For a description of the (Y2) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Heb. 4
The author of Hebrews refutes both aspects of the “Jesus and…” lie. Yesterday I focused on the part of the lie that claims Jesus is not who and what He said He is. In this chapter of Hebrews, the writer addressed the lie of our own efforts, that is, bondage to the law. “…for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works…” (Heb.4:10a).
The illustration that God laid out in scripture, through the history of His people, is their failure to enter the Promised Land on the first approach. The people were relying on their own abilities rather than having faith in God’s promise. Thus, they did not obey and did not enter into God’s rest, represented as the Promised Land. Likewise, as the writer of Hebrews pointed out, if we are disobedient and thus fail to put our faith in God’s promise, Jesus, we cannot enter into God’s salvation rest. God knows our hearts. He can see if we trust Jesus alone or if we lean on “Jesus and…”.
Ecc. 7-8
What possible good can come from great sorrow? How has sorrow affected you? What has been your response? The Teacher writes that death is better than life, a house of mourning is better than a house of feasting and frustration is better than laughter. What’s with that? He later repeats his commendation of the enjoyment of life. So how is it that “a sad face is good for the heart.” (Ecc. 7:3b)? Perhaps it’s because death, sorrow, and frustration keep us mindful that life is short and unpredictable. And knowing that has a way of turning our attention from ourselves to God, where it belongs.
The Bible Project’s video on Ecclesiastes explains the word “hevel”, which is generally translated as “meaningless” or “vanity” but has a much deeper meaning. It’s more like smoke, which looks like something you can grab hold of but when you try, you find there is nothing there. So it both lacks substance and escapes understanding. The teacher was on a mission to make sense of life; to figure out its formula, if you will. What he discovered was “hevel”. Even things he knew to be true didn’t always hold up as he thought they should. His conclusion was “No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning.” (Ecc. 8:17b). So again, I think “a sad face” keeps us from falling into the delusion that we have things figured out.
Prov. 20
Select a proverb that speaks to you. Memorize it and share it with a friend. “A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?” (Pr. 20:24). This verse fits right in with the theme of Ecclesiastes. We may think we choose our own way, but that is hevel. We make our own choices, yes. But we have no way of knowing, nor can we ever fully understand, where those choices will lead. So, as the Teacher suggests in Ecclesiastes, we do well to simply accept that life is a riddle that we can never solve and keep our eyes on God. Stop trying to figure life out and simply enjoy it!