JAN 30

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3
Memorise Proverbs 28:3
"the tears of such as were oppressed…"

ARE YOU A BULLY?

And so, upon contemplating the sins of man and the coming judgment, Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4 now shifts his attention to the way that man interacts with one another, and sees much sin. One thing that we will realize that is common to all these sins of men is that it is the result of their self-seeking nature, where they desire to exalt self, and know nothing at all about the glory of God. They are those whom Paul describes as ‘lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God’ (2 Timothy 3:4)

The first thing he observed about the ways of man was their oppression of one another (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3). He looked at the wicked state of men in power of the world, and saw the way in which they had abused their power and authority, and oppressed the powerless, poor and weak. The oppression was so bad that tears were in the eyes of the oppressed, and there was no one to comfort them. They could only cry in their misery, and lament at the sad state of life which they were in. In fact, so bad was the oppression that they faced, that Solomon said that it was better to be dead than living, and better still, to have not been born at all! For those who had not yet been born had not experienced the evils of the world, and thus to Solomon that was better than those who were given the opportunity to experience life, for they would then have to also experience the sinfulness and evils of man. This really shows the extreme wickedness of man, and how this evil has pervaded the whole world. No one is safe from such oppressions. The only escape is death! Once you are living in this world, you are at risk of the sin and wickedness that surrounds us.

For us, we must ensure that we must never, even for the slightest bit, be one to propagate such wickedness. Realize that we do have a great power and influence over the people around us. If we are mean spirited, malicious bullies, we can make the lives of people so miserable that they rather die than to live through such torment. How many times have we heard of youths who take their own lives because of relationship or interpersonal problems? Sometimes, even in our jest, we might unknowingly hurt the feelings of those around us. An unkind, mean or even teasing word spoken out of turn can really cause great misery and grief, As Christians, we must always be conscious and aware of those around us, and ensure that our words and actions never cause hurt or harm to others.

Thought: Am I a bully who has caused the tears of others?
Prayer: Lord, may You guide my thoughts, words and actions.