Along The Way (July 7th - 13th)
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July 7, 2023
Proverbs 28
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
When a land rebels
it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent person, honesty endures.
A poor person who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law struggle against them.
The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.
Those who keep the law are wise children,
but companions of gluttons shame their parents.
One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.
When one will not listen to the law,
even one’s prayers are an abomination.
Those who mislead the upright into evil ways
will fall into pits of their own making,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
The rich is wise in self-esteem,
but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.
When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory,
but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Happy is the one who is never without fear,
but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.
If someone is burdened with the blood of another,
let that killer be a fugitive until death;
let no one offer assistance.
One who walks in integrity will be safe,
but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.
Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,
but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
The faithful will abound with blessings,
but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.
To show partiality is not good,
yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.
The miser is in a hurry to get rich
and does not know that loss is sure to come.
Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.
Anyone who robs father or mother
and says, “That is no crime,”
is partner to a thug.
The greedy person stirs up strife,
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
Those who trust in their own wits are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom come through safely.
Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.
When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
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Proverbs 29
One who is often reproved, yet remains stubborn,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad,
but a companion of prostitutes destroys wealth.
By justice a king gives stability to the land,
but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.
Whoever flatters a neighbor
is spreading a net for the neighbor’s feet.
In the transgression of the evil there is a snare,
but the righteous sing and rejoice.
The righteous know the rights of the poor;
the wicked have no such understanding.
Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
If the wise go to law with fools,
there is ranting and ridicule without relief.
The bloodthirsty hate the blameless,
and they seek the life of the upright.
A fool gives full vent to anger,
but the wise quietly holds it back.
If a ruler listens to falsehood,
all his officials will be wicked.
The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
If a king judges the poor with equity,
his throne will be established forever.
The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a mother is disgraced by a neglected child.
When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
but the righteous will look upon their downfall.
Discipline your children, and they will give you rest;
they will give delight to your heart.
Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint,
but happy are those who keep the law.
By mere words slaves are not disciplined,
for though they understand, they will not give heed.
Do you see someone who is hasty in speech?
There is more hope for a fool than for anyone like that.
A slave pampered from childhood
will come to a bad end.
One given to anger stirs up strife,
and the hothead causes much transgression.
A person’s pride will bring humiliation,
but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
To be a partner of a thief is to hate one’s own life;
one hears the victim’s curse but discloses nothing.
The fear of others lays a snare,
but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.
Many seek the favor of a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.
The unjust are an abomination to the righteous,
but the upright are an abomination to the wicked.
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Proverbs 30 - 31
Sayings of Agur
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and am wasting away.
Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
And what is the name of the person’s child?
Surely you know!
Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
Do not slander a servant to a master,
lest the servant curse you, and you be held guilty.
There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
There are those who are pure in their own eyes,
yet are not cleansed of their filthiness.
There are those — how lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift! —
there are those whose teeth are swords,
whose teeth are knives
to devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mortals.
The leech has two daughters;
“Give, give,” they cry.
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough”:
Sheol, the barren womb,
the earth ever-thirsty for water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
Three things are too wonderful for me;
four I do not understand:
the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a woman.
This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
a slave when he becomes king
and a fool when glutted with food,
a contemptible woman when she gets a husband
and a maid when she supplants her mistress.
Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
the lizard can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
and a king against whom none can stand.
If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
For as pressing milk produces curds
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.
The Teaching of King Lemuel’s Mother
The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
No, my son! No, son of my womb!
No, son of my vows!
Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine
or for rulers to desire strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to one who is perishing
and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out; judge righteously;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Ode to a Woman of Strength
A woman of strength who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not harm
all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax
and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from far away.
She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband, too, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates.
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Ecclesiastes 1
Reflections of a Royal Philosopher
The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
What do people gain from all the toil
at which they toil under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down
and hurries to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they continue to flow.
All things are wearisome,
more than one can express;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing
or the ear filled with hearing.
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been
in the ages before us.
The people of long ago are not remembered,
nor will there be any remembrance
of people yet to come
by those who come after them.
The Futility of Seeking Wisdom
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to humans to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun, and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
I said to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a chasing after wind.
For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.
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Ecclesiastes 2
The Futility of Self-Indulgence
I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — and how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; I made myself gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and delights of the flesh, many concubines.
So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure from all my toil, and this was my reward from all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Wisdom and Joy Given to One Who Pleases God
So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly, for what can the king’s successor do? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.
The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity. For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? So I hated life because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to my successor, and who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.
There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
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Ecclesiastes 3 – 4
Everything Has Its Time
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
The God-Given Task
What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it; God has done this so that all should stand in awe before him. That which is already has been, that which is to be already is, and God seeks out what has gone by.
Judgment and the Future Belong to God
Moreover, I saw under the sun that, in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter and for every work.” I said to myself with regard to humans that God is testing them to show that they are but animals. For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place, all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that all should enjoy their work, for that is their lot; who can bring them to see what will be after them?
Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed — with no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power — with no one to comfort them. And I commended the dead, who have already died, more than the living, who are still alive, but better than both is the one who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
Fools fold their hands
and consume their own flesh.
Better is a handful with quiet
than two handfuls with toil
and a chasing after wind.
Again, I saw vanity under the sun: the case of solitary individuals, without sons or brothers; yet there is no end to all their toil, and their eyes are never satisfied with riches. “For whom am I toiling,” they ask, “and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.
The Value of a Friend
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who will no longer take advice. One can indeed come out of prison to reign, even though born poor in the kingdom. I saw all the living who, moving about under the sun, follow that youth who replaced the king; there was no end to all those people whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
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July 13, 2023
Ecclesiastes 5 – 6
Reverence, Humility, and Contentment
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God; to draw near to listen is better than the sacrifice offered by fools, for they do not know how to keep from doing evil. Never be rash with your mouth nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.
For dreams come with many cares, and a fool’s voice with many words.
When you make a vow to God, do not delay fulfilling it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill what you vow. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not fulfill it. Do not let your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake; why should God be angry at your words and destroy the work of your hands?
With many dreams come vanities and a multitude of words, but fear God.
If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and right, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. But all things considered, this is an advantage for a land: a king for a plowed field.
The lover of money will not be satisfied with money, nor the lover of wealth with gain. This also is vanity.
When goods increase, those who eat them increase, and what gain has their owner but to see them with his eyes?
Sweet is the sleep of laborers, whether they eat little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not let them sleep.
There is a grievous ill that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owners to their hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture; though they are parents of children, they have nothing in their hands. As they came from their mother’s womb, so they shall go again, naked as they came; they shall take nothing for their toil that they may carry away with their hands. This also is a grievous ill: just as they came, so shall they go, and what gain do they have from toiling for the wind? Besides, all their days they eat in darkness, in much anger and sickness and resentment.
This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of the life God gives us, for this is our lot. Likewise, all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil — this is the gift of God. For they will scarcely brood over the days of their lives because God keeps them occupied with the joy of their hearts.
The Frustration of Desires
There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy upon humankind: those to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that they lack nothing of all that they desire, yet God does not enable them to enjoy these things, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous ill. A man may father a hundred children and live many years, but however many are the days of his years, if he does not enjoy life’s good things or has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered; moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over yet enjoy no good — do not all go to one place?
All human toil is for the mouth, yet the appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage have the wise over fools? And what do the poor have who know how to conduct themselves before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire; this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what humans are and that they are not able to dispute with those who are stronger. The more words, the more vanity, so how is one the better? For who knows what is good for mortals while they live the few days of their vain life, which they pass like a shadow? For who can tell them what will be after them under the sun?