The Simplicity of Wisdom: Today’s Quiet Time for Christians
Today’s QT – Dec 22, 2022 (THU)
Ecclesiastes 8:9-17
📙 Scripture (NIV)
⁹ All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt.
¹⁰ Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
¹¹ When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong.
¹² Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.
¹³ Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
¹⁴ There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.
¹⁵ So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
¹⁶ When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night—
¹⁷ then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.
📝 Reflection on The Simplicity of Wisdom
The Deception of Prosperity (8:9–13)
The Teacher ponders a philosophical problem that we have all wrestled with: Why do the wicked get to thrive in life and receive praise for what they have done? Even though we know that such people are eventually judged by God, we would prefer that God judge them now. This problem can even tempt us to do evil ourselves, but we must not let our hearts be deceived. We must remember that God is a righteous Judge, and He is worthy of our reverence. We are to fear Him, fully confident that we will never regret choosing righteousness over any wicked deed. As we grow increasingly conscious of God and His goodness, we will discover that it is the wicked who are missing out—not us.
When have you envied the prosperity of the wicked around you? Why is it better to choose obedience over sin?
The Wisdom of Enjoyment (8:14–17)
Instead of anxiously trying to wrap our heads around the complex, unanswerable questions of life, the Teacher commends the enjoyment of life’s simple but precious gifts, like a delicious meal or a good night’s sleep. If we were to actively savor each blessing that the Lord has lavishly bestowed upon us, our joy would know no end! It pleases God to provide us with good things to enjoy so that we may, in turn, give praise and thanks to Him. Therefore, may we not take even a single gift from God for granted. The simple act of receiving good things from God and giving Him glory exceeds any knowledge or pleasure the world can offer.
What is a blessing from God that you often take for granted? Why is repeatedly giving thanks to God an act of wisdom?
🙏 Prayer
Heavenly Father, forgive me for being overly anxious about all the questions that are beyond my ability to grasp. Remind me to give thanks to You over and over, fully conscious of who You are and how much You love me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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