Verse of the Day 8/27

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14   The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^[a] 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.  English Standard Version (ESV)

When you think of the book of Ecclesiastes one of the first things that comes to mind is the word vanity.  Vanity of vanities, that life is full of vanity, emptiness and lack of meaning.  Much of life is just that, seemingly meaningless, and that disappears like a vapor.

As Solomon brings this book of wisdom to a close,  he says this is the end of the matter, to sum things up and put things in perspective "fear God and keep His commandments".  That is what life is truly about and the way to find meaning.

John MacArthur notes that "vanity" is mentioned 37 times in the book (depending on the translation) and writes, "his most frequent usage conveyed the idea of "incomprehensible" or "unknowable." He was expressing the human limits when faced with the mysteries of God's purposes. Solomon's final conclusion to "fear God and keep His commandments" (12:13, 14) represents more than the book's summary; it states the only hope of the good life and the only reasonable response of faith and obedience to the sovereign God. God precisely superintends all activities under the sun, each in its time according to His perfect plan, while He discloses only as much as His perfect wisdom dictates. All people remain accountable. Those who refuse to take God and His Word seriously are doomed to lives of the severest vanity."

We can never know all there is to know about God, but our life will be more fruitful, productive and satisfying if we would seek to know Him and make it a priority over the things that sap our time and energy in other directions and ultimately away from Him. 

Yesterday we considered how God is "toward" us, His focus and attention on us.  Our focus should be toward Him, this is not vanity but knowing Him leads to eternal life.

John 17:3  And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.  English Standard Version (ESV)

His Words prod us to live well (The Message).  May be take in and take heed to His Word.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14The Message (MSG)

The Final Word

^9-10 Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs. The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise prod us to live well.
They're like nails hammered home, holding life together.
They are given by God, the one Shepherd.

^12-13 But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There's no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you're no good for anything else. The last and final word is this:

Fear God.
Do what he tells you.

¹⁴ And that's it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it's good or evil.