Making Sense of a Crooked World
Big Idea
God is not to blame for this crooked world.
Read: Ecclesiastes 7:15-29
In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. 19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. 21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. 23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? 25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Discussion Questions
- What was the most impactful thing from the text and the sermon this week?
- Why do you believe people like to blame God for the evil and crooked things that happen in the world?
- Read verse 19. In verse 23 Solomon admits that we cannot have perfect wisdom, but we can have wisdom that gives strength. How do we get this kind of wisdom and how does it make us stronger?
- Read verse 26. Discuss why temptation is so powerful and why Solomon said that temptation is more bitter than death?
- Read verse 29. God made man upright, but we continue to create elaborate plans to sin against Him. What is the result of our schemes? How can we make sense of a crooked world?
Next Steps
Most of us have experience blaming God for bad or unexplainable things in our life. This week write down something that you’ve struggled with and use Ecclesiastes 7:13-29 to help you think through that difficulty. Journal what you learn.
Prayer Focus
Pray that God will grant you wisdom and endurance in the face of temptation so that you will be a person who escapes temptation instead of falling to it.