I Said In My Heart - Ecclesiastes 1-2

Ecclesiastes 1:16 (ESV)

I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

Six times in the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon makes the statement, “I said in my heart.”   Above is one and here are the other five:

Ecclesiastes 2:1 (ESV)

The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.

Ecclesiastes 2:15 (ESV)

Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 (ESV)

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

Ecclesiastes 3:18 (ESV)

I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.

The heart in Hebrew language is not referring to the emotional seat of life, as in Western philosophy and psychology.  It is also including the act of reasoning.  What Solomon is saying it I am pearling into life and trying to reason out what it all means.   The entire book of Ecclesiastes is centered around this thought.   One the reasons why Satan may be having this world (of which he is the prince) move so fast is so that it prevents us from pondering, meditating, or wondering and musing about life.   Solomon is the richest and most powerful man on the planet at this time.   He is taking time to say in his heart, “What is all this about?”  It would do well for us all to take a moment and think about that thought.   The world moves so fast and so violet we have little time to pause to contemplate about life.   That is not what God wants us to do.  He wants us to pause and think and about who He is and how we fit into His plan for His kingdom.  But we get so caught up in our own that we don’t take a moment to say, “I said in my heart ...!” 

Look to God - He Provides - Psalms 122-124

Psalms 123:2 (ESV)

Behold, as the eyes of servants

look to the hand of their master,

as the eyes of a maidservant

to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,

till he has mercy upon us.

In Psalm 123 verses one and two the writer says his eyes are looking toward God as a servant looks toward their master.  This is not a look of fear, or a submissive look.  This is a look of hope and assurance that God is there to take care of us.  We can lift our eyes to our friends for having needs met.   But we are not assured our needs will be met by our friends.  We can lift our eyes toward our government.  But we are not assured our needs will be met by the government.   We can even lift up our eyes to the church, but we are not guaranteed even our church will meet our needs.   We look to God because He will always meet our needs.  Now He might meet our needs via friends, family, government and/or church.   He might supernaturally meet our needs.   We might now see how, but we can see that He does.  

What Does Bad Leadership Look Like - 2 Chronicles 25-28

2 Chronicles 28:1-4 (ESV)

Ahaz Reigns in Judah

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done, but he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel. He even made metal images for the Baals, and he made offerings in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom and burned his sons as an offering, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.

Have you ever wondered what it looks like when a leader turns away from God and rejects God?   You can see above how it starts.   Notice at the end of Ahaz’s life what it ends up to be:

2 Chronicles 28:22-27 (ESV)

Ahaz’s Idolatry

In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the LORD—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel. And Ahaz gathered together the vessels of the house of God and cut in pieces the vessels of the house of God, and he shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and he made himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem. In every city of Judah he made high places to make offerings to other gods, provoking to anger the LORD, the God of his fathers. Now the rest of his acts and all his ways, from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. And Ahaz slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem, for they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel.

This king was so bad they didn’t even let him be buried with the proceeding kings.   This is what happens when you reject God’s word and refuse to submit to God.  

Obey and Teach God’s Word - Deuteronomy 4-6

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (ESV)

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Moses is writing to the second generation of Israelites who have wondered in the desert.  The first group failed to obey God and have faith He could bring them into the promised land.   That generation all passed away and only Moses, Joshua and Caleb would remain.   Moses, too, however, would not make it into the promised land.  The reason they all missed was because of disobedience.   This is why Moses is writing the above words.  He is fearful that this generation will repeat the same mistake and disobey.   To combat that he prescribes the following:

1. Make sure that all we have in our hearts and lives and minds and soul is our love for God.   

2. Make sure we teach God’s word to our children, the next generation.   The one sure way the next generation will fail is to not know God’s word.   

3. Write God’s word on our hands, our body, our gates and our doors.   Having God’s word in front of us helps us to make sure we follow God’s word.  

This theme of obeying God’s word is throughout Scripture.    Moses states it hear and the Apostle John ends the Bible the same way:

Revelation 1:3 (ESV)

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

Don’t Carry A Backpack of Rocks - Hebrews 11-13

Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

When we run a race we don’t want to carry a backpack full of rocks.  We want to have the least amount of restrictions as we navigate the terrine.    This is the image of the above verse.  The readers would be familiar with this as the Greek’s Olympic Games were well known.   Runners would strip to barely nothing to lose all weight that might hold them back.   The fans in the stands and along the way would cheer them on to victory.    

This is the vision we have of the Christian life.  The witnesses in the above verse is the the Greek word for our English word, martyrs.    We are surrounded by those who have gone before us and given their lives for our faith (Hebrews 11).   They watch as we lay aside both the weight and the sin which clings so closely.   The truth the author is making is that their are two things that hold us back from running a good race of faith:

1. There are weights that cling to us.  These are not sins, as the writer makes a distinction between the two.  These weights are things that slow us down but are necessarily sins.   Things like too much social media scrolling.  Things like too much of a good thing that might be not be sin but slows my walk with Jesus. 

2. There are sins that certainly hold us back on our walk with Him.  These are things we knowingly are doing that offend a holy and righteous God.   

We can’t run with endurance if we are actively holding onto things that slow us down.  We will eventually tire from fatigue and a lack of focus.    We will not run, we will barely walk.   

God Uses Us to Serve Him - Acts 7-8

Acts 8:36-40 (ESV)

And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

The preaching of the Gospel brings about salvation:

Romans 16:25-27 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Philip first began his ministry waiting on tables:

Acts 6:3-6 (ESV)

Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

He then became a proclaimer of truth.   He started in the kitchen and ended up in the pulpit.   That is what God does.  With the power of God’s word lives are changed by those whose lives have also been changed.   

