59. Beginner Bible Course: The book of Ecclesiastes (the diary of a grumpy old wise man)

EPISODE 59  The simple Bible overview of…THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES – THE DIARY OF A GRUMPY OLD WISE MAN

I don't know if there's still being sold...

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00:00:04

...but my kids grew up on scratch and sniff books, scratch and sniff books were just what they sound like. As you turn the page and came to an object, you'd scratch it. And then you'd sniff. I think they were trying to engage all of my kids' senses in the story. You'd come to a strawberry, scratch it. And then the kids would sniff. Yeah, I guess that smells a little like a strawberry or a pine cone. The book wasn't a noose long before most of the sniff got scratched off the scratch and sniff stories, scratch and sniff books, or maybe the best word picture I can give for the book of Ecclesiastes these Ecclesiastes. This was written by Solomon a very wise, but grumpy old man, he must have written in near the end of his life.

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Thus, the grumpy old man, as you read it, you'll realize it's plenty grumpy. It's one of those books. You don't want to keep in the bathroom to read in the morning to really start your day out on a rip roaring positive note. On the other hand, it's one of those books you'll wish when you're my age, you'd have mastered early Ecclesiastes. This is raw straight. Talk about the dead ends of life in this diary of a grumpy old man Solomon Harry counts the days in seasons of his life and how he tried to find satisfaction and meaning in just about everything. Solomon had the means to try just about everything, to scratch and sniff almost everything this world has to offer, to provide deep fulfillment in satisfaction to our bodies and souls.

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00:01:38

It's a 12 chapter scratch and sniff the book. Just a reminder Solomon was brilliant. And he had the means of the time and the opportunity to try every possible Avenue. People today, try to find fulfillment in. He'd probably turn these scratch and sniff pages in life for three to four decades before writing this diary. So this was a long-term project, almost certainly. He covers the areas you and I are wearing ourselves out at scratching away, hoping to find the aroma of true fulfillment. He starts out his diary with this statement. Life is a circle. There's nothing new is boring and meaningless. He uses the example of rivers rushing to the sea, but the sea never fills up.

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Not even the oceans can be satisfied. He turns the page to wisdom and knowledge will that provide true fulfillment? He concludes it's better to be smart than stupid, but not by much both come to the same end. And you know what? The more, you know, the more life doesn't make sense. And it hurts that in some ways, ignorance on this planet is bliss. He turned the page to pleasure and tried it all. We learned that in Solomon story in his diary, he said there was nothing that I desired that I withheld from myself, but was no aroma of true satisfaction there. So Solomon turn the page and tried labor, his vocation, his pursuits.

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00:03:07

He was a botanist, a zoologist and architect. There was no aroma fulfillment left on that one. You do all this hard work and then leave this planet and stupid people take over and run it into the ground. How about money? We know he had the Midas touch. First King suggests no one has ever been richer, but that clearly didn't bring satisfaction to Solomon in his diary. He says, rich people can't sleep. They're so worried about it. And when they die they're is broke as poor people. His diary continues with health. Oh, how great it was to be young and virile, but then this grumpy old man observes you're too soon, old, too late.

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00:03:48

Smart that by the time you figure anything in life out, you've forgotten where you put it for 12 pages, 12 chapters Solomon allows us to watch him scratch. Then sniff, then come away, shaking his head. There's little sniff on this scratch. He keeps writing in the margin of his diary. Vanity others translate it meaningless. I love how the message translates it smoke and spitting in the wind yet sprinkled throughout his diary are some instructive comments from this wisest man who ever lived. It's basically this live a simple life, eat, drink, and enjoy the gifts. God gives you in this short life.

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00:04:28

Live in relationship with others for two are better than one and three are better still. And thank God for each of the daily graces. He gives to us in this life. When we reached the end of his diary, the diary of a grumpy old unsatisfied, man, we find a short statement, double circled, fear, God obey his commands and enjoy life in balance. That's it from the diary of the grumpy old man written by Solomon in the teachings for the rest of scripture. I think it's pretty clear. Life on this planet is supposed to be a scratch and sniff those little graces of knowledge. Pleasures, vocation riches, youth and health are meant to be faint, pleasant sense of something far greater.

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00:05:15

As we turn the pages on our lives, the best this world has to offer. It's a faint odor of something. Exquisite, a story, not to be red off the page, but to be experienced in another time in place. Speaking of satisfaction and pleasure, Solomon's got one more little book he wants us to read that is if were of age, it's called the song of songs or the best song. And we're going to take a look at that song of Solomon in our next word picture.