September 4 – The Poor, Wise Man

September 4
Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18
2 Corinthians 7:8-16
Psalm 48:1-14
Proverbs 22:17-19

Ecclesiastes 7:15 – You can almost hear Job saying these words!

Ecclesiastes 7:20 – This theme echoes throughout the Bible.

• Genesis 6:11 – The earth also was corrupt before God
• 1 Kings 8:46 – there is no man that sinneth not
• Psalm 14:1 – there is none that doeth good
• Psalm 14:3 – there is none that doeth good, no, not one
• Psalm 53:1 – there is none that doeth good
• Psalm 53:3 – there is none that doeth good, no, not one
• Psalm 143:2 – in thy sight shall no man living be justified
• Romans 3:9 – both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin
• Romans 3:10 – there is none righteous, no not one
• Romans 3:23 – all have sinned and come short of the glory of God
• Galatians 3:22 – But the scripture hath concluded all under sin

Ecclesiastes 7:21 – Solomon is considering the words of his father in 2 Samuel 16:10

Ecclesiastes 7:26 – Solomon has an extended discussion of this woman in Proverbs 7 (especially Proverbs 7:10-12).

Ecclesiastes 8:12 – In the midst of his depressed rant, he utters the truth of Job’s tale. It’s better to suffer for doing right, than be rewarded for doing wrong.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 – Do the dead still exist? The Jehovah’s Witnesses say “Therefore, when we die, we cease to exist. The dead can’t think, act, or feel anything.” The technical term for this is “annihilationism.” But what does the rest of Scripture say about the dead? GotQuestions discusses several problems including:

“Second, Ecclesiastes 9:5 cannot contradict Ecclesiastes 4:2. There, Solomon states that the dead are “happier than the living.” However, when a person is dead, the opportunities to enjoy things on earth no longer exist.

4Witness discusses:

Solomon, being a worldly person at this point in time, is speaking from his worldview which was limited to that of the present moment of his existence.  This is opposed to a Christian outlook concerning life and death that gives one a proper perspective on how to understand the passage.

Secondly, Solomon is not talking about the afterlife or an annihilation but is speaking about the physical corpses of those who have died and are “in the grave” (see Eccl. 9:10). Thus, contextually speaking, Dr. Norman Geisler remarks,

“The passages that say there is no knowledge or remembrance after death, are speaking of no memory in this world, not of no memory of this world.”—When Critics Ask, p.259

IsAnnihilationTrue compares this phrasing to Potiphar:

We read in verse 6 that “he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand”. Potiphar entrusted everything that he had to Joseph because whatever Joseph did, the LORD blessed it. Then we read about Potiphar, “he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat”. Does this mean that Potiphar did not know anything about what he had except for the bread that he ate?… Rather, the phrase “he knew not ought he had” means that Potiphar did not pay any attention to what he had, except that which he did eat. Joseph was doing such a good job in managing Potiphar’s possessions that Potiphar did not need to pay any attention to them.

John 5:9 identifies the dangers of those who die in sins, and await the resurrection of damnation.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 – I am enjoying doing this with the wife that the LORD hath given me!

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Work for the night is coming!