Luke 16:10 (ESV)

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Man Has Wicked, But Useless Plans - Nahum

Nahum 1:9-11 (ESV)

What do you plot against the LORD?

He will make a complete end;

trouble will not rise up a second time.

For they are like entangled thorns,

like drunkards as they drink;

they are consumed like stubble fully dried.

From you came one

who plotted evil against the LORD,

a worthless counselor.

The book of Nahum is the sequel to the book of Jonah.   Jonah went to Nineveh (capital city of Assyria, reluctantly but eventually.   The Assyrians repented.  At least for a while.   Then the next generation of Assyrians returned to evil.    In the above lines we read about the mindset of the Assyrians.  They (leaders and citizens) sat down to plot a way to conquer Judea and become the power they were before their previous faith based life.  They were a wicked and ruthless fighting machine.   Their plotting was wicked and evil in their minds.   But in God’s mind it was a joke.   Note how he describes their plans: 

1.  They are like entangled thorns. 

2. They are like drunk men.

3. They are like consumed stubble. 

Their plotting is coming from an evil counselor.   This is what happens when we go against the God of the universe.  Our plotting amounts to burnt stubble.   

A Godly Woman Works Willingly - Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31:13 (ESV)

She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

In our society today the value of a woman is measured in some ungodly and unhealthy ways.    There is, of course, an extreme amount of emphasis placed on the female body and the outward beauty of the women.   The dollars spent, alone, on appearance and sexuality are staggering.   Little is placed on the intelligence of women today.  In fact, in most circles, the smarter the female the less influence she can have.  If she demonstrates her depth of knowledge she can enter the pool of influence, but often limited to only the shallow end of the waters.   There is even less emphasis placed on the industrialness of the women.   What she can do with her hands is often relegated to a lesser area of life.   Solomon, on the other end, seems to relish the women of industry.   She is rewarded for the work of her hands AND the work of her mind.   Notice in our proverb, above, that she is said to "look" for the wool and the flax and then looks to work it with her hands.   She uses her mind to find the wool; she uses her industrious skills to work it and she incorporates a great attitude of will and skill to do so with delight.   The example she sets for us in regard to virtue is amazing.   God has given her a mind, a heart and a will to accomplish much for God's kingdom.  It is does not appear to be a spiritual act, but it is for us.   We can see what God values.   God equips her and she uses that equipment to honor and glorify God, because that is what He values.  Whatever He values we should value.

God Protects Us! Psalm 120-121

Psalms 121:5-8 (ESV)

The LORD is your keeper;

the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The LORD will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

God keeps us!  The fact that God keeps us is amazing in and of itself.  The Hebrew word here for keeper, is very broad.  Note what Vine says about it:

i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.: — beward, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep(-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch(-man).

It is used 4468 times in the Bible and translated to these English words: 

AV (468) - keep 283, observe 46, heed 35, keeper 28, preserve 21, beware 9, mark 8, watchman 8, wait 7, watch 7, regard 5, save 2, misc 9;

God is watching and caring and protecting as the keeper.   Note what the above verse states about His keeping us:

1.  He keeps us from the sun, like shade, on a hot day.   Living where they were living at the time the nation of Israel would have really understood this thought process and word picture. God keeps us during these times. 

2. He keeps them during the night.   Remember with have homes and doors and security locks and even cameras watching over us as we sleep.  They did not.   Night time terrors were a real thing.  God keeps us during these times. 

3. He keeps us from evil.   There is all types of evil, both physical and spiritual.  God is watching over us. 

4. He keeps us as we navigate this world.  He is keeping us as we walk and engage with the world.   

The psalmist said all this this way in Psalm 91: 

Psalms 91:4-7 (ESV)

He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

God Keeps His Promises - 2 Chronicles 21-24

2 Chronicles 21:6-7 (ESV)

And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. Yet the LORD was not willing to destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and since he had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

Throughout the books of Chronicles, we have the accounts of the leadership of the kings.  Although mostly they cover the kings of Judah, the point of the books is in the domain of leadership.   In the above passage we read that another king came into leadership and was corrupt.  This was often the story for both Israel to the north and Judah to the south.   But the beauty of the above passage is God’s response to another corrupt leader.  God made a covenant with David that he would always have a member of his family on the throne.   Despite the bad leadership each time, God kept His promises.  Ultimately God would bring Jesus to reign on the throne, but until then God had to allow the descendants of David to rule, as well.    At times, God keeps His promises to use despite our sin.  Many of these kings were wicked.  Yet God remembered His promises and allowed the kingdom to continue so that He could both fulfill His promise to David and establish His eternal kingdoms through Jesus.                                               

God Wants to Bring Us Into Rest - Deuteronomy 1-3

Deuteronomy 1:19-21 (ESV)

Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land

“Then we set out from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us. And we came to Kadesh-barnea. And I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’

Moses led the people right up to the promised land.  He brought them out of Egypt through great wonders. He brought them across the Red Sea through the great power of God‘s hand. Now they were on the threshold of receiving God‘s promise. Yet here, in this very moment, is where they decided to doubt God. We often wonder why we don’t get what we wish for and what we hope for. Then again, God often brings us right to the impetus of the fulfillment of our desires, and yet, our lack of faith keeps us back. The nation could’ve had grapes as large as cantaloupes. But instead, their fear prevented them from moving forward.

God wants to bring us in to the land of rest. But our fear prevents us from seeing, because our hearts only see the danger.  When Joshua takes over the Leadership, this is what God tell him:

Joshua 1:8-9 (ESV)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”