Ecclesiastes 7:1-24

pondering at wisdom //
how encouraging this is : )

Wisdom

1 A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth.
YES!

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man;
the living should take this to heart.
The bad times are much more valuable! You learn so much more my suffering and facing things! And I have surely done that before.. guh
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart.
Suffering for the sake of good things is better than pure pleasure.. it means something, it reveals things
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
You cannont gain wisdom without pain and hard work and maybe suffering..
5 It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke
than to listen to the song of fools.
Listening to words that are hard to hear is better than assuming the foolish words that you want to hear are correct, when you know they are from a fool or are shallow
6 Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
so is the laughter of fools.
This too is meaningless.

7 Extortion turns a wise man into a fool,
and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.

9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.

10 Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"
For it is not wise to ask such questions.
ahhhh i know! we always think the grass is greener. I am satisfied to face harder challenges because I know they will make me stronger and stronger.. yet it is so easy to wish life were simpler.. like when I had no responsibility and when nothing really mattered.

11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing
and benefits those who see the sun.

12 Wisdom is a shelter
as money is a shelter,
but the advantage of knowledge is this:
that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.
It is like giving a man a fish and teaching him how to fish. Wisdom replenishes your soul. preparation with the creation of wisdom makes you able to tackle anything, to be able to sustain the good you have in your life! it makes for a deeper life with possibility of deeper experiences, lasting, solid experiences. bread and butta!!
13 Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
we cannot change how things are, how they work, the truth
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future.

15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:
a righteous man perishing in his righteousness,
and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
this is so true. this the age old "why do bad things happen to good people" it is the nature of a sinful world
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
YYYYYEEEEESSSS! this is the answer to legalism! why should you judge others and try to legalistically make yourself more "righteous"!!? bad will happen to the good and the bad. we all will die. what we create that is earthly has no meaning. what meaning can legalism have then? why not practice love and compassion instead? that actually will change the world!!
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
on the flip side! if nothing that is earthly has meaning than doing evil and being a fool is worse! for you destroy yourself with no purpose. and hurt others.
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
The man who fears God will avoid all extremes . [a]
THANK YOU. a man who truly fears God will avoid ALL extremes. he will be balanced in God and in the world because it is our home. we need to be balanced beings to find wisdom.
19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful
than ten rulers in a city.

20 There is not a righteous man on earth
who does what is right and never sins.
that is humbling and true and comforting when other seem to look down at you..
21 Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you may hear your servant cursing you-
don't take other's words personally // because you yourself say things you probably didn't really mean. take accountability for what you say
22 for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I tested by wisdom and I said,
"I am determined to be wise"—
but this was beyond me.

24 Whatever wisdom may be,
it is far off and most profound—
who can discover it?

We cannot create wisdom. because to us, everything is relative. we want to be thought as being good, but we are selfish, so we unwittingly sin, fall short. that is why God sends us His wisdom, to test and know it is unchanging and true. God has seen the wages of sin and the scars they can leave. He only warns us so we don't have to learn the hard way.

Ahhh.. this makes me feel better for all the things I have waded through and dealt with. wisdom is worth the battle. Solomon, thanks for letting me know it is hard for everyone.