Accountability

[Ecc. 11:9] Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
An ironical concession to the vanities and pleasures of youth: Rejoice, O young man! in your youth. Youth, like the blackness of dawn is hebel, swiftly vanishing and thus should not be wasted. Young people should rejoice in their youth.
This is speaking thus ironically to the young man to intimate walking in the ways of the heart:
1. That this is that which he would do, and which he would fain have leave to do, in which he places his happiness and on which he sets his heart.
2. That he wishes all about him would give him this counsel, would prophesy to him such smooth things as these, and cannot brook any advice to the contrary, but reckons those his enemies that bid him be sober and serious.
3. To expose his folly, and the great absurdity of a voluptuous vicious course of life. The very description of it, if men would see things entirely, and judge of them impartially, is enough to show how contrary to reason those act that live such a life. The very opening of the cause is enough to determine it, without any argument.
4. To show that if men give themselves to such a course of life as this it is just with G-d to give them up to it, to abandon them to their own heart's lusts, that they may walk in their own counsels, Hosea 4:7.
They should do whatever their hearts and their minds desire – without forgetting, however, that G-d will eventually judge them for what they do.
G-d will eventually bring every deed into judgment, the author resist the urge to identify what his result of G-d’s deliberations will be and willing to leave such things as rewards and punishments up to G-d’s discretion.
A powerful check given to these vanities and pleasures: and duly consider that, and then live such a luxurious life if you can, if you dare. This is a corrective to the foregoing concession, and plucks in the reins he had laid on the neck of the young man's lust. Know then, for a certainty, that, if thou dost take such a liberty as this, it will be your everlasting ruin; you have to do with a G-d who will not let it go unpunished!
1. There is a judgment to come.
2. We must every one of us be brought into judgment, however we may now put far from us that evil day.
3. We shall be reckoned with for all our carnal mirth and sensual pleasures in that day.
4. It is good for all, but especially for young people, to know and consider this, that they may not, by the indulgence of their youthful lusts, treasure up unto themselves wrath against that day of wrath, the wrath of the Lamb.
[10] Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
9-10 just as the shortness of life increases the intensity with which we enjoy it, so the days of our youth that pass so swiftly should also be the sour of intense joy.
A word of caution and exhortation inferred from this, entire advising young people to turn aside the sorrows of their minds and the troubles of their bodies.
Let young people look to themselves and manage well their souls and their bodies, their heart and their flesh.
Let them take care that their minds be not lifted up with pride, nor disturbed with anger, or any sinful passion: Remove sorrow, or anger, from your heart; the word signifies any disorder or perturbation of the mind. Young people are apt to be impatient of check and control, to vex and fret at any thing that is humbling and mortifying to them, and their proud hearts rise against every thing that crosses and contradicts them. They are so set upon that which is pleasing to sense that they cannot bear any thing that is displeasing, but it goes with sorrow to their heart. Their pride often disquiets them, and makes them uneasy. Put that away, and the love of the world, and lay your expectations low from the creature, and then disappointments will not be occasions of sorrow and anger to you. Sorrows here understand that carnal mirth, the end of which will be bitterness and sorrow. Let them keep at a distance from every thing which will be sorrow in the reflection.
Let them take care that their bodies be not defiled by overindulgence, uncleanness, or any fleshly lusts: Put away evil from the flesh, and let not the members of your body be instruments of unrighteousness. The evil of sin will be the evil of punishment, and that which you are fond of, as good for the flesh, because it gratifies the appetites of it, will prove evil, and hurtful to it, and therefore put it far from you, the further the better."
G-d wants us to enjoy the good things in life while, on the other hand, continuing to uphold the idea that G-d will eventually evaluate how well we have used our time, under the sun.
Accountability takes a material form under the sun.

