Man’s Duty

"The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails---given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:11-14

Today, we will use the phrase by phrase commentary method of conveying some deeper meaning to the closing words of Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon really does an excellent job of wrapping up what is truly important. We would do well to take his counsel to heart and learn from the wisdom that God has given him.

'The words of the wise are like goads' ... yep, that is true, they are sharp and they hurt until we get the point.
'their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails' ... we remember wisdom, it stays with us and can remind us, sometimes painfully.
'given by one Shepherd' ... all true wisdom comes from above and more specifically from Jesus, He took those nails and has earned the right to tell us the truth.
'Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.' ... no worldly or any other wisdom needs to be added or should be added to His.
'Of making many books there is no end,' ... you will never know it all and even if you did you still would not be as wise as He.
'and much study wearies the body.' ... knock yourself out, all the book learning ever written may not make you wise.
'here is the conclusion of the matter:' ... sit up straight, listen up, because here it comes in a nutshell.
'Fear God and keep His commandments,' .... we knew that was going to be it, but so good to be reminded of how important it is.
'for this is the whole duty of man.' ... wow, that really is the most important thing huh? Just think if we really did.
'For God will bring every deed into judgement,' ... because He is the one and only true and final judge.
'including every hidden thing,' ... don't think for a moment that He is not omniscient, He knows and sees everything.
'whether it is good or evil' ... He judges, we don't. He has the totally inerrant objective viewpoint, based on the perfect standards of His infallible character.

All that said, as I read this today and put together my reflective thoughts, I could not help but be grateful for His grace and love and mercy once again. Just to think that He is who He is and I am who I am and that He allows me to be part of His purpose and plan for redemption is more than a little overwhelming. Right now I am basking in the assurance of His promise to me based on what He did and not on what I did or do. For this I am eternally grateful and motivated to commit to Him over and over again. Solomon was indeed much wiser than I, but just as human. I am glad for that too.

In His Grip,
Pastor Fred

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