Banchory Christian Fellowship Church
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11
New International Version - UK
Wisdom is meaningless
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, ‘Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.’ 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Pleasures are meaningless
2 I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 ‘Laughter,’ I said, ‘is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?’ 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly – my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem[a] as well – the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labour,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
Footnotes
3rd Sept 2023 - ”Jesus Christ, One With Us” - Matthew 3:13-17
27th August 2023 - ”GOD KEEPS HIS WORD” - Exodus 12:29-51
20th August 2023 - ”Jesus Comes To Restore” - John 3:16-18
13th August 2023 - ”Finding Refuge With The King” - Psalm 16
6th August 2023 - ”Peter’s Denial & Restoration” - John 18:15-27 & 21:15-19
30th July 2023 - ”Peter’s Call & Confession” - Luke 5:1-11 & 9:18-20
23rd July 2023 - ”From Glory to Glory via Suffering” - Matthew 17:1-13
16th July 2023 - ”LORD OVER SICKNESS & DEATH” - Mark 5:21-43
9th July 2023 - ”Jesus the Great Restorer” - Mark 5:1-20
2nd July 2023 - ”God’s Unbreakable Promise” - Jeremiah 33:14-26
25th June 2023 - ”The Saving Power of the Lamb” - Exodus 12:1-32
18th June 2023 - ”God’s Word or God’s Judgement” - Exodus 10:21 - 11:10
11th June 2023 - ”None Like Him” - Exodus 9
4th June 2023 - ”The Living God in the Lion’s Den” - Daniel 6
28th May 2023 - ”God’s Great Acts of Judgement” - Exodus 7:1-25
21st May 2023 - ”WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE?” - Exodus 5:1 - 6:13
14th May 2022 - EQUIPPING GOD’s SERVANT” - Exodus 4:18-31
7th May 2023 - ”MEET THE TRUE KING” - Hebrews 1:1-9
30th April 2023 - ”DOUBT YOURSELF NOT GOD” -- Exodus 4:1-17
23rd April 2023 - ”A WORD YOU CAN TRUST” - Psalm 119:89-104
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