Birds of the Air

[Ecc. 10:4] If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
The scope of these verses is to keep subjects loyal and dutiful to the government. In Solomon's reign the people were very rich, and lived in prosperity, which perhaps made them proud and huffy, and when the taxes were high, though they had enough to pay them with, it is probable that many conducted themselves insolently towards the government and threatened to rebel.
The spirit - The anger, passion.
Rise up against you – Let not subjects carry on a quarrel with their superiors upon any private personal disgust.
Leave not - In anger or discontent. Continue in a diligent and faithful discharge of your duty, and modestly and humbly submit to him. if upon some misinformation given him, or some mismanagement of yours, he is displeased at you, and puts you down, leave not your place, forget not the duty of a subject to his Maker.
Revolt not from your commitment, do not, in a passion, quit your post in his service and throw up your commission, as despairing ever to regain his favor.
Yielding - A gentle and submissive carriage. Prov. 15:1 this explains "leave not your place"; do not in a resisting spirit withdraw from your post of duty (8:3).
Pacifies great offenses - Wait awhile and you will find he is not merciless, but that yielding pacifies great offenses for every wise and good man that is a magistrate, that he could easily forgive those, upon their submission, whom yet, upon their aggravation, he had been very angry with. It is safer and better to yield to an angry prince than to contend with him.
V. 8 Digs his own pit - The fatal results to kings of such an unwise policy; the wrong done to others recoils on themselves (8:9); they fall into the pit which they dug for others (Est. 7:10; Ps. 7:15; Prov. 26:27). Breaking through the wise fences of their throne, they suffer unexpectedly themselves; as when one is stung by a serpent lurking in the stones of his neighbor's garden wall (Ps. 80:12), which he maliciously pulls down (Amos 5:19).
[5] There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
Evil - Let not subjects commence a quarrel with their superiors, though the public administration is not in every thing as they would have it. He grants there is an evil often seen under the sun, and it is a king's-evil, an evil which the king only can cure, for it is an error which proceeds from the ruler; it is a mistake which rulers, consulting their personal affections more than the public interests, are too often guilty of, that men are not preferred according to their merit.
This is frequent in the governments of the world; and favoritism has often brought prosperous nations to the brink of ruin. Folly was set in dignity; the man of property, sense, and name, in a low place. Servants-menial men, rode upon horses-carried every thing with a high and proud hand; and princes,-the nobles of the people, were obliged to walk by their sides, and often from the state of things to become in effect their servants. This was often the case in this country, during the reign of Thomas a Becket, and Cardinal Woolsey. These insolent men lorded it over the whole nation; and the people and their gentry were raised or depressed according as their pride and impulse willed. And, through this kind of errors, not only a few sovereigns have had most uncomfortable and troublesome reigns, but some have even lost their lives. What will we get under Obama’s reign?
[20] Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
How cautious subjects have need to be that they harbor not any disloyal purposes in their minds, nor keep up any factious cabals or discussion against the government, because it is ten to one that they are discovered and brought to light. Though rulers should be guilty of some errors, yet be not, upon all occasions, accusing their administration and running them down, but make the best of them.
The command teaches us our duty Curse not the king, no, not in your thought, do not wish ill to the government in your mind. All sin begins there, and therefore the first risings of it must be curbed and suppressed, and particularly that of treason and sedition.
Civil government is so peculiarly of G-d, that He will have it supported for the benefit of mankind; and those who attempt to disturb it are generally marked by His strong disapprobation. And though there have been multitudes of treasons hatched in the deepest secrecy; yet, through the providence of G-d, they have been discovered in the most singular manner. This shows G-d's care for government.
Curse not the rich, the princes and governors, in your bed-chamber, in a assembly or club of persons disaffected to the government; associate not with such; come not into their secret; join not with them in speaking ill of the government or plotting against it.
The reason consults our safety. The king will hear of it by unknown and unsuspected hands, as if a bird had heard and carried the report of it. Though the design is carried on ever so closely, a bird of the air shall carry the voice to the king, who has more spies about than you are aware of, and that which has wings shall tell the matter, to your bewilderment and ruin.
G-d sees what men do, and hears what they say, in secret; and, when He pleases, He can bring it to light by strange and unsuspected ways.
Would you then not be hurt by the powers that be, nor be afraid of them?
Do that which is good and you shall have praise of the same; but, if you do that which is evil, be afraid, Rom. 13: 3-4.
Without wisdom and understanding we cannot go profitably through the meanest concerns in life.

