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Thursday, May 28, 2009

Question for the bros

Hey bros, I'm confused....did Solomon not believe in heaven and hell?

In Eccl 9:4-10, the teacher mentioned how "a live dog is better off than a dead lion"....and then he goes to talk about how the "dead knows nothing and has no further reward." I look at heaven as a reward, so I guess those scriptures left me confused.

I felt like Soloman was in such low spirits at this time and in result of his sin, he became very pessimistic. I guess that is the reality of what happens when we sin...it draws us into the dark, and away from God.

So grateful for God's grace and the hope that he does give us, especially through the opportunites we get time and time again to repent..

love & miss you all. See most of you when I get back next week. =)

4 comments:

Mitchel Thomas Gonzalez said...

Interesting…Being a dog owner I think I know what Solomon might be getting at. There have been times when I’ve taken my dog (T-bone) out at night and we’re walking in a dark area of a park or field and I hear something in the bushes. The second I hear that, my dog runs in there trying to find out what’s making that noise. I feel confident knowing what ever it is; T-bone will either chase it away or protect me from it. Or at the least give me a head start to get out of there. Now a lion is much more powerful then a dog but if it’s dead it’s not really going to protect me from even a fly.

Same concept when it comes to humans. Solomon say’s in verse 5 “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten”. If you’re alive you still have a fighting chance to get right with the Lord, if you’re dead and you didn’t know the Lord, game over. Kind of like Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, if they lose tonight he no longer has the chance to achieve his goal of winning an NBA Championship. Even though he was this year’s NBA MVP, no one will remember that compared to a Championship ring. Hope this helps

hananiah said...

Good stuff Mitch...good luck to the Cavs & L. James!

Thought provoking, Lisa... My petty thoughts: I'm not sure if Solomon was pondering heaven & hell in this particular passage, versus life (meaning & legacy) and death. I think much of Ecc is philosophical (to be or not to be, good and bad, better & worse, etc.) to a great degree. I see it kind of like an expounded & illustrative Psalm. Solomon lived an unrestrained lifestyle and concluded with basic rational tenets.

Although, a lion is far superior to a dog (a comparison to a dog is not often a compliment), a live dog is infinitely superior to a dead lion. I think he was camping on the notion of living passionately while you are alive. Be grateful, be hopeful, make the best of what you have and don't waste away. (This condensed form sounds like those self-help cliches :o)

We don't even 'know if love or hate awaits' us around each bend of our path. But who will we choose to be?!? ...not regardless of circumstances, but despite them. We don't have to ignore issues, but face them and overcome them to become greater for God.

God is God to all (rich, poor, believer or non: proverbs 22:2) and death visits us all. So what story shall our life tell, while we await the conclusion of our time on earth?

Will our solomonic mind (faith, ration & reason) compliment a humble heart (love, passion & hope)?
Will our legacy coincide with the will & Spirit of our Father?

As Captain Picard of the latter Starship Enterprise would say, "Make it so...'

[Solomon ended Ecc 9 with this: heed the quiet words of the wise. I think I'll start there again, while diminishing my folly. May good not be destroyed on my account.]

Lisa Nguyen said...

Awe, thank you both Mitch & HanaMontana (jk) for responding! Gives me alot of clarity on today's reading. I misunderstood pretty much EVERYTHING. hehe. thanks again for clarify and sharing your thoughts on it..

ps. Go Lakers!

Tera Chau said...

haha HanaMontana cracked me up :D

BUT great response Mitch and Hananiah... Lisa distracted me haha