Ecclesiastes Chapter 5:1-7

Fear God

5 ^[a] Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. ^2 [b] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. ³ For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.

⁴ When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. ⁵  It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. ⁶ Let not your mouth lead you^[c] into sin, and do not say before the messenger^[d] that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?⁷ For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity;^[e] but^[f]God is the one you must fear.

In my Bible, verses 1-7 are summed up by saying, "In light of the futility of careless worship, Solomon sets forth an exhortation concerning proper worship."

In verse 1 we learn that we need to be careful, attentive.  

Verse 2 was kind of hard for me to interpret its meaning.  My footnotes say, "Do not make a rash or ill-considered bargain with the Lord, nor twist a wish into a demanding prayer (under the guise of "vision" or "faith").  Always be thoughtful and of few words when in God's presence."

This made me a little bit confused where is says to let your words be few.  I think what it means it that we need to acknowledge God's holiness, and not think of him too much as a "best friend".  Buuut, I'm not sure ;). 

On verse 7, my notes say, " There is vanity in preoccupation with one's work and in careless worship." Careless worship.  Think about all the times you go to church, and your heart is just not in singing the words to those songs.  For me, it happens quite a lot.  I might as well have ADD or something, because my thoughts wander to different things.  It's kind of ironic that I found this verse in this passage, because I've been thinking about what it's like to truly worship and be absolutely focused on God.  I've even done a little research on the topic.  But that will be for another blog post :).

- Mallory

Ecclesiastes Chapter 4

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

 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.

 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.

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

 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 his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
   “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
   a miserable business!

 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.

Advancement Is Meaningless

 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.

In verses 1-3 Solomon is saying that they would be better off dead than alive.  In verses 4-6 he describes a worker who becomes a workaholic because of competition.  Verse 5 talks about the opposite, a person who never works, and starves to death.

I really like verse 12: A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  It's so poetic.  I suppose that poetry must have come first from the Bible.  :)

- Mallory

Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

A Time for Everything

 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.

 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. 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. 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.

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

 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.”

 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?”

 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?

 I was looking at an online commentary and I really liked what it had on verse one.  It has the definition of season.

A season — A certain time appointed by God for its being and continuance, which no human wit or providence can alter. And by virtue of this appointment of God, all vicissitudes which happen in the world, whether comforts or calamities, come to pass. Which is here added to prove the principal proposition, That all things below are vain, and happiness is not to be found in them, because of their great uncertainty, and mutability, and transitoriness, and because they are so much out of the reach and power of men, and wholly in the disposal of God.

Isn't that a cool way of putting it?  I really REALLY like verse 11. A LOT!  

 "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."

Isn't that just the coolest? It doesn't just say God made everything.  It says that God made everything BEAUTIFUL!  And no one can fathom what He has done... soooooo good! 

When I find myself complaining about life, I need to just think of this verse and say to myself, "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

The last passage is kind of confusing... It is said that Solomon could be using a sarcastic tone here... In my notes it says:

"Though both man and beast will suffer a common fate and return to dust, man will face God in judgment.  Therefore, he should serve God faithfully in this life, enjoying what God gives him."


It's basically talking about here how God gives us work, and we need to be thankful for the work that has been given to us, and to find joy in doing it. We need to ENJOY serving God.

- Mallory

Ecclesiastes Chapter 2

Pleasures Are Meaningless

 ¹ I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. ²“Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” ³ I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

 ⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. ⁵ I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. ⁸ I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem^[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

 ¹⁰ I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
   I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
   and this was the reward for all my toil.
¹¹ Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
   and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
   nothing was gained under the sun.

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

 ¹² Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, 
   and also madness and folly. 
What more can the king’s successor do 
   than what has already been done? 
¹³ I saw that wisdom is better than folly, 
   just as light is better than darkness. 
¹⁴ The wise have eyes in their heads, 
   while the fool walks in the darkness; 
but I came to realize 
   that the same fate overtakes them both.

 ¹⁵ Then I said to myself,

   “The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
   What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
   “This too is meaningless.”
¹⁶ For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
   the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!

Toil Is Meaningless

 ¹⁷ So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. ¹⁸ I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. ¹⁹And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰ So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹ For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

 ²⁴ A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?²⁶ To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Solomon in this passage is talking about all the things he has done to try and bring happiness to his life.  It reminds me of the 'American Dream.'  He says that he denied himself nothing that his eyes desired.  This passage can be applied to our culture.  If you ask people what their life goals, I bet that a majority of the people would say the want to go to college so they can get a good job, get a good job so they can make good money, and make good money so they can have a good house and a good car... It's almost as if Solomon is saying that he tried all that, except it was in his own day.  So he may not have wanted a good car, but it might've been the best farming land in the area... or something like that.  

