Ecclesiastes 10:18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
This verse is a commentary on laziness. A building that is left unattended by its lazy, inattentive owner will soon fall into disrepair. Idleness is a serious sin and character trait that resulted in the destruction of Sodom.
Ezekiel 16:49 “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”
Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
At first read I connected this statement to worldly wisdom; but as I continued to think about it, I realized that it is a very wise man that understands this to be the mindset of those in this world—those who have no spiritual understanding. To avoid being entrapped by the deceit of the enemy, you have to be able to recognize his traps. The enemy has been very successful in establishing a mindset of “It’s all about me” and in promoting success as the attainment of wealth. Those who have lots of money know that money doesn’t answer all things. There are many things money can’t buy, and these things are those of true value in life—the most valuable being sincere love. Money can’t buy peace of mind, though many have tried. Money can’t buy true friendship; just ask anyone who has lost his money and position of prestige.
Paul was very clear in advising Timothy against the temptations that come with wealth.
1 Timothy 6:9-10 “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Ecclesiastes 10:20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
I would assume this verse to be the source of the old saying, “A little bird told me.” If so, it finds its roots in a wise admonition against even thinking bad thoughts about those in authority over you. Why? Because “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34)
Our thoughts are the source of many of our words. And if you choose to voice those thoughts even in the bedroom, a place of privacy, you are at risk of having your thoughts revealed to that authority. I marveled at how much more serious is this admonition today with current technology. I recently reread 1984, by George Orwell. As a teenager I remember thinking how far-fetched this guy’s imagination was. Today I view him as a man of prescience and amazing insight to the inventive abilities and character of man.
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4 comments:
May I ask 2 unrelated questions? Since the Bible says our sins are no longer remembered when we confess them and become saved, how can we receive or not receive rewards at the judgment seat without our sins being revealed. Also why does the devil bother with Christians when he knows we are beyond his reach?
These are big questions with big answers that deserve a lot more attention than the short answer I can give. All I can do is share with you my understanding and give you the scripture that frames that understanding. (This answer will be posted in sections because of its length.)
When we are saved, we are positioned as righteous before God regarding our eternal future. God looks at us through the blood of His precious Son and sees nothing for which to condemn us because Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay that sin debt. He suffered the punishment for our sin so that we would not have to if we would but accept that provision by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
While in this body of flesh, we will continue to struggle with the sin nature that is part of that flesh until we receive our glorified bodies. Realistically, we will give in to the flesh in some of those struggles and sin. Paul talks about this struggle in his letter to the Romans.
Romans 7:18-25 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Part 2 of answer:
That sin affects our fellowship with God and other believers. So in order to help us to grow spiritually, the Lord provides us the opportunity to acknowledge that sin and seek forgiveness anew and ask for His help in becoming more like the Savior that gave His life for us.
1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God has also provided some extra motivation to encourage His children to choose to do right. He has promised that there would be extra rewards for those who seek to serve Him with a pure heart and the desire to glorify Him. So the judgment we face for reward is not to identify sin, but to identify the works that we have done that bring honor to His name.
1 Corinthians 3:9-15 “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”
Notice that the works are put through the fire—not in front of a mirror. They are burned, not exposed. Only the works that qualify for reward will remain to be made known.
As for the devil, yes, as Christians we are beyond his reach regarding our eternal future. But again, as long as we are in the flesh, we are subject to yielding to the temptations of the flesh. Every time the devil succeeds in getting a Christian to stumble and yield, to sin, he gets the “pleasure” of seeing God’s name dishonored. I think that every time we sin we fuel his desire to think that he might actually win his war against God. I’ve often wondered if he really thinks he has a chance or if he realizes that he has already been defeated and just wants to take as many with him as he can and cause as much trouble as he can along the way. I just know that I hate it every time I know I have been responsible for bringing shame to the name of my Savior.
I hope this helps a little. Feel free to email me through my website if you think I can be of further help.
That was a wonderful reply to my questions. Thank you very much for your thoughtful and quick reply.
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