Tag Archives: Ecclesiastes

Concluding Thoughts on Ecclesiastes

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Don Merritt

Reflecting upon the end of the matter as Solomon stated it, life under the sun now is about what it was at the time Solomon wrote his book: Meaningless! When our time on earth is completed, we will die and … Continue reading →

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The End of the Matter

Posted on November 3, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 11:7-12:14 I thought that I would cover the end of the matter from two points of view; first from Solomon’s and then from the view of a Christian. Since this is fairly obvious, I hope that you’ll read the … Continue reading →

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We Do Not Know When Good Things Will Happen

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Don Merritt

In the last passage, we saw that evil can come upon us at any time; that’s just the way it is. In this section, we will see that good can come upon us as well, and that we must not … Continue reading →

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We Do Not Know What Evil may Befall Us

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 10:16-11:2 In this section, the Teacher continues with his elaboration of life’s uncertainties under the sun. Here, it would appear that he is talking about those who rule the nation; not all rulers are wise! The first verse in … Continue reading →

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No One Knows the Future

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:15 In this section, the Teacher develops the idea that none of us knows our futures under the sun. He does this in four subsections, beginning with 9:13-10:1. Here, the Teacher tells a fictional story reminiscent of 2 Samuel … Continue reading →

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There is Only One Certainty

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 Our most excellent adventure now comes to the Teacher’s second conclusion: There is only one thing in this life that is certain. That certainty is simply this: It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do in … Continue reading →

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More Submission

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 8:9-17 These verses seem to go on in a familiar refrain; everything is meaningless. Things happen under the sun that shouldn’t, people conjure up their schemes, and people die; what’s the point? The Teacher has been saying these things … Continue reading →

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Submission: Everyone’s Favorite Thing

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Don Merritt

Ecclesiastes 8:1-8 Our adventure moves into chapter 8 and brings us to what no doubt will be a favorite subject for all of us: submission and obedience. As you can see, verse 1 is transitional; the meat begins to be … Continue reading →

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The Value of Wisdom

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Don Merritt

All this I tested by wisdom and I said, “I am determined to be wise”— but this was beyond me. Whatever exists is far off and most profound— who can discover it? Ecclesiastes 7:23-24 The value of wisdom is that … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Brings Restraint

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Don Merritt

“Restraint” is everyone’s favorite concept, but it is a quality of the wise. Even outside of relationship with God, a wise person learns self restraint. To be sure, a person doesn’t even need to be all that wise to understand … Continue reading →

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