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
13th November 2022 - ”REMEMBER YOUR CRETOR”- Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:14
6thNovember 2022 - ”SEEING WHAT GOD SEES” - 1 Samuel 16:1-13
30th October 2022 - ”THE KNOWN UNKNOWNS” - Ecclesiastes 11:1-8
23 October 2022 - ”Come to Me, and I Will Give You Rest” - Matthew 11:25-12:14
16th October 2022 - ”WHEN FOOLS REIGN” - Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20
9th October 2022 - ”FINDING HOPE IN LIFE” - Ecclesiastes 9:1-12
2nd October 2022 - ”God Helps the Helpless” - 1 Samuel 7:2-13
25th September 2022 - ”Be Wise: Life is Complicated” - Ecclesiastes 8:1-17
18th September 2022 - ”WHY LIFE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE” - Ecclesiastes 7:13-29
11th Sept 2022 - ”THE WAY OF THE WISE” - Ecclesiastes 7:1-12
4th September 2022 - ”Weakness Equals Strength” - Judges 7
28th August 2022 - ”Money Matters” - Ecclesiastes 5-6
21st August 2022 - ”Who Opens Blind Eyes?” - 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
14th August 2022 - ”WHO OPENS BLIND EYES?” - John 9
7th August 2022 - ”WHO FEEDS THE HUNGRY?” - John 6:1-21
31st July 2022 - ”God’s Blessing Promised” - Haggai 2:10-23
24th July 2022 - ”God’s Building Plan” - Haggai 1:1-2:9
17th July 2022 - ”WHEN THE FOUNDATIONS ARE CRUMBLING” - Psalm 11
10th July 2022 - ”WHO SPEAKS WITH WORDS OF POWER?” - John 4:46 - 5:18
3rd July 2022 - ”WHO TURNS WATER INTO WINE?” - John 2:1-11
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