From Pastor Ben
Trivia:
Last Saturday I asked you to guess; Which of these events were the most-watched television events in U.S. history? Was it the Moon Landing, the Super Bowl, or the M*A*S*H finale, or could it have been Nixon’s resignation speech? Well, you were 100% right if you guessed the Moon Landing. Way to go! Drum roll....the most-watched television event in U.S. history is undoubtedly the Moon Landing. This event was witnessed on July 20, 1969, by an estimated 530 million people around the world who tuned in to witness a historic moment - the first humans setting foot on the lunar surface. This groundbreaking achievement by NASA's Apollo 11 mission captivated the entire nation and revolutionized the way television was consumed.
Challenge:
Ecclesiastes 7:15 "I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people."
This morning it is pointed out to us that from a human perspective, there are seeming inequities in life that will always be a mystery to us while we are here on this earth. However, from God's eternal point of view there will always be a purpose and meaning to those events that seemingly don't presently make sense.
Back in Missouri we have this expression “Now I've seen everything!“ when we witness the unexpected, the unbelievable, the ultimate surprise. That seems to be Solomon's meaning here. In the course of his life, he had seen every kind of contradiction. He saw just people die young and wicked ones live to a ripe old age.
The wise one is passing on some insights for all of mankind to draw from. Experience has shown that the righteous do not necessarily live longer lives or gain more physical blessings than the wicked in this sphere of time. It is easy, however, to be fooled by this worldly system into thinking that there isn't any benefit to living our lives in a righteous way.
Psalm 1:1-6 tells us differently, and this is God's promise / covenant to His children:
"1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.
4 But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
5 They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly.
6 For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction."
Oh my friend, it is so easy to get caught up with the thinking of our world. The physical rewards of life fall far short of the eternal rewards. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the physical is all that we can visibly see, we can be easily tricked into thinking that this present life is all there is to our lives. Therefore, this section of verses is attempting to increase / expand our mental picture of life and its true meaning.
SO GO WITH GOD, for our Father's view of life is so different than any other viewpoint. Look at Hebrews 12:1 that tells us how we are to live out our lives: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"
Now we can't know for sure who the author is of this book (suspected to be Paul), but we do know who it was primarily targeting, for it was originally entitled "To The Hebrews." Our Heavenly Father lays out the challenge for how we should live. So set aside the cares of the world, my dear one, and then continue to run with the hope of Heaven before you.