6 short lessons from Ecclesiastes 4 – M. Jackson.

by Onovae Akpoesiri | Aug 7, 2020 | Food for thought, Members Writeup

Six short lessons from Ecclesiastes chapter 4

Vs 1-3, Evil and oppression are in this world and those who oppress seem to have more power on their side to oppress. The only ones that are free from oppression are those that are dead but the most privileged are those that have never exited (not born). Why because even those that are dead only just had rest from the evil and oppression in this world but they that have not exited had neither experienced evil nor oppression. But for us alive today, in this world we would experience oppression and evil, don’t be part of those that oppress others.

1. Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors — and they have no comforter.
2. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.
3. But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Lesson 2

Vs 4, Your labor should not be as a result of envy. It’s not a compitition, the labor that is motivated by envy has no joy; it is exhausting and empty.

4. And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Lesson 3

Vs 5-6, it’s only a fool that folds his hands and destroys himself with laziness and idleness. Work hard but it’s very important that you learn how to rest and be patient than running around with too much work and no rest in pursuit of success. All the toiling and business is not worth it at last,

5. Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves.
6. Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Lesson 4

Vs 7-8, Work hard but learn to enjoy what you have also labored for, don’t be carried away with gathering riches without end. Let us take time to ask ourselves who we are gathering for because at the end it is all emptiness with no one to share it with. Wealth is sweeter when we share it with others.

7. Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8. There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with is wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless — a miserable business!

Lesson 5

Vs 9-12, Life without a true friend or companion is not satisfying. Two are better than one. Learn to connect with others and build good relationships because life is sweeter with friends; success is fulfilling when you have someone to share it with. The advantage of togetherness cannot be overemphasized; remember, one broom stick can be broken without stress but a stack of broom sticks cannot be easily broken.

9. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
10. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
11. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
12. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Lesson 6

Vs 13, Be open to receive instructions and friendly rebuke or warning, for a young one who listens to advise is wiser and better than an old foolish person who will not listen to advise or warning. Wisdom involves learning and listening to others, it involves humility to listen to the warning and rebuke of others. If you are wise to listen to others it will bring you riches and the position of a foolish king will be yours. Shalom!

13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

8 short lessons from Ecclesiastes 3 – M. Jackson.

by Onovae Akpoesiri | Aug 4, 2020 | Food for thought, Members Writeup

The namw “Ecclesiastes” comes from a Greek word indicating a person who calls an assembly, so it makes sense that the author identified himself in Ecclesiastes 1:1 by the Hebrew word qoheleth, translated as “Preacher. King Solomon wrote the book and it holds so many lessons. Lessons that can guide us through the struggle of this world. Today we will be focusing on Ecclesiastes 3.

Lesson 1

There is time for everything vs 1-8. God has made everything beautiful in it’s time.

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2. a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3. a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

4. a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5. a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6. a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7. a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8. a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Lesson 2

No one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. We cannot know everything about God or what He does. vs 9-11

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Lesson 3

Rejoice, and do good with what you have and with your life. Enjoy the fruit of your ‘good’ labor_it is the Gift of God. Vs 12-13.

12.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

Lesson 4

Vs 14, whatever God does stands forever, we cannot add to what God has already made, neither can we subtract from it.

14. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

Lesson5

Vs 15, what we see today has been in existence; and what we would see in the future had already been in existence. In essence, there is nothing really new in this world. What we call new and futuristic is what we modify from what God has already created. That’s why He demands us to give account of everything.

15. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

Lesson 6

Vs 16-17, wickedness may overcome righteousness, but God will judge the righteous and the wicked. There is a set time for (to judge ) every purpose and every work (what we do).

16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice — wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,“God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”

Lesson 7

Vs 18-21, after all, there is no difference between us and the animals when it comes to death. We all die and return to the dust from where we were taken. The only difference is that our breath goes back to the source (goes up) God. And that of the animals goes down to the earth since God did not breath into their nostrils the breath of life. But the bottom line is we all breath, so we all die.

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

Lesson 8

Vs22, so in conclusion, nothing is better than rejoicing in the work of your hand and the delighting yourself in the good of your labor which is a gift from God; this is your heritage and only reward here on earth, to use very well what God has blessed you with to do good. Because when you die, you cannot come back to see how those who inherited all you have acquired will use it. So do the best that you can now that you are alive. We only have one life, live it to the fullest in glory to God. May God bless and keep us to His Glory. Amen.

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?