S3E331 – Ecclesiastes 11-12: A Repeat

0:00Coming to you from Riverside, California, this is the Life Spring Family Audio Bible and podcasting since 2004, I'm your OG Godcaster Steve Webb. This is the Daily Show where we're reading through the entire Bible in a year. Today is Poetry Thursday and we'll finish the book of Ecclesiastes by Reading Chapters 11-12. And I hope you'll forgive me, but today I'm going to run a repeat of last year's episode for this reading. As I record this, it's about 8.30 at night, which means there's only about 90 minutes before the show is due to publish. And this is the first chance I've had to be in the studio all day long, which is very unusual. So the bottom line is there's no time to produce a new episode for you today. You're saying, Steve, why? What happened? Well, the first thing this morning, I got a call from Dell that Kathy was on the way to the emergency room. I'm not going to go into details, but suffice to say that she's been checked into Lomolinda University Medical Center, which is closer to their home than City of Hope is. And she has internal bleeding.

1:00We'll know tomorrow what exactly is going on. And then the lovely lady, Leanne and I had to go out today and do our weekly rounds for the family business. Long story short, this is just one of a very small number of episodes this season that will be a repeat. Pray for Kathy and I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding. And now here's the episode. God bless you. Thank you for being here. Knowing that everything will be alright. Lifespring Family Audio Bible Episode number 330. This is the Daily Podcast where we're reading through the entire Bible in a year. I'm Steve Webb. I'm your host. How are you? Are you doing well today? I hope so. We're going to finish the book of Ecclesiastes today by reading chapters 11 and 12. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of life.

2:03Thank you for the senses you gave us to experience the world around us. We thank you for loving us and for giving us your word that we might know you. Above all, we thank you for your Son and the salvation he offers to all that we'll accept. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, let's go. Ecclesiastes chapter 11. Cast your bread upon the waters for you will find it after many days. Give a serving to seven that also to eight for you do not know what evil will be on the earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or the north in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. He who observes the wind will not so, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind or how the bones grow in the womb of her who was with child, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

3:04In the morning so your seed and in the evening do not withhold your hand. For you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good. Surely the light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun. But if a man lives many years and rejoices in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness for they will be many. All that is coming is vanity. Rejoice so young man in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, I have no pleasure in them.

4:06While the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are not darkened, and the clouds do not return after the rain. In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow down, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look through the windows grow dim. When the doors are shut in the streets, and the sound of grinding is low, when one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of music are brought low. Also they are afraid of height and of terrors in the way. In the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper is a burden, and desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loose, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Vanity of vanities says the preacher, all is vanity.

5:11And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered and sought out and said and ordered many proverbs. The preacher sought to find acceptable words, and what was written was upright, words of truth. The words of the wise are like goats, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one shepherd. And further, my Son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is worrisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Chapter 11 began with a message that would not come from an old jaded cynical scrooge-type fellow that Solomon is sounded like during much of this book.

6:14He started chapter 11 with the advice that you should be generous with those in need, because your giving is like a farmer sowing grain. It will yield a return. And if you have the ability now, you never know when your fortunes may change, and you may need someone else s generosity. And then Solomon advised that the young should enjoy their youth, keeping in mind that God will be the judge of all that we do, so we should avoid evil. Chapter 12 says that the young should keep the creator in mind, because in our old age, life becomes difficult. Our senses dull, and our bodies become weak, and ultimately we die. And at the variant of the chapter in the book, Solomon refers to himself in the third person and calls himself the preacher. And he says that after observing all that he could, he wrote down the best words that he could, words of truth, words that could hold you steady in the storms of life, words that were given by God. And his conclusion was this, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole

7:19duty of man, because God will judge every work, every act, whether good or evil. Beloved, the only true and lasting happiness in peace is found in knowing God and pleasing him. Anything apart from that will only bring emptiness, heartbreak, spiritual bankruptcy, and ultimately eternal separation from God. And as Christians, we know that the only way to truly know God is when we have a personal relationship with Jesus. Solomon didn't know Jesus by name, but he came to know that God was his only hope, and I'm sure that God credited his account in the same way as he did with Abraham because of that faith. In a few weeks I'm going to be sixty-seven years old, and even though I've not lived my life with the same privileges as Solomon did, my experiences have taught me the same lessons. When I've gone my own way, veering from the path that I knew God would want me to travel, I've always found nothing but emptiness and sadness.

8:22It's only when I cling tightly to him that I find that unshakable peace, that joy which is independent of my circumstances, that knowing that everything will be all right. I hope you've found that marvelous truth in your own life. Jesus said, I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. That is what God wants for you, beloved, and so do I. I invite your comments. Write to me at Steve at LifeSpringMedia.com. Now we're reading tomorrow will be the Book of Malachi. Until then, make God bless you richly. I'm Steve Webb. Bye.