Thoughts on Wisdom, a Few Quotes, and a Little Poetry
Today I finished reading "A Table in the Mist: Ecclesiastes Through New Eyes" by Jeffrey Meyers. This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone interested in a more thorough approach to Ecclesiastes or just interested in wisdom in general. Meyers takes the view that Ecclesiastes is indeed a book of true biblical wisdom, written in faith for those with faith. This less popular exegetical approach is opposed to the more often expressed idea that Ecclesiastes is written from a pagan or skeptic view of the world to express what life is like without faith in the Triune God. Meyers argues that Solomon (if I may assume his authorship for now) would challenge us to see that life is even "vapor" for those in faith. All of life is "vapor" . . . for us, but, "Time and events are not vapor for God, only us." What Solomon does argue is that all of life is not vapor but is full of meaning, but only to God because He will judge all things; and we must see life in relationship to God's Sovereignty if we are to have meaning in life.This may lead us next to the question of how we live by faith and seek wisdom in light of God's Sovereignty.
"Remember this theme in Ecclesiastes - the wise man is precisely the one who confesses ignorance of the future and who trusts God. Even the wise man remains ignorant of the appropriate times for action because God has not given access to the details of his plans; even a wise man has no privileged knowledge of God's purposes and plans. It is impossible for men to make use of the way in which the world has been organized, because God has deliberately withheld the knowledge of it. God has deliberately kept man in ignorance of the things that he needs to know in order to live with absolute security and uninterrupted success (read Eccl. 9:11). The wise man knows he is never in a position to stop trusting God. The wise man admits he has no control, no leverage over God and his creation, and so does not make brash, stupid claims about what he is going to do and accomplish."This statement should remind us that a wise man will put his complete trust in the Lord in all things and at all times, seek to be generous with what he is given, and strive to enjoy all of God's earthly blessings.
"Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. "Let your garments be white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.Sam has a great, short post (here) on a foolish man's striving and a bit of wise advice from the writings of Samuel Johnson that follows this discussion well.
"Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days or your [vaporous] life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)
I will end with a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley entitled "Ozymandias" that I believes shows some of the foolishness of man's hubris that Solomon is warning against. (I have only come across this poem thanks to George Grant's Giles Kirk Antiquity Curriculum.)
I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my words, ye mighty, and despair."
Nothing besides remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.
posted by Brian | 4:27 PM
6 Comments:
Ok, here is the deal. I am copying a page out of a pretty well known book. I am not going to include the books title or author at this time, not to take away from the author, but because if you don't recognize it on your own, I wouldn't want that information to sway your comments. I have no idea how this blog stuff really works, so forgive me if my 'posting abilities' are not up to par.
I will not be hurt if you pay no attention to my inquiry, as you have no obligation to do so, but if you find the interest and time, I will be checking back and interested in your comments. Without further ado, here is the section of the book, please provide your thought and comments upon reading.
…Some pastors actually think they have failed in their preaching if people enjoy a message. I’ve heard pastors proudly say, “We’re not here to entertain.” Obviously they’re doing a good job at it. A Gallup poll a few years ago stated that, according to the unchurched, the church is the most boring place to be.
If you look up the word entertain in a dictionary, you’ll find this definition: “capturing and holding the attention for an extended period of time.” I don’t know any preacher who doesn’t want to do that. We should not be afraid of being interesting. A sermon does not have to be dry to be spiritual.
To the unchurched, dull preaching is unforgivable. Truth poorly delivered is ignored. On the other hand, the unchurched will listen to absolute foolishness if it is interesting. To prove this, just turn on your television late at night and you will see the assortment of….weirdos that dominate the airwaves.
I mentioned in the last chapter that I am amazed at how some Bible teachers are able to take the most exciting book in the world and bore people to tears with it…..When God’s work is taught in an uninteresting way, people don’t just think the pastor is boring, they think God is boring! We slander God’s character if we preach with an uninspiring style or tone. The message is too important to share it with a “take-it-or-leave-it” attitude.
