Song of Solomon 5

Song of Solomon 5:7

"The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
The struck me and wounded me;
The guardsmen of the walls took away my shawl from me.

What kind of crazy city is this woman living in?  I thought this was supposed to be Jerusalem, capitol of Israel, home of God's temple.

Why are the police-equivalent attacking people at night?  Even in those days, there surely would be some out and about.  The city was walled, so it's not like they could have thought she was an intruder.

Song of Solomon 4

Song of Solomon 4:6

"Until the cool of the day
When the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.

OK, I'll admit, I'm completely lost.  He was talking about how beautiful she is, and then suddenly he's going away somewhere?  I don't understand.

Also, why would someone want to go to a place with myrrh?  I thought myrrh was a burial spice.  I guess that means it has a strong smell, but still...

Song of Solomon 3

Song of Solomon 3:8

"All of them are wielders of the sword,
Experts in war;
Each man has his sword at his side,
Guarding against the terrors of the night.

This is the entourage of Solomon, 60 of his best soldiers.  I wonder why he needs so many.  Is it to show his importance, or were there attempts on his life?

I'd wonder if they were all his closest friends, but Solomon was a king of peace, not of war.  I'd think that it would therefore be less likely that he would bond so much with his soldiers.

And what are the terrors of the night she speaks of?  Was he traveling between cities, in the dangerous wilderness?  Or were things that bad inside Jerusalem?

Song of Solomon 2

Song of Solomon 2:4

"He has brought me to his banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love.

I remember singing this song as a kid.  Somehow, I never realized it came from this book.  I have to admit, that knowledge kinda poisons it for me.

Whatever some people may say, I can't see that this book is supposed to be some kind of stand-in about God and His people.  It's clearly an intimate romance between two humans.  So using this verse in a kid's song just feels wrong now.

Song of Solomon 1

Song of Solomon 1:17

"The beams of our houses are cedars,
Our rafters, cypresses.

I'm probably going to have trouble with this book, given the lack of personal situation to connect to.

I'm not sure here, but I'm guessing that cedars and cypresses were both strong and expensive.  They have a house that will last, and one that is well-regarded.  They've built well, and for the long term.

Ecclesiastes 12

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The conclusion, when all has been heard is:  fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

I don't know what I can say that would expand upon that.

Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood.  And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes.  Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things.

This is the perfect summation of this book.  There will be many days of trouble and toil, days where you despair for not having purpose.  But you should look for and enjoy the good days.  Make yourself happy.

However, this isn't a license to do anything you want.  You are still responsible to God, and what you do should reflect His desires. Your sins will still be judged.  Even for Christians, we should not take our freedom lightly, for Christ paid the price for our mistakes.

Ecclesiastes 10

Ecclesiastes 10:2

A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left.

In today's culture, you hear a whole lot about how you should follow your heart, or your passion, or chase after that dream that seems impossible.  This verse shows why that's such a bad idea.

I know my own heart, and there are many areas where it does point to the right.  However, there are some where it definitely wants to go left, and I tend to follow.  Obeying your heart will always lead to trouble, it's just a question of when.

Ecclesiastes 9

Ecclesiastes 9:10

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

I'll admit, this verse both heartens me and concerns me.  I like it, as most people would, because it tells me to enjoy life, and do what I want to do.  We are not put here to toil and die; God wants us to enjoy ourselves.

But how should we enjoy ourselves.  When it says to do whatever we find to do, does that mean we can (or even should) go for what's most pleasurable, regardless of the consequences?  Should I forget my morals and beliefs, and just have at it regardless?

Ecclesiastes 8

Ecclesiastes 8:17

and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun.  Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, "I know," he cannot discover.

Feels kind of frustrating, doesn't it?  No matter how hard we try, we will never get the answers we seek.  If that's the case, why should we keep seeking?  Why live for a goal you know you will never have a chance of reaching?

I think it's partially because, as the old saying goes, it's not about the destination, but the journey.  You'll never know everything, but you'll know more.  You'll learn more about God, about His creation, and about yourself.  That knowledge has value, even if the totality of knowledge will never be yours.

Ecclesiastes 7

Ecclesiastes 7:8

The end of a matter is better than its beginning;

Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.

Variations on this idea are throughout the chapter.  I think what it's trying to say is that at the beginning, one is full of excitement, and energy, and naivete.  One can see exactly how things are going to progress, and looks forward to it all.

However, the journey is rarely as expected.  In the end, it's often more of a slog than of a race.  You get to the end and look back, and you see how costly it's been, what's been spent and lost, the places where you went in the completely wrong direction and had to fight back.  But at the end, you've made it, and there is at least a sense of accomplishment.

Ecclesiastes 6

Ecclesiastes 6:9

What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires.  This too is futility and a striving after wind.

I'm not completely sure I understand this verse, but here's my best guess.  I think in the first part he's saying how most people treat their lives.  Go after what your eye sees, be all about the now.  Don't worry about what your soul wants, or the eternal/long-term perspective.

If I'm right in interpreting that, then the second sentence makes sense.  That sort of short-term mentality is deeply flawed.  You'll be forever chasing the next cool thing, never satisfied.  Unless you keep your focus on God and His desires for you, all your effort is worthless.

Ecclesiastes 5

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God.  For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

I wonder if I take this verse a bit too seriously.  My natural inclination is to not make trouble, to keep quiet and assume others know what they're doing.  At church, I may do more of this than average, since I'm clearly not in leadership.

However, I recently did speak up on something (well, wrote, if I'm going to be honest).  It's something that had been bothering me for years, and writing to the pastors about it had been bouncing around in my head for a year and a half.  But I now worry I waited too long, and that the window of opportunity may have closed.  I hope not, but fear it has, in which case I'll have a painful decision to make.

Ecclesiastes 4

Ecclesiastes 4:10

For if either of them falls, the one will life up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

 This verse is both heartening and, to me, bittersweet.  The heartening part is to know how much of a help having someone with you can be.  For something as simple as accountability, or even just not wanting to let that other person down, a friend is key.

The bittersweet part for me is that, over the past few years, I've found my list of friends steadily shrinking.  Several have moved away, or just consumed with life to the point we don't really connect anymore.  Being an introvert, it's hard for me to connect with people to begin with, so this slow loss has started to concern me.  However, I don't know what to do about it.

Ecclesiastes 3

Ecclesiastes 3:7

A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.

I find myself currently in a time between these events.  I recently spoke out about something, after years of keeping silent.  I wrestled for a long time with whether or not I should say something, or even if I was right to think what I was.

Now that I have spoken, I am waiting to see what action will be taken in response.  I'll admit I'm not optimistic.  if my fears come true and nothing happens, I'm going to have to decide whether it's time to tear or to sew.  Do I accept that that's just the way things are going to be, or do I say goodbye and move on?  Wisdom for that decision is my most repeated prayer right now.

Ecclesiastes 2

Ecclesiastes 2:3

I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.

There's a good bit to unpack there.  But if I'm reading this correctly, he's basically exploring being drunk, to understand how it makes him feel.  In the process, he also is examining what good there is to do with our lives.

I don't drink, but I do probably spend a lot more time than I should in other forms of pleasure.  But that's time that I'm wasting, time which I won't get back.  It could be put to more productive uses.  I need to focus more on how to do that, rather than what's good for just me.

Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1:18

Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

There's a saying in recent years that's gained popularity:  the known knowns, known unknowns, etc.  The idea is that there are things you know about, and there are things you don't know about, and there are things you know that you don't know about.

I think the phrase has some insight into this verse.  The more you know, the more you're aware of problems and what's being done wrong.  You know that you're worse than you thought, and that you are farther from God than you thought.