Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your
Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening
Speaker 1: to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. I'm John Stonge,
Speaker 1: and today we're in Ecclesiastes chapter 1, and we'll be
Speaker 1: reading from the New American Standard Bible. The Words of
Speaker 1: the Preacher, the Son of David, King in Jerusalem Vanity
Speaker 1: of vanities, says the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
Speaker 1: What advantage does man have in all his work, which
Speaker 1: he does under the sun? A generation goes and a
Speaker 1: generation comes, but the earth remains forever. Also, the sun
Speaker 1: rises and the sun sets, and hastening to its place
Speaker 1: it rises there again. Blowing toward the south, then turning
Speaker 1: toward the north, the wind continues swirling along, and on
Speaker 1: its circular courses the wind returns. All the rivers flow
Speaker 1: into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To
Speaker 1: the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.
Speaker 1: All things are wearisome. Man is not able to tell it.
Speaker 1: The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the
Speaker 1: ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that
Speaker 1: which will be, and that which has been done is
Speaker 1: that which will be done. So there is nothing new
Speaker 1: under the sun. Is there anything of which one might say,
Speaker 1: See this, it is new. Already it has existed for
Speaker 1: ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of
Speaker 1: earlier things, and also of the later things which will occur.
Speaker 1: There will be for them no remembrance, among those who
Speaker 1: will come later still. I, the preacher, have been king
Speaker 1: over Israel in Jerusalem, and I set my mind to
Speaker 1: seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been
Speaker 1: done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God
Speaker 1: has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.
Speaker 1: I have seen all the works which have been done
Speaker 1: under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving
Speaker 1: after wind. What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what
Speaker 1: is lacking cannot be counted. I said to myself, Behold,
Speaker 1: I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who
Speaker 1: were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has observed
Speaker 1: a wealth of wisdom and knowledge. And I set my
Speaker 1: mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly.
Speaker 1: I realize that this also is striving after wind, because
Speaker 1: in much wisdom... There is much grief. And increasing knowledge
Speaker 1: results in increasing pain. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you
Speaker 1: for your word. And we thank you for the privilege
Speaker 1: to be able to look at this portion of Scripture today.
Speaker 1: And Lord, we know that ultimately wisdom is found in
Speaker 1: your Son, Jesus Christ. And so we pray that through
Speaker 1: faith in Jesus Christ, we would obtain the kind of
Speaker 1: wisdom that you desire us to obtain. Because we know, Lord,
Speaker 1: that worldly wisdom is really not wisdom at all. In
Speaker 1: many respects, it can become an exercise in futility. There's
Speaker 1: a deeper form of wisdom that you want us to obtain.
Speaker 1: And so, Lord, we pray that we would think and
Speaker 1: perceive on that kind of a level. Lord, we're grateful
Speaker 1: for the privilege to be able to meditate on your
Speaker 1: word day in and day out. We're grateful that you
Speaker 1: give us access to physical copies of your word and
Speaker 1: digital copies and even audio copies. Lord, we're grateful to
Speaker 1: be able to read and see and hear what your
Speaker 1: word contains. But Lord, we know that your desire when
Speaker 1: we interact with your word is that we apply it
Speaker 1: to our lives. And by your grace, we seek to
Speaker 1: do that very thing today. Lord, work in us, we pray.
Speaker 1: Help us to be men and women after your own heart.
Speaker 1: And we thank you, Lord, for your word. We thank
Speaker 1: you for your presence with us as well. And we
Speaker 1: pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.