• The right thing done at the wrong time is wrong.
• Solomon teaches us that there’s a proper time for everything, and wisdom knows when that is.
• When it’s summer you can rest assured winter is on the way, so don’t get too comfortable.
• When it’s winter you know summer is on the way, so don’t get too gloomy.
• Understanding “time” is key to living a balanced life - you don’t tip over one side or the other.
• The inference Solomon is making is PAIN.
• We need to understand God brings beauty out of pain.
• Ecclesiastes 7:2 - Painful experiences teaches us more than joyful ones.
• True wisdom understands that the times you grow the most are the toughest times you go through.
• This is why Lamentations 3:27 says, “it’s good for a man to bear the yoke when he’s young.”
• Pain makes powerful if you understand there’s a time for everything.
• Knowing there’s a time for everything is also key to understanding the times in which you live (1 Chron 12:32 - Men of Issachar).
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (8/25/16)
Time
August 25, 2016 • Benham Brothers
Ecc 1 (9/3/14)
September 3, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Solomon asked for wisdom and got it - he could explain just about anything. I've always said he should have asked for what Elisha asked for - a double portion of the spirit. His wisdom began in the fear of the Lord but as he drifted from God so his wisdom changed as well. He learned that wisdom, apart from God, can only go so far. 1) Worldly wisdom - does not take God into account. Leads to a proper recognition that everything is meaningless. Without God in view Solomon is right! Worldly wisdom takes place in the mind only. 2) Godly wisdom - takes God into account. Leads to a proper recognition that everything has meaning. With God in view this is right! Godly wisdom not only takes place in the mind but also the heart, because where the mind ceases to comprehend the heart grasps in faith. When you get to the limit of what your mind can comprehend (worldly wisdom) then that's where Godly wisdom enters the picture. Without "faith" there is no hope. That's how the wisest man who ever lived could say things are meaningless - he had lost hope because he had lost faith, and he had lost faith because he stopped focusing on God. Without God everything is meaningless, but with God everything is laced with meaning. Ecc 2:18-20 - we see Solomon getting everything his heart desired through work, but WORK void of HOPE is meaningless!
Ecclesiastes 1:2 (8/24/17)
August 24, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* Solomon wrote this book through human eyes. * Only God can give us eyes to see as He sees. * When we have His eyes we see everything as beautiful and filled with meaning. * Two examples: * 1) The phone call I received from the police at 4AM. * 2) A visit I took to a prison where an inmate shocked me with a statement. * When you have eyes to see, everything is different although nothing has changed.
Ecclesiastes 1:13 (8/27/15)
Benham Brothers
Wisdom beneath the sun - worldly wisdom that doesn’t take God into account. It’s void of faith and hope - only believes what the mind can comprehend. Everything - even the BIG stuff - is meaningLESS. Wisdom above the sun - Godly wisdom which sees as God sees. It’s full of faith and hope - believes what the mind cannot comprehend. Everything, even the small stuff - is meaningFULL. The End of the Matter - Ecclesiastes 12:13. Wisdom under the sun points to wisdom above the sun: 1) Fear God - be inwardly and outwardly devoted to Him. 2) Keep His commandments - if you’re devoted to Him you’ll do what He says.