Title: Happy Man / Ecclesiastes 2:26
Contents Happy man / Ecclesiastes 2:26
Key Verse: “He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. To the sinner he gives toil and builds up to give to those who please God. But this is also vanity, a chasing after wind” (verse 26).
Word: Are you happy? Are you living with happiness? Some people do not seem happy from the outside, but there are people who scream of happiness, while others live with tears of unhappiness even with perfect conditions. What can explain this? To be happy in a single-room rental room and to be unhappy in a house like an bang-gung, this is God's providence and justice for people. The poet Myeong-hee Song praised God for being fair. We are not rich either. He's not even a global figure. Nevertheless, you can be happy enough.
Please meditate on the text again. In the text, the blessings for those who are pleasing to God are listed. Who is God's favorite person in the text? In verse 24, it is called “a person who finds satisfaction in himself in what he eats and drinks and in his toil”. He is not a person who prays as often as we are familiar with, nor is he a person who has had many mystical experiences. I don't even know much about the Bible. This is not to say that prayer, the Bible, and mystical experience are unnecessary or incapable. It is impossible to eat, drink, and feel rewarded in what you do without prayer, the Word, and meeting with God as the foundation.
The problem is that we mistakenly believe that prayer, the Word, and meeting with God are everything. This is the foundation. If the ground is abundant, of course, the fruit should be abundant as well. Are you satisfied with what you eat and drink and with your job? Are you happy with yourself and enjoying yourself? This is what a truly happy person looks like in the text. That is why the text says that all that people labor and strive for is in vain. It is said to be like the wind. It's like trying to catch the wind. Why are you so busy? Are you too busy to look back on your life and take care of your family? Are you so busy that you do not have time for prayer, the Word, and meeting with God, which are the foundations of your life? Please listen to God's Word before your efforts turn into vain. Love a happy life. Be content with what you eat and drink and with your work. Hallelujah!
Prayer: May God bless those who please God, not the work of sinners. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Lord's Prayer