QT 16/01/2025 Thu. Ecclesiastes 1. Life under the Sun. 日光之下的生活。

QT 16/01/2025 Thu. Ecclesiastes 1. Life under the Sun. 日光之下的生活。

QT 16/01/2025 Thu. Ecclesiastes 1. Life under the Sun.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/eccl1

Ecclesiastes 1:1–6 All Is Vanity
[1] The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
[2] Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
[3] What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
[4] A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
[5] The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
[6] The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns. (ESV)

We live in an imperfect world where things often seem to turn work in an unexpected way. This was nothing new, even the teacher (Qoheleth, 1:12) struggled with the inability to fully plan, fully understand and fully control the outcome of life.

While believers of the LORD learn about and believe in His power and wisdom, the world that seems to be characterised by much randomness and arbitrariness—those who worked hard could not enjoy the savings they had worked hard to accumulate throughout life, the lazy enjoyed much, those who are doing right suffered, while wrongdoers not only got off scot free but even heavily endorsed by many others.

Qoheleth sighs about the cyclical nature of things (1:7), the weariness (1:8) and the inability to find real satisfaction. Yet he warned readers against finding meaning and fulfillment in money, sex, power or accomplishments. Instead, he encouraged readers to fear God and keep his commandments:

Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 [13] The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. [14] For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (ESV)

The Qoheleth had achieved much, seen much and experienced much. For the narrator to point readers to God and his commandments at the end of the book should alert us to something: that faith and life in God as revealed by Him can continue to grow and flourish, even though believers face the unknown and chaos in the world today. Journeying with the Qoheleth throughout the book enables us to experience by proxy what he experienced and understood, through his own expressions of frustration and meditation.

God is not a formula to be memorized and applied mindlessly. Neither are those who are also created in His image. Life is not a trigonometry formula to be plucked out mindless. Yet life can be cherished and enjoyed in the midst of the surrounding chaos. Life can have meaning in a seemingly meaningless world, so long as we recognise and accept the frailty of humankind under the Sun (1:3, 1:9, 1:14), and the wonderful Creator that is above the Sun.


QT 16/01/2025 星期四. 传道书 1. 日光之下的生活。
http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/ecc/1

传道书 1:1–6 以下是传道者,就是在耶路撒冷作王、大卫的儿子所说的话。2 传道者说:虚空的虚空。虚空的虚空,一切都是虚空。 3 人的一切劳碌,就是他在日光之下的劳碌,对自己有什么益处呢? 4 一代过去,一代又来,地却永远存在。5 太阳升起,太阳落下,匆忙回到它上升之处。6 风向南刮,又往北转,循环周行,旋转不息。

我们生活在一个不完美的世界里,事情的发展往往出人意料。这并不是什么新鲜事,就连传道者 (或教师"科希勒",1:12)也为无法完全计划、完全理解和完全控制生活的结果而挣扎。

当耶和华的信徒学习并相信祂的大能和智慧时,这个世界却似乎充满了随意性和任意性--那些辛勤工作的人无法享受他们一生辛勤积累的积蓄,懒惰的人却享受很多,那些做得对的人却遭受痛苦,而做错事的人不仅逍遥法外,甚至还得到许多人的大力支持。

教师(科希勒)叹息事物的周期性(1:7)、疲惫(1:8)和无法找到真正的满足感。然而,他警告读者不要从金钱、性、权力或成就中寻找意义和满足。相反,他鼓励读者敬畏上帝,遵守他的诫命:

传道书 12:13-14 [13]  你们一切都听见了,总而言之,应当敬畏 神,谨守他的诫命,因为这是每一个人的本分。14 人所作的每一件事,连一切隐藏的事,无论是善是恶, 神都必审问。

教师(科希勒)成就斐然,见多识广,阅历丰富。叙述者在书的结尾向读者指出上帝和他的诫命,这应该让我们警醒:对上帝的信仰和上帝所启示的生命可以继续成长和壮大,即使信徒面临着未知和混乱的世界, 对上帝的信仰和上帝所启示的生命仍能继续成长和壮大。在整本书中,与教师"科希勒"一起旅行,使我们能够通过他自己所表达的挫折和沉思,代理体验及明白他所经历的一切。

上帝不是一个公式,可以被死记硬背和无意识地应用。同样按照他的形象被创造的人也不是。生命也不是一个三角公式,可以漫不经心地套用。然而,生命可以在周围的混乱中得到珍惜和享受。只要我们认识到并接受太阳之下人类的脆弱(1:3, 1:9, 1:14),以及太阳之上奇妙的造物主,生命就能在看似无意义的世界中获得意义。