READING FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2025: ECCLESIASTES 10, ACTS 12, PSALM 102:12-18 ECCLESIASTES 10 Solomon’s image of dead flies ruining the perfume, reminds us of the com- mon expression a “fly in the ointment.” We’ve all experienced that frustration, so we get the idea of the problem a little foolishness can create in any situation. Solomon suggests that a fool is pretty evident to all. Even if that is so, believers in the Bible should treat all people with respect because they are made in God’s image: “We bless our Lord and Father, and with it [the tongue] we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way” (James 3:9-10). Solomon states he has seen foolish people in places of leadership while rich people assume humble positions. The first part likely doesn’t surprise us. He sees this as a great evil that is part of our messed-up world.
Solomon suggests the projects upon which we are working so hard may be the very occasions for our fall from favor. Have any of us accomplished a goal we thought was great only to be criticized or experience something worse because of it. The greatest example of course is Jesus being mocked and beaten for loving the world by coming to free us from sins.
As he did in the Proverbs, Solomon warns about talking too much, a characteristic of the fool. Perhaps we as a culture should become more comfortable with quiet spaces in conversation. Another characteristic of the fool is that he/she easily tires when working. The meaning probably is that the fool is just lazy. Later on, it mentions this behavior is the cause of sagging walls and leaky roofs—probably sloppy thinking as well. When a leader is too young and inex- perienced, it usually is a problem. Those institutions whose leaders are noble and diligent are blessed. All this and the last two verses just describe the way the world works under the sun.
- Verse 19: We all enjoy a good meal, perhaps a glass of wine to cheer us up, and suffici- ent money to solve day-to-day problems. There is nothing wrong here, in moderation.
- Verse 20: When we severely criticize (even curse) a leader, the word usually gets back to that leader. It is amazing how this works.
ACTS 12 It appears a year had passed since Jesus was crucified. Some things had changed dramatically, and some things were the same. The resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit changed the equation for Jesus’s followers. Now Peter was both courageous and purposeful. Now the church knew the power of prayer, having seen countless answers. A year ago, Herod examined Jesus and found no reason to crucify him (Luke 23:15). Since then, Herod had James executed apparently because it pleased the Jewish leadership. This attitude of
READING FOR SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 CONTINUED: ACTS 12, PSALM 102:12-28 Herod to do what enabled him to stay in power rather than the “right” thing is one thing that hadn’t changed. Also, the Jewish leadership’s desire to squash this movement hadn’t changed.
Who was more powerful: the soldiers and the prison chains or the believers praying intensely? Let’s reconsider the resources at our disposal in the power of prayer. There are angels ready to help us break out of situations we assumed are forever locked in place. Let’s pray and allow them to act. Peter, who a year ago cowered before a young girl, bravely followed the angel out of jail even though he was half asleep. Rhoda was both a slave and part of the praying group. All the social implications aren’t clear and are likely complex, but we know she was quick to believe and was overjoyed. Peter, almost comically, had to keep knocking to get their attention. Then he asks that word be sent to James, who we assume is the Lord’s half-brother. Herod, like most leaders, needed someone other than himself to be held accountable and executed the guards. He, however, was held accountable by God when he did not disavow being worshipped as a god.
The following is from Josephus’s Antiquities of the Jews: “[Herod’s] flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, (though not for his good,) that he was a god ...Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery... A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner... And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age.”
PSALM 102:12-18 These verses confirm that if one’s underlying theology (or understanding of God) is correct, personal trauma will eventually lessen. The first 11 verses were completely depressing, although largely accurate about God and the world. Now the Psalmist sees that his current personal despair doesn’t discount God overarching faithfulness to His people. Even as he prays regarding his own pain, he reaffirms that God is compassionate to His people. He knows God will support His people against their oppressors--not only in the immediate future but for generations yet unborn. In fact, he is confident that other nations will eventually come to fear God based upon how He has established His people. It is interesting that as the Psalmist moves his focus away from his own concerns to identify more with the people of God, his confidence in God’s eventually deliverance grows. Let’s explore this approach to our problems by considering our identity within God’s people, both in Yorktown and globally.
