DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
<form
action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr"
method="post"
target="_top">
<input
type="hidden"
name="cmd"
value="_s-xclick">
<input
type="hidden"
name="hosted_button_id"
value="DKL7ADEKRVUBL">
<input
type="image"
src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif"
border="0"
name="submit"
alt="PayPal
- The safer, easier way to pay
online!">
<img
alt=""
border="0"
src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif"
width="1"
height="1">
</form>
HTML https://3169.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Christian Threads
*****************************************************
#Post#: 3307--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 21, 2019, 8:45 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 5:1 . . Be not overeager to go to the House of God:
more acceptable is obedience than the offering of fools, for
they know nothing [but] to do wrong.
Old Testament Judaism was built around a fully functioning
Aaronic priesthood whose duty was to collect sacrifices and
offerings from the people. But the worshippers abused the system
because they lived like the Devil during most of the year and
tried to make up for it with sacrifices. To see how God feels
about that kind of religious hypocrisy, just read the first
chapter of Isaiah.
In no uncertain terms, God angrily spurned his people's
offerings-- their prayers, their holy days, their festivals and
feast days, and yes even their sacred Sabbath observances
because although they were very religious, they were, at the
same time, a hard-hearted, stubborn pack of scofflaws.
You can see the very same thing going on in Christianity. A
number of pew-warmers live utterly worldly, carnal lives all
year long and expect that church attendance on Easter Sunday
will somehow make up for it. That day is the most heavily
attended church day in Christendom. People who normally wouldn't
step over the threshold of a church door all year long, will
attend on Easter Sunday so they don't feel completely heathen.
Easter service, to them, is some sort of redemption day, somehow
wiping away a whole year's worth of secular impiety and is
supposed to convince Jesus they truly love him after all.
NOTE: Just for the fun of it some day, position yourself where
you can watch the front of a church when it's let out Sunday
morning and observe the number of Christians who J-walk back to
their cars. (chuckle) You might be surprised.
● Ecc 5:2-3 . . Keep your mouth from being rash, and let
not your throat be quick to bring forth speech before God. For
God is in heaven and you are on earth; that is why your words
should be few. Just as dreams come with much brooding, so does
foolish utterance come with much speech.
If you've really nothing to discuss with God in prayer, then
skip it: say nothing; remembering that God is a king, and kings
shouldn't be treated as if they're dumb enough to suffer fools
and waste their time listening to filibusters and bombastic
rhetoric.
● Ecc 5:4-6 . .When you make a vow to God, do not delay to
fulfill it. For He has no pleasure in fools; what you vow,
fulfill. It is better not to vow at all than to vow and not
fulfill. Don't let your mouth bring you into disfavor, and don't
plead before the messenger that it was an error, but fear God;
else God may be angered by your talk and destroy your
possessions.
The "messenger" is translated from mal'ak (mal-awk') which is
somewhat ambiguous. It can mean an angel, or a prophet, or a
priest or a teacher.
At Gen 48:16 it refers to God; but here it likely refers to the
church and/or church manager to whom you made a pledge, e.g. a
faith promise.
A sacred vow is between you and God, not between you and your
church. So don't be rash with your promises nor make excuses for
reneging. A promise is a promise; and God will hold you to your
vows even if you can't afford it. You just try to be lax in your
payments with a shylock and see what happens. You risk fractured
ribs by men who are very good at breaking things over people's
heads. When the points are due, that's when they're due; not
later. If shylocks are to be feared, then God needs to be feared
even more.
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a
father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is
the respect due me? says the Lord Almighty." (Mal 1:6)
_
#Post#: 3334--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 22, 2019, 9:43 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 5:7 . . For much dreaming leads to futility and to
superfluous talk.
God's people should be known for keeping their feet on the
ground, and their head out of the clouds. Religion is not
supposed to be in words. It's supposed to be in shoe leather, in
your everyday life. It's supposed to be in honesty and
integrity-- it's in few words, and it's in keeping your word.
Flowery prayers, and showy vows and pledges don't please God
near as much as just simply being a man of your word. You can't
buy God off with churchianity nor can you fool Him with it into
thinking you are somehow pious and above reproach when the truth
is; you're not.
● Ecc 5:8 . . If you see in a province oppression of the
poor and suppression of right and justice, don’t wonder at the
fact; for one high official is protected by a higher one, and
both of them by still higher ones.
Existing alongside America's elected officials, is a shadow
government called the bureaucracy. Bureaucrats are non-elected
officials who are actually the ones conducting much of the
government's business. High profile bureaucrats would be the
President's cabinet. But many others operate completely
invisible to the general public until they become implicated in
a news-worthy scandal.
