The Book of Ecclesiastes

Chapter 12 (ESV)

My Preamble

I began studying the Bible 3-4 months ago. I self-identify as a Christian, but I am still quite new on my journey.

I know there are Bibles available that include commentary. I am intentionally not using one of these for my first pass of the Bible, which I hope to complete by the end of 2025.

In this article, I add my commentary, which may be right or wrong. But this is how I understand it at this point of my journey.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

~ When the hard time comes, embrace it with acceptance because it is your faith being tested.

If God is testing your faith, this is great because you really know in that moment you have God’s attention. That thought made me feel quite special, to be honest.

By enduring the test (a trying time) in its entirety, you will be lacking in nothing for what is forthcoming.

Don’t try to hack your way around these times of trials, because you are doing yourself a disservice in doing so.

I.e. Dulling the senses with drugs, alcohol or distracting yourself in dealings of sexual immorality during these trials, will (perhaps) make them needlessly harder for you and to you then they could have been or needed to be.

I think of my dogs while doing drills. If the corrections are faint or subtle, they take longer to learn the drill or the behavior I want from them, compared to more stern corrections. Stern corrections make lessons stick quicker.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

~ When these times of trial are upon you, ask God for the wisdom and guidance to get you through them and trust that he will deliver, generously.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

~ However, when you do make this ask (of wisdom and guiddance) to God, do it with no doubt in your heart and know that he will provide.

Because, having doubts about what God can and will provide is like a stranded ship sending an SOS signal to nowhere.

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

~ The one who makes the ask of God with doubt in his heart is something like a liar or a person that reaches out to God as the Plan A Solution, but in his heart he’s got a Plan B and C.

If you have a back up plan to get you through the times of trial, you basically don’t have trust in your God and you are therefore “double-minded” and “unstable" inconsistent in your ways of being.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.

~ The one that doesn’t believe in the power of God and does not trust in God’s will, is the lowly brother.

And the lowly brother will pat himself on the back because he thinks he’s done something meaningful, important, like passed a trial or endured that hardship.

But his betters or his neighbors that do have the wisdom or personal experience of those trials, understand how they themselves were able to endure and pass those trials (probably someone older than you, or has a title higher than yours) will laugh at you.

They laugh watching you push against the wall while on a treadmill and you think you are actually moving the wall, making the room bigger or making progress. When in actuality you are doing nothing.

For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes.

~ Like a flower of the grass, in time you will submit and “God’s will be done”.

That trial you thought you triumphed over, it's a temporary delusion and you’ll eventually come around to endure the originally intended real trial and you will submit to God’s will. Otherwise, perish in hell you will.

So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

~ But hey, don’t feel bad about that peril when it eventually comes around to claim its (successful completion) certificate, because the rich man will face the same withering and fading away in the end. Likely because, he did not love and counsel the lowly brother, he did not try to help you as Jesus would have done, but instead scoffed at you.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

~ This line is pretty self-explanatory “embrace the trial, submit and trust in God when you ask for his guidance, love him and you will be blessed.

Thing to keep in mind though is that God operates on HIS own timeline, not yours. Which means the blessings may not be in your lifetime. The hardship trial you endure may be for the benefit of your children, grandchildren or even a neighbor long after you’ve transitioned to the afterlife. But that’s not what’s important. What is important is that in the end you will have God’s blessing because you loved and trusted him, so your reward is acceptance into his kingdom.

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

~ If you are wondering whether a “thing” is what God intends for you and that thing is evil, know that it is not of God. Because evil and sin repulse God. But know that it is the devil tempting you.

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin,

and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

~ The Devil uses your (personal) desires to tempt you and those desires become sins.

And those sins will doom you to hell.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

~ If it is not a sin, wickedness or evil (you really need to know what's in the Bible to discern good from evil), then rest assured it is from God above.

Unlike the shadows from your bedroom lamp, sun or the moon, with shifting shadows depending on the time of day or where you stand, the shadows of God’s light never change. The shadows of his light are constant.

“firstfruits” = originality, authenticity and uniqueness.

Our paths to the kingdom of God are like a fingerprint. While the desired destination may be the same for all believers, our paths are unique.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

~ This verse is what prompted me to bookmark the chapter for a deeper dive and publish this article.

I think it's pretty self explanatory.

Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

~ (you really need to know what's in the Bible to discern good from evil)

You want to be accepted into God’s kingdom in the afterlife, KNOW THE BIBLE AND MAKE IT YOUR DAILY OPERATING MANUAL.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

~ If you know what’s in the bible, you are being asked to live it in your daily lives. Not just when you are in prayer or meditation modes.

You are being asked to live in these words every moment of your day and life with everyone you encounter.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.

For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

~ If you know it and don’t live it, you are a hearer, not a doer and your habits in the world, around your family and neighbors will not change and you therefore will quickly forget what God expects of you.

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

~ If you embrace the trials, do not hack your way into a passing grade, take shortcuts, or cheat your way into getting that “trial certificate of successful completion”.

And you endured the trial in the same manner Jesus endured his trials, you will be blessed.

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

~If you know the Bible’s teachings and you are slow to listen, quick to speak and quick to anger, you are deceiving yourself and your beliefs or faith are empty and worthless.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this:

to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

~ To be religious is to basically mimic the way Jesus is or was during his time on earth.

WWJD - What would Jesus Do?!

That is all.

Thanks for reading.