Readings for: 
Thursday, July 25: Ecclesiastes 5 – 8

Our reading through Ecclesiastes takes a bit of a darker turn. From the continual plea of everything being “meaningless” our teacher reminds us plainly of why everything is “meaningless.” And why would that be? Because we all die.

Death . . . it is the one guarantee that we all have in live. We all will face it. We all will experience it. Some sooner than others. Some more painful than others. Some long after we thought death would actually greet us. Regardless of time or place, death will come, making everything we experience in life “meaningless.”

While that may have been true for our teacher, I would challenge us to live life to the fullest. Every day is a gift, and is a opportunity to shape and impact the life of someone around us. For I heard a “proverb” once on the radio, wish I can remember who said it or what the context was but it was quiet powerful. It said something like this:

Death . . .
You actually die twice.
Once when your heart stops beating.
Once when people stop remembering who you were.

I pray that you might find enough meaning in your life, to change the lives of others, so that you may be remembered (for the right reasons) long after you first die.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Friday, July 26: Ecclesiastes 9 – 12
Saturday, July 27: Song of Solomon
Sunday, July 28: Isaiah 1 – 4
Monday, July 29: Isaiah 5 – 8

Readings for: 
Wednesday, July 24: Ecclesiastes 1 – 4

We turn the page to the next book of the Bible, the Book of Ecclesiastes. Some what to attribute this to King Solomon, others a follower of Solomon, or another King of Judah. Either way, it is a piece of “wisdom” literature, much like Proverbs. However, it take on a bit darker tone that that of our last book, Proverbs.

To start with we have to ask the question what is “Hevel.” You might not have read that in your translation, and our friends at theBibleProject.com have a pretty good explanation for us to consider. You can find their video at the end of today’s post. However, as “Hevel” weaves its way in and out of the story, translation is one of those things that makes a huge difference in our understanding. Take for instance the following differences in translating Ecclesiastes 1:2b:

• Vanity of vanities! All is vanity (NRSV)
• Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless! (NIV)
• Perfectly pointless! Everything is perfectly pointless! (CEB)
• Nothing makes sense! Everything is nonsense! (CEV)
• Smoke, nothing but smoke! There is nothing to anything – it’s all smoke! (MSG)

While these are all similar, there is a pretty big difference between vanity, meaningless, and smoke. After watching the video, perhaps the clearest translation is “smoke”, but then we want definition to give us something to hold on to. Maybe its something like, “nothing has any weight, importance, or meaning . . . its all temporary . . . so why bother?” Together we’ll wrestle with this as we continue reading for the next few days.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Thursday, July 25: Ecclesiastes 5 – 8
Friday, July 26: Ecclesiastes 9 – 12
Saturday, July 27: Song of Solomon
Sunday, July 28: Isaiah 1 – 4

Readings for: 
Monday, July 22: Proverbs 27 – 29 
Tuesday, July 23: Proverbs 30 – 31

As our journey through the Book of Proverbs comes to a close I think I found my favorite Proverb. Its a great one that we should all remember to live by!

“Just as water reflects the face,
so one human heart reflects another. “
Proverbs 27:19

Readings for the next few days: 
Wednesday, July 24: Ecclesiastes 1 – 4
Thursday, July 25: Ecclesiastes 5 – 8
Friday, July 26: Ecclesiastes 9 – 12
Saturday, July 27: Song of Solomon

Readings for: 
Saturday, July 20: Proverbs 22 – 23 
Sunday, July 21: Proverbs 24 – 26

I’d reiterate again, it’s hard to make a connection and comment on most of the readings through Proverbs, as many of the Proverbs speak for themselves. I did note however, one particular Proverb that caught my attention as I read on Sunday.

“Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great;
For it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. “
Proverbs 25:6-7a

Reading these two verses I was transported to the feet of Jesus as I heard him say it in these words:

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath . . . he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
(Luke 14:1, 7 – 14)

A humbling reminder! All too many of us think to highly of ourselves, and believe that we have a right to sit at a place of honor. In God’s eyes this can’t be farther from the truth. In God’s eyes, because of our sinful nature, we shouldn’t even be allowed in the doors let alone a place of honor. Thanks be to God that Jesus has interceded on our behalf, and has invited us as a guest in his presence. At his invitation, we are invited forward, through his outstretched hands on the cross. Because he took our place, we need to remember our own place, and live accordingly. Therefore be humble in all you do, in all you say, and where you might sit when invited to the table!

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Monday, July 22: Proverbs 27 – 29 
Tuesday, July 23: Proverbs 30 – 31
Wednesday, July 24: Ecclesiastes 1 – 4
Thursday, July 25: Ecclesiastes 5 – 8

Readings for 
Friday, July 19: Proverbs 19 – 21

One quick proverb that made me chuckle as I journeyed through today’s reading. I won’t dwell on it too long. And as a word of caution, I wouldn’t recommend dwelling on it either, as it may give grounds for a divorce!

“A wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain”
(Proverbs 19:13b)

Blessings,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Saturday, July 20: Proverbs 22 – 23 
Sunday, July 21: Proverbs 24 – 26
Monday, July 22: Proverbs 27 – 29
Tuesday, July 23: Proverbs 30 – 31

Readings for: 
Wednesday, July 17: Proverbs 13 – 15 
Thursday, July 18: Proverbs 16 – 18

As much as I am enjoying our read through Proverbs, I’ve come to realize how hard it is to share a reflection, especially when each Proverb makes such a great statement on its own. It doesn’t leave much to say. Here a just a few extra thoughts from the past few days:

“Spare the rod, spoil the child” . . . we find its roots in Proverbs 13:24: “Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them.”