Too many bureaucrats are looking out only for themselves; most
especially their jobs. So they tend to make every effort to
please their superiors; often to the detriment of the voting
public's best interests. No one should be shocked at this. It's
pretty normal because after all, human government is staffed by
human beings.
● Ecc 5:9 . .The increase from the land is taken by all;
the king himself profits from the fields.
Government officials are sometimes said to be feeding at the
federal trough. Like greedy swine, they gobble up a large
percentage of the gross national product to pay their own wages,
perks, and benefits; and to finance ear-marks and pork. But
citizens benefit in many ways from taxes too. So the government
is not the only one taking a piece of the country's wealth.
● Ecc 5:10 . . A lover of money never has his fill of
money, nor a lover of wealth his fill of income. That too is
futile.
Money may not be the number one thing in life; but it's way
ahead of whatever is number two. When Shia LaBeouf's character
asked Josh Brolin's character-- in the movie: Wall Street/Money
Never Sleeps --what his number is; viz: the number of dollars
that would be enough for him to walk away from investment
banking and retire; Brolin's character answered: More.
People obsessed with money actually love and revere it; and make
any and every sacrifice to get it. They stay up late, work long
ridiculous hours, disconnect from their families, and even
betray their friends' trust to get it. Their minds are filled
with thoughts about money, their lives are controlled by getting
it and guarding it; and while they have it: they feel a great
sense of pride, achievement, security, and independence.
The amount of money they possess pales in importance compared to
their rabid desire to simply amass it. I've heard it said that
success is the best revenge. There are too many people out there
in the business world who need money simply to feel better about
themselves, and to get one over on their rivals.
● Ecc 5:11a . . As his substance increases, so do those
who consume it;
The wealthy often find themselves hounded by foundations,
causes, charities, and freeloading relatives and friends. MC
Hammer, a very popular rapper in the 80's and 90's, was quite
rich at one time but spent it all on not just himself, but on
his entourage as well. Making money in a big way involves the
employment of a staff; and those kinds of staffs aren't cheap.
They all average six figures; not to mention their bonuses which
commonly run up to seven.
● Ecc 5:11b . . what, then, does the success of its owner
amount to but feasting his eyes?
Past world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis was heard to
say: I don't like money actually, but it quiets my nerves. Yes,
money is good for feasting the eyes, and provides a certain
sense of security. However, money is no guarantee your nerves
will be calm, nor that your sleep will be sound; nor that your
security is assured.
_
#Post#: 3361--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 23, 2019, 10:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 5:12 . . A [slaves'] sleep is sweet, whether he has
much or little to eat; but the rich man's abundance doesn't let
him sleep.
When you have nothing, you don't worry too much about losing it.
But when you have a lot, then you fear going broke; and along
with riches comes eating gourmet foods which sometimes cause
indigestion and acid reflux.
I know a man who, as he got older, became concerned about dying
before owning a really good watch. So, he took some money out of
his home equity line and bought a Rolex Explorer II, a TagHeuer
Chronograph, a Rolex Datejust, and an Omega Double Eagle
Chronograph. All totaled, he shelled out roughly $20,000. He's
very happy with the watches, but now worries all the time they
might get lost, stolen, or damaged. He didn't have those kinds
of worries when he owned timepieces no more expensive than a
Casio G-shock.
● Ecc 5:13-14 . . Here is a grave evil I have observed
under the sun: riches hoarded by their owner to his misfortune,
in that those riches are lost in some unlucky venture; and if he
begets a son, he has nothing in hand.
That is so sad. The ENRON scandal brought to light the dangers
of investing in a retirement system that is solely dependent
upon just one company's prosperity. When the stock price of
ENRON plummeted, the value of its employee retirement system
plummeted too; and so steep was the collapse, that many of the
energy giant's rank and file were left with virtually zero
dollars in their retirement accounts.
A veteran electrician with PGE (Portland General Electric)
related how his account was worth something like $348,000 before
ENRON's value began to fall. He couldn't do anything about it
because his account was frozen while the executives at ENRON
were permitted to move their money to safety. By the time the
PGE electrician's account was unfrozen, its value had dropped to
$1,200.
The sub-prime Wall Street disaster did the very same thing to a
pretty good number of vulnerable retirement accounts. Though the
Federal Reserve bailed out the big investment banks, it did
nothing for the little banks nor for the innocent folks who were
ruined by the collapse.
● Ecc 5:15 . . Another grave evil is this: He must depart
just as he came. As he came out of his mother's womb, so must he
depart at last, naked as he came. He can take nothing of his
wealth to carry with him.
I once heard a story about a very famous rich man who died. At
the reading of his will, newspaper reporters were required to
remain outside and not allowed to interview the heirs until
later. When the reading was over, a reporter approached one of
the lawyers and asked how much the old gentleman left. The
lawyer replied: He left it all.