Labor Pains

I had received this in an email and it got me to thinking:
“It's like have labor pains. -- Not always there but when they come they are horrible. It takes your breathe away.”
Labor pains are usually associated with women but I see everyone trying to birth something. Men in their careers, providing for their families, or in their finances; children in school or at home trying to earn merit points or just to make friends and feel accepted. Grandparents in sharing their wisdom to keep their children or grandchildren from falling into the same pit holes as they did, and then there is the economy at large that is just trying to keep it all together and put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
Everywhere you look someone is in pain and going through the birthing process. Funny thing is once you have given birth you become pregnant again and again, each time does not make going through the cycle any easier.
I had felt like I had been birthing my second pair of twins for several years now. The first set was Trust and Confidence. People would say ‘you’re pregnant with something special’, but it didn’t feel like it would ever come out of me. Then after a forced delivery there they were ‘Confidence and Stability’.
Confidence on who I am in the L-rd and Stability in standing in the calling He has chosen for me.
10,000 may fall to my right and 10,000 may fall to my left but I will not waver for I will be pushing onward and upward to the finish line.
No more week knees!
No more letting the majority take the lead!
No more feeling left behind!
What a great feeling, once the blinders have been taken off and you know that you know –
YOU ARE LOVED!
Maybe neither by your children, nor by your family but you are by the Most High, and that is a definite!
No weapon formed against me shall prosper for I now stand with Confidence and Stability under the shadow of His wings.
What are you birthing?
Is it making chooses of what you want to do with your life?
Is it keeping your job or finding one?
Is it your finances and trying to keep them from your door?
Do not be dismay at its longsuffering for when the time is right it will be birth and you will be strong enough to nourish it up.
Above all during this birthing process know that you are loved by your Maker and He will see you though.
The G-d of the day is still G-d in the night and all things are to be His delight!

Skinwalkers

In talking to a missionary friend of mine from Mexico, the word skinwalker jumped out at me, so I did a brief research on the net to see what it was all about. What I found out basically was a lot of superstition of a person (male or female) or animal that preys around at night seeking whom he may devour.
They are thought of having super natural powers, liken onto witch doctors, medicine men, or voodoo – its all about evil power to gain control, of course they have only as much demonic power over us, as we give them if we are covered in the blood of the Lamb.
This is were the folk lures of the werewolf comes from, the boogie men’s of the night, it makes good fiction horror movies.
Now I wondered why the name jumped out – how does it apply to a Believers walk?
Skinwalkers may be walking around in the skins of animals, trying to take on the character of such animal but beneath it all is the skin of the flesh – where the real problem lies.
No one starts out with evil intentions; it grows on us little by little when there is no renouncing of wrong doings.
Whether we put on skins of animals or a mask to cover the flesh it is still being someone that you are not and walking into the dark side.
How does one get rid of the skinwalkers?
First: of all you need to shed or die to your own flesh for any sin leads to evil.
Dieing to the flesh (skin) seems to be a daily job, sometimes moment by moment.
The skin seems to have much more control then it should be allowed, especially when we are young and highly impressionable.
Why did G-d put skin on us that would be so trouble some?
Does not your skin make a lot of extra trials for you?
Our skin was put on as a covering, a protection – something that was created for good can be used for evil or visa versa. We too have given it much more control over us, allowing it to run wild in the dark of night.
Second: we need to repent and take back the power that we so freely give away.
Thirdly: we are to be children of the light if we have accepted Y’Shua HaMashiach as our L-rd and Savior.
We may enter the dark places if we are being lead by G-d, to enlighten the children of darkness the errors of their ways that they maybe moved towards the Light.
Fourth: greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.
Why are we so afraid of the boggy man?
Have you totally surrendered your life over to the one true person that came down in the flesh to demonstrate to us how to walk the earth being in our own skin and still being a overcomer?
Lay down that skin that causes you to sin and become evil, hold your head up high and stand in the shadow of His wings.
Live out the Word and apply it in your own life – allowing it to become your covering.
All glory, honor and power belong to Him, not to the boogie-woogie that stomps in the night.

