Reading for January 2nd

 Read Ecclesiastes 9.13-18. In 9.13-18: The goodness and the limits of wisdom. The parable-like story, followed by traditional sayings, makes the Teacher's point: While wisdom is better than folly, it does not guarantee fame or respect. In verse 16: While the poor man apparently saved the city, people did not listen to his advice. Comments or Questions..

Reading for January 1st

 Read Ecclesiastes 9.1-12. In 9.1-12: In God's hands. In verse 2: Clean and unclean, sacrifice and not sacrifice: References to ritual practices, verifying that the Teacher is not opposed to traditional religion. Those who swear are evil. Those who shun the oath are good, avoiding unnecessary words (5.2). In verse 3: Less a concept of complete sinfulness than a cry of despair in face of human frailty and mortality. In verse 4: Dog: a despised animal in ancient Israel (Prov 26.11). The valuing of life over death is either a contradiction or a development beyond the contrary statements in 6.3-6. In verse 8: White a color for festivals; contrast 7.3-4. In verse 9: Wife: literally, " woman." In verse 10: Sheol: See comment on 3.20. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 31st

 Read Ecclesiastes 8.10-17. In 8.10-17: No justice. The public praise given the wicked at their death and the lack of swift, clear punishment encourages people in their evil. In verse 12: In light of earlier comments, this confidence in God's justice is surprising. In verses 13-14: One cannot distinguish between the righteous and the wicked by their rewards. In verses 15-17: A summary of the book's theme. No one, not even the wise can understand what happens in life. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 30th

 Read Ecclesiastes 8.1-9. In 8.1-9: Wisdom's value and limits. In verses 2-5: Practical advice on dealing with a king. Recognize his power and do not challenge him openly. Sacred oath a pledge of loyalty to the king, made in God's name. In verses 6-8: The repetition of time and way from v. 5 allows the Teacher to reiterate the inability of humans to understand the future or to control their fates any more than they can control the wind. Comments or Questions.

Reading for December 29th

 Read Ecclesiastes 7.15-29. In 7.15-29:Practical advice. In verse 18: One ... other: Not being too wise and not being too foolish (compare vv. 16-17). In verse 20: No one ... sinning: See 1 Kings 8.46. In verse 26: The woman: decries the gossipy, frivolous woman (Prov 7). Few men, but even fewer women, are righteous. Does the book reflect an anti-female bias? In verse 29; Human beings: In Hebrew the word is singular ("adham"); the same word is translated man in v. 28. Humans (or just males?) were created good (Gen 1) but nonetheless sin. Comments or Questions.

Reading for December 28th

 Read Ecclesiastes 7.1-14. In 7.1-14: Mixture of the Teacher's ideas and traditional wisdom. Forms of Hebrew "tob" (good, and in comparative mode, better) occur ten times in this section. In verses 1-4: Death is instructive for the living, revealing the true end of all things and hence life's proper priorities. In verse 3: Made glad: Literally "made good," "improved." In verse 6: Crackling ... vanity: The words of a fool are loud but bring no long-term  benefits. In verse 7: While the Teacher contrasts wisdom with folly, he also recognizes that they are not permanent conditions; in adversity, wisdom may fail. In verses 11-12: Wisdom while not stable is good. In verse 13: Crooked: see 1.15. Since people do not receive their just rewards, one should avoid being overly pious or overly wicked. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 27th

Read Ecclesiastes  6.1-12. In 6.1-12: Frustration. In light of his previous advice, the Teacher considers the greatest evil the inability to enjoy what one has. In verse 3: In the ancient world, many children (Deut 11.21) and long life (Ps 91.16) were greatly valued. No burial: While the importance of proper burial is clear in the Older Testament (2 Kings 9.30-37), its inclusion here is a bit surprising. Stillborn child: The one who has never experienced life's pain (see the sun) is the most fortunate (4.1-3; Job 3.16). In verse 6: If one does not enjoy life, it is futile. In verse 9: Better is sight ... than the wandering desire: It is better to be content with what one has than constantly to desire more. In verse 10: See ch 1. In verse 12: A summary. Comments or Questions..