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“Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of My sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

‘Come now, let’s settle this,’ says the Lord. ‘Thought your sins are like scarlet, I will make them whiter than show. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey Me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, your will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!'” (vv. 16-20)

“Don’t let the excitement of your youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore.’ Remember Him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky. Remember him before your legs – the guards of your house, part to tremble and before your shoulders -the strong men – stoop. Remember Him before your teeth – your few remaining servants -stop grinding; before your eyes – the women looking through the windows seem dimly.” (vv. 1-3)

“Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed and the spring at the pulley is broken at the well. For then the dust will return to earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (vv. 6-7)

“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, whether good or bad.” (v.13)

(Ecclesiastes 11:7-10, NLT)

Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning.

When people live be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Every still to come is meaningless.

Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy. But remember that youth, with a whole life before you, is meaningless.”

“And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they are wicked, and wicked people are often treated as thought they were good. This is so meaningless!

So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience so happiness along with all the hard work God give them under the sun.

In my search for wisdom and in my observation of people’s burdens here on earth, I discovered that there is ceaseless activity, day and night. I realized that no on can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.” (vv. 14-17)

“Finishing is better than starting. Patient is better than pride.

Control your temper, for anger labels you as a fool.

Don’t long for the ‘good old days.’ This is not wise.” (vv. 8-10)

“Accept the way God does things, for who can straighten what He has made crooked?

Enjoy prosperity while you can, be when hard times strike, realized that both come from God.

Remember that nothing is certain in life.” (vv. 13-14)

“Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.” (v. 20)

“Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless – like chasing the wind.

Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days will be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth when we are gone?” (vv. 9-12)

“When you make a promise to God, do’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure fools. Keep all the promises you make to Him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin.” (vv. 4-5)

“Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness ! The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth – except perhaps to what it slip through your fingers!” (vv. 10-11)

“Even so, I hav noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat and drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the shot life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life – this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.” (vv. 18-20)

“What do people really get for all their hard work? I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.

And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear Him. What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.” (vv. 9-14)

The Futility of Work

“I came to hate all of my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will continue to control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.

Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is al meaningless.

So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the and of God. For who can eat or enjoying anything apart from Him? God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please Him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please Him. This, too, is meaningless- like chasing the wind.” (vv. 18-26)

“These are the words of the Teacher, King David’s son, who ruled over Jerusalem.

‘Everything is meaningless,’ says the Teacher, ‘completely meaningless!’

What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No mater how much we hear, we are not content.

History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Noting under the sun is truly new. Sometimes people say,’Here is something new!’ But actually it is old; nothing is truly new. We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.” (vv 1-11)