Today our passages are Ecclesiastes 1:1–3:22; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Psalm 46:1-11; and Proverbs 22:15. The readings are from the Contemporary English Version. If you find these readings helpful, please consider sending an offering directly to Cove Presbyterian Church, 3404 Main Steet, Weirton, West Virginia or through PayPal by using the link below.
Ecclesiastes 1-3:22 (Contemporary English Version)
Ecclesiastes 1
Nothing Makes Sense
1When the son of David was king in Jerusalem, he was known to be very wise, [a] and he said: 2Nothing makes sense! Everything is nonsense.I have seen it all--
nothing makes sense!
3What is there to show
for all of our hard work
here on this earth?
4People come, and people go,
but still the world
never changes.
5The sun comes up,
the sun goes down;
it hurries right back
to where it started from.
6The wind blows south,
the wind blows north;
round and round it blows
over and over again.
7All rivers empty into the sea,
but it never spills over;
one by one the rivers return
to their source. [b] 8All of life is far more boring
than words could ever say.
Our eyes and our ears
are never satisfied
with what we see and hear.
9Everything that happens
has happened before;
nothing is new,
nothing under the sun.
10Someone might say,
"Here is something new!"
But it happened before,
long before we were born.
11No one who lived in the past
is remembered anymore,
and everyone yet to be born
will be forgotten too.
It Is Senseless To Be Wise
12I said these things when I lived in Jerusalem as king of Israel. 13With all my wisdom I tried to understand everything that happens here on earth. And God has made this so hard for us humans to do. 14I have seen it all, and everything is just as senseless as chasing the wind. [c] 15If something is crooked, it can't be made straight;if something isn't there,
it can't be counted.
16I said to myself, "You are by far the wisest person who has ever lived in Jerusalem. You are eager to learn, and you have learned a lot." 17Then I decided to find out all I could about wisdom and foolishness. Soon I realized that this too was as senseless as chasing the wind.
18The more you know,
the more you hurt;
the more you understand,
the more you suffer.
Ecclesiastes 2
It Is Senseless To Be Selfish
1I said to myself, "Have fun and enjoy yourself!" But this didn't make sense. 2Laughing and having fun is crazy. What good does it do? 3I wanted to find out what was best for us during the short time we have on this earth. So I decided to make myself happy with wine and find out what it means to be foolish, without really being foolish myself. 4I did some great things. I built houses and planted vineyards. 5I had flower gardens and orchards full of fruit trees. 6And I had pools where I could get water for the trees. 7I owned slaves, and their sons and daughters became my slaves. I had more sheep and goats than anyone who had ever lived in Jerusalem. 8Foreign rulers brought me silver, gold, and precious treasures. Men and women sang for me, and I had many wives [d] who gave me great pleasure. 9I was the most famous person who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was very wise. 10I got whatever I wanted and did whatever made me happy. But most of all, I enjoyed my work. 11Then I thought about everything I had done, including the hard work, and it was simply chasing the wind. [e] Nothing on earth is worth the trouble.Wisdom Makes Sense
12I asked myself, "What can the next king do that I haven't done?" Then I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. 13And I discovered that wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14Wisdom is like having two good eyes; foolishness leaves you in the dark. But wise or foolish, we all end up the same. 15Finally, I said to myself, "Being wise got me nowhere! The same thing will happen to me that happens to fools. Nothing makes sense. 16Wise or foolish, we all die and are soon forgotten." 17This made me hate life. Everything we do is painful; it's just as senseless as chasing the wind.18Suddenly I realized that others would someday get everything I had worked for so hard, then I started hating it all. 19Who knows if those people will be sensible or stupid? Either way, they will own everything I have earned by hard work and wisdom. It doesn't make sense.
20I thought about all my hard work, and I felt depressed. 21When we use our wisdom, knowledge, and skill to get what we own, why do we have to leave it to someone who didn't work for it? This is senseless and wrong. 22What do we really gain from all of our hard work? 23Our bodies ache during the day, and work is torture. Then at night our thoughts are troubled. It just doesn't make sense.
24The best thing we can do is to enjoy eating, drinking, and working [f]. I believe these are God's gifts to us, 25and no one enjoys eating and living more than I do. 26If we please God, he will make us wise, understanding, and happy. But if we sin, God will make us struggle for a living, then he will give all we own to someone who pleases him. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind. [g]
Ecclesiastes 3
Everything Has Its Time
1Everything on earth has its own timeand its own season.
2There is a time
for birth and death,
planting and reaping,
3for killing and healing,
destroying and building,
4for crying and laughing,
weeping and dancing,
5for throwing stones
and gathering stones,
embracing and parting.
6There is a time
for finding and losing,
keeping and giving,
7for tearing and sewing,
listening and speaking.
8There is also a time
for love and hate,
for war and peace.
