Ecclesiastes

Ecc is my lil bro's fav book of the bible. I never really understood why it is his fav... when I read it, confusion and the Pocahontas song "Colors of the Wind" play in my head hehe (prolly cuz Solomon mentions "wind" a lot with his phrase "a chasing after the wind"). I think Ecc is a bit difficult to understand because Solomon uses a lot of imagery that I'm not familiar with, in which case his point is lost on me. For example...

Ecc 11:1 "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again."

Huh??? :)

The Life Application Bible provides some explanation that I found super helpful, here a few good ones...

In the verse mentioned above (Ecc 11:1), casting your bread upon the waters means that life has opportunities and we must seize them, not merely play it safe.

• Ecc 6:9 "Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite."

Roving of the appetite means wasting time dreaming and wishing for what one doesn't have.

• Ecc 9:8 "Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil."

Wearing white clothes and having oil on the head were signs of happiness and celebration.

• Ecc 10:10 "If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success."

Trying to do anything without the necessary skills or tools is like chopping wood with a dull ax. Sharpening the ax means recognizing where a problem exists, acquiring or honing the skills (or tools) to do the job better, and then going out and doing it.

• Ecc 12:6-7 "Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

The silver cord, golden bowl, pitcher, and wheel symbolizes life's fragility; how easily death can come to us, how swiftly and unexpected we can return to the dust from which we came.

• Ecc 12:11 "The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd."

A goad was a sharp metal tip attached to a handle and used to keep oxen or cattle moving. Like a goad, a wise word or important truth might be unpleasant when first applied, but will keep us moving in God's direction.

Interesting huh? :) Ecc is cool, but SOOOOOO glad we are about to start Kings (one of my fav parts of the bible)!

Luv ya :) Tera

P.S. A tribute to the song that has been playing in my head hehe...