Mutal Advice & Correction Clement

That being endued with humility and moderation, they may submit not unto us, but to the will of G-d.
Let us receive correction, at which no man ought to repine.
Beloved, the reproof and the correction which we exercise towards one another, is good, and exceeding profitable: for it unites us the more closely to the will of G-d.
For so says the Holy Scripture, the L-rd corrected me, but He did not deliver me over onto death.
For whom the L-rd loves He chasteness, and scourges every son whom He receives.
The righteous, saith He, shall instruct me in mercy and reprove me; but let not oil of sinners make fat my head.
And again He saith, happy is the man whom G-d corrected; therefore despise not tho the chastening of the Almighty.
You shall be hid from the scourge of the tongue; neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.
You shall laugh at the wicked and sinners; then shall you know that your house shall be in peace; and the habitation of your tabernacle shall not err.
You shall come to your grave as the ripe corn, that is taken in due time; like as a shock of corn comes in, in its season.
You see, beloved, how there shall be a defense to those that are corrected of the L-rd. For being a good instructor, He is willing to admonish us by His holy discipline.
Do you therefore who laid the first foundation of this sedition, submit yourselves and be instructed unto repentance, bending the knees of your hearts.
Learn to be subject, laying aside all proud and arrogant boasting of your tongues.
For thus speaks the excellent and all virtuous wisdom, Behold I will pour out the word of My spirit upon you, I will make know My speech unto you.
Because I called and ones would not hear, I stretched out My words and one regarded not.
For that they hated knowledge, and did not seek the fear of the L-rd.
They would not hearken unto My counsel: they despised all My reproof. Therefore shall they eat the fruit of their own ways; and be filled with their own wickedness.
Taken from Clement chapter 23, one of the lost books of the Bible.
I had gone through hard times last week, and then I read this and was encouraged, amazes me that nothing in life is a accident, the timing was perfect.
When having a dispute, both sides of correction can learn to keep your eyes on G-d and offense can not harm you.
Dieing to self means you sees yourself through the Father’s eyes, and then another’s opinion does not penetrate your skin. One has to be tough skin with a soft heart (in the church or in the world), and see the Father in every situation of your life, asking yourself:
Would He be pleased with your actions or words?
Would He be pleased with the other party’s actions or words?
I would go as far as to say if you see the conflict arising: say out loud “Father, You are invited to come as a witness.” That should put all parties in proper respect.
In every situation of life there is a lesson to be learned – did you learn yours?
How could this have been handled better?
What could we do in the future to avoid such conflicts?
Then move ahead and keep pushing in.

The Inner Fight

The battle is not yours but the L-rd’s.
Stop fighting against powers and principalities that you have no control off.
Do you not believe that the good work G-d has done in you – He will bring to pass?
There is no fight like an internal fight that you have with in you that people don’t even know you have it.
It is also painful, personal, and private; today you can bring it to rest in prayer.
“Father in the name of Y’Shua whether they are held by hinder, whether they do it by procrastination or insecurity.
To day we break the yolk and stop this struggle and we seize the power of their current movement that we can move forward with all might and all diligently.
I rebuke that little devil that trip to get in the way.
May every demon take its flight for we are about to give all for His glory and for the advancement of His Kingdom.
May we walk in His Word.

