Opened Scriptures Bible Studies

God has ordained purposes and times for everything.  Ecclesiastes 3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  This next section is a beautiful poem that captures the orderliness of God's creation.  This text teaches us that we live in a world of change, that the many aspects of time, and conditions of human life, are vastly different from one another.   We are continually passing and repassing between these changing circumstances, as each day, week, month and year passes by. God has appointed every change concerning us, and the times and seasons are unalterably fixed.  They are put in place by our Creator and we must take things as they come, for it is not in our power to change what is appointed for us. Day will give way to night and the night will yield again to the day. Is it summer? It will eventually turn to winter. Is it winter? It will eventually turn to summer.  Every purpose has its...

  Ecclesiastes 2:18-19  Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. 19)  And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.    King Solomon reflects upon the purpose of his works and massive wealth. He grappled with the futility of working very hard to accumulate wealth, property and many goods, only to know it will go to someone else. Solomon wondered who would inherit all of it and what kind of man he would be. Would his son be a wise man, or a fool? Would he be industrious and purposeful with his time, or lazy and indolent? Remember, Solomon is writing this later in his life, after his heart was turned away by his pagan wives. He is beginning to see evil fruit in his own family from straying after false gods.  King David's god...

The Preacher who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon. He wrote this book later in his life, reflecting on experiencing life without God. So far, Solomon is discovering that such a life is empty and unsatisfying.  Ecclesiastes 2:12  And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. Solomon tried seeking satisfaction from wisdom and learning. Then he sought satisfaction in sensual pleasures. Now, he puts both together to compare them with each other,  and renders his judgment upon them. The idea in this text is that Solomon experienced wisdom, mirth and folly to the fullest extent possible. He had the time, the intellectual curiosity and the wealth to do so.  Therefore, any king who comes after Solomon, will not be able to advance past his extensive investigations. Any future kings will reach the same conclusions that Solomon reached.  Ecclesiast...

Seeking mirth and pleasure results in an empty life.  Ecclesiastes 2:1-2  I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.  2)  I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?  The Preacher moves into the second section of his quest to find meaning in a life without God. He tried seeking wisdom and listening to philosophers but he discovered nothing new under the sun.  A quest for the world's knowledge and wisdom cannot satisfy the human soul. This is why those who seek more education beyond what is needed for employment, are not satisfied.  As Pascal reminded us in the last post, only God can satisfy the deepest longing in our hearts.  Therefore, the Preacher turns his attention to hedonistic pursuits. He will go all in seeking mirth.  The Hebrew word translated "mirth" is most often connected with the joy of the LORD. However, in this context, mirth refer...

Solomon uses another phrase that we will discover today. It is the phrase "vexation of spirit" and nine of the ten times it is used, are in the book of Ecclesiastes.  He is painting a picture of what your life or my life would be without God. Without knowing God through faith in Jesus Christ, life lacks purpose, meaning and fulfillment.  We must remember that King Solomon had everything that this life could offer. He had power, prestige, and wealth beyond measure. He literally could go anywhere and do anything that his heart desired. As a young king, he also loved God and delighted in walking in His ways. Jehovah told him that he would be greatly blessed as long as he followed God with all of his heart. Solomon was faithful for a long time, but then, he sought strange women and took hundreds of strange wives.  What God warned would happen, did happen. They turned Solomon's heart away from following hard after Jehovah. This book was written later in the king's re...

The "Preacher" who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon, son of King David. He is telling us what life without God is like. Solomon describes a bleak and dreary way of life for someone who does not know God, or chooses to ignore Him.  Ecclesiastes 1:12-13 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.  13)  And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.   The overall scope of Solomon was stated in the earlier verses that introduced this book of wisdom. The remainder of the book is filled with drilling down into the details of life without God and the interim conclusions that the Preacher makes along the way. King Solomon started very well by loving God.  1 Kings 3:3  And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.  King Solom...