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Bible Notes - Tabernacle Commentaries
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Ecclesiastes 7:4
Comments
This sums up the previous two verses. Man can deceive himself for a time and he can temporarily convince himself that happiness comes from filling the soul with the amusements of this life. But ultimately the reality of the situation reasserts itself over him and he knows that these cheap gains have left his soul destitute. He has tried to satisfy the body at the expense of the soul, and treated the most precious part of himself as a throw away item. The truth is that the secret to peace in the soul is to start with sorrow, for what needs to come first is the recognition of sin and repentance and an appreciation that we are alienated from God. This is the way to approach the Lord and the way to find healing for the soul.
Application
Those who are wise will not anaesthetise the soul with temporal pleasures, but will look for something more substantial and more lasting. They will be prepared to face the hard task of self-examination and of confession of sin; they will seek an honest answer to the question – What kind of person am I? What is my relationship with my Creator? They will not treat this life as everything but will admit that they have an eternal soul that can never be fully satisfied with this world. They will not avoid the more arduous and at time painful task of turning their back on what is futile and vain, and denying themselves instant gratification and will seek what is true and lasting and eternal.
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