From the series "A word to the Wise" from Ecclesiastes.
Key Verses: Ecclesiastes 3:15-17; 4:1-3; 5:8-9; 8:9-14; 12:14
There’s so much beauty and goodness in the world but just when we’re enjoying it, hardship and tragedy has a habit of striking. Just like smoke which appears solid but quickly disperses when we try and grab hold of it. A lot of people carry a strong sense of justice but ‘bad’ things happen to ‘good’ people all the time which can cause disillusionment or at the very least, confusion. Oppression makes life bitter, sorrowful and destroys people and it’s often people or groups in positions of power who are culpable. A significant part of the closing poem highlights that it is God’s intention to bring every deed into judgment, whether good or bad. This should hopefully inspire us to cultivate lives of honesty and integrity, with the confidence that the injustices we and others experience in this life will be brought under God’s judgement.
Erica Richmond 13/8/2023