Working out Salvation

[Ecc. 9:10] Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Whatsoever - you have opportunity and ability to do, do it with unwearied delicacy, and energy and mission. There is not only something to be had, but something to be done, in this life, and the chief good we are to enquire after is the good we should do. This is the world of service; that to come is the world of recommence. This is the world of probation and preparation for eternity; we are here upon business, and upon our good behavior.
Hand - (Lev. 12:8.
Opportunity is to direct and quicken duty. That is to be done which our hand finds to do, which occasion calls for; and an active hand will always find something to do that will turn to a good account. What must be done, of necessity, our hand will here find a price in it for the doing of, Prov. 17:16.
Thy might - diligence (Deut. 6:5; Jer. 48:10.
For - You can neither design nor act any thing there tending to your own comfort or advantage.
No work . . . in the grave -(John 9:4; Rev. 14:13). The grave is a land of darkness and silence, and therefore there is no doing any thing for our souls there; it must be done now or never, John 12:35.
Whither you go - Even is you are totally convinced that there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going, you should still put the time you have been allotted under the sun to good use.
1. What good we have an opportunity of doing we must do while we have the opportunity, and do it with our might, with care, vigor, and resolution, whatever difficulties and discouragements we may meet with in it. Harvest-days are busy days; and we must make hay while the sun shines. Serving G-d and working out our salvation must be done with all that is within us, and all little enough.
2. We are often disappointed of the good we had great hopes of, the events, both in public and private affairs, do not always agree even with the most rational prospects and probabilities, however numerous his undertakings. The issue of affairs is often unaccountably cross to every one's expectation, that the highest may not presume, nor the lowest despair, but all may live in a humble dependence upon G-d, from whom every man's judgment proceeds.
3.Duties are ours; events, G-d's. There are times or seasons, casual to men, but known by G-d, in which alone He will give men success. A sovereign Providence breaks men's measures, and blasts their hopes, and teaches them that the way of man is not in himself, but subject to the Divine Will. We must use means, but not trust to them; if we succeed, we must give G-d the praise (Ps. 44:3); if we be crossed, we must comply in His will and take our lot.
4. There is good reason why we should work the works of Him that sent us while it is day, because the night comes, wherein no man can work, John 9:4.
We must up and be doing now with all possible diligence, because our doing-time will be done shortly and we know not how soon. But this we know that, if the work of life be not done when our time is done, we are undone for ever: There is no work to be done, nor device to do it, no knowledge for speculation, nor wisdom for practice, in the grave whither you go.
5. We are all going towards the grave; every day brings us a step nearer to it; when we are in the grave it will be too late to mend the errors of life, too late to repent and make our peace with G-d, too late to lay up any thing in store for eternal life; it must be done now or never.
The soul's play-day is Satan's work-day; the idler the man the busier the tempter.

The Parade

From: "REVIVAL List"
"The PARADE"
-Gary Bixler.
We have been taught no gospel at all. Those of us who sit in the
pews of our comfortable churches and live a life full of the fruits
of self-indulgence and selfish goals and dreams. Those of us
who name the Name of Christ as if we are His people, yet who
bear none of the fruit of His Spirit, show none of His power,
exhibit little of His love and holiness. We proclaim Christ and
yet don't live Christ. We seek for Him and yet don't find Him.
He is a foreigner to us, and a great mystery that we worship
from afar, because we have been taught and followed no gospel
at all.
This gospel that is no gospel requires nothing. It is an easy gospel,
full of the desire for a good life, full of desire for happiness and
security, and prosperity. It is a gospel that says we are fine.
That gives us license to enjoy our affluence...
This gospel that is no gospel has led us down the wide way that
leads to destruction. The vast crowd moves smoothly down the
easy, wide boulevard, lined with trees, bright with sun, bands
playing, kids holding balloons, clowns cavorting, drummers
drumming and baton twirlers performing. This giant parade is
self-propelled, well-orchestrated, and led by a charming group
of men and women decked out in the finest uniforms.
Behind the scenes there are skilled technicians, making sure every
good view reaches the cameras, and every performer in this
spectacular event is doing his job, so that the onlookers at home