What God Has Given Us To Do
9What do we gain by all of our hard work? 10I have seen what difficult things God demands of us. 11God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future. 12I know the best thing we can do is to always enjoy life, 13because God's gift to us is the happiness we get from our food and drink and from the work we do. 14Everything God has done will last forever; nothing he does can ever be changed. God has done all this, so that we will worship him. 15Everything that happenshas happened before,
and all that will be
has already been--
God does everything
over and over again. [h]
The Future Is Known Only to God
16Everywhere on earth I saw violence and injustice instead of fairness and justice. 17So I told myself that God has set a time and a place for everything. He will judge everyone, both the wicked and the good. 18I know that God is testing us to show us that we are merely animals. 19Like animals we breathe and die, and we are no better off than they are. It just doesn't make sense. 20All living creatures go to the same place. We are made from earth, and we return to the earth. 21Who really knows if our spirits go up and the spirits of animals go down into the earth? 22We were meant to enjoy our work, and that's the best thing we can do. We can never know the future.
Footnotes:
- Ecclesiastes 1:1 known to be very wise: This stands for the Hebrew word often translated "preacher" or "teacher." The word may refer to someone who was a very wise leader or to someone who had become wise from collecting sayings about wisdom.
- Ecclesiastes 1:7 return to their source: Or "flow into the sea."
- Ecclesiastes 1:14 chasing the wind: Or "eating the wind."
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 many wives: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 chasing the wind: See the note at 1.14.
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 The best. . .working: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
- Ecclesiastes 2:26 chasing the wind: See the note at 1.14,17.
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 God does. . . again: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
2 Corinthians 6:1-13 (Contemporary English Version)
2 Corinthians 6
1We work together with God, and we beg you to make good use of God's kindness to you. 2In the Scriptures God says, "When the time came,I listened to you,
and when you needed help,
I came to save you."
That time has come. This is the day for you to be saved.
3We don't want anyone to find fault with our work, and so we try hard not to cause problems. 4But in everything and in every way we show that we truly are God's servants. We have always been patient, though we have had a lot of trouble, suffering, and hard times. 5We have been beaten, put in jail, and hurt in riots. We have worked hard and have gone without sleep or food. 6But we have kept ourselves pure and have been understanding, patient, and kind. The Holy Spirit has been with us, and our love has been real. 7We have spoken the truth, and God's power has worked in us. In all our struggles we have said and done only what is right.
8Whether we were honored or dishonored or praised or cursed, we always told the truth about ourselves. But some people said we did not. 9We are unknown to others, but well known to you. We seem to be dying, and yet we are still alive. We have been punished, but never killed, 10and we are always happy, even in times of suffering. Although we are poor, we have made many people rich. And though we own nothing, everything is ours.
11Friends in Corinth, we are telling the truth when we say that there is room in our hearts for you. 12We are not holding back on our love for you, but you are holding back on your love for us. 13I speak to you as I would speak to my own children. Please make room in your hearts for us.
Psalm 46:1-11 (Contemporary English Version)
Psalm 46
(A special song for the people of Korah and for the music leader.)
God Is Our Mighty Fortress
1God is our mighty fortress, always ready to helpin times of trouble.
2And so, we won't be afraid!
Let the earth tremble
and the mountains tumble
into the deepest sea.
3Let the ocean roar and foam,
and its raging waves
shake the mountains.
4A river and its streams
bring joy to the city,
which is the sacred home
of God Most High.
5God is in that city,
and it won't be shaken.
He will help it at dawn.
6Nations rage! Kingdoms fall!
But at the voice of God
the earth itself melts.
7The LORD All-Powerful
is with us.
The God of Jacob
is our fortress.
8Come! See the fearsome things
the LORD has done on earth.
9God brings wars to an end
all over the world.
He breaks the arrows,
shatters the spears,
and burns the shields. [a] 10Our God says, "Calm down,
and learn that I am God!
All nations on earth
will honor me."
11The LORD All-Powerful
is with us.
The God of Jacob
is our fortress.
Footnotes:
- Psalm 46:9 shields: Or " chariots."
Proverbs 22:15 (Contemporary English Version)
15All
children are foolish,
but firm correction
will make them change.
Verse of the Day
“Our LORD, your love is seen all over the world. Teach me your laws.” - Psalm 119:64
but firm correction
will make them change.
Verse of the Day
“Our LORD, your love is seen all over the world. Teach me your laws.” - Psalm 119:64
Today's passage is from
the Contemporary English Version.
Thought for the DayAmerican progressive and isolationist Republican politician from California, Hiram Johnson wrote, “The first casualty when war comes is truth.”
There was a poor old Irish cobbler whose shop was next door to a very upscale French restaurant.Every day at lunch time, Mike, the Irish gent, would go out the back of his shop and eat his soda bread and maybe a kipper or piece of Irish blue cheese while smelling the wonderful odors coming from the restaurant's kitchen.
One morning, the Irishman was surprised to receive an invoice in the mail from the adjoining restaurant for "enjoyment of food"
Mystified, he marched right over to the restaurant to point out that he had not bought a thing from them.
The manager said, "You're enjoying our food, so you should pay us for it." The Irishman refused to pay and the restaurant took him to court.
At the hearing, the judge asked the restaurant to present their side of the case. The manager said, "Every day, this man comes and sits outside our kitchen and smells our food while eating his. It is clear that we are providing added value to his poor food and we deserve to be compensated for it."
The judge turned to Mike and said, "What do you have to say to that?" The old Irishman didn't say a thing but smiled and stuck his hand in his pocket and rattled the few coins he had inside.
The judge asked him, "What is the meaning of that?" The Irishman replied with a mile wide grin, – "I'm paying for the smell of his food with the sound of my money."
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