16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep day or night), 17 and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover.
Message: Embracing our Finitude
Time: 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:
Finitude is the state of having limits or bounds. As a reminder Solomon has been called the wisest man in the world. I love verse 17 and have memorized the first part of it. Personally, I can accept that I do not know everything. I am a finite creature, with limits right now. God reveals himself in ways he deems appropriate. There are amazing ways of providence and redemption that he has displayed in my life and for those things I can trust him. There are many things I do not understand and for those I must hold on to the truth of what I do know and trust God that his plan is established.
People everywhere are saying, "I know." But, we don't really know. No one knows it all. What people do is come up with something that feels safe to them, that makes sense within the bounds of who we are. Yet, to be a child of God is to recognize that I have limits in my understanding.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its own time, and he has set eternity in our hearts, yet so that no man can find out the work with God has done from beginning to end." So in these verses, 16 and 17, what is it that Solomon is saying that is different from what he previously said?
In verse 15 is the words that man has nothing better to do under the sun that to eat, drink and be merry. Verse 16 is the reason verse 15 has been stated. He is arguing now for this conclusion.
Here are thoughts from Rev. Joseph Benson, a Methodist minister who lived to be 74, dying in 1821. Over the course of 7 years, 1811-1818 he published his notes from the Old and New Testament. He was a contemporary of John Wesley. living in Cumberland, England.
he had diligently studied wherein man’s wisdom consists, and had observed the restlessness of men’s minds and bodies in other courses; and to see the business — To observe men’s various designs and employments, and their unwearied labours about worldly things. For there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep — Having now mentioned the business which is done, or which man doth, upon earth, he further adds, as an evidence of man’s eagerness in pursuing his business, For even by day and by night he — The busy man; seeth not sleep with his eyes — He grudges himself necessary refreshments, and disquiets himself with endless cares and labours.It is clear that I am to be a student of God's word, desire to read it and know it. But, at the same time there is a freedom in Christ, that I can trust in what God is doing. I am not to worry. I am not to fret. I am to pray if something of concern comes to mind. I am not in control. If there are things I do not understand, it is better to enjoy life than to be obsessive about uncovering those mysteries. This is what I conclude from Benson's words. Man, if left to his own devices is restless. The whole work of God cannot be grasped, so there is no reason to toil to discover it.
I found this quote from the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary published in 1871by Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset and David Brown, who lived in Glasgow, York, and and Glasgow, respectively.
I saw that man cannot find out (the reason of) God's inscrutable dealings with the "just" and with the "wicked" here (Ec 8:14; Ec 3:11; Job 5:9; Ro 11:33); his duty is to acquiesce in them as good, because they are God's, though he sees not all the reasons for them (Ps 73:16). It is enough to know "the righteous are in God's hand" (Ec 9:1)We simply conclude that God is good. His ways are good. We will not understand his dealings with the just and wicked, but we can conclude the righteous are in God's hand.
Promise: We are to enjoy life and we can, because God is in control. We are to live in the comfortable enjoyment of God's blessings. I
No comments:
Post a Comment