Ecclesiastes 9:1-18 The Good & the Bad Happens to Both the Just & the Sinner

The Good & the Bad Happens to Both the Just & the Sinner

Ecclesiastes 9:1-18            The Book of Ecclesiastes [in Smaller Chunks]

[After] all this, I considered in my heart, to even declare all this: that the righteous, the wise & their works, are in the hand of God. No man knows either love or hatred by all that [has previously happened] before them. All things [happen the same] to all.

There is one event [that happens] to: the righteous & to the wicked; to the good & to the clean & to the unclean; to him [who] sacrifices & to him [who doesn't] sacrifice. [What happens] [to] the good & [also] is [to] the sinner & to he [who] swears, [like] he [who is afraid to swear] an oath.

That there is one event to all, this is an evil, among all things that are done under the sun. [Yes,] the [hearts] of the sons of men also [are] full of evil & [insanity is within] their [hearts,] while they live. And after that, they go to the dead.

For to him, [who is among] all the living, there is hope. For a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: for the dead [don’t] know anything & neither [do] they have any more reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. [Additionally,] their love, hatred & envy [have] now perished.

Neither [do] they have a portion [of a reward] anymore, in anything that is done under the sun, forever [Isaiah 38:18-19 For the grave can't praise You & death can't celebrate You. [Those who] go down into the pit, can't hope for Your Truth. The living, the living [shall] praise You, [like] I do this day. The father [of] the children shall make known Your truth.]

Go your way & eat your bread with joy & drink your wine with a merry heart; for God accepts your works now. Let your [clothing] always be white & let your head lack no [oil.]

[Revelation 3:5-6 He, [who] overcomes shall be clothed in white [clothing] & I won't blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father & before His Angels. He [who] has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.]

Live joyfully with the wife, whom you love, all the days of the life of your vanity, [that God] has given [to] you, under the sun, all the days of your vanity: for that is your portion [of a reward] in this life & in your labor, which you [undertake] under the sun.

[Whatever] your hand finds to do, do it with [all] your might. For there is no work, [tool,] knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, [where] you [go.] I returned & saw under the sun, that the race [of life] isn't to the swift, nor the: battle to the strong, the bread to the wise, riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill. But time & chance happens to them all.

[Jeremiah 9:23-24 The Lord [says this, Don't] let the wise man [boast] in his wisdom & neither let the mighty man [boast] in his [strength.] Let not the rich man [boast] in his riches.

But let him, [who boasts, boast] in this, that he understands & knows Me, that I Am the Lord, [Who delivers] loving kindness, [justice] & righteousness, [on] the earth. For I delight in these things, says the Lord.]

For man [doesn't] know his time [of death:] [like] the [fish] that are [caught] in an evil net & [like] the birds that are caught in the [trap.] So are the sons of men, [ensnared] in an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

There was a little city & few men within it. And there came a [famous] king against it & [attacked] it & built a [large wall] against it. Now, there was found in [the city,] a poor, wise man & by his wisdom, he delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

Then, I said, Wisdom is better than strength. [Still,] the poor man's wisdom is [looked down upon] & his words aren't heard. The words of wise men [should be] heard in quiet, more than the [outcry from] him, [who] rules among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner [can destroy] much good.

 

Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 Comparing the Death of the Wicked & the Just

 

Comparing the Death of the Wicked & the Just

Ecclesiastes 8:1-17            The Book of Ecclesiastes [in Smaller Chunks]

Who is [like] the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine & the boldness of his face shall be changed. [Matthew 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill can't  be [hidden.]

Neither do men light a candle & put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick & it gives light unto all [who] are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your Father, [Who] is in heaven.]

I [advise] you to keep the king's [command] & [do] that [related to] the oath of God. [Don't] be hasty to go out of [the king's] sight & [don't withstand him about] an evil thing, for [the king] does [whatever] pleases him. There is power where the word of a king is. And who may say to him, What [are] you [doing?]

[Whoever] keeps the [command] shall feel no evil thing & a wise man's heart [distinguishes between] both [the right;] [timing] & judgment. Therefore, the misery of a man [weighs heavily] upon him, because there is time & judgment to every purpose. [Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season & a time to every purpose under heaven.]

