PPic: Oberon Golf Course - Links Pro Am 2006

PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

Study 6: 28/04/2009

Ecclesiastes Ch 2:12-16

“Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can a kings successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realise that the same fate overcomes them both. Then I thought in my heart, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain from being wise”? I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless”. For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in the days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die.”(Ecclesiastes Chapter 2: verses 12 to 16) NIV.

Why Do Right?

Is there any advantage in doing what we know to be right over that which we know is wrong? How do we feel when we see those succeed who are crooks in our society? I know of one case where a golfer will not play for his club because he believes there are cheats in his club. Is it worthwhile to make a stance such as this when you may be the only one who cares?

Our author this week clearly sees that wisdom is better than foolishness, that light is better than darkness. In golf there is clearly the time to take your medicine and chip back out on the fairway. The fool tries the impossible shot all the time. Likewise when we succeed in life and prosper; we can waste away our profits like the prodigal son in Luke Chapter 15: verses 11-31 or use them wisely.  What really annoys our author is that the same fate comes both to the wise and foolish; they both will die and meet the same end. There seems to be no advantage in being wise and doing right. Also, his opinion is that both the wise and foolish are both forgotten in future days. At funerals we often hear the sentiment that a person will continue to live on in the hearts of the family remaining. This is certainly true, but the reality is that beyond that one generation, most memories of us all will be lost, unless we write something down or in our modern age, take a video recording.

I can understand the frustrations of our author. Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be any difference or advantage when you try to do the right thing; in fact it can be a disadvantage.

We acknowledge our author is limited in his world view. While he sees God at work or at times absent in this life, he doesn’t think of life after the grave.
Jesus came to bring more light into our world and while we still live in some darkness in this life, Jesus says all things will come to light one day. This means there is a time of judgment after we die, a time when everything done under the sun will be exposed. Then there will be seen that there is a difference between wisdom and foolishness, darkness and light and it will matter. Jesus said:  “I am the light of the world; he who believes in me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life”.  John Chapter 8: verse 12.

Is there then any advantage in being wise and doing right? In this life sometimes it doesn’t seem to be much at all, but because Jesus rose from the dead, everything we do matters.

Prayer - Lord God, help me to be wise rather than a fool in how I live my life.  Amen.

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