Don't bother with this week's study of Ecclesiastes 10 -- there's nothing there.
He exhorts us to
'vote Republican',
avoid dangerous vocations,
sharpen our tools, and
respect social ordering based on riches and nobility of birth.
The last point (above) is convenient, as the writer seems to have nobility and riches. He introduces himself as "Son of David, King in Jerusalem" in Eccl. 1:1. And 1 Kings 10:23 says that "King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth". What's he going to say? Something like "man looks on the outward appearance, but we should look on their heart"? I guess that if God operated on the principle of nobility and birth order, Solomon would have been introducing himself as "Son of Eliab, King in Jerusalem" (1 Sam 16:6,7).
So not only not much there, but what is there is self-serving.
Now, you might want to check and see if I'm wrong -- it happens. Let me know your thoughts.
He exhorts us to
'vote Republican',
avoid dangerous vocations,
sharpen our tools, and
respect social ordering based on riches and nobility of birth.
The last point (above) is convenient, as the writer seems to have nobility and riches. He introduces himself as "Son of David, King in Jerusalem" in Eccl. 1:1. And 1 Kings 10:23 says that "King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth". What's he going to say? Something like "man looks on the outward appearance, but we should look on their heart"? I guess that if God operated on the principle of nobility and birth order, Solomon would have been introducing himself as "Son of Eliab, King in Jerusalem" (1 Sam 16:6,7).
So not only not much there, but what is there is self-serving.
Now, you might want to check and see if I'm wrong -- it happens. Let me know your thoughts.
© Alister L. Hunt Ph.D
1 comment:
O Contrare! Although I agree with you that much of what is there is self-serving. Loved the reference to son of Eliab, king in Jerusalem. You are a very clever fellow. A couple of points that you might find of some interest, 1.) the evil that "issues" from the presence of a ruler in vs. 5, and 2.) the natural consequences of foolish behavior in vs. 8. Together, these ideas point to the notion of personal responsibility. This is interesting in light of Qoheleth's recognition of "time and chance" in 9.11-12. I see a tension here between determinism and freedom that is not possible to reconcile. And yet most of the great intellectual and religious problems of our lives do not have tidy answers (Unless you are taking a Bible study from an Adventist evangelist!) Are our lives determined by outside forces? Yes. Are we free beings with responsibility for our actions? Yes. Such logical nonsense drives me crazy from a rational point of view but the longer I contemplate such things the more sense it makes to embrace opposites. Such inner conflicts make for a very vibrant and rich mental life. Even if you happen to "vote Republican."
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