MAY 28

Ecclesiastes 7:27-29
Memorise Philippians 3:9
“God hath made man upright…”

Finally, as Solomon surveys man in general, he also realises that man in his wisdom alone, also cannot make man righteous. As he sought to understand man, and experience their ways, the one conclusion that he came out with, is that among a thousand, a truly righteous and upright man who seeks to please God and flees from sin is a rarity, and can hardly be found. And a woman, that is amongst the woman ‘whose heart is snares and nets’ he could not find a single righteous one. He is not making a comparison between the genders, and trying to say that men are generally more righteous than women. The point is that a truly righteous person is indeed a great rarity, for it is not wisdom alone that makes a man righteous, but it is the work of God.

Thus the one good thing that he did realise, is that only God can make a man upright, and it is God alone who can lead man to Himself. Man in his sin and wickedness have sought out many inventions, that is ways and methods of seeking pleasures and sinning against God, but God is the one who can intervene in the hearts of man to make him upright. No amount of wisdom in man can make such a change, only God can.

Therefore the message for us in this chapter is clear – we would do well to learn from the wisdom of Solomon, in the advice he has given to always make the right choices and seek better things (Ecclesiastes 7:1-10), and we should also seek out godly wisdom of our own (Ecclesiastes 7:11-22), but realise that wisdom does have its limitations (Ecclesiastes 7:23-29), and ultimately the one whom we must seek is God, and sincerely desire to please Him in all that we do. Only then would we be able to withstand sin in our lives, and be counted as pleasing to Him.

Thought: What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Prayer: Lord, I thank you that despite my sin and unrighteousness, You chose me, called me, cleansed me and gave me this new life in Christ.