Happy Friday and welcome to the fourth and final installment of this Ecclesiastes 7 series!

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Today is a longer set of verses, but I don’t know that this will end up being any longer of a post than usual. 🙂 Our focus verses are Ecclesiastes 7:14-18 and I’m mostly just touching on a couple things I see here the most.

When I read this chapter and got to verse 14, I immediately thought this reminded me of James!

In the day of prosperity by joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made he one as well as the other, that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

Ecc. 7:14

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James 1:2

I’m sure James got some idea from Solomon, but didn’t Jesus teach this same concept?

In every circumstance, we’re to count it joy. Where does our hope and joy come from? Abiding in Him!

This then reminds me of another devotional I’ve been in, and I read 1 John 3. Over and over again it talks about abiding (which this word, “abide,” always reminds me of Bridget).

We’re going to face trials. We’re going to face opposition. We’re going to face a long list of things, big and small, in this life. How can we keep going? Our source of strength is not our own, but the one we’re abiding in.

What Solomon is saying throughout Ecclesiastes is that there’s folly in chasing after meaningless things – things of this world. There’s joy in abiding in Christ and only death awaiting those abiding in this world.

It’s one of the hardest things to do in this life. This being joyful in trials. You feel pressure from life, people, yourself. Something that helps turn my thinking is remembering I’m still able. God gave me the ability to sit here to type this for you to read, just as he equips me to move forward in what I face in this life. And that in turn allows me to think…

I get to share with others.

I get to help someone in need.

I have the opportunity to grow.

I have the opportunity to be a light.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

I thought the Bible commentary I use was really insightful in how it worded the explanation of Ecclesiastes:

Though people may find fault with God’s ways (what God has done), no one can change what He thinks is wrong or unfair (who can straighten what He has made crooked?). Moreover, God so mingles together adversity and prosperity that man cannot discover anything about his future. In view of this, Solomon recommended submission to God’s sovereignty, enjoying the good times (be happy) and remembering (consider) in bad times that adversity has inscrutable purposes beyond finite human understanding.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck

Because we go through adversity and prosperity, we cannot discover the future – we do not know what lies ahead of us. We can guess, and prepare ourselves for circumstances good and bad, but we don’t know for sure. Our hope cannot be placed in the what ifs, but in the One who controls – the One who gives and takes away for our good, because He does know the beginning to the end.

In the middle verses, Solomon seems to recommend a middle ground saying, “do not make yourself too wise” and “be not overly wicked.” Is this because our flesh, our sin we fight, is still considered wicked? I actually don’t have any notes over this part of the verses. My Bible and my commentary were not incredibly helpful, but there’s hope that’s found at the end of verse 18:

for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

Ecc. 7:18b

This reminded me of Proverbs 1:7 that says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

If the beginning of knowledge is fear of the Lord and the one who fears God shall overcome challenges, then we’re on the right track if we have a right, Biblical understanding of who He is and who we are in the equation.

We may see adversity more than prosperity, but there’s joy in it all, if we’re living for Him and not ourselves or this world.

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As I stated, this is the last installment of the Ecclesiastes 7 series. I got a lot out of this and I hope you did, too! I may do something similar in the future. 🙂

I hope this post was an encouragement to you today and you have a great end to your week living joyfully in the Lord!