Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 - The Virtue of Patience

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9
⁸ The end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.
⁹ Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools.

Message: The virtue of patience

Time: Ecclesiastes: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around 930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of his reign, approximately 935 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying: 

I continue to take a look at various verses in Ecclesiastes. Through this guided study I continue to do with the Tabletalk devotional, I am now on July 23, 2015. I love this study. It keeps me accountable and though I am slowly working my way through it, it is fine and good to enjoy God's word. Ecclesiastes gives me a healthy perspective on life (to borrow Tom Nelson's words). This perspective is not common to the message that I hear in the world. I read about the importance of a good name and that good name transcends all of life. In verse 2-4 it speaks of a happy heart and that happy heart doesn't always mean a smiling and happy countenance; at times it means the face is sad. The fact is, life is hard and there are hard events that occur in life, but God's peace can still reside in us.

The end
In these verses Solomon continues with this perspective. Verse 8 speaks of the end rather than the beginning being the key. The end of a matter is better than its beginning. I think I get too caught up at how things are going on now or at the beginning. Solomon reminds me that life is a journey. It is not a sprint. A wedding marks the beginning of a marriage and it is normally a very festive and huge presentation, but anniversaries should be far bigger productions. The key is how things progress and how things end. 

Patience
So the second half of that verse remains so key: patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit. The challenge in life is to be patient. Progress takes time, but even more than progress the manner in which we end should be our real focus. Lord, help me to be patient and not to be so wrapped up in the day to day, immediate moments of life. I get too focused on getting things my way, now; help me to set good habits of patience.

Anger
Anger flies in the face of patience. I've always thought that I had a problem with anger, but really I have a problem with patience and it is anger that comes out. I get impatient and go to anger.  As this verse 9 says, Do not be eager in your heart to be angry, for anger resides in the bosom of fools. I am a fool when I get angry. I hate that this is such a huge problem in my life. Lord, teach me o be patient. As Psalm 40:1 says, I wait patiently for the Lord.


Promise: From Coram Deo and Tabletalk - Impatience can lead to frustration, which can lead to anger. Cultivating a patient spirit by focusing on the promises of God in His Word and the work of the Spirit of the Lord will lessen frustration and reduce the anger that is the mark of the foolish heart. This is a vital task for unrighteous anger is the root of many other sins. May we seek the Lord's face in our suffering, trusting in the promises of God that we might endure in patience and love.