and in person can be entertained. There are security forces in
plain-clothes, ready to quietly deal with any strange behavior or
disruption, for the parade must go on, and uninterrupted by
anything out of place or unseemly.
This gospel that is no gospel is a spectator sport. It is a parade
that is carefully prepared each week, by the best paid minds in
the churches. Those with the talent to put it all together, and
create the best show possible. They were hired by the attendees,
the crowds, to please them and to earn their salaries by making
sure that nothing goes wrong or is out of place. To create flow,
and crowd dynamics, and to build everything around a theme
that makes a great point. To achieve a synergy with music and
word that works up to a climax that will bring the audience to its
feet with new vitality and encouragement for the week ahead, so
they can hold onto their gospel until the next parade.
There are smaller parades on television so that the faithful can
get their needed vitality and strength to go on even during the
week. These shows are designed to fill in the gaps between the
parade dates in their own hometowns. They are brightly lit sets
with smiling people, and scripts that are full of this gospel that is
no gospel. The viewers can watch people worshiping, and hear
the parade music, performed by some of the very people who sing
and dance in the real parades. Once in a while somebody tries
to air a show that has another gospel, with some ugly and
distasteful things in it, and preaches a lesser faith without as
much positive in it, but these shows are quickly extinguished
because they don't attract the viewers like the others. The ratings
take care of that problem for the producers.
Unfortunately, to their great future embarrassment, Jesus Christ,
Lord of His Church, doesn't have time for parades. He also doesn't
watch television. He's too busy for that.
For Jesus is on Narrow Road, not Broadway. He is out along the
minor highways and small streets, busy healing the brokenhearted,
the sick, the blind and the lame. He is busy taking care of the
lonely and the afflicted. He is busy spending time with His small
groups of disciples, who are in genuine need of Him. He is with
those who suffer, and are in prison, and are in pain, and on their
knees in their anguish and need for Him. He is with those who
follow Him every moment, and rely on His love and strength and
the power of His Spirit to get them through the day. He is close
to those crushed in spirit, and who have no showmanship or
loveliness of their own to parade around.
Christ is with those who need Him, not those who don't.
For the faithful are mostly poor, and insignificant in the eyes of the
world. The parade goes by many blocks away in their cities.
They can hear the distant drums, and once in a while one of them
ventures toward the parade, but security blocks them before they
can ever get a glimpse, because they are not dressed right, and
are obviously not part of the target market. They might turn on
the television, and see one of the smaller parade shows, but it
only makes them feel worse, as they aren't participating in that
wonderful life, so they turn it off.
The poor in spirit have only Jesus to be with them in this age of
the parade. They hunger and thirst after righteousness, not after
entertainment. They long for Christ, and to know the fellowship
of His suffering, so they can know the joy and power of His
resurrection in their lives. They carry a cross daily, which is the
sign of Jesus' life in them, but which makes them quite unaccept-
able and unattractive to the parade participants and crowds
watching. That's why crosses were banned long ago from parades,
though they are allowed as discreet display on buildings along
the way.
Jesus talks to many who are in the crowd, and some of the
performers in the parade, but it is so hard for them to hear above
the din of the bands and the constant entertainment. Distractions
keep them occupied, and they go back to their easy, comforting
verses and their easy, comfortable gospel that is no gospel.
Jesus gives up and goes back to His lowly people on Narrow Road.
The parade continues. Perhaps only when poverty, or sickness,
or the terrors of war, or the tragedies of life strike, will the parade
pause; and perhaps, if enough of these things occupy the crowds
and the performers and the leaders of this parade, they will be
spending too much time on their knees and crying out to God to
have the parade one week. And then, perhaps they will not have
it the next week. And then, Jesus may come by again, and draw
near to them in their affliction and loneliness, and they will listen,
and hear His voice of love and mercy and He will take them out
to Narrow Road to join with others who are on the Way of Love.
And they will be joyful in tribulation, and find power to live through
suffering. And they will experience the Resurrection Power in their
own lives, together with the faithful, and give up their parade life.
Perhaps it is a choice to leave the parade, and to go it with Jesus.
Few will find it, He said. Will yaou?