For all of those with a few (or a whole bunch) of gray hair, find comfort in Proverbs 16:31, which states: “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. “

And one that reminded me of a ‘proverb’ that I remember as a child growing up on Lake Erie. Proverbs 16:9 states: “The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” Which, in my opinion, sounds an awful lot like “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”

Peace and stay cool on these hot summer days!
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Friday, July 19: Proverbs 19 – 21
Saturday, July 20: Proverbs 22 – 23
Sunday, July 21: Proverbs 24 – 26
Monday, July 22: Proverbs 27 – 29

Readings for: 
Monday, July 15: Proverbs 7 – 9 
Tuesday, July 16: Proverbs 10 – 12

Have you noticed the number of times that Solomon refers to the “prostitute” or the the fondness of women? Chapters 5, 6, and 7 have several references, that you could look back on to. They might seem off, but lets remember the inner courts of Solomon were likely filled with women as he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. (1 Kings 11:3) That’s a lot of women, and with that many ladies around I am sure they had an influence on how he saw the world and how his “wisdom” was shaped. Perhaps that helps refresh our memory on why Proverbs keeps pointing us to the prostitute, and lets hope that Solomon thought more fondly of his wives than as sexual servants!

As we turn to Chapter 10, we begin to get a better feel for how the rest of Proverbs will flow, with one short “proverb” after another. I had to laugh at the summary included in The Twibble, written by Jana Riess; She writes (or tweets) for Chapter 10:

“Here we get 20 chapters of wise sayings attributed to Solomon.
Or is court secretaries. Or random people 500 years later. Whatever.”
(The Twibble, pg 145)

So onward for another 20 chapters of wise sayings . . . .

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Wednesday, July 17: Proverbs 13 – 15 
Thursday, July 18: Proverbs 16 – 18
Friday, July 19: Proverbs 19 – 21
Saturday, July 20: Proverbs 22 – 23

Readings for: 
Sunday, July 14: Proverbs 4 – 6 

We are now two days into our reading of the Book of Proverbs, and as we are reading, we’ve been introduced to “wisdom.” This again recalls the gift of wisdom that Solomon received from God as he inherited the throne from his father David. For the most part this gift of wisdom is going to be revealed to us in short quips and sayings that are meant to make a specific point. Some of them will be well known, even to us today. Take for example:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction
1:7

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
3:3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
3:5

While these may not be super familiar, I promise we will encounter several that will be much more familiar in the days ahead. Another thing to notice is that “Wisdom” is often referred to as “she” or “lady” or “her”. Much of this is due to the fact that the Hebrew language is written in masculine and feminine forms, something we don’t see in our own English language. Given this, the Hebrew “Wisdom” is a feminine noun, meaning that references would then point back to Wisdom with ” “she” or “lady” or “her”. While this is grammatically correct, I also recall the book/movie “The Shack” where the Holy Spirit is given a female form. How beautiful. It gives a sense of love and compassion, and also portrays a sense of power and command when needed. I’d like to think the same her as we ready with “Lady Wisdom” and the compassion she pours our for us, and the sternness that is sometimes necessary, when we haven’t quite figured out how to be “wise.”

Lastly for today, a bit of a riddle. Proverbs 6: 16-19 states:

There are six things the Lord hates,
    seven that are detestable to him:
 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
 hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
 feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies,
 and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

How can there be six things that are hated, yet seven that are detestable? Read them carefully. Did you catch it? One is a duplicate. So there is a challenge for us as we read Proverbs, that we must be wise enough to understand the teaching and catch the challenge when presented. Here one of the six things that is hated is “Lies,” which makes sense being “thou shall not lie” is one of the Ten Commandments. As we read this Proverb, our lies become “detestable” as they are referred to as “a lying tongue” or as “a false witness who pours out lies.” One brings shame to ourselves. One brings shame unwantingly on to someone else. Thus making both “detestable to God.

Peace,
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Monday, July 15: Proverbs 7 – 9 
Tuesday, July 16: Proverbs 10 – 12 
Wednesday, July 17: Proverbs 13 – 15
Thursday, July 18: Proverbs 16 – 18

Readings for: 
Saturday, July 13: Proverbs 1 – 3 

We venture into the Book of Proverbs, which is attributed to King Solomon. If we recall the story of 1 Kings when God promised to give Solomon anything for which he asked, and Solomon responded with “wisdom.” For this he was granted wisdom along with everything else he could desire or imagine.

While Solomon’s reign and lust for women may have ended with questionable results. The Book of Proverbs helps us to understand the depth of his wisdom.

Before we read too much further, lets turn to our friends at “TheBibleProject” to hear there synopsis on the 20th book of the Bible:

Readings for the next few days: 
Sunday, July 14: Proverbs 4 – 6 
Monday, July 15: Proverbs 7 – 9
Tuesday, July 16: Proverbs 10 – 12
Wednesday, July 17, Proverbs 13 – 15

Readings for: 
Friday, July 12: Psalm 146 – 150

We have spent the past 29 days reading through the Book of Psalms. At times it’s felt like an eternity. I’ve got nothing against the Psalms, however I’m missing the story line, drama, action, and adventure found in many other areas of the Bible. So, I’m grateful that we are finally turning the page and moving on the the Book of Proverbs as we start the next week of readings.

Perhaps my feelings towards finishing our read through the Psalms is summed in a reoccurring phrase found in these last five Psalms. They are a short quick read, and I’m sure you will enjoy them. One phrase summarizes our 29 day journey, coming to an end. One phrase summarizes our faith and relationship with God. One phrase just about says it all:

Praise the Lord!

See you as we venture into Proverbs!
Pastor Bailey

Readings for the next few days: 
Saturday, July 13: Proverbs 1 – 3 
Sunday, July 14: Proverbs 4 – 6 
Monday, July 15: Proverbs 7 – 9
Tuesday, July 16: Proverbs 10 – 12