View source for Ecclesiastes 7

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|[[File:Jesusteach.jpg|right|300px|thumb|<Br>Review:<Br>Chapter 1: [[Vanity]] is ''empty'' and all things that are empty remain empty. <Br>Chapter 2: The "fool walketh in darkness" which leads to a "vexation of spirit" and asks shall we be "a wise man or a fool?" Shall a "soul enjoy good in his labour" or another "man that hath not laboured therein"?  
<Br>By to Chapter 3: Addressing "wickedness was there; and ... iniquity" we see it repeated that everyman's labor belongs to himself by the endowment of God. The question is asked what is the ''spirit that leads a man upward'', and the spirit ''that goeth downward''which brings man down to ''dust''. <Br>The warning in Chapter 4 is that if a man [[care]]s only for himself or chooses to oppress others" he may become a "fool ''who'' foldeth his hands together, and ''ends up where he'' eateth his own flesh.<Br>Chapter 5: Beginning with the  '''[[sacrifice]] of [[foolish|fools]]''', careful with your ''foot'' and the "rash... mouth" and you should "[[swear not|not vow]]" so that you can enjoy your labour as God intended. <Br> Chapter 6: Chapter 6: But a man can covet his ''riches kept as the owners thereof to their hurt'' which is an evil<Ref name="ra1">{{07451}}</Ref> common among men and an evil disease.]]
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| '''Comments'''
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| 1V '''"A good [[name]]<Ref name="shem">{{08034}}</Ref> is better than precious ointment..."''' because [[name]] is, "The identifying characteristics which identify the spirit or nature of someone or something."
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| 2V '''"It is better to go to the house of mourning"''' than feasting. "house of mourning" and the "house of feasting" are also mentioned in [[Jeremiah 16]]:5 and 8 where we are told to "not also go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink."
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| This is because Israel went into [[apostasy]] with it's [[false religion]] so that even the "house of mourning" was not safe. <Ref>Jeremiah 16:5 For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, even lovingkindness and mercies." </Ref>
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| 3V "Sorrow(grief) is better than laughter" for it strengthen the heart. The Latins would say, "Quaenocent, docent," "Pain is gain." 
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| 5V song of [[fool]] is not the [[Song of the Lamb]].
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| Is life for feasting or for sharing.<Ref>[[John 10]]:15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.... 17  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (16  ''And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, [and] one shepherd.'')
: [[John 15]]:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.: 1 John 3:16  Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren.</Ref>
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|  Do you have ears to hear the cries of anguish when your brother is in a pit?
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| The ''song of fools'' is not the [[Song of Moses]] nor the [[Song of the Lamb]].
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| V7 hard times make strong men but [[legal charity]] will [[degenerate]] the [[masses]].
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| 7V "'''oppression maketh a wise man mad'''; and a gift destroyeth the heart." What it does us makes men [[perfect savages]] or [[tyrant]]s.
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| 8V "'''the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit'''."
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| V9 "hasty in thy spirit to be angry".<Ref>Matthew 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca,<[[4469]] rhaka from[[07386]] רֵיק‎ rake> shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.</Ref> Judge not but seek [[righteousness]] through [[repent]]ance.
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|10V Why are things not as good as they were? "enquire wisely concerning this".
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|11-12V "wisdom is a defense"(shadow)''symbolic''."money [is] a defence:"
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| V12 "'''[that] wisdom giveth life to them that have it'''." <Ref>[[1 John 3]]:9  Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.</Ref>
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|13V Who can make the works of God straight(eqialise)? crooked perverted
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| 14V "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider:"
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| 15V righteous and the wicked.<Ref>Matthew 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.</Ref> the just give their life while the wicked spare and covet it at the expense of others.
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| V16 How is "righteous over much" able to destroy you?<Ref>https://biblehub.com/text/ecclesiastes/7-16.htm</Ref>
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|V17 wicked(rasha)<Ref name="rasha">{{07561}}</Ref>   nor be [[foolish]](cakal ''saw-kawl'')<Ref name="cakal">{{05530}}</Ref>  
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| V18 Good to take this in why the house of feasting is dangerous, even foolish.
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| V19 Wisdom  strengtheneth the wise more than ten<מֵֽעֲשָׂרָה֙ mê‘ăśārāh [[6235]]> mighty <שַׁלִּיטִ֔ים šallîṭîm, [[07989]]> [men. ''ruler'' or ''righteous''] which are in the city <[[05892]]>.
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| V20 Even the just who do good sin. How do the just resolve the need for [[forgive]]ness?
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| V21 Take heed or not take heed to all the words? Do not pick and choose. Do not live in a bubble of vanity.
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| V22 Have you cursed others? Would you see the truth?
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| V23 Proved wisdom but it has been far away.
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| V24 Can you find what is far off? How do you draw near?
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| V25 "the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness [and] madness:"
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| V26 What woman, whose heart [is] [[snare]]s and nets,
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| V27 take accounting of thy self.
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|[[https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/ecc/7/1/s_660001]]
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== Precious ointment comes to the solemn heart ==

1 ¶ A good [[name]]<Ref name="shem">{{08034}}</Ref> is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

==  Heart of the wise and the fool ==

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of [[fool]]s is in the house of mirth.

== Song of fools ==

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of [[fool]]s.

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

== The gift that destroys ==

7 Surely '''oppression maketh a wise man mad'''; and a gift destroyeth the heart.

8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and '''the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.'''

== The bosom of fools ==

9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.


== True wisdom gives life ==


12 For [[wisdom]] is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, '''that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.'''<Ref name="givelife'">{{givelife}}</Ref>

13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

== Just men give their life==

15 All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.

20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:

22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?

25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is [[snare|snares and nets]],<Ref name="snaretrap">{{snaretrap}}</Ref>  and her [[the bands|hands as bands:]] whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be [[bondage|taken by her]].

27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
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