For he [doesn't] know [what] shall [happen:] for who can tell him when it shall [happen?] [Proverbs 24:21-22 My son, fear [respect] the Lord & the king. And [don't interfere with those who] are given to change. For their calamity shall rise [up] suddenly & who knows [what] the ruin of them both [shall be?]

There is no man who has power over the spirit, to [keep] the spirit. Neither has he power [on] the day of death & there is no [release] in that [conflict.] Neither shall [the wicked] deliver [those who] are [determined for death.]

[Matthew 16:24-27 Then, Jesus said to His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself & take up his cross & follow Me. For [whoever] will save his life, shall lose it. And [whoever] shall lose his life for My sake, shall find it.

For what is a man [benefited] if he shall gain the whole world & lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? *For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father, with His Angels & He shall reward every man then, according to his [actions.]

I have seen all this & applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time [in which] one man rules over another, to his own [harm.] So, I saw the wicked buried, who had come & [left] from the place of the holy & they were forgotten in the city where they had done so.

This is also vanity. Because [the] sentence against an evil [deed] isn’t executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men [are] fully [focused within] them to do [what is] evil.

[Although] a sinner [does what is] evil 100 times & his days [of his life are] prolonged, [still] I [certainly] know that it shall be well with [those who] fear [respect] God & [who show] fear before Him. But it shall not [go] well with the wicked. Neither shall he prolong his days, which are [like] a shadow, because he [doesn't show] fear [respect] before God.

There is a vanity, [that] is done upon the earth; that there shall be just men, to whom it happens, [just like] according to the work of the wicked. Again, there [are] wicked men, to whom it happens, [just like] according to the work of the righteous. I said, This is also vanity.

Then, I [recommended happiness,] because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, drink & be merry. For that shall [stay] with him [from] his labor [all] the days of his life, which God gives him, under the sun.

When I [focused] my heart to know wisdom & to see [what] business is done upon the earth: (for also [God's] eyes neither sleep day, nor night.)

Then, I [saw] all the work of God, that a man can't find out the work that is done under the sun. Because [although] a man [works] to seek it out, [still] he shall not find it. [Yes,] though a wise man [thinks he knows] it, [still] he shall not be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-29 What Is Better?

What Is Better?

Ecclesiastes 7:1-29            The Book of Ecclesiastes [in Smaller Chunks]

A good name is better than precious ointment. And the day of death [is better] than the day of [someone's] birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men. And the living will [take it] to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter: for by sadness of the [face,] the [heart's mood] is made better. [2 Corinthians 7:9-10 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your [sorrow] [led] to [remorse.]

For you were made sorry, after a godly manner, [so] that you might not receive [any] damage [from] us in [anything.] For godly sorrow works [remorse] [that leads] to Salvation, not to be [regretted:] but the sorrow of the world [leads to] death.]

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of [happiness.] It is better to hear the [correction] of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

For [like] the [sound of] crackling thorns [burning] under a pot, so is the [sound of the] laughter of the fool. This is also vanity. Surely oppression makes a wise man [angry] & a [bribe] destroys the heart. [Job 15:34 For the congregation of hypocrites shall be [empty] & fire shall consume the [tents] of bribery.]

Better is the end of a thing, than the beginning [of it] & [those] patient in spirit [are] better than the proud in spirit. [Don't let] your spirit be [quickly] angry. For anger rests in the [chest] of fools.

[Don't] say, What [caused the previous] days [to be] better than these? For you don’t inquire wisely [about] this. Wisdom is good with an inheritance & [through wisdom it's beneficial, for those who] see the sun.

For wisdom & money [are] a defense: but the [advantage] of knowledge is, that wisdom gives life to [those who] have it. [Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroys much good.]

Consider the work of God, for who can make straight, [what] He has made crooked? [On] the day of prosperity, be joyful, but [on] the day of adversity [contemplate:] God has also [put in a scale] the one, [a.k.a. prosperity] over, [next to] the other, [a.k.a. adversity,] to the end, that man should [foresee] nothing [that shall happen] after him.

[During] the days of my vanity & all the things I've seen: there is a just man, [who] perishes in his righteousness & there is a wicked man, [who] prolongs his life in his wickedness.

[Ecclesiastes 8:14 There is a vanity, which is done upon the earth: that there [are] just men, to whom it happens, according to the work of the wicked. Again, there [are] wicked men, to whom it happens, according to the work of the righteous. I said that this is also vanity.]