Jesus captured the interest of large crowds with techniques that you and I can use. First he told stories to make a point. Jesus was a master storyteller. He would say “Hey, did you hear the one about…” and then tell a parable in order to teach a truth. In fact, the Bible shows that storytelling was Jesus’ favorite technique when speaking to the crowd. “Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable” (Matt. 13:34).
My advice (which I believe has some authority in the realm of my blog) would be to identify yourself to the blogger whom you are leaving a comment, which will often make him more likely to respond. Secondly, I would suggest leaving a comment that is somehow related to the post you are leaving a comment on, which will more than likely encourage a thought-out response to your comment. (Some of this may be my fault since I have tempted you with the choice of being anonymous, but I will try to fix that.)
I will give a few comments on your passage, but not having any clue who you are makes it a little difficult to be too detailed. First, I don't believe that the "entertainment" value of a sermon should have much consideration at all (good or bad). A pastor's rhetorical approach for instance would be something worth considering (assuming "entertainment" doesn't fall in this category), since a pastor is trying convince his congregation of something. This also has to be kept within the understanding and humility that it is ultimately the Holy Spirit that works through the Preached Word in the hearts of the hearers.
Today, in America, it seems that there is more of a problem with pastors who want to try and entertain with their sermons and not the other way around (though I do know of the the types mentioned in the passage). It also seems that often this fails to be entertaining to many, and I would argue because of a point the passage almost touches on. The Church in our country has abdicated it's responsibility to be people of the Word, to understand story, and be story-tellers. This, I would argue, is why even our best efforts to entertain in a sermon format are still less than adequate in the long run.
As far as modeling Jesus, there is much to be considered, but with a grain of salt. Jesus speaks to His people (the Jews) and to pagans throughout the gospels. Sermons given by a preacher are meant for Christians, sermons given by a missionary are meant for Non-Christians (both can be beneficial, but both should and will look different). I'm also not sure that a pastor would be or should be hoping for the same kinds of responses (or blank expressions) Jesus received after many of His parables.
Thanks. I don't know what good identifying myself would be. I am a person who came across your blog and wanted your input. I see you like to write and share your opinions and I also like to do the same and to hear the opinions of others. Through Christ, I am a part of your brethren. Does any other identity really matter?
And by the way - I don't have an account here, otherwise I would have signed in. And didn't think a 'nickname' would really do you any good.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Also - I said I didn't know what I was doing with the blog. I know that my 'comment' didn't pertain to your post. I apologize if it pained you to answer. Although, I do also own the book 'Table in the Midst'....so maybe I'll post on it again later.
Thanks again for taking your time.
Obviously, written comments are hard to judge as far as tone and such things go . . . I didn't assume to add any sarcasm to my first comments, sorry if they were understood that way.
Usually the only people who leave me comments are those I already know or have some connected relationship to. With that, I do believe in this case identity does matter past being a Christian because relationships matter. I address my Mother differently than my Brother, I address my Pastor differently than an acquaintance, I often will address women differently than men, etc. Just as in the one Godhead, the Son addresses the Father differently than the Father addresses the Son and so forth.
Hope my comments on your previous post were of benefit. If you do enjoy sharing opinions as you have mentioned, I would strongly urge you to start your own blog (it is really much more simple than it looks).
So what did you think of "A Table in the Mist"?
You are absolutely right on the issue of addressing people differently. Thanks for the reality check. Always happy to be put in my place when needed.
As far as the book, I haven't read much of it yet. I started it a few months before Christmas, read the first couple chapters and then got 'assigned' a book by my Pastor called 'His Needs, Her Needs' (which, although there isn’t much of anything I agree with 100%, from what I have read of it so far, I would recommend anyone considering or currently in a marriage at least take a look at the book.) and am also reading (and hopefully about to finish today) 'Raising Christian Children in a Secular World'.
I'm sure I will enjoy 'A Table in the Midst' once I make my way to it though.
Thanks for the advice on starting a blog of my own.
Peace be with you.
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