Yes, the rich man couldn't take a single dime of his wealth into
the next life. It all stayed here and he went into eternity
completely broke.
There is a story, in Luke 16:19-31, of a rich man who died and
went to the fiery portion of Hades. In life he lived
sumptuously, eating the best of foods and drinking the best of
wines. But in Hades, the poor fellow doesn't even have so much
as a glass of water.
You know, restaurants put glasses of water on our tables as a
matter of courtesy. The water is free. It's on the house. You
don't need to be wealthy to merit a glass of water in a
restaurant. But in the fiery portion of Hades, nobody is given
any courtesy whatsoever no matter how prominent they may have
been in life.
● Ecc 5:16 . . So what is the good of his toiling for the
wind?
It isn't intrinsically evil to save and invest. After all,
Solomon wrote in Proverbs that it's wise to look ahead, and
parents are wise who lay something aside for their children. But
the people who hoard, and who amass wealth simply for the sake
of possessing it for themselves, are laboring for the wind. They
can't possibly keep it into the next life, so the best thing for
them to do is share it while they are here where it will do the
world some good. It's okay to keep enough for yourself for now
and for the future, but when there's a ridiculous surplus, find
a way to disperse it. Otherwise, your hoarding serves no useful
purpose, and at death your wealth is surrendered anyway.
_
#Post#: 3392--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 24, 2019, 11:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 5:17 . . Besides, all his days he eats in darkness,
with much vexation and grief and anger.
Wealthy people don't usually eat in the dark. Many have very
nice chandeliers over the table. But in their hearts often lurk
evil thoughts, bad memories, regrets, grievances, resentments,
disputes, hard feelings, and a bad conscience. They're really no
different than the common man in that arena. Like they say: So
and so puts his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone
else.
● Ecc 5:18 . . Only this, I have found, is a real good:
that one should eat and drink and get pleasure with all the
gains he makes under the sun, during the numbered days of life
that God has given him; for that is his portion.
Solomon mentions death so often that you might think he was
obsessed with it. But really, he wasn't. His philosophy of life
was such that he took death into consideration so that his days
weren't spent as if they were infinite and he expected to live
forever. A balanced philosophy of life has to include the very
real possibility of imminent death to keep things in proper
perspective.
"Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
but the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of
the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen
with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower
thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth:
so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." (Jas 1:9-11)
"Come now, you who say; Today or tomorrow we shall go into such
and such a town, spend a year there doing business, and make a
profit-- you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then
disappears." (Jas 4:13-14)
"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof
falleth away" (1Pet 1:24)
"A voice rings out; Proclaim! Another asks; What shall I
proclaim? All flesh is grass, all its goodness like flowers of
the field: Grass withers, flowers fade when the breath of the
Lord blows on them. Indeed, man is but grass: Grass withers,
flowers fade" (Isa 40:6-8
Man is but perishable fruit like peaches, pears, strawberries,
cantaloupe, avocado, and oranges; no amount of refrigeration
will keep him fresh. Regardless of the amount of rest, fresh
air, good diet, and exercise; man begins to wither right around
the age of 32 or 34.
Youngster's can't picture their expiration date as three brief
decades: to them, 32 years seems long and way out in the
distance. Hence the withering process often sneaks up and takes
them by surprise like starting a frog off in cool water and
slowly bringing it up to a boil. Of a sudden, one day it swats
them in the face like a rolled up newspaper that they're "old
school" replaced by a young, hip generation wherein they've been
accustomed to thinking all along was themselves.
The withering process, once it starts, is relentless. Like a
Terminator: it can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned
with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and it absolutely
will not stop-- ever! --until you are dead. Once the withering
process sets in, from that moment on, man is shackled to a
living death
● Ecc 5:19-20 . . Also, whenever a man is given riches and
property by God, and is also permitted by Him to enjoy them and
to take his portion and get pleasure for his gains-- that is a
gift of God. For [such a man] will not brood much over the days
of his life, because God keeps him busy enjoying himself.
Within the context of the book of Ecclesiastes, a "gift of God"
should never be taken literally. It's just a colloquialism, like
the common term "act of God" used to label the cause of natural
calamities like earthquakes, floods, storms, miscarriages, and
stuff like that.
I'm in my retirement years, and one of the things I avoid is
keeping too busy because I don't want the final years of my life
to pass quickly. They'll pass soon enough; but when you keep
busy, time really has a way of flying. On the flip side is one's
mental health. Keeping busy does have a way of preventing people
from doing too much introspection and reminiscence thereby
developing a chronic case of the blues. One's mind can atrophy
too if they never do anything to exercise their intelligence. So
I try to strike a balance: I keep somewhat physically busy, and
I keep somewhat mentally busy too; while avoiding excess in
either area.
