READING FOR SEPTEMBER 22, 2025: ECCLESIASTES 9, ACTS 11, PSALM 102:1-11 ECCLESIASTES 9 Solomon is starting to draw overall conclusions based upon everything he has stated in the first eight chapters and perhaps his life up until then. He is still decidedly under the sun in his outlook. Whether we do good or evil in life, we will all end up in the same place: death. Of course, he is right as far as he goes. But the writer of the Hebrews goes one step further: “It is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). So, the Bible says there is something beyond the sun, but what happens there relates to what we did here. “Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). All of a sudden, this earthly life has eternal significance. It is not all futility.
All the despairing comments Solomon makes in verses 2-6 are absolutely true if indeed death is the total end. Those who deny God have no great reason for living a life of service to others. It’s good for the world that some do, but there is no compelling reason for being altruistic. The more logical choice is to focus on enjoying our short, meaningless life while we can. Have a family, eat good food, and maximize pleasure now in this meaningless world. The best runner does not always win the race of life. Nor can the wise person accumulate wealth that lasts. At any moment death can grab us, just as a net captures a fish or a bird is trapped in a snare.
This line of thought is totally valid if the starting premise is that there is no God. Solomon really does us a service in stating it plainly. By contrast, the assertion of John Lennon’s 1971 song “Imagine” that the world would live as one if there was no God is totally at odds with his own lived experience as he, himself, expressed in his last major interview: "I used to be cruel to my woman, and physically – any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women. That is why I am always on about peace" (David Sheff 1981). But why would an unbelieving world behave better than he did as an unbeliever?
Verses 13-18 tell a fascinating story about a great king threatening a town with few inhabi- tants, one of which was a poor wise man. Despite all odds, somehow the poor man saved the town by his wisdom. However, this man was soon forgotten about, even in his town. Thus, Sol- omon determines wisdom is better than strength, even in war. Yet no one really cares about a poor man and all his good work can easily be undone by one fool. This is so true under the sun. But Jesus said, “Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” (Matt. 10:42). In Life Beyond the Sun.
ACTS 11 There is a cliche that is often true: “No good deed goes unpunished.” Peter, against his initial misgivings, entered a Gentile home, preached the Gospel, and baptized those who clearly had been born again. Once the word got out, he was criticized. To be fair to the critics, this was a deviation from the Old Testament, and they were not privy to the details of God
READING FOR SEPTEMBER 22, 2025 CONTINUED: ACTS 11, PSALM 102:1-11
revealing new truth. They were right to seek verification. Peter’s approach was also great. There was no defensiveness, but he calmly walked through all the events for them. This is a model for how the church should handle new directions. One detail worth considering relates to prophecy. Peter stated: “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit (vs. 15-16). This is what the angels said to the women at the tomb: ‘Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.’ And they remembered His words” (Luke 24:6-8). Here the disciples recall Jesus’s prophecy: “So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken” (John 2:21-22). In each case, the prophecy from before was recalled as it was being fulfilled. Might that be the greatest value of prophecy? Recognizing God’s plan when being fulfilled, not guessing about details before they are fulfilled. This strengthens our belief.
Keep watching how the Gospel spreads. The persecution of Stephen led to the Jewish Christians fleeing Jerusalem. Those who went directly to Antioch only shared the Gospel to other Jews. However, some Jewish Christians came to Antioch from Cypress (Mediterranean Island) and Cyrene (northern Africa) and shared the Gospel to non-Jews. Folks started getting saved. Again, Jerusalem sent out a trusted person to investigate. This time Barnabus. He not only validated their faith, but he brought Saul from Tarsus to Antioch so together they could strengthen the church. Antioch also was notable for coining the word “Christian” and for being the site of Agabus's prophecy about an upcoming famine. This led to the Judean relief fund.
PSALM 102:1-11 In the first two verses, the Psalmist asks essentially the same thing five times in five ways: “Please listen, God.” Maybe he kept trying to get help from many other sources before or sensed God hadn’t listened. Either way, he’s desperate to be noticed. At the bottom of all our concerns, maybe we sense we aren’t noticed. Or maybe we think we are noticed only for how we can be used by others to get what they want, not for who we are. The Psalmist surfaces these feelings so they can be examined. He sees they have led to a loss of appetite, insomnia, destructive relationships, depression, and lack of purpose in life. He believes the cause of all this is spiritual and, somehow, he has provoked God’s wrath on him. Without evaluating each of these feelings, what does he certainly get right in the first eleven verses?
- Approaches God with his pain.
- Realizes that earthly life is short.
- Considers his enemies as formidable opponents.
- Believes that God’s wrath exists, and that God is ultimately in control.
Keep in mind that there are 16 verses remaining, but the above 4 points are good theology.