[Don’t] be [overly] righteous & neither make yourself [overly] wise. Why should you destroy yourself? [Don't] be [overly] wicked & neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take [stock] of this. [Yes,] also [don't] withdraw your hand, for he, [who] fears [respects] God, shall come [forward out] of them all.

[Ecclesiastes 8:12 [Although] a sinner [does] evil 100 times & his days are prolonged, yet [truly] I know that it shall [go] well [for those who] fear [respect] God & fear before Him.]

Wisdom strengthens the wise more than 10 mighty men, [who] are in the city. [Colossians 1:9 Since the day we heard it, we also, for this [reason,] don't [stop from praying] for you & desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of [God's] will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding.]

For there isn't a just man upon the earth, [who] does good & doesn't sin. Also, [don't pay attention] to all the words that are spoken: lest you hear your servant curse you. For your own heart also knows that you have [often, similarly] cursed others. I have [tested] all this by wisdom. I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.

Who can [figure] it out, that which is far [away & exceedingly] deep? I applied [my] heart to seek, to search & to know [what is] wisdom & the reason [for] things & the wickedness of folly, even foolishness & [insanity.] And [what] I find more bitter than death [is] the woman, whose heart is [plots of:] [traps] & nets  & her hands [are] [like chains.]

[Whoever] pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be [captured] by her. [Look,] I have found this, says the preacher, counting 1 by 1, to find out the [total captured.]

[What] my soul [still] seeks, but I [can't] find. I have found 1 [wise] man among 1,000, but I haven't found a woman among all those. [Look,] I have only found this, that God has made man upright; but they have sought out many [schemes.]

[Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful & desperately wicked above all things. Who [could] know it? I, the Lord, search the heart & I [test] the [heart strings,] even to give [to] every man according to his ways & according to the fruit of his [actions.]

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12 Pondering Wealth & Death

 

Pondering Wealth & Death

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12            The Book of Ecclesiastes [in Smaller Chunks]

There is an evil, [that] I have seen under the sun & it's common among men. A man, to whom God has given riches, wealth & honor, so that he [lacks] nothing for his soul, [or anything] he desires. Yet, God [doesn't] give him power to eat [of it,] but a stranger eats it. This is vanity & it's an evil disease.

[Luke 12:18-21 And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns & build [larger,] & I will [store] all my [crops] & goods there. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods [stored] up for many years.Take [it easy,] eat, drink & be merry. But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you. Then, whose shall those things be, which you have provided? So is he, [who stores] up treasure for himself & isn’t rich toward God.]

If a man [fathers] 100 children & lives many years, so that his days [are] many & his soul [wasn't] filled with good & he also [doesn't] have [a] burial; I say that a [premature] birth is better [off] than he [is.] For he comes [into this world] with vanity & [leaves it] in darkness & his name shall be covered with darkness.

[Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead [don't] know anything, neither [do] they have any more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.]

[Additionally,] he [who was a stillborn] hasn't seen the sun, nor known anything. This has more rest, than the other [child, who lived.] [Yes,] though, he [lives] 1,000 years, twice [over, still] he hasn't seen [any] good.

Don't all go to one place? All the labor of man is for his mouth & yet the appetite is not [satisfied.] [Proverbs 16:26 He, [who works,] labors for himself; for his mouth craves it of him.]

For what [do] the wise have, more than the fool? What [do] the poor have, that know to walk [in front of] the living? Better is the sight of the eyes, than the wandering of the [desires.]

[1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world: the [desires] of the flesh, the lust of the eyes & the pride of life, [aren't] of the Father, but [are] of the world.] This also is vanity & [like trying to grab the wind.]

That which already is & has been Named & it is known that, it is man. [Hebrews 2:16-18 For [truly, Jesus Christ didn't] take [for Himself,] the nature of Angels, but He took [for] Him, the [body of] the seed of Abraham.

[For this reason,] in all things it [was necessary for] Him to be made [similar] to His brethren, [so] that He might be a merciful & faithful high priest, in things pertaining to God, [in order] to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that He, Himself, has suffered being tempted, He is able to [assist those who] are tempted.]

Neither may [man argue] with Him, [Who] is mightier than he [is.] [Revelation 1:8 I Am [the] Alpha & [the] Omega, the Beginning & the Ending, says the Lord, [Who] is, [Who] was & [Who] is to come, the Almighty.]

