Posted on 02/02/2022 10:24:53 PM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments” (Proverbs 3:1 KJV).
You might break chapter three down into three sections. Notice in verse 1, “my son”, in verse 11, “my son,” and in verse 21, “my son.” Each section begins with that refrain. If you want to apply it to a Christian, this is Solomon speaking to his own children. God talking to His own nation, Israel. But then again, God is speaking to His own children—the born again believer in this age, “my son.” Everybody that is saved is a son of God, so you can apply it.
“forget not . . .” You might know that whenever we are told no to forget, what is the tendency? To forget! “My son, forget not my law . . .” In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (12:13-14). All that Solomon went through, in his life, he came down to this conclusion.
All that Solomon went through in the book of Ecclesiastes, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it or not, or if you’ve taken the time to go through there, but in this book is every philosophy that has ever been known under the sun. Usually a philosopher is somebody that doesn’t work, and soaks up off of somebody else.
Epicureanism is found: “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour” (Ecc 2:24 KJV).
Socialism is found: “Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field” (Ecc 5:9 KJV). That’s communism, that’s socialism. The whole thing is to be shared by everybody—a commune situation.
How does Ecclesiastes start out? “There is nothing new under the sun.” And after Solomon goes through the whole thing, he says, “fear God and keep his commandments.” Marx didn’t, and wound up in hell.
Capitalism is found: “There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt” (Ecc 5:13 KJV). The owner owns his own capital, and usually it is to his own hurt. Why? Well, because people get to where they trust in the capital.
Altruism is found: “When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?” (Ecc 5:11 KJV), the unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
Materialism in 5:10, Deism in 5:2, Nihilism is in 3:20, Paganism in 4:2, Agnosticism in 3:11, Pessimism in 2:20, Fatalism in 2:23, Hedonism in 2:10, Epistemology in 2:2, Empiricism in 1:16, Metaphysics and Cosmology in 1:13, Atheism in 9:10, Agnosticism in 8:17, Modernism in 9:7, Existentialism in 11:8. They are all in there. He went through them all. And when he got to the end he said, “keep the law.” Why? Because we have to stand before God. Really, do you know what philosophy is? It is man trying to outthink God. Do you know what religion is? It is man trying to justify himself before God.
Faith in God is you justifying God and condemning yourself before Him. Religion is justifying self. Philosophy is outthinking God. Science is man’s attempt to prove his philosophical thinking.
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