanding that although there are many different types of lofty promises, contracts, and dreams, when made “under the sun” (apart from the Lord and His will for our lives), are all simply acts of vanities with no lasting value.

A Christian is far better to learn to simply fear God and in doing so, he will learn to guard his mouth and only make, and then keep, promises to God that align themselves with His will.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

May we all learn to hold a proper reverence and fear of the Lord, and in doing so, learn to guard our mouths and be prepared to carefully make and keep vows that are pleasing to the Lord.

Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life included:

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