Wisdom of Ecclesiastes, Part II

More wisdom from Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 7:10
10 Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.

This is one I had not noticed before. I guess I need to watch my mouth, although it's hard to not say such things, considering the liberalization of general society.

Ecclesiastes 7:16-18
16 Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise—why destroy yourself? 17 Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool— why die before your time? 18 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.

As my Christian convictions seem to turn more and more conservative in the Biblical sense, this is something I need to keep in mind. The more different I get from everybody else, the more I am tempted to look down on others because of my own perceived "wisdom." Interesting to see that it is not good for man to be too wise.

Ecclesiastes 10:2
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

LOL. Possibly a political statement? Admittedly, the left has a *few* things with which I agree...but for the most part I find them quite disagreeable. One might define "liberal" as "open to new ideas." But as Ecclesiastes states, there is nothing new under the sun. I am not open to ideas that clash with the Bible. I *AM* bound by tradition, and I seek to *conserve* the tradition of Biblical morality.

Ecclesiastes 10:19
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.

Not exactly the sort of stuff I expect to find in the Bible, but I'm probably missing some context. There's still wisdom in that statement though, I'm sure.

Ecclesiastes 11:3-4

3 If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie. 4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

I take this to mean that whoever waits for the perfect conditions in life will never end up accomplishing anything. Perfect conditions will never happen, as long as we Christians are still living in our earthly bodies.