Psalm 95 has been set to music, and we sometimes sing this as a popular praise song. I find the song to be beautiful, and I am often encouraged to sing along with it when I hear it. Indeed, God “is our Maker” (verse 6), and therefore, we must realize that He owns us - we are not our own. This is a truth that few people ever consider – much less – contemplate. Nevertheless, to walk intimately with God, it is a truth that we need to incorporate in our hearts and minds. Every morning, as I pray, I am reminded to recognize, acknowledge, and honor God’s majesty over His universe and His creation because He “is the great God - the great King above all” (verse 3). “In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is His – He made it” (verses 4-5). Truly, everything is “under His care” (verse 7). In this Psalm, He warns us not to “harden our hearts” against Him like the Israelites did “in the desert at Meribah and Massah” (verse 8; cf., Exodus 17:7). As a result of God’s anger, they forfeited their rest.
In Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:12, Solomon talks about wisdom and civil obedience. One of the purposes of this book is to point out to us that sin’s invasion into the world is actually the cause of every meaningless situation described in the book. God is reminding us here that no meaninglessness could possibly exist in a sinless world. He is saying that, by choosing to sin, we brought meaninglessness into the world and on ourselves at the first rebellion. As an example of this, consider that “sorrow is better than laughter” (cf., Ecclesiastes 7:3). That seems like an absurd statement - a meaningless absurdity. How could it be possible or even true? In a sinless world (i.e., in heaven), sorrow could not exist, because sorrow is a by-product of sin and sinful people. There is no sorrow in heaven. And here on earth, who wouldn’t choose laughter over sorrow? Thus, the book is teaching us what our earthly lives would have been like had Adam and Eve not rebelled against God. And this is equally true of “a sad face … the heart and song of fools … extortion and bribes … anger … thoughts of the better old days … the righteous man perishing, and the wicked living long in their wickedness” (verses 3-15). Solomon says, “No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning” (cf., Ecclesiastes 8:17). Hence, this book is revealing that, since Adam and Eve, disobedience and rebellion have represented man’s attempt to have things his way rather than God’s, and that’s exactly what we have. We have it our way, and we have paid dearly for our selfish and wayward insistence. The sad result of our choice is meaninglessness. Back in the garden, it was a sorry exchange that our first parents made with Satan.
In 1 Corinthians 7:36-8:13, Paul basically agrees with Solomon. Here, Paul addresses the sixth major problem of the Corinthians – offensive behavior – specifically that which is the result of a “know-it-all” with his “puffed up knowledge” (verse 1). Paul informs us that “the man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know” (verse 2). This passage is fully consistent with the general teachings of all Scripture – God reveals throughout the Bible that mankind simply does not know what he thinks he knows. We are ignorant about many subjects – including those that we know nothing about! In matters of epistemology and knowing – how does anyone know anything at all? And, what's worse … how do we know that we really know? Doctors, neurologists, and brain surgeons; teachers, experts, and rocket scientists – people who are supposed to know and expected to know – if they are truly honest about all that they know – are often forced to admit, “I don’t know.” In fact, the vast amount of knowledge that we don’t know is much greater than the little we do know. This topic continues into chapter 11, so Paul will say more about it. But as I conclude for today, I want to emphasize my point with a direct supporting quotation from Paul, who said – under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “not everyone knows this” (verse 7).
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