Steve Webb 0:00 Well, that's almost more than he can bear. Steve Webb 0:03 This is the Lifespring! One Year Bible and podcasting since 2004. I'm Steve Webb, your OG Godcaster. It's poetry Thursday, and we're going to begin the book of Ecclesiastes with chapters one and two. I'm calling the episode The search for meaning. The website is Lifespringmedia.com. and I'll have contact information at the end of the show. This is the final episode before my vacation. Beginning tomorrow, you'll be hearing episodes that I recorded ahead of time so that you would continue to have fresh episodes, there won't be any rewrites. For several weeks, I've been doing an episode here and an episode bear to fill the queue up for you. You see how I tried to take care of you. But seriously, the lovely lady Liana and I have been looking forward to this vacation for a very long time. We're taking an Alaskan cruise and then after the cruise, we'll be spending a few days on land in Alaska before coming home. I've wanted to visit Alaska since I was a boy, I had a cousin that moved from California to Alaska. and since then, I have wanted to go, hopefully, I'll have a story or two to tell you about the trip when we get back and I begin producing new shows for you. Okay, so let's get on with the show, shall we? Before we read, let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for our time together today. I pray, Lord, that You would teach us Father and bless us as we read. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, are you ready? Let's begin. Steve Webb 1:32 Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon, the same King Solomon who wrote the book of Proverbs. and like proverbs. Ecclesiastes is classified as a book of poetry. Sometimes it's called a book of Wisdom. But you'll very quickly see that Solomon's approach is much different here. I don't want to give away too much right now. But I do want to say that it's important to stick with this book right up to the end. Don't be held early and don't draw conclusions early. This is a book that requires patience on the part of the reader. Steve Webb 2:05 Ecclesiastes, chapter one. These are the words from the teacher, a son of David and King of Jerusalem. Everything is so meaningless. The teacher says that it is all a waste of time. Do people really gain anything from all the hard work they do in this life? People live and people die, but the earth continues forever. The sun rises and the sun goes down, and then it hurries to rise again in the same place, the wind blows to the south, and the wind blows to the north, the wind blows around and around, then it turns and blows back to the place it began. All rivers flow again and again to the same place. They all flow to the sea, but the sea never becomes full. Words cannot fully explain things. But people continue speaking. Words come again and again to our ears, but our ears don't become full. and our eyes don't become full of what we see. All things continue the way they have been since the beginning. and the same things will be done that have always been done. There is nothing new in this life. Someone might say, Look, this is new. But the thing has always been here. It was here before we were people don't remember what happened long ago. In the future, they will not remember what is happening now. and later. Other people will not remember what the people before them did. i The teacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I decided to study and to use my wisdom to learn about everything that is done in this life. I learned that it is a very hard thing that God has given us to do. I looked at everything done on earth, and I saw that it is all a waste of time. It is like trying to catch the wind. If something is crooked, you cannot say it is straight. and if something is missing, you cannot say it is there. I said to myself, I'm very wise. I'm wiser than all the kings who ruled Jerusalem before me. I know what wisdom and knowledge really are. I decided to learn how wisdom and knowledge are better than thinking foolish thoughts. But I learned that trying to become wise is like trying to catch the wind. With much wisdom comes frustration. and the one who gains more wisdom also gains more sorrow. Steve Webb 4:30 Ecclesiastes chapter two. I said to myself, I should have fun. I should enjoy everything as much as I can. But I learned that this also was useless. It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun does not do any good. So I decided to fill my body with wine while I filled my mind with wisdom. I tried this foolishness because I wanted to find a way to be happy. and I wanted to see what was good for people to do during their few days of life. Then I began doing great things. I built houses and I planted vineyard for myself. I planted gardens and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees, I made pools of water for myself, and I use them to water my growing trees. I bought men and women slaves, and they were slaves born in my house, I owned many great things. I had herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, I owned more things than any other person in Jerusalem did. I also gathered silver and gold for myself. I took treasures from kings and their nations, I had men and women singing for me, I had everything any man could want. I became very rich and famous. I was greater than anyone who lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom was always there to help me. Anything my eyes saw and wanted by God for myself, my mind was pleased with everything I did. and this happiness was the reward for all my hard work. But then I looked at everything I had done and the wealth I had gained. I decided it was all a waste of time, it was like trying to catch the wind. and there is nothing to gain from anything we do in this life. Then I decided to think about what it means to be wise or to be foolish, or to do crazy things. and I thought about the one who will be the next king, the