Ecclesiastes 7 reads somewhat like a chapter in Proverbs. It contrasts wisdom with folly, but also adds a fatalistic tone, with the end of something better than the beginning, better to go to a house of mourning than a house of feasting, and so on. We see little hope in the chapter, or in the book, as King Solomon has only a slight focus on the hope we have in such great measure because of Jesus’ presence in our lives.
Ecclesiastes 8 starts with an admonition to obey the king. While it might seem a bit self-serving for a king to command his readers to obey the king, it was, indeed, wise for anyone living in Israel to obey the king, because God had put him in place. As the chapter continues, Solomon reminds us to fear the LORD even though we see the righteous dying early, and the wicked prolonging their days. The reason we must fear the LORD is because we cannot know His ways. The implication is we might think we know better than God, but we don’t.
In Ecclesiastes 9 we are told that the same fate befalls us all: death. Not really a bumper sticker concept! Then King Solomon tells men to be content with their wives, and to enjoy this simple blessing. He closes out by reminding us again that while the same fate befalls us all, it is better to be wise than to choose folly.
Today, we return to Mark’s gospel. This will be our fourth time through this brief gospel. By now its content is becoming familiar to us. We know Mark 1 does not include a birth narrative, that Mark starts with a bit of prophesy from the Old Testament and then moves right to the ministry of John the Baptist. It has been said repetition is the mother of learning. When it comes to reading the Scriptures that is true, and also repetition makes the accounts our own. While our handheld electronic devices make it easy for us to have Jesus’ words at our finger tips virtually everywhere, sometimes when we are having a conversation with someone it is helpful to be able to consider what Jesus said in particular situations, and to share that with someone. Many times over the years, the Holy Spirit has brought a passage to my memory at just the right time. I did my part by reading the Scriptures over and over, and the Holy Spirit does His part by bringing it to mind at the precise moment it will have the most impact. I’m not saying we ought to quote Jesus’ words to all our unbelieving friends, but a word given at the right time can be used powerfully to comfort the afflicted or afflict the comfortable, as one of my mentors used to tell me.
As you read through Mark 1 again, start to recall the flow from John the Baptist, to Jesus’ baptism and temptation in the wilderness, to His first proclamation of the message to repent because the Kingdom of God is near, to His calling of the first disciples, and so on. Pastor Mark Geppert, the founder of the Southeast Asia Prayer Center often says, “The question isn’t how many times you have been through the Bible, but how many times has the Bible been through you?” As we read Mark again and again, the story becomes clear, then it becomes more real, then in the power of the Holy Spirit we start living it out in our own lives. That process is to be normal for those who follow Jesus, and it does start with what we’re doing right now: reading and reflection on His word!