The Book Of Ecclesiastes Pt. 31 Confession Is Good For The Soul. Seek God's Forgiveness and Cleansing.

 

Ecclesiastes 7:23  All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. 

 Solomon looks back to the days of futility and the vanity of living this life without knowing God. He summarizes verses 15-22. He had proved it by wisdom. 

He has searched out these things and satisfaction eluded him. He could not find purpose of meaning for life without knowing God.

This is the idea that he has laid down rules for his own conduct, and sought after more wisdom; but he still fell far short of what he wished to be.

Solomon tried to be wise, independently of God. But he discovered that true wisdom was then far from him, in spite of his human wisdom, which he retained by God’s grace.

Proverbs 3:5-7  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6)  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7)  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 

This is why Solomon could write such wise counsel in the book of Proverbs. He wants to warn those who seek God, to avoid falling into the same traps that he fell into. 

Trust in Jehovah with all your heart. Do not hesitate or delay in doing this, for if you delay, then you will lean to your own understanding.  Solomon demonstrated    just how disastrous that is. 

Trust Jehovah. Acknowledge Him in all that you do. Are you gifted or very skilled? Give the glory to God for your skills and abilities. 

Jehovah will direct our path when we trust Him and acknowledge His mighty help in all that we do. 

One final warning from Solomon: Don't think your are wiser or smarter than anyone. Don't think for a moment that you do not need God's help. Depart from evil and seek God first in all things.

Ecclesiastics 7:24-25  That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? 25) I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: 

Solomon came to the sad conclusion that there are many deep things that he can know nothing about. 

True wisdom from God that is essential to our salvation may be soon learned, through the teaching of the Spirit of God. Yet in wisdom itself there are extents and depths which none can reach or fathom (See 1 Corinthians 2:9-14).

Solomon cast about, or made a circuit in his mind as he sought wisdom. He was determined to know, and to investigate, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things. 

Solomon had learned the wickedness of folly for those who seek to live for self, rather than for Jehovah's glory. 

Has man reason and understanding? If so, then this is his work. God as much calls him to use these powers in this way, as to believe on the Lord Jesus that he may be saved. 

He who lacks this wisdom, according to the means in his power, is a slothful servant, from whom God may justly take away the unused talent, and punish him for his neglect. 

Every doctrine of God is a subject both for reason and faith to work on.

Ecclesiastes 7:26  And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. 

After all his investigation of the wickedness of folly, and the foolishness of madness, he found nothing as dangerous or ruinous than the enticements of cunning women. 

When once the affections are entangled, escape without ruin is almost impossible.

1 Kings 11:1-4  But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; 2)  Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3)  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4)  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. 

Solomon knew from firsthand experience what it is like to fall to a cunning woman's enticements. God commanded all Israelites not to intermarry with other people groups. 

Why? Because there was strong danger of having their heart turned away from Jehovah. This is precisely what happened to Solomon. 

Thus, Solomon is giving us these warnings because he tasted the bitter fruit of not following Jehovah. Instead of enjoyed and blessed communion with God, he fell into the corruption of idolatry and immorality. 

Ecclesiastes 7:27-29  Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: 28)  Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 29)  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. 

Solomon's conclusion is that he found one thing to be true.

He reviewed all of his searching for wisdom. He compared one thing with another such as a man with woman. 

He compared his wisdom with her wiles and his morality against her enticements. He compared himself as king and his royal influence with her ascendancy. His powers of reason were no match for her arts and cunning. 

Among a thousand men, Solomon could not find one thoroughly upright man. Among a thousand women he did not find one who was upright. 

This is a lamentable account of the state of morals in Judea, in the days of the wise King Solomon. This is the kind of purposeless life when one chooses to live for the flesh instead of for God. 

The “only” way of accounting for the scarcity of upright men or women is that, God made man upright, but man's sinfulness cannot abide in moral purity. 

Instead, men seek out man inventions. Today, we have an internet full of anonymous pornography. We have instant messaging, chat rooms and other social media outlets where people enter into relationships not condoned by God. 

Among man’s “inventions” was the one especially referred to in Ecclesiastes 7:26, the bitter fruits of which Solomon experienced. It is the breaking of God’s marriage law, joining one man to “one” woman (Mat_19:4, Mat_19:5, Mat_19:6). 

Psalm 40:11-13  Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. 12)  For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. 13)  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.  

Solomon's father, King David knew about sinning and he knew what he needed to do when he sinned. He needed to come clean with God by confessing his sins. He then sought forgiveness from God and cleansing. 

Solomon tells us that we must confess and forsake our sins (Proverbs 28:13). John tells us that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:5-10).

Thoughts to Ponder...

Let us allow the confessional Psalm of King David to show us what Jehovah will do for us, when we confess and forsake our sins. 

We will fail God many times as we walk through this earthly life, and we will just as often, need to put into practice what David tells us to do. 

Let us be swift to confess our sins to our Heavenly Father, and to humbly seek forgiveness and strength to get up and live for His glory. 

Bob

Psalm 51:1-14  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2)  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3)  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4)  Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5)  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6)  Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7)  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8)  Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. 9)  Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10)  Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11)  Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12)  Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13)  Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 14)  Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.