Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 10:1-3

This chapter offers us the anatomy of a fool. But when you see how a fool behaves, you might begin to think you are surrounded by fools. Remember, however, the old saying that when you point one finger at another person you are pointing three back at yourself. Didn't our Lord warn us in

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 10:4-7

A further characteristic of a fool, says Solomon, is that he cannot control his anger. If a boss is hot-headed then don't react in the same way, he instructs us (v. 4). A fool quits his job in a fit of temper, but a wise man remains calm. How many people reading these lines, I wonder, look back to difficulties that...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 10:12-15

Question: What has stirred up more strife than any other thing in the history of the world? Answer: The tongue! Sometimes when you go for a medical examination the doctor says: "Put out your tongue." Our tongue, Solomon suggests, the little thing we use to frame words, needs examination. Whereas the words of a...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 10:8-11

We begin a section now that most commentators regard as baffling and bewildering. Several dangerous activities are identified. In all of these, says Solomon, watch out because you can get hurt. Solomon uses graphic language to drive home the point that fools can't see further than their noses. They go blindly on...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 10:16-20

Solomon draws attention to the picture of a land governed by an immature king. The NIV says "servant" (v. 16), but the real thought here is of immaturity. Moffatt translates verse 16: "Woe betide you, O land, when your king is a mere boy." In other words, woe betide you, O land, when you have a fool on the...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 11:1-2

Solomon';s cynicism almost completely dissolves as we step into these last chapters. If you are like me, you are probably saying to yourself: "And not before time!" He begins this chapter with a well-known saying: "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

The verses before us today bring home to us our powerlessness to change certain things. Like the weather, for instance. When clouds are full of rain they drench the earth, says Solomon. There is simply no point in focusing on the things that are unchangeable. Far better to get on with living and work at changing...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 11:5-6

There are some things in life that, try as we might, we will never fully understand. This is Solomon's point in the verses before us today. We don't know which course the wind will take, or how bones are formed in a tiny fetus, but it happens anyway. And why? Because God is at work in everything, and the best thing...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 11:7-9

Do you need permission to enjoy life? Then Solomon gives it to you in these verses. I love the Moffatt translation of verse 7, which reads thus: "Sweet is the light of life and pleasant is it for the eyes to see the sun." While Solomon is clearly talking about natural light, these words are also symbolic. God is...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

Solomon';s final comments in this chapter are aimed at the young. Enjoy your days one by one, he is saying, because before you know it, you will be an adult. The words that come next have sent some Christians into apoplexy: "Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 12:1

At long last we are introduced in the most clear terms to the only one who can give life meaning - God. Some people need to feel and experience the utter futility of trying to quench the deep thirsts of their souls in any other way but in God. An Hasidic story tells of a man who went for a walk in a forest and got...

For Reading and Meditation: Ecclesiastes 12:2-4

We are now drawn into a vivid picture of very old age. Solomon's purpose is to point out the advantages of serving God while young, and to convince us of his counsel to remember our Creator in the days of our youth. We can serve God in old age (as we have seen), but the reality is that very old age slows us down somewhat and we can't give...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 12:9-10

In these last few verses Solomon moves into a brief autobiographical section. These are a wise man's studied reflections and conclusions. The Preacher tells us what a preacher should be like. There are five characteristics. First and foremost a preacher should be wise. He gets this wisdom not from his years, but...

For Reading and Meditation:     Ecclesiastes 12:5-8

Can you handle another day focusing on the characteristics of old age? Remember the ability to face reality is one of the evidences of mental health! You don't have to dwell on the facts as they relate to old age, but you do have to face them. That is all Solomon is saying. Four more characteristics are given in...