Daily Declining

Notice the DD – must be why they say D-Day, the one event comes unto all and the end of the race.
[Ecc. 9:3] This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
There is an evil among all things so it is all little enough to make your passage through this world easy and comfortable: The days of your life are the days of your vanity; there is nothing here but trouble, and disappointment. You will have time enough for sorrow and grief when you can not help it, and therefore live joyfully while you can, and perplex not yourself with thoughts and cares about to-morrow; sufficient to the day is the evil thereof. Let a gracious serenity of mind be a powerful antidote against the vanity of the world.
Prov. 2:18; 9:18. The doctrine of the happiness of the righteous (whatever you may suffer, they and your works are in the hands of G-d, and therefore in good hands, and concludes with the doctrine of the misery of the wicked; however they may prosper, madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Envy not the prosperity of evil-doers:
1. They are now madmen, and all the delights they seem to be blessed with are but like the pleasant dreams and fancies of a distracted man.
They are mad upon their idols (Jer. 50:38), are mad against G-d's people, Acts 26:11.
When the prodigal repented, it is said, He came to himself (Lk. 15:17), which intimates that he had been beside himself before.
2. They will shortly be dead men. They make a mighty noise and bustle while they live, but after awhile, they go to the dead, and there is an end of all their pomp and power; they will then be reckoned with for all their madness and outrage in sin.
Though, on this side death, the righteous and the wicked seem alike, wolves in sheep’s clothing, on the other side death there will be a vast difference between them.
The advantages which the living have above those that are dead in verses 4-6:
1. While there is life there is hope. It is the privilege of the living that they are joined to the living, in relation, business, and conversation, and, while they are so, there is hope. If a man's condition be, upon any account, bad, there is hope it will be amended. If the heart be full of evil, and madness be in it, yet while there is life there is hope that by the grace of G-d there may be a blessed change shaped; but after men go to the dead it is too late then; he that is then filthy will be filthy still, for ever filthy. If men be thrown aside as useless, yet, while they are joined to the living, there is hope that they may yet again take root and bear fruit; he that is alive is, or may be, good for something, but he that is dead, as to this world, is not capable of being any further serviceable. Therefore a living dog is better than a dead lion; the meanest beggar alive has that comfort of this world and does that service to it which the greatest prince, when he is dead, is utterly incapable of.
2. While there is life there is an opportunity of preparing for death: The living knows that which the dead have no knowledge of, particularly they know that they shall die, and are, or may be, thereby influenced to prepare for that great change which will come certainly, and may come suddenly. They know they are under a sentence of death; they are already taken into custody by its messengers, and feel themselves declining.
Whereby we are taught to improve life by following what the Good Book teaches. This is a needful useful knowledge; for what is our business, while we live, but to get ready to die: The living knows they shall die; it is a thing yet to come, and therefore provision may be made for it. The dead know they are dead, and it is too late; they are on the other side the great gulf fixed.
1. There is an end of all our acquaintance with this world and the things of it: The dead know not any thing of that which, while they lived, they were intimately conversant with. It does not appear that they know any thing of what is done by those they leave behind. Abraham is ignorant of us; they are removed into darkness, Job 10:22.
2. There is an end of all our enjoyments in this world: They have no more a reward for their toils about the world, but all they got must be left to others; they have a reward for their holy actions, but not for their worldly ones. The world can only be a pension for life, not a portion for ever.
3. There is an end of our name. There are but few whose names survive them long; the grave is a land of forgetfulness, for the memory of those that are laid there is soon forgotten; their place knows them no more, nor the lands they called by their own names.
4. There is an end of their affections, their friendships and enmities: Their love, and their hatred, and their envy have now perished; the good things they loved, the evil things they hated, the prosperity of others, which they envied, are now all at an end with them. Death parts those that loved one another, and puts an end to their friendship, and those that hated one another too, and puts an end to their quarrels. The person and his actions die together. There we shall be never the better for our friends (their love can do us no kindness), nor ever the worse for our enemies--their hatred and envy can do us no damage. There the wicked cease from troubling. Those things which now so affect us and fill us, which we are so concerned about and so jealous of, will there be at an end.
5. Man's love and hatred can no longer be exercised for good or evil in the same way as on earth; but the fruits of them remain. What he is at death he remains for ever, that all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.
[7] Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
It is our wisdom to make the best use of life that we can while it does last, and manage wisely what remains of it. Let us relish the comforts of life while we live, and cheerfully take our share of the enjoyments of it. We may use the world, but must not abuse it, take what is to be had out of it, and expect no more.
Make this use of what I have said, and get into a better temper of mind, let the ladder days be better than the former.
1. Let thy spirit be easy and pleasant; then let there be joy and a merry heart within, a good heart. We must enjoy ourselves, enjoy our friends, enjoy our G-d, and be careful to keep a good conscience, that nothing may disturb us in these enjoyments. We must serve G-d with gladness, in the use of what He gives us, and be liberal in communicating it to others, and not suffer ourselves to be oppressed with excessive care and grief about the world. We must eat our bread as Believers, with gladness and liberality of heart, Acts 2:46; Deut. 28:47.
2. Make use of the comforts and enjoyments which G-d has given you: Eat your bread, drink your wine, yours, not another, not the bread of deceit, nor the wine of violence, but that which is honestly got, else you can not eat it with any comfort nor expect a blessing upon it--your bread and your wine, such as are agreeable to your place and station, not extravagantly above it nor basely below it; lay out what G-d has given you for the ends for which you art entrusted with it, as being but a steward.
3. Our first care must be to make our peace with G-d, and obtain His favor, to do that which He will accept of. Your own worshiping services, when performed with holy joy, are pleasing to G-d; He loves to have His servants sing at their work, it proclaims Him a good Master.