Which is Right?!? Proverbs 4, Ecclesiastes 1-2

May the mumbling commence!

Competing perspectives coexist in the Bible.  Indeed, if the same person wrote Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, then competing perspectives can live within the same person at different stages of his or her life.  Read a passage from Proverbs chapter four:

But the path of the just is like the shining sun,

That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. 

The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know what makes them stumble. (Verses 18-19)

Proverbs paints the way of the just and wise as shining as the sun – a rosy perspective to say the least.  Now, read a passage from Ecclesiastes chapter one:

That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun. 

Is there anything of which it may be said,

"See, this is new"?

It has already been in ancient times before us. 

There is no remembrance of former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come

By those who will come after. 

I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 

And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. 

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. (Verses 9-14)

All is vanity – even the task of searching out wisdom.  The task is burdensome!  All of life is vanity and grasping after the wind – not such a rosy perspective.  It may tell us of a man at the end of his life wondering what he has accomplished – a man seeing the inevitability of his own mortality.

Chasing the wisdom of the Spirit of God is like chasing the wind.  We cannot catch it.  We cannot anticipate where it comes from and much less where it may be going.  Sound familiar?  It should.  It is the discussion that happens between Nicodemus and Jesus in John chapter three.

We cannot rely on our own chase, our own work.  Neither our chase nor our work can save us from death.  That does not mean that our chase and work is unimportant.  It means that we need to rely on salvation from God’s Word – Jesus the Christ.

Yes, search out wisdom.  Just make sure that your search leads you on the path of Jesus.  It is a narrow path and hard to find, but much blessings will come upon those who find it and do not stray from it.  O Jesus, our faith is in you alone.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out