Ecclesiastes 4 New Living Translation (NLT)
4 Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. 2 So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 3 But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
5 “Fools fold their idle hands,
leading them to ruin.”
6 And yet,
“Better to have one handful with quietness
than two handfuls of hard work
and chasing the wind.”
The Advantages of Companionship
7 I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
The Futility of Political Power
13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
Psalm 127 New Living Translation (NLT)
Psalm 127
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A Psalm of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
2 It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.
3 Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
5 How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Ecclesiastes 5 New Living Translation (NLT)
Approaching God with Care
5 [As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.
The Futility of Wealth
8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit![
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!
12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.
13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.
18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying the life that they take no time to brood over the past.
Psalm 72 New Living Translation (NLT)
Psalm 72
A Psalm of Solomon.
1 Give your love of justice to the king, O God,
and righteousness to the king’s son.
2 Help him judge your people in the right way;
let the poor always be treated fairly.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for all,
and may the hills be fruitful.
4 Help him to defend the poor,
to rescue the children of the needy,
and to crush their oppressors.
5 May they fear you[a] as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon remains in the sky.
Yes, forever!
6 May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
like the showers that water the earth.
7 May all the godly flourish during his reign.
May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.
8 May he reigns from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River[b] to the ends of the earth.
9 Desert nomads will bow before him;
his enemies will fall before him in the dust.
10 The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands
will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba
will bring him gifts.
11 All kings will bow before him,
and all nations will serve him.
12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
and he will rescue them.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are precious to him.
15 Long live the king!
May the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May the people always pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundant grain throughout the land,
flourishing even on the hilltops.
May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon,
and may the people thrive like grass in a field.
17 May the king’s name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun shines.
May all nations be blessed through him
and bring him praise.
18 Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does such wonderful things.
19 Praise his glorious name forever!
Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!
Replies
Approaching God with Care:
Over the years it seems as if there has been an approach to God that is not God. We have to know that God is all and there is nothing else. So, as we come to the house of God, He should be our only concern. We want to be seen, we want to be heard, but what about God, what do He want, What Do God really want? As stated in our reading from Ecc. 4:1 “Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them.” Most is not approaching God with care, to hear, most is not pay attention to the needs of the people. So, if we take this scripture and apply it, it will be a great benefit. 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. This was very informative and made a lot of sense, I love to read Ecc.
AMEN glory to GOD.i enjoyed this reading it lets me know that anything outside of the week of GOD is meaningless. We have to take a stand and love GOD and enjoy our lives. He desires for us to know him and to not over work ourselves under the guise of becoming wealthy and missing out on what he has to offer us
AMEN and I thank GOD for the Wisdom of knowledge
Thank you LORD for the Wisdom of learning about you AMEN.
Amen
Praise God for giving us the necessary tools needed to take ownership of our calling...
Notes:
Ecclesiastic 4
Solomon writes what we all experience at one time or another and he “saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them” (Eccl 4:1) and “that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind” (Eccl 4:4). Solomon states correctly that “Two are better than one” (Eccl 4:9) and more importantly, “a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Eccl 4:12), which if that third cord is God, it’s not broken very easily at all!
Psalm 127
God's blessing on his people as their one great necessity and privilege is here spoken of. We are here taught that builders of houses and cities, systems and fortunes, empires and churches all labour in vain without the Lord; but under the divine favour they enjoy perfect rest. Sons, who are in the Hebrew called "builders", are set forth as building up families under the same divine blessing, to the great honour and happiness of their parents. It is THE BUILDER'S PSALM. "Every house is builded by some man, but he that built all things is God", and unto God be praise.
Psalm 72
the community prays for the king, for just rule, for abundant crops, and for the well-being of all. The ascription of the prayer to Solomon correlates with Solomon's own prayer for wisdom and the ability to rule justly (1 Kings 3:5-9).
Wisdom is a gift from our Almighty God it is His divine insight on how we should live.
Wisdom Channels Scramble
One thing that I enjoy is, knowing that when I read the word of God it will teach me on how to walk in His obedience.Ecclesiastes 4 talks about people who are all about themselves, chasing the wind, looking in other peoples back doors wishing for there stuff. For some of us this has been a motivating factor to success.
We need Companionship to helps us stay true to our call to God. As the Bible says two are better then one. Don't be Futility in Political Power, it will only lead you astray. It better to stay low and humble, and allow God to grow you then pride.
My prayer is that the Lord will help me just as he help King Solomon. He truly blessed him with wisdom, power, and grace, and Love for Gods Kingdom.
Wisdom is the key to life success. If we seek it from God then we are going to live a life full of blessing but if we desire our own wisdom then we may destroy our lives. Great reading.