_
#Post#: 3418--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 25, 2019, 9:41 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 6:1-2a . .There is an evil I have observed under the
sun, and a grave one it is for man: that God sometimes grants a
man riches, property, and wealth, so that he does not want for
anything his appetite may crave,
Here we go with that "gift of God" thing again; but these are
typically a genre of gifts that Solomon observes "under the sun"
rather than in the sphere of true providence. Just because
somebody is rich is no indication their prosperity was
engineered by God. Even career criminals, Wall Street
barracudas, predatory lenders, and corrupt politicians are often
rich; no thanks to God. Some feel the Kennedy clan is blessed,
yet they are very well off due to grandpa Joe's lack of
scruples.
● Ecc 6:2b . . but God does not permit him to enjoy it;
instead, a stranger will enjoy it. That is futility and a
grievous ill.
That is the classic "the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away;
blessed be the name of the Lord" attitude. Calling any act of
God "futility and a grievous ill" would normally be considered
accusing God of sin, except that in this case, Solomon doesn't
really mean it that way. To an intellectual, the concept of God
is merely academic; and an "act of God" is really no more
literal than pie in the sky or the man in the moon.
A common example of this "evil" about which Solomon spoke is
someone who worked hard all their life, saved and invested
wisely, and then one day WHAM, during a routine physical exam,
their doctor shocks them with the life-changing news they have
on-set Alzheimer's. Guess where that person's savings and
investments will end up now. Yes, towards medical attention and
long term care. The health care system, and it's medical
professionals, will make a big dent in their life savings.
● Ecc 6:3-6 . . Even if a man should beget a hundred
children and live many years-- no matter how many the days of
his years may come to, if his gullet is not sated through his
wealth, I say: the stillbirth, though it was not even accorded a
burial, is more fortunate than he. Though it comes into futility
and departs into darkness, and its very name is covered with
darkness, though it has never seen or experienced the sun, it is
better off than he-- yes, even if the other lived a thousand
years twice over but never had his fill of enjoyment! For are
not both of them bound for the same place?
One advantage a stillborn child enjoys over and above the living
is that although it never had a chance to live; it doesn't know
what it missed either. In its case, ignorance is truly bliss.
The person who had the means and the wherewithal to enjoy life,
but failed to take advantage of it before they died, will suffer
unspeakable mental anguish throughout eternity for missing their
chance to enjoy life before it was too late. In that respect,
the miscarried child is much better off because it has more
peace of mind than others even though it never owned anything;
no, not even so much as a name to call its own.
I knew an older man once who owned a very expensive wrist watch
that he reserved for special occasions. Well; that is short
sighted if you ask me' He should wear that nice watch whenever
he gets the chance because life is so uncertain. People should
enjoy their nice things while they can rather than wait till
they're at the point of death. Life is not a do-over. You've got
live it as you live it: not wait till a more opportune moment;
which, as sometimes happens, quite possibly may never come.
Carpe Diem: seize the day. People who put off living life to its
fullest till later often find out it's too late to do so.
● Ecc 6:7-8 . . All of man’s earning is for the sake of
his mouth, yet his gullet is not sated. What advantage then has
the wise man over the fool, what advantage has the pauper who
knows how to get on in life?
Food and water are two things in life that, like sleep, cannot
be taken just once because once is not enough. You have to eat
again, you have to drink water again, and you have to sleep
again. That is a law of life for both the stupid and the
intelligent, for both the rich and the poor, for both the female
gender and for the male gender. No one is exempt from that law--
all are equal in those respects-- except for the reticent 17
year-old Twilight vampire Edward Cullen of whom it's said never
needs sleep.
● Ecc 6:9 . .What the eyes see is better than what the
soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.
Sometimes I think the most content people are the blind because
they go shopping with their heads instead of their eyes. People
invariably buy things that are far more expensive than what they
could get by with if they had to.
This same weakness of the eyes will compel a boy to marry a
beautiful girl who is totally wrong for him. The Creator made
women to be a man's very best friend first, his lover second,
and the mother of his children third. But some men just can't
get past a girl's looks; and as all women know, when it comes to
love; men use their eyes much better than they use their heads.
They often pick a wife without thinking because looks mean
almost everything to the average man; and a woman's personality
is only secondary, if it's taken into consideration at all.
Women, as a rule, focus on the aspects of intimacy and
relationship; but men, as a rule, focus on the physical aspect.
One of Billy Crystal's lines from City Slicker says it all:
"Women have to be in the mood, while men just need a place."
