S3E296 – Ecclesiastes 1-2: Catch the Wind

Transcript Podcast Introduction Today is Poetry Thursday and we are going to begin the book of Ecclesiastes with the reading of chapters 1 and 2. I’ll have a short introduction before reading the chapters, then some comments after we’’re through. Then there’s an on this date in church history. I’m calling today’s episode “Catch the Wind.” Design: Steve Webb | Photo: Herbert Goetsch on Unsplash Comments on Ecclesiastes 1-2 Introduction to Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, the same King Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs. Like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is classified as a book of wisdom. But you will very quickly see that Solomon’s approach is much different here. I don’t want to give away too much right now, but I do want to say that it is important to stick with this book right up to the end. Don’t bail early, and don’t draw conclusions early. This is a book that requires patience on the part of the reader.  Thoughts on Ecclesiastes 1-2 So what do you think? Solomon sounds jaded and world-weary, doesn’t he? Almost makes you want to just give up, right? Well, don’t bail on him just yet. There is a reason that Ecclesiastes is in the Bible, but it takes a little while to discover it. It’s not a long book. There are only 12 chapters. For those who may not know, Solomon was the son of King David. That’s the David of the David and Goliath story. After David slew Goliath, he grew up to become King of Israel. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes, became King after David died in his old age. When he became King, he asked God not for military might or great wealth, but wisdom in order to rule Israel well. God was pleased with this prayer, and he not only made Solomon the wisest man that had ever lived, but also the richest, with every other gift that could be desired. As he writes this book, he is well along in years, and he has seen it all, and with all of his wisdom and all of his wealth and possessions, he has found that life is empty. Money, fame and power have not brought him happiness. Beautiful homes, good wine, the ability to have anything that his heart desired have only made him angry and sad. The thought of working his entire life to achieve these things, only to have to leave it all behind for someone else who didn’t work for them, is almost more than he can bear. And so he sums it up by saying that it is all useless. Something tells me that Solomon would probably not be invited as guest speaker to many places. Well, as I said. Hang around to see how this progresses. And please, don’t let Solomon depress you. God is still on the throne, He loves you, and Jesus is still the Savior of mens’ souls. Today’s Bible Translation Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 1-2 ERV Support This a value for value podcast. There are no advertisers because advertising=censorship. If you enjoy the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, decide how much value it brings to you. Only you can make that determination. Then put a number on the value and send it to me here: SUPPORT. Transcript Download .txt file. STEVE WEBB – 0:00Well, that’s almost more than he can bear. INTRO S12E295 – 0:09Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily show where we’re reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Poetry Thursday, and we’re going to begin the book of Ecclesiastes with the reading of chapters one and two. Before we begin the book, I’ll have a short introduction for you, and then after we read the chapters, I’ve got some comments. I’m calling today’s episode, “Catch the Wind”. The show notes page for today is at lifespringmedia.com/s12e295. My email address is st***@*************ia.com. Let’s begin. INTRO TO ECCLESIASTES – 0:48Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, the same King Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs, and like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is classified as a book of poetry. Sometimes it’s called a book of wisdom. But you’ll very quickly see that Solomon’s approach is much different here. I don’t want to give away too much right now. But I do want to say that it’s important to stick with this book right up to the end. Don’t bail early and don’t draw conclusions early. This is a book that requires patience on the part of the reader. ECCLESIASTES 1 (ERV) – 1:22Ecclesiastes, chapter one. (1) These are the words from the Teacher, a son of David and king of Jerusalem. (2) Everything is so meaningless. The Teacher says that it is all a waste of time! (3) Do people really gain anything from all the hard work they do in this life? (4) People live and people die, but the earth continues forever. (5) The sun rises and the sun goes down, and then it hurries to rise again in the same place. (6) The wind blows to the south, and the wind blows to the north. The wind blows around and around. Then it turns and blows back to the place it began. (7) All rivers flow again and again to the same place. They all flow to the sea, but the sea never becomes full. (8) Words cannot fully explain things, but people continue speaking. Words come again and again to our ears, but our ears don’t become full. And our eyes don’t become full of what we see. (9) All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. The same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life. (10) Someone might say, “Look, this is new,” but that thing has always been here. It was here before we were. (11) People don’t remember what happened long ago. In the future, they will not remember what is happening now. And later, other people will not remember what the people before them did. (12) I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. (13) I decided to study and to use my wisdom to learn about everything that is done in this life. I learned that it is a very hard thing that God has given us to do. (14) I looked at everything done on earth, and I saw that it is all a waste of time. It is like trying to catch the wind. (15) If something is crooked, you cannot say it is straight. And if something is missing, you cannot say it is there. (16) I said to myself, “I am very wise. I am wiser than all the kings who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are.” (17) I decided to learn how wisdom and knowledge are better than thinking foolish thoughts. But I learned that trying to become wise is like trying to catch the wind. (18) With much wisdom comes frustration. The one who gains more wisdom also gains more sorrow. ECCLESIASTES 2 (ERV) – 3:46Ecclesiastes, chapter two. (1) I said to myself, “I should have fun—I should enjoy everything as much as I can.” But I learned that this is also useless. (2) It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun does not do any good. (3) So I decided to fill my body with wine while I filled my mind with wisdom. I tried this foolishness because I wanted to find a way to be happy. I wanted to see what was good for people to do during their few days of life. (4) Then I began doing great things. I built houses, and I planted vineyards for myself. (5) I planted gardens, and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees. (6) I made pools of water for myself, and I used them to water my growing trees. (7) I bought men and women slaves, and there were slaves born in my house. I owned many great things. I had herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. I owned more things than any other person in Jerusalem did. (8) I also gathered silver and gold for myself. I took treasures from kings and their nations. I had men and women singing for me. I had everything any man could want. (9) I became very rich and famous. I was greater than anyone who lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom was always there to help me. (10) Anything my eyes saw and wanted, I got for myself. My mind was pleased with everything I did. And this happiness was the reward for all my hard work. (11) But then I looked at everything I had done and the wealth I had gained. I decided it was all a waste of time! It was like trying to catch the wind. There is nothing to gain from anything we do in this life. (12) Then I decided to think about what it means to be wise or to be foolish or to do crazy things. And I thought about the one who will be the next king. The new king will do the same as the kings before him. (13) I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness in the same way that light is better than darkness. (14) Wise people use their minds like eyes to see where they are going. But for fools, it is as if they are walking in the dark. I also saw that fools and wise people both end the same way. (15) I thought to myself, “The same thing that happens to a fool will also happen to me. So why have I tried so hard to become wise?” I said to myself, “Being wise is also useless.” (16) Whether people are wise or foolish, they will still die, and no one will remember either one of them forever. In the future, people will forget everything both of them did. So the two really are the same. (17) This made me hate life. It was depressing to think that everything in this life is useless, like trying to catch the wind. (18) I began to hate all the hard work I had done, because I saw that the people who live after me would get the things that I worked for. I will not be able to take them with me. (19) Some other person will control everything I worked and studied for. And I don’t know if that person will be wise or foolish. This is also senseless. (20) So I became sad about all the work I had done. (21) People can work hard using all their wisdom and knowledge and skill. But they will die and other people will get the things they worked for. They did not do the work, but they will get everything. That makes me very sad. It is also not fair and is senseless. ...