BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 9 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 9 Ecclesiastes 9 (Listen) Death Comes to All 9:1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in… All people face impending death. Solomon advises us to eat, to drink, and to work, enjoying life on earth while we have it. Wisdom is greater than might. Wisdom is greater than folly.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 8 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 8 Ecclesiastes 8 (Listen) Keep the King’s Command 8:1   Who is like the wise?    And who knows the interpretation of a thing?  A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,    and the hardness of… The wise man obeys earthly authority. The wise man fears the Lord. While we cannot make sense of everything that happens in this world, we trust that the will of the Lord prevails.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 7 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 7 Ecclesiastes 7 (Listen) The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly 7:1   A good name is better than precious ointment,    and the day of death than the day of birth.2   It is better… Solomon contrasts wisdom with folly. Despite the meaninglessness of life in this world, the wise man trusts that the Lord will work all things for good.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 6 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 6 Ecclesiastes 6 (Listen) 6:1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions,… The earthly blessings of the Lord do not benefit the man who finds no enjoyment in them. The earthly life of a man is short and meaningless.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 5 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 5 Ecclesiastes 5 (Listen) Fear God 5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice… Solomon teaches humility and faithfulness before the Lord. The love of money is meaningless. To eat and to drink and to find enjoyment in one’s work are blessings from the Lord.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 4 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 4 Ecclesiastes 4 (Listen) Evil Under the Sun 4:1 Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they… Injustice and oppression are realities in this world. The pursuit of worldly wealth is meaningless. Companionship is a blessing from the Lord. The success of a good and wise ruler soon is forgotten.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 3 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 3 Ecclesiastes 3 (Listen) A Time for Everything 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2   a time to be born, and a… Human efforts are furthermore meaningless since the proper times for various occurrences and actions are determined by the Lord apart from the will or decision of man. Injustice and wickedness seem to thrive in this world and man, like the animals, dies.

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 2 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 2 Ecclesiastes 2 (Listen) The Vanity of Self-Indulgence 2:1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.1… Self-indulgent pleasure is meaningless. Even wise living is meaningless in the end, since both the wise man and the fool face the same fate: death. Work also is meaningless, since “you can’t take it with you.”

BibleGateway: Ecclesiastes 1 ESV Text: Ecclesiastes 1 Ecclesiastes 1 (Listen) All Is Vanity 1:1 The words of the Preacher,1 the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2   Vanity2 of vanities, says the Preacher,    vanity of vanities! All is… Solomon contemplates the meaninglessness of life in this world without the Lord. From a worldly perspective, even wisdom is meaningless in the end.

BibleGateway: Matthew 4 ESV Text: Matthew 4 Matthew 4 (Listen) The Temptation of Jesus 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty… The devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. Jesus resists every temptation, defending Himself with the Word of God. Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee. Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John to be His disciples. Jesus heals the sick and demon-possessed, and great crowds follow Him.