Take a look around the magazine racks in Barnes & Noble some
time. The regular racks contain lots of magazines with girly
covers; and inside them are lots of girly photographs; while
over in another aisle away from the racks, are shelves
displaying the romance novels. Most guys don't care for romance
novels; those are for the women; because romance novels are to
women what girly pictures are to men; just in a different way.
Photographs stimulate men through their eyes, while novels
stimulate women through their feelings; which easily explains
why some men would rather walk the neighbor's dog than sit
through a chick flick with their wives and girlfriends.
_
#Post#: 3473--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 27, 2019, 12:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 6:10 . .Whatever happens, it was designated long ago
and it was known that it would happen; as for man, he cannot
contend with what is stronger than he.
I guess you could call that attitude fatalism.
Some things really are predestined and often we just have to
face the facts; e.g. old age and death are two of life's
unpleasant realities. Everyone is stuck with debilitation and
there's no use in fighting it. Menopause is another
chipped-in-stone fact of life that is just as real as the air we
breathe all around us. If couples aren't careful, and let too
much time slip by, menopause will steal away their chances for a
baby. And on top of that, the older a woman gets, the more her
eggs age and become less viable than when she was young. The
same problem exists for men, just in a different way. Men aren’t
born with all their sperm cells. Fresh ones are manufactured by
their bodies all the time. However, those fresh cells are the
cells of an aging man. So if a man waits to have children when
he's old, his chances of producing a child with birth defects
increase.
Some people enjoy toying with death; and go hiking in the
wilderness all alone and/or jump off high places with a bungee
cord. Some say people like that have a death wish. No, what they
really have is a wish to flirt with death and live to tell about
it. Their attitude is: If you aren't walking on the edge; then
you're taking up room.
Personally, I don't want to die like a fool. People who tempt
fate by participating in extreme sports are just asking to be
dead and/or crippled for life before their next meal-- and then
what?
● Ecc 6:11-12 . . Often, much talk means much futility.
How does it benefit a man? Who can possibly know what is best
for a man to do in life-- the few days of his fleeting life? For
who can tell him what the future holds for him under the sun?
Solomon's comment pertains to a man's time "under the sun"
rather than after his death.
They say for every action there's a reaction; and that's
generally true. But who can really predict the repercussions of
their decisions? In other words: when a butterfly flaps its
wings in England, does it put in motion other acts of nature
that eventuate in a typhoon in Samoa?
Life isn't like a chess game where the masters can see twelve
moves ahead. No, life is oftentimes a gamble. A young fellow
contemplating the risks and responsibilities of marriage once
lamented to me how chancy it is to get married in these days
with the world in such turmoil and the economy uncertain. But I
said to him: Life goes on.
My friend realized of course that life does go on even under the
extreme threats of nuclear war, terrorism, air and water
pollution, drug cartels, road rage, brown-outs and water
shortages, insane oil prices, acid rain, crime, prejudice,
drive-by shootings, global warming, unemployment, economic
collapse, and reactor melt-downs. People do manage to somehow
cope and keep going. Well, not long after that, he married his
best girl; who proved to be just the right one for him too. His
pretty bride made him forget all about the dangers of lay-offs,
spiraling medical costs, and mortgage debt. My young friend
never felt better in his life. Carpe Diem.
_
#Post#: 3498--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 28, 2019, 7:21 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 7:1a . . A good name is better than fragrant oil,
A companion to that saying might be a proverb also authored by
Solomon.
"Like a gold ring in the snout of a pig is a beautiful woman
bereft of sense." (Prv 11:22)
Cosmetics, fashions, jewelry, hair, manicures, wonder bras,
pantyhose, killer curves, and/or Spanks and scents can't make up
for a bad name. No matter how dolled up, or shined up, nor how
good a person smells; if they are a pig, they will continue to
act like a pig. Better to be a plain Jane with a sweet
personality than a super model who affects everyone around her
with a witchy attitude.
● Ecc 7:1b-2 . . and the day of death than the day of
birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house
of feasting; for that is the end of every man, and a living one
should take it to heart.
Nobody under the age of twenty-one is ever going to take that
one seriously. Birthday parties and beer busts are far more fun
than funerals; although as I get older, I tend to dread my
birthdays more and more. When I was young, birthdays were fun,
and getting older was exciting. But aging is not so fun anymore.
Age is turning me into an ogre, and I can't stand the sight of
myself in a mirror; especially one of those large full-length
bathroom mirrors they invariably install in motel rooms.
But a funeral can really make you aware of your own mortality
in a very special way. My wife's mother died in 2005, my own
mother one year later as well as a good friend at work; and my
favorite nephew dropped dead to the floor in 2015. All those
passings disturbed me because I realized the grim reaper had
started picking us off one by one, and it's only a matter of
time now before my own number comes up.
