The first half of Ecclesiastes 2 is a soul-searching, eye-opening read. Consider Solomon’s view: “I said in my heart, ‘Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure’; but surely, this also was vanity…I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine…till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven…
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Let's Go Back to the Bible
Posts by David Sproule (Page 256)
It is claimed to be an old Scottish proverb—“Confession is good for the soul.” However, the Scotts had nothing to do with the origin of this practice nor of estimating its value. Confession of sins and of wrongs was introduced and emphasized by God in the days of the Old Testament and maintained as a necessary and valuable practice into the Christian…
There is absolutely nothing wrong, as you might expect, with increasing in knowledge and wisdom. In fact, Bible readers are urged, “Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding” (Prov. 4:7). However, an imbalance with this as a priority in life can be devastating. Look at Solomon’s inspired reflection on this matter. “I set my heart to seek and search…
“Wheel of Fortune” is one of my family’s favorite shows to watch together, as we all enjoy guessing and helping each other get the answer (and it’s one of the few “clean” shows on TV anymore, usually). When the contestant is someone that we want to win, we hate to see that person spin the wheel and land on “Lose a Turn”…
When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem, the walls of the city remained in ruins. After surveying the work to be done, Nehemiah challenged the leaders and the people to “rise up and build…The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build” (Neh. 2:18, 20). The Bible records, “Then they set their hands to this good work”…
The word “complain” (or a form thereof) is found more than fifty times in the Bible, most of which are in the Old Testament. Where do you think we read the word for the first time in Scripture? The first forty years of Israel’s history after deliverance from Egypt could be summarized in one word—“complaining.” The first time the word is found…
It is interesting to read accounts in Scripture when men were doing things “for God” (or so they thought or claimed), but God made it known that it was not actually “for Him.” “Cain brought an offering…to the Lord…but He did not respect Cain and his offering” (Gen. 4:3-5). King Saul “felt compelled and offered a burnt offering,” but he was told,…
It’s amazing how in a ball game that, from many spectators’ and players’ perspective, the score and the outcome are always the referee’s fault. Every call the referees make is always the wrong one and is always against your team. If your team loses the game, it is never because of your team’s play, but always someone else’s fault. Recently I listened…