new king will do the same as the Kings before him. and I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness. In the same way that light is better than darkness. Wise people use their minds like eyes to see where they're going. But for fools it is if they were walking in the dark. I also saw that fools and wise people both end the same way. I thought to myself, the same thing that happens to a fool will also happen to me. So why have I tried so hard to become wise, I said to myself, being wise is also useless. Whether people are wise or foolish, they will still die, and no one will remember either one of them forever. In the future, people will forget everything both of them did. So the two really are the same. This made me hate life. It was depressing to think that everything in this life is useless. Like trying to catch the wind. I began to hate all the hard work I had done, because I saw that the people who live after me would get the things that I worked for, I will not be able to take them with me. Some other person will control everything I worked and studied for. and I don't know if that person will be wise or foolish. This is also senseless. So I became sad about all the work I had done. People can work hard using all their wisdom and knowledge and skill, but they will die and other people will get the things they worked for. They did not do the work but they will get everything that makes me very sad. It is also not fair. It is senseless. What do people really have after all their work and struggling in this life. throughout their life, they have pain, frustrations, and hard work. Even at night, a person's mind does not rest. This also is senseless. There is no one who has tried to enjoy life more than I have. and this is what I learned. The best thing people can do is eat, drink and enjoy the work they must do. I also saw that this comes from God. If people do good and please God, he will give them wisdom, knowledge and joy. But those who sin will only get the work of gathering and caring things God takes from the bad person and gives to the good person. But all this work is useless. It is like trying to catch the wind. Steve Webb 8:59 Well after reading the first few chapters, what do you think Solomon sounds pretty jaded and world weary? Doesn't he almost makes you want to just give up right? Well, no bail on him just yet. There's a reason that Ecclesiastes is in the Bible. But it takes a little while to discover what that reason is. It's not a long book, there's only 12 chapters. Now for those that don't know Solomon was the son of King David. That's the David of the David and Goliath story. and after David slew Goliath, he grew up to become king of Israel. Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes became king after David died in his old age. Now, when Solomon became king, he asked God not for military might or great wealth, but wisdom in order to rule Israel well, and God was so pleased with this prayer that he not only made Solomon, the wisest man that had ever lived, but also the richest with every other gift that could be desired. Now, as he writes this book, he's well along in years, and he's seen it all. And with all of his wisdom and all of his wealth and possession, he's found that life is empty. money, fame and power have not brought him happiness, beautiful homes, good wine, the ability to have anything that his heart desired, have only made him angry and sad. The thought of working his entire life to achieve these things, only to have to leave it all behind for someone else who didn't work for them. Well, that's almost more than he can bear. and so he sums it up by saying that it's all useless or meaningless. Something tells me that Solomon would probably not be invited as a keynote speaker to many places. Well, as I said, Hang around to see how this progresses. and please don't let Solomon depress you. God is still on the throne. He still loves you in Jesus is still the savior of men's and women's souls. Do you have a comment or a question? While I'm on vacation, I won't be checking my email. I'm going to be as unplugged as I can be. But don't let that keep you from commenting. When I get back, we'll get all caught up. So send those Boostagram 's and comments in via the links I'll tell you about at the end of the show. Tomorrow will be prophecy Friday, and we'll read the book of Habakkuk three chapters. Steve Webb 11:19 James in Norway is our associate producer today he said in his monthly $20 donation. Thank you, James. God bless you. Hey, did you ever notice that bills come in no matter what's going on in life? Yeah, so even on vacation, I still need your support. Beloved, if you are receiving something of value from the show, please return some value, time, talent or treasure. Here's where you can find out more. Please pray about it. Jingle 11:46 Lifespringmedia.com/support Steve Webb 11:48 I'll thank you and I believe that God will bless you. Steve Webb 11:56 Well, here's how you can reach me. Besides sending a Boostagram with a modern podcast app, you can call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1-951-732-8511 Or if you have a comment or a question, go to comment.lifespringmedia.com or if you have a praise report or a prayer request, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com and lastly, my email address is Steve at Lifespringmedia.com dot com Steve Webb 12:30 once again brother Scott did today's album art. Thank you again brother Scott. Thanks also to Sister Denise Michael Haner, Jason Paschall and sister Brittaney for their donations of time and talent. Thanks for hanging out with me today. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. Now. I'll be right in your ears like always, until tomorrow until we meet again. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb, by James Cooper 12:59 all the programs in the Lifespringmedia.com family are made possible by the generous gifts of people like you Transcribed by https://otter.ai