● Ecc 7:3-4 . .Vexation is better than revelry; for though
the face be sad, the heart may be glad. Wise men are drawn to a
house of mourning, and fools to a house of merrymaking.
Those kinds of "wise men" are well known as party poopers and
wet blankets. While it's true that revelry can't make a person
truly happy on the inside, it would still seem a much better
choice than one's mind dwelling upon Death. You know; it's only
natural that Solomon would believe that mourning is better than
revelry because he was a gloom caster to begin with; and his
nature to shun merriment. (Ecc 2:1-2)
Solomon didn't even know how to have fun. The problem is; he was
just too smart for his own good; so smart in fact that all his
knowledge and intellect clouded the man's spirit and prevented
him from having any fun at all. (Ecc 1:16-18)
Solomon really needed to get out and paint the town once in a
while; see a good movie, ride a pony, go to Las Vegas, stroll
the beach, take in a Broadway play, roll the dice, joust a
windmill, drop a coin in a wishing well, go boating, let his
hair down, play a video game, maybe even get plastered
sometime-- anything but sit around thinking about old age and
death. No wonder the poor man was so negative! In the movie
Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio convinces Kate Winslet that there is
more to life than being rich. He suggests she learn to ride a
horse like a man and learn to spit like a man. Sure: why not
take off the Spanx, lose the Silkies panty hose and Jimmy Choo
heels, and try something silly like skipping a stone across a
pond?
I once heard Billy Graham say: The smallest package in the world
is a man all wrapped up in himself. Well . . amen to that! Billy
was so right. And I would add that the most unimportant man in
the world is one who is totally self-absorbed. Some people
really need to get out and do a little mixing and have a good
time once in a while: break the monotony, do something stupid,
get out of their rut; live a little.
But Solomon just couldn't do it. There are some people not only
fun-challenged, but they can't permit themselves to indulge in
fun. It's like a mental block-- a hang-up. They're afflicted
with fun-impotence. They feel guilty about having fun, they
scorn fun, and look down upon themselves for letting any into
their lives.
_
#Post#: 3535--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 29, 2019, 8:19 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 7:5-6 . . It is better to listen to a wise man's
critique than to listen to the praise of fools. For the levity
of the fool is like the crackling of nettles under a kettle; for
that too is transitory.
The "praise of fools" is from the Hebrew word shiyr (sheer)
which means: a song; singing; viz: a lullaby. I guess you could
liken a fool's praise to the chirping of a bird-- tweet, tweet,
tweet. Birds make sweet sounds; actually very soothing and
entertaining at times, but nonetheless, they only serve to help
us escape reality-- they don't tell the hearer very much truth
about himself.
Nettles make very poor firewood. They burn very brightly, go up
with a woosh almost as soon as they're thrown into a fire; but
produce very little heat and soon go out. Oak and Beech are far
better. Those sturdy woods burn slowly and quietly, make good
coals, and produce lots of usable heat for a long time. The
praise of fools is like birds twittering and nettles burning:
noisy, momentarily soothing, a brief caress with no long-lasting
usefulness; while a wise man's critique may not be so cheering,
but can result in life-changing improvements.
● Ecc 7:7 . . Unjust gain robs the wise man of reason and
destroys the prudence of the cautious.
The praise of fools is typically unmerited, and often falls in
the category of flattery; which, if a wise man takes seriously,
he's just downright stupid no matter what his IQ.
The word for "fool" is from keciyl (kes-eel') which means: fat,
i.e. (figuratively) stupid or silly. I guess that means some
people are fat-heads. Roget's Thesaurus synonyms for fat-headed
are: dull, asinine, and thick-witted-- in other words: a
numbskull. Those are not attributes you need to see in a person
who is patting you on the back and telling you how wonderful you
are and how good a job you did. You certainly would not want to
take a fat-head's praise too seriously because to see yourself
through the eyes of a fat-head is to accept a false impression
of yourself; and that could prove to be very self-destructive in
the long run.
● Ecc 7:8-9 . .The end of a matter is better than the
beginning of it. Better a patient spirit than a haughty spirit.
Don't let your spirit be quickly vexed, for vexation abides in
the breasts of fat-heads.
Not all matters are pleasant matters. Some are bitter. Those
matters are best not taken up at all; and quickly ended if they
begin.
To start a quarrel is to open a sluice; before a dispute flares
up, drop it." (Prv 17:14)
Parenting is one arena where it doesn't pay to be a fat-head.
It's very important to pick your fights with care, rather than
simply react. It is not a good idea to flare up and quarrel with
your children over every little thing. Let little things slide;
and only make a fuss over things that really make a difference
in the long haul.
"Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be
discouraged." (Col 3:21)
One of the most dysfunctional families I've ever seen is the
fictional one portrayed on the HBO series Sopranos.
AJ Soprano's dad Tony is a mob boss whose parenting style
mirrors his criminal management practices; which is that of a
despotic, bullying sociopath. Tony constantly oppresses his son
AJ with thoughtless remarks, manhandling, unfairness, profanity,
purple epithets, sarcasm, ugly criticism, bickering, demeaning
humor, confrontations, sneering, scorn, relentless ridicule,
intimidation, shouting, rage, and threats.
AJ rarely, if ever, is given a word of sympathy or
encouragement. Typically, everything he does is wrong and his
father impossible to please. Subsequently; AJ feels unwelcome in
his own home-- a person of little consequence whose thoughts and
feelings neither matter nor count. His home's living hell turns
AJ into not only a loser, but also an emotional train wreck; and
then his dad ends up asking the inevitable question eventually
asked by every abusive parent: Where did I go wrong? Duh.
_
#Post#: 3559--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 30, 2019, 8:56 am
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 7:10 . . Don't say; How has it happened that former
times were better than these? For it is not wise of you to ask
that question.
The problem with the good old days is that we often conveniently
forget the bad parts and sometimes invent good parts to take
their place; viz: the good old days are often a combination of
poor memory and a good imagination.
Lyrics in Carly Simon's song Anticipation say: "I tell tomorrow,
these are the good old days". Get her point? You are living in
some good old days right now, this very moment; and in the
future you'll look back on them with the same wistful fondness
that you are now looking back on earlier good old days. Carly's
song was released on an album in 1972, some 40 years ago as of
2012. Was she right? Were those days good old days for her?
Sometimes there's no denying the good old days really were
better than our present lot in life. People with serious
illnesses and handicaps were certainly better off before those
problems degraded their quality of life. I think a young girl
with Herpes and/or an unwanted pregnancy would agree that things
were better before.
Myself, I would have been dead with appendicitis as a teen-ager
were it not for modern medicine. And yet again in my 40's with a
kidney stone. And yet again in my fifties with Grave's Disease
(hyperactive thyroid). I think anyone would agree Americans are
far better off today economically than the 1930's. So not all
the good old days were good. Some of those good old days would
have been fatal for many of us-- not only in health, but also in
hard labor and low pay.
● Ecc 7:11-12 . .Wisdom is as good as a patrimony, and
even better, for those who behold the sun. For to be in the
shelter of wisdom is to be also in the shelter of money, and the
advantage of intelligence is that wisdom preserves the life of
him who possesses it.
Solomon's comment is for those who "behold the sun" as opposed
to those who behold the face of God.
Wisdom isn't just an accumulation of information like a journal
or an encyclopedia. Wisdom is a combination of knowledge and
understanding gained through experience. That's why so many
young people are air-heads. Although they're better educated;
they just haven't lived long enough to really know the score.
But youth isn't necessarily an indicator that somebody hasn't
got any sense. If young people are fortunate enough to have the
benefit of a mentor, like say a savvy parent or a connection in
the Big Brother program of their town, then they have on tap the
wisdom of an older person who knows many ins and outs of life.
However, too many young people are vain, conceited, and
arrogant, and tend to have the attitude of a know-it-all. For
them, a mentor serves no purpose because those kinds of young
people are of the sort who want to find out everything for
themselves, rather than be instructed.
Wisdom is a far better inheritance for a young person than money
and property. Wisdom will enable a wise youth to get the money
and property later. But no amount of money will enable a dunce
to attain wisdom.
"What good is money in the hand of a fool to purchase wisdom,
when he has no mind?" (Prv 17:16)
Good sense is far more important than money. A young co-worker
of mine, who had been out of work for quite a while, took his
very first paycheck to a sound shop and spent the entire thing
on a $700 stereo system for his car. The car was an old clunker
and the stereo was actually worth more than the car. Now there
was a boy who seriously needed some counseling.
"There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the
wise, but a foolish man squanders it." (Prv 21:20)
● Ecc 7:13-14 . . Consider the work of God; for who can
make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity
be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has
appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out
nothing that will come after him.
Solomon's references to a God are mostly rhetorical in the book
of Ecclesiastes. When he says "consider the work of God" I
suspect he's just referring to the natural order of things under
the sun.
The Scottish poet Robert Burns noticed that life sometimes
throws a curve ball at you in spite of your best precautions.
Fate often casts its long shadow when human beings set about
planning their lives.
Burns was out one day plowing in the field and uprooted a
mouse's underground nest who was all set for the oncoming
winter. The mouse had picked a fallow field as the site for its
winter retreat thinking it would be safe and snug; unmolested
during the cold. But it didn't (or maybe we should say it
couldn't) know the workings of powers higher than itself-- in
this case, human beings and their farm machinery.
But, mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men [Oft go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain for promis'd joy.
Take for example Job (Job 1:1-3). He was all set to enjoy
retirement when of a sudden, without the slightest warning, his
world fell apart even though he was the most righteous man of
his day and deserved only the best of luck rather than bad. But
completely unknown to him were higher powers-- God and the
spirit world --in a contest of loyalties; with 'ol Job right
smack in the middle of their contentions. Consequently; he lost
everything-- his family, save for his (un)loving wife, his
livestock, all his houses; and his health. In very little time,
Job went from wealthy retiree to disabled pauper.
Job surely knew he didn't deserve the bad luck that came his
way. But like Robert Burns said: The best laid plans of mice and
men oft go awry. Why? Because as Solomon indicated; you can
neither predict nor fathom the ambitions of powers and
circumstances beyond your control. The spirit world is a higher
power than Man, just as Man is a higher power than mice.
However, as mice cannot control the ways of Man, neither can Man
control the ways of the spirits. Therefore; both men and mice
are subject to the whims of powers beyond their control so that
neither one is superior to the other in that respect.
It's not uncommon to see property owners forced out and/or
displaced because of Eminent Domain; the power of a state,
provincial, or national government to take private property for
public and/or economic use. So then, like the mousie in Burns'
poem; your land is never really your land. Higher powers are at
liberty to condemn your property and take it away from you at
will for what they inevitably categorize as the so-called
"greater good".
_
#Post#: 3587--------------------------------------------------
Re: Solomon's World View
DIR By: Olde Tymer
Date: January 31, 2019, 12:40 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
.
● Ecc 7:15-16 . . In my own brief span of life, I have
seen both these things: sometimes a good man perishes in spite
of his goodness, and sometimes a wicked one endures in spite of
his wickedness. So don't overdo goodness and don't act the wise
man to excess, or you may be dumfounded.
Some ultra ascetic types are obsessed with self denial-- don't
do this, don't do that, don't go here, don't go there, don't
look at this, don't look at that. I once knew an ascetic type
who actually felt guilty simply by walking through the door of a
Blockbuster video store; and was so offended by young people's
music that he made his teen-age son listen to his boom box
outside; even in inclement weather.
Dr. Laura (who's normally pretty level-headed) says that any
parent that would take their child to a mall that has a
Victoria's Secret store is a bad parent. That's asceticism (not
to mention bigotry). Well; asceticism can guarantee no one long
life nor does it necessarily make one a better person.
Asceticism can, in fact, result in a superiority complex and,
maybe even neurosis.
It would seem that the best way to enjoy) a long life, as
opposed to merely existing, is by sensible practices in diet and
health. But those things, as sensible as good diet and healthy
habits may be, won't guarantee good health and a long life. I
once worked in a family-owned boatyard in San Diego run by a man
and his three brothers, and his two sons. One of the sons was a
model citizen and the picture of health. He was married and had
a little girl, didn't run with a bad crowd, didn't smoke or
drink, didn't stay out late, didn't eat fatty foods or sweets,
jogged regularly, attended church every Sunday and played piano
for the choir, and he was young; barely twenty-six years old.
Well, one day he complained of stomach pains and upon
examination there was found in his abdomen a cancerous growth as
big as a child's nerf football. He underwent surgery, lost a
testicle, suffered through chemo-therapy, and last I knew, was
doing okay. The cancer was in remission but they had to keep an
eye on him all the time.
In contrast, the vaudeville, TV, and movie star George Burns
smoked a cigar every day of his life until he died at age 100.
Go figure.
You know, life is short. If us "good" people deny ourselves
every little pleasure, one day we'll regret it, especially if
our own life ends too soon and those we consider wicked live
full, prosperous lives long after we ourselves are passed away.
● Ecc 7:17-18 . . . On the other hand, don't be too wicked
either-- don't be a fool! Why should you die before your time?
So try to walk a middle course-- but those who fear God will
succeed either way.
The recommendation in that passage is to do everything in
moderation. That's the key. Excess is what ruins people-- too
much tobacco, too much coffee, too much gambling, too much
education, too much ignorance, too much quarreling, too much
sugar and fatty foods, too much alcohol, too much work, too much
play and even too much religion. Too much of anything is bad;
even too much recreation. Everyone knows that, but no one takes
it to heart. Some abstain from everything thinking to make
themselves ultra pious. But piety is not found in excessive
self-denial. After all, God created all things for Man to enjoy,
rather than to abstain from. (1Tim 6:17)
_
*****************************************************
Page 3 of 8
DIR Previous Page
DIR Next Page