[Since] there are many things that increase vanity, [by] what is man the better? For who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life, [that] he spends [disappear] [like] a shadow?

For who can tell a man what shall be after him, under the sun? [James 4:14 [Since,] you [don't] know what shall be [tomorrow,] what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time & then vanishes away.]

Ecclesiastes 5:1-20 Think Before You Speak & Act

 

Think Before You Speak & Act

Ecclesiastes 5:1-20            The Book of Ecclesiastes [in Smaller Chunks]

Keep your foot when you [go into God's] house. [Proverbs 1:15-16 My sons, [don't] walk in the [road] with them. [Restrain] your foot from their path. Their feet run to evil & [hurry] to shed blood.]

And be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they [don't] consider that they do evil. [1 Samuel 15:21-23 But the people took [from] the [plunder:] sheep, oxen & the [best] things, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal, which should have been [totally] destroyed.

And Samuel said, Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings & sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? [See,] to obey is better than sacrifice & to [pay attention] [is better] than the fat of rams. For rebellion is [like] the sin of witchcraft & stubbornness is [like] iniquity & idolatry, because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.]

[Don't] be [impulsive] with your mouth & [don't] let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in heaven & you are upon the earth. Therefore, let your words be few. [Matthew 6:7 But when you pray, [don't use vain repetitions, [like] the heathen do. For they think that they shall be heard for their speaking much.]

For a dream comes [from] a multitude of busyness & a fool’s voice is known by [a] multitude of words. When you [make] a vow to God, [don't delay] to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay [what] you have vowed. It is better that you [wouldn't] vow, than you [would] vow & not pay.

[Don't allow] your mouth to cause you [body] to sin. Neither [shall] you say [in front of] the Angel, that it was an error. [Why] should God be angry [with] your [excuse] & destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams & many words, there are also [various types of vanity:] but you [should] fear [respect] God.

[Ephesians 4:17-18 Therefore, I say this & testify in the Lord, that you [from now on] not [follow like] other Gentiles [follow,] in the vanity of their mind, having [their] understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is [within] them, because of the blindness of their heart.]

If in the province, you see the oppression of the poor & [the] violent: [diverting] judgment & justice, [don't] marvel at the matter. [Amos 5:12 For I know your [many & huge] sins. They afflict the just & they take a bribe & they turn the poor aside in the gate from [what is] their right.]

[For He, [Who] is higher than the highest [kings] [pays attention] & there is higher than they [are.] [Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body & one Spirit, even [like] you are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God & Father of all, [Who] is above all & through all & in you all.]

[Additionally, the benefit] of the earth is for all. The king, himself, is served by the field. He, [who] loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he [who] loves abundance [shall be satisfied] with increase. This is also vanity. When goods increase, [those, who] eat them are increased. And what good is [that] to the owners [of it, other than seeing] them with their eyes?

The working [man’s] sleep is sweet, whether he [eats] little or much: but the abundance of the rich, won't [allow] [the rich person] to sleep. There is a [severe] evil, [that] I've seen under the sun, [specifically] riches, kept [for its] owners, to their [harm.]

[Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 There is an evil, [that] I have seen under the sun & it's common among men. A man to whom God has given riches, wealth & honor, so that he [doesn't lack anything] for his soul, [or anything] he desires. Yet, God [doesn't] give him power to eat [of it,] but a stranger eats it. This is vanity & it's an evil disease.]

But those riches perish by [misfortune] & he [fathers] a son & there is nothing in his hand. He shall go, [like] he came [from] his mother's womb, naked & shall take nothing [for] his [work,] which he may carry away in his hand.

And this is also a [severe] evil, that in all [places] he shall go, [just like] he came. And what [benefit does] he, [who] has labored for the wind, have? Also, all his days, he eats in darkness & he has much sorrow & [anger] with his sickness.

[Look, what] I have seen: it is good & [appealing] for [someone] to eat, drink & to enjoy the good of all his labor, that he [engages in] under the sun, all the days of his life, [that] God gives him, for it is his portion: [rewarded for all his labor.]

Also, this is the gift of God: [to] every man, to whom God has given riches & wealth & has given him the power to eat [of it] & to rejoice in his labor & to take his portion: [rewarded for all his labor.] For he shall not remember much [from] the days of his life; because God [acknowledges] him [through] the joy [within] his heart.