ThisVerseFitz relating to modern times, “TOILING AWAY”, striving after wind, Vanity and Wisdom versus Foolishness.
On this seventeenth Sunday of 2025, April 27, we enter the book of Ecclesiastes. Going back to the beginning of this journey, we said we didn’t choose the order in which we’re reading the Bible. We were actually entering First Corinthians and listening to the audio version at the gym. We wanted to make “17” an interesting one because of the significance of “17” and it will be the last “ThisVerseFitz” added to “Multi-MEGA MAGAscenes”. At the gym, the First Corinthians book ended and I was unable to change the audio in the middle of exercising. Ecclesiastes came on next. It had such a powerful and intriguing introduction, I had to let it play out and add it as “17” in place of First Corinthians. First Corinthians will be 18.
Comically we have compared the book to a “permanent Xanax”, meaning it gives a feeling of being care free. No matter what we do here on earth, the same ending will pretty much play out. Not to say we should live in sin and destruction. Follow the commandments and do your best to make it the best place it can be. Don’t be vane and chase after the wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:14-18 – “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”
The story is told by a Qohelet (Teacher), a descendant of David, a King of Jeruselem. He speaks from his experiences and he has great wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 2:14 – “The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.
He compares the wise and the fools and, in the end, they all end up in the same place.
Ecclesiastes 2:20-21 – “So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it.”
Some people work their lives away (known as toiling) and do not find the time to enjoy any moments. Of course, you aren’t able to live without working at all (unless you’re in government). But this King expresses how he has built many beautiful things and when he’s gone, it is possible all he has created will be left to lazy fools. We felt it might be more enjoyable to leave behind our thoughts and truths.
Before the Byrds wrote Turn! Turn! Turn! the lyrics were in Ecclesiastes:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 4:4-5 – “Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This is also vanity and striving after wind. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.”
Ecclesiastes 5:5 – “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.”
Ecclesiastes 5:10 – “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this is also vanity.”
There will always be people trying to cut you down. Be comfortable in what you’re doing if it is the right thing.
Ecclesiastes 7:21 – “Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.”
Ecclesiastes 9:11 – “Wisdom Better Than Folly – Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance to happen to them all.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 – “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
In the end it is all God’s will. Although in our books and drawings, we feel we are calling out what is good and what is evil. What we do here is temporary and if we can get someone to smile or shed some small light in the darkness, maybe our existence meant something. We beat ourselves up trying to figure out why good things happen to bad people and why bad things happen to good people. It will always happen. We can only have faith that all will balance when we travel beyond this temporary existence. While we’re here, we should honor the basic commandments.
“God Search in Words” works exactly as a normal “Word Search” with a somewhat higher level of difficulty given the Biblical terms. Once all the words are found, the leftover letters repeat a phrase 5.6 times (meaning the phrase is present 5 times and 6 letters of the phrase are left over). We call this the “AfterPuzzle”.
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