Limited Knowledge / Unlimited Resources

We have more resources available to us than any prior generation. We can fill our plate with enough podcasts or sermons to keep us occupied for the rest of our years. In some cases, a single person’s recordings (whether audio or literary) could keep us busy the rest of our lives. I think of men like Ravi Zacharias or Charles Spurgeon. We can’t even begin to touch the number of books calling to us from the shelves, begging us to read them. Let me put this in perspective:

If I only tried to read the books that were published in America in 2010, and I read a book per day, it would take me 899 years to finish all of them. Can you imagine? Just considering what was written in 2010 in America. But I want to read much more broadly than that. I want some theology of ages past, some philosophy; I want a better grasp on history; I like to keep abreast on current events. How will I even begin to get a fair representation of literature?

The truth is, I won’t. At some point, I have to admit my knowledge is limited. My time is even more limited. I have to choose what voices to listen to, what content to address.

Right now, I am in 4 broad areas, and I suspect I will spend most of my life in them: Theology, Language, Business, and Political Thinking (not the talking head junk, but the theories of government systems and the challenges of governing).

That’s what I give ear to. What will you give ear to?

Ecclesiastes 5-6

In verse 13 of chapter 5, and following, the writer talks about evils he has seen under the sun. He is speaking in relation to wealth. He observes two evils (among others):

  1. When wealth is hoarded
  2. When wealth is lost through some misfortune

Both are terrible to see. One is greed. The other is misfortune. The latter destroys wealth. The former destroys your ability to enjoy wealth.

Thru these two chapters, many words are given to the idea of not being able to enjoy your wealth. And the whole time I read it, I think of countless Americans. They don’t realize how much they have, and due to the greed in their hearts and the ubiquitous advertisements, they think they always need more. I pray, earnestly, that God would allow me to enjoy the wealth I have. For contentment (with godliness) is great gain.

Ecclesiastes 1-4

Chapter 1 sucks me into the book every time. I have read this book numerous times and something about chapter 1 connects with my spirit. I think Solomon and I share the same soul.

At the end of chapter 1, he makes a profound statement: “For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”

This is a good word. A true saying. Not to say that someone with a stockpile of knowledge must be a grouch, or a genius must be depressed. It’s just that knowledge has a way of making you more aware. And awareness in a fallen world can bring great sorrow, for you see things as they really are, not as they are marketed or displayed.

Much of chapter 1 reminds me of a Jason Mraz song, “Life is Wonderful,” due to its cyclical observations. In chapter 2, the writer says everything I did felt like I was grasping after the wind. Nothing seemed to have substance or significance. At the end of the chapter, he contrasts the lot of two types of men: 1) the man who pleases God 2) the sinner. I sure am glad God has given me the first lot. Praise Him!

I think you can summarize chapter 3 as “enjoy the work/toil God has given.” In chapter 4, verses 12 and 13 warmed my soul.

Ecclesiastes 1

Time for my favorite book. I’ve been wanting to get back into this for awhile.

I’m curious about the meaning of a single word, and how it could change the interpretation of the whole book. The word is “hebel” in Hebrew. In English, we see it translated in Ecclesiastes as “vanity” or “meaningless.”

Yet, when you look up the Hebrew word “hebel” in a dictionary or concordance, you learn it means “vapor,” “mist,” or “breath.”

There’s a world of difference between thinking life is meaningless and thinking life is breath, between vanity and mist. One motivates you to live, the other makes you want to die.

Closing Thoughts (Isaiah)

Three things that struck me while reading this book:

1) The first 39 chapters, for the most part, are grueling to read. Judgment after judgment, with just the faintest glimmers of hope.

2) From chapter 40-66, the tone of the book is the opposite. Hope, restoration, and comfort come in waves. There are only a few mentions of brutal judgment.

3) I came across a number of popular verses, some Messianic, some restorative, some deep, some hopeful, some not so hopeful. It’s easy to see that this book still gets to people’s hearts today, just as it has throughout church history. In fact, it is, along with Psalms and Genesis, one of the most quoted books in the New Testament. Isaiah is quoted / referenced some 85 times in the New Testament. Jesus often quoted Isaiah. In Matthew’s Gospel, the book of Isaiah is quoted 10 times. Obviously, the book of Isaiah was important for understanding New Testament events.

After reading through it this time, which is probably my fifth or sixth, I realize I need to read it again. Really, I need to do an in-depth study. Have Isaiah opened on one side, and New Testament on the other. It would be a goodie I think.

But for now, I must move to the next book…

 

Isaiah 63-66

The first six verses of chapter 63 are brutal.

It reminds me again that the Bible is not full of child-friendly material; it is full of real life messiness. Think about it: even the most popular children stories are…well, disconcerting at best.

–Joseph and the coat of many colors. As a boy, he’s thrown in a pit by his brothers. A deep dark hole. Then they decide it would be better to sell him into slavery. Absolutely terrible. Then he’s falsely accused of an affair and forgotten in jail.
–Noah and the ark looks like a peaceful picture until you realize the whole world population was killed during the flood. Even being spared in the ark must have been a ruckus to live in, considering it was a jam-packed boat with a bunch of animals and your closest family for a few months. No outdoor time. Rough.
–Daniel and the lions den. Great that he lived through it, but can you imagine the distress of sleeping with hungry lions for a night?
–The Good Samaritan. The man was beaten to a bloody pulp, left for dead before he was ever helped by the Samaritan. It was a crime scene.
–And Jonah…well, we all know how bad a fish can smell on the outside. Can you imagine the insides?

I think about these things. Thus I can’t just gloss over these opening verses, like nothing big is happening.

Throughout the other three chapters, we see pictures and declarations of justice for the wicked, mercy for the chosen, and restoration for Israel. 65:13-16 summarize it well.

You might also notice a number of popular verses in these final chapters of Isaiah. The new heavens are mentioned; we being the clay and God the potter; Zion being brought forth in a moment.

I find the ending odd. But perhaps it helps the reader take the book of Isaiah with the utmost seriousness. For it’s not only poetry, but truth as well. Truth with consequences.