Look at verses 22 and 23.  

 ²² What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? ²³ All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

Solomon makes a very good point here.  It's definitely something I need to think about. 

- Mallory

Ecclesiastes Chapter 1

Everything Is Meaningless

 ¹ The words of the Teacher,^[a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:

 ² “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
   says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
   Everything is meaningless.”

 ³ What do people gain from all their labors
   at which they toil under the sun? ⁴ Generations come and generations go,
   but the earth remains forever. ⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets,
   and hurries back to where it rises. ⁶ The wind blows to the south
   and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
   ever returning on its course. ⁷ All streams flow into the sea,
   yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
   there they return again. ⁸ All things are wearisome,
   more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
   nor the ear its fill of hearing. ⁹ What has been will be again,
   what has been done will be done again;
   there is nothing new under the sun. ¹⁰ Is there anything of which one can say,
   “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
   it was here before our time. ¹¹ No one remembers the former generations,
   and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
   by those who follow them.

Wisdom Is Meaningless

 ¹² I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! ¹⁴ I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

 ¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be straightened;
   what is lacking cannot be counted.

 ¹⁶ I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

 ¹⁸ For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
   the more knowledge, the more grief.

So, as you can see, I'm starting to go through Ecclesiastes.  

The devotional book I have says that the first two chapters in Ecclesiastes are Solomon's personal experiences.  Solomon talks a lot about how everything is meaningless, and how it's not worth it to attempt to find happiness in the world.  He learned this from his own experiences... Just the whole tone that Solomon sets in Ecclesiastes makes me rethink my priorities.  Am I merely seeking to be fulfilled by the useless things this world holds?  A question I asked myself is if Solomon says everything is meaningless, than what is there that has meaning? Just a little question that made me think.  It's amazing how much time and money we waste chasing after things that will never satisfy us.  You know those quizzes on facebook, where it will tell you your chances of getting married, and then it will tell you the average time you will spend going to the bathroom... and it's a BIG number! So, if we supposedly are going to spend days and days and DAYS of our lives just going to the bathroom, than think about how many days and weeks and months of our lives we waste doing NOTHING! Doing nothing for anyone but ourselves. How many days do you think we would spend watching TV? A Lot. How about on the computer? A lot. Now what about reading the Word? Um. The number is too embarrassingly low to mention.

Oh. And in verses 16-18 they remind me of the latest Indiana Jones movie.  The evil guy (his name escapes me at the moment) puts the last skull in place, and he says that he wants to know everything the aliens know.  So, they pour all of their knowledge into him.  The knowledge is so much the the evil guy basically explodes into dust. Or something like that.... Just thought I would share that with you all ;) 

So yeah. Spend the time you have on what's worthwhile.  

That's my thoughts.

- Mallory

- Mallory

Galatians 6

Doing Good to All

 ¹ Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³ If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. ⁴ Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, ⁵ for each one should carry their own load. ⁶ Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. ⁷ Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Not Circumcision but the New Creation

 ¹¹ See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand! ¹² Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³ Not even those who are circumcised keep the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your circumcision in the flesh. ¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which^[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵ Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. ¹⁶ Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to^[b] the Israel of God.
 ¹⁷ From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.
 ¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Main Point - I think that the main point of this passage is that we need to bear one another's burdens.  I like how the title is "Do Good to All".

I found verses 9-10 and verse 14 very encouraging. 

⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

¹⁴ May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which^[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 

I really like verse 14. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such strong, strong words.


 - Mallory

Galatians 5

Galatians 5

Freedom in Christ

 ¹ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
 ⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Life by the Spirit

 ¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b] 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

 ¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

 ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Main Point - We are free because of Christ.  Live and walk by the spirit.

As you can tell, the end of this chapter is my favorite.  The fruit of the spirit.  At camp this summer at a seminar someone said, "The fruit of the spirit are not so you can make a list and evaluate which ones you need to work on.  If you are walking in the spirit, then the fruit of the spirit will come naturally.  A tree doesn't try to grow fruit. It just happens naturally.  Just like you producing good fruit will come naturally if you are walking with the spirit."

Someone else said that they have heard of this as a pick up line.  "You're a Galatians 5 fruit salad."  Haha.  I want to be a "Galatians 5 fruit salad."  I want to have all of the fruit of the spirit showing in my life.  :)


 - Mallory