Ecclesiastes
2:7-11
Chasing
After the Wind
-
2:7
I bought male and female slaves and had
other slaves who were born in my house.
I also owned more
herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem
before me.
8
I amassed silver and gold for myself, and
the treasure of kings and provinces.
I acquired men
and women singers, and a harem as
well—the delights of the heart of
man.
9
I became greater by far than anyone in
Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom
stayed with me.
10
I denied myself nothing my eyes
desired;
I refused my
heart no pleasure.
My heart took
delight in all my work,
and this was
the reward for all my labor.
11
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands
had done
and what I had
toiled to achieve,
everything was
meaningless, a chasing after the
wind
- nothing was
gained under the sun.
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way
that we live.
Commentary
by Bob
Pardue
Are we all just
"chasing after the wind"?
This passage by
Solomon brings a song to mind. I will
quote a few lines below if I can remember
them.
Blowin' in the
Wind
"How many roads must
a man walk down
Before you call him
a man?
Yes, 'n' how many
seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in
the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many
times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're
forever banned?
The answer, my
friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is
blowin' in the wind."
All the material
things on which we spend our time, our
money, and our priorities will one day be
meaningless to us.
We live in a world
where our job, what we do for a living, is
the way we are judged by our fellow
(wo)man.
Solomon had just
about everything on earth one person could
possibly want but he was not satisfied. If
we work our entire lives most of us cannot
fathom having the riches of
Solomon.
To find true meaning
in life, we absolutely must turn to God.
Even though we are not wealthy in the same
sense as Solomon, we can be rich in the
love God offers us freely through His son,
Jesus Christ. We can "live abundantly"
which has nothing to do with worldly
riches but has to do with God's promise of
everlasting life.
Wealth and position
in this life is fleeting but God is
eternal.
Which would you
rather have?
Love in
Christ
- Bob
If you have never made
the commitment to receive the love and
life-changing experience of Jesus Christ,
please take a moment to go
here and
take the first
steps to
salvation.
Bob
Pardue is a
member of First
Baptist Church
in Lancaster, SC. He is ordained from Rich
Hill Baptist in Lancaster.
Want
to place this passage and commentary on
your website or e-zine for
content?
This article about
satisfaction and joy may be freely
reprinted or distributed in its entirety
in any e-zine, newsletter, blog, or
website. The author's name, bio, and
website links must remain intact
and be included with every
reproduction.
Bob
Verses are from Life Application
Study Bible: New International
Version
Comments are welcome. Please
email
me with any questions or
comments you may have.
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