Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 11:2-9 - Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Psalm 139:14 - I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Application:

· Since I have plenty, am I generous?
· Do I comprehend this creature (me) that God has fashioned?
· Does the prospect of divine praise or blame give direction to my heart and discrimination to my eyes?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Cast Your Bread Upon The Waters

Ecclesiastes 11:1 - Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.

Hosea 10:12 - Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers righteousness on you.

Proverbs 11:24 - One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

Application:

· Am I adventurous or do I always play it safe?
· Do I do what is right? Am I unproductive or am I repentant? Am I loyal to God?
· Am I generous or am I stingy?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Whose King Was A Servant

Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 - Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness. If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Hosea 7:7 - All of them are hot as an oven; they devour their rulers. All their kings fall, and none of them calls on me.

Proverbs 31:4-5 - "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.

Exodus 22:28 - "Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

Application:

· Do I call on the Lord to keep me away from shameful situations?
· Do I forget what God's Word decrees?
· Do I curse my rulers, God's representatives?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Does Not Know The Way To Town

Ecclesiastes 10:6-15 - Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them. If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success. If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips. At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness--and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming—who can tell him what will happen after him? A fool's work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.

Ecclesiastes 9:1 - So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 - When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.

Application:

· Do I know whether my future will be good or bad?
· Do I refuse God's teaching?
· Can I learn? Do I refuse to learn?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Time And Chance

Ecclesiastes 9:8-11 - Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

Psalm 6:5 - No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?

Isaiah 38:18 - For the grave cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.

Application:

· Do I remember God's mercies and celebrate His deliverances?
· Do I praise God, sing His praise and have hope for His faithfulness?
· Do I think I am in control of events in my life?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Live

Ecclesiastes 9:3-7 - This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun. Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.

Jeremiah 16:12 - But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me.

Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Ecclesiastes 8:15 - So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Application:

· Do I try to blame the coming judgment on the sins of previous generations?
· Do I allow wickedness to take root in my heart?
· Am I grateful that I can eat, drink and be glad?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Common Destiny

Ecclesiastes 8:16-9:2 - When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man's labor on earth—his eyes not seeing sleep day or night-then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it. So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God's hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him. All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.

Ecclesiastes 3:20 - All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

Application:

· Do I comprehend all that God has done?
· Do I know whether my future will be good or bad?
· Is my conviction that God ultimately will see justice done?
· Is my observable destination a return to dust? What is my eternal destination?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 8:13-15 - Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 - In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.

Psalm 42:8 - By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.

Exodus 32:6 - So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

Application:

· Do I see my righteousness as sure protection against hard times?
· Am I grateful that I can eat, drink and be glad?
· Is the Lord the center of my life?
· Do I tend toward idolatry?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

The Wicked Buried

Ecclesiastes 8:8-12 - No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it. All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt. Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless. When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.

Luke 16:22 - "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 - I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."

Ecclesiastes 11:9 - Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Application:

· Will I go to the place of blessedness (Abraham's side) when I die?
· Is my heart filled with schemes to do wrong?
· Am I cynical about injustice?
· Does the prospect of divine praise or blame give direction to my heart and discrimination to my eyes?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Snare

Ecclesiastes 7:25-26 - So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.

Exodus 10:7 - Pharaoh's officials said to him, "How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?"

Proverbs 2:16-18 - It will save you also from the adulteress, from the wayward wife with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

Application:

· Am I rebellious and disobedient?
· Have I put limits in place to keep me from wayward women?
· Have I lead a life of immorality? Am I leading a life of immorality? (What do I look at?; What do I think about?...hmmm)

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Who Can Discover It?

Ecclesiastes 7:21-24 - Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you-for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. All this I tested by wisdom and I said, "I am determined to be wise"—but this was beyond me. Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound—who can discover it?

Job 28:18,28 - Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies…And he said to man, 'The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.' "

1 Corinthians 2:9-10,14-16 - However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"—but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God…The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Application:

· Do I fear the Lord?
· Am I beginning to be wise?
· Do I love Him?
· Has God revealed to me what He has prepared for me?
· Do I accept and understand the things that come from the Spirit of God?
· Am I qualified to judge the spiritual person? Am I subject to the opinions of unbelievers?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Not A Righteous Man On Earth

Ecclesiastes 7:17-20 - Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool—why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes . Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city. There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.

Proverbs 20:9 - Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

Application:

· Am I reckless?
· Do I avoid legalism and do I regard authority? Do I lead a truly righteous and wise life?
· I do not do what is right and I sin!
· I am not without sin, but my sins have been forgiven! Therefore, I have clean hands and a pure heart!

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Wickedness

Ecclesiastes 7:15-16 - In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself?

Jeremiah 12:1 - You are always righteous, O LORD, when I bring a case before you. Yet I would speak with you about your justice: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease?

Application:

· Do I think I am protected against hard times?
· Is God ready to listen to my questions and complaints?
· Is my righteousness and wisdom legalistic?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

To The Same Place

Ecclesiastes 5:20-6:10 - He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man-even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place? All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied. What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by knowing how to conduct himself before others? Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known; no man can contend with one who is stronger than he.

Ecclesiastes 3:21 - Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"

Application:

· Without the gospel, I cannot know where my spirit goes; I can only guess

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

As He Comes, So He Departs

Ecclesiastes 5:9-19 - The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.

Job 1:20-21 - At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Application:

· Does my wealth bring satisfaction?
· Does my faith lead me to see the Sovereign God's hand at work?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Do Not Be Surprised

Ecclesiastes 5:5-8 - It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God. If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.

Jonah 2:9 - But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."

Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 - 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. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.

Application:

· Do I make good on my vows?
· Am I surprised by the oppression, injustice and denial of rights in our society?
· Do I see life as meaningless, cruel and bitter?
· Do I see suffering as separation from Christ or as pointing me toward Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

No Pleasure In Fools

Ecclesiastes 5:2-4 - Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.

Proverbs 1:7,20-22 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline…Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out, in the gateways of the city she makes her speech: "How long will you simple ones love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?

Application:

· Can I learn? Do I refuse to learn?
· Do I exercise discretion?
· Do I submit to God and His commands? Or, do I hate knowledge, hate correction, am I quarrelsome, angry, complacent, do I trust in myself?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Revere Him

Ecclesiastes 3:9-17 - What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 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 men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there. I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."

Ecclesiastes 7:18 - It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 11:9 - Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Application:

· Do I avoid legalism and do I regard authority? Do I lead a truly righteous and wise life?
· Do I see fearing God and keeping His commandments as my duty?
· Are my judgments perverse? Am I cynical about injustice in the world?
· Do I see every detail of life significant knowing that God will bring me to judgment?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

A Time

Ecclesiastes 2:24-3:8,17 - A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man 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. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace…I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."

Psalm 31:15 - My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.

Application:

· God will override the perverse judgments of men!
· Are all the events and circumstances of my life in the hands of the Lord, my God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Hand Of God

Ecclesiastes 2:20-25 - So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

Ecclesiastes 1:18 - For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Job 2:10 - He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.

Ecclesiastes 11:9 - Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 - So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Application:

· Does my wisdom (without God) lead to grief and sorrow?
· Do I see my trials as discipline culminating in spiritual gain?
· Does the prospect of divine praise or blame give direction to my heart and discrimination to my eyes?
· Do I enjoy life?
· Do I love and reverence God (fear Him and keep His commandments)?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV