If you're a parent, stick around! There are a lot of good 'nuggets' in this chapter.

I would also like to take a moment to thank everyone that has tuned in and followed along. Your support does not go unnoticed. Thank you, all!

All right everyone, welcome back to

another episode of I Can't He Can.

2

Today we are continuing in the Sound Mind

series in the reading of Ecclesiastes.

3

We're going to be reading

actually chapter seven alone.

4

I know that one of the previous

episodes I did chapters five and six

5

'cause they weren't really that long.

6

but chapter seven is, it's a

smidge Too Longer and I actually.

7

I feel like there's a

lot of important things.

8

That we have to decipher and that

we have to break down a little bit.

9

because a lot does apply to us while

we are growing up and today's day

10

and age and even things that we can

just teach our very own children.

11

And, it, it is important

to parenting, I think.

12

So I do wanna touch on that, and I'm only

going to do that as said, chapter seven

13

because chapter eight is not long, but.

14

I wanna give credit where credit

is due, and chapter seven thus

15

far is absolutely my favorite.

16

So before we dive in, I just want to, say

a quick thank you to all of the people

17

that are tuning in to this podcast.

18

I know the majority are people that

are in my life, and thank you guys so

19

much for always being so supportive.

20

But I do see on my host

website, captivate fm.

21

Uh, which then distributes to all

the other, different, uh, platforms.

22

But I do see so many countries that

either, you know, download one episode or

23

watch several and it doesn't go unnoticed.

24

And you know, it's not to boast

and not to, give myself praise or

25

'cause that's not what it's about.

26

But I wanna say thank you for, for

tuning in, but thank you for actually

27

taking the time to listen to these

words that I truly do feel I have been

28

given from the Lord, through the Bible.

29

Because I, I really try to not say

much that does not come from the Bible

30

in my understanding from it or just.

31

Things that I have gone through, I

always try to tie it back in nonetheless,

32

if it's not directly from a scripture

that I'm reading, I do try to tie

33

it back in somehow to lessons that

can come from reading the Bible.

34

But nonetheless, I thank

you guys so, so much.

35

It makes me so happy.

36

every time that I see a new

country who just, who knows, maybe

37

even just watch 30 seconds, but.

38

If you get to hear the name of Jesus

Christ and you get to hear anything that

39

has to do with the cross and what he did

for us and what that means for us, then

40

I am absolutely, absolutely thrilled.

41

And I am blessed just by seeing that there

are so many people, that have listened.

42

And by so many people, I mean like

in the span of from July to now, I

43

think there has been maybe like over

a thousand different listeners, which.

44

I mean, that's amazing.

45

Even if it was 50, I would be thrilled.

46

so again, that's not to minimize,

you know, by like any number, any

47

person, any soul that has consumed

and heard the word and the name

48

of Jesus Christ, is in my book.

49

Just a blessing overall.

50

So thank you guys.

51

I appreciate you guys.

52

I love you guys.

53

Whoever you are, wherever you may be.

54

Thank you so much from

the bottom of my heart.

55

And without further ado, again

reading from directly my Neo

56

King James version Bible.

57

I'm gonna go ahead and start and

continue on Ecclesiastes chapter seven.

58

Oh, you know what, like I always

say, I'm gonna read through it.

59

I'm sorry I had a little squirrel

brain moment there, but I am going

60

to read through the entire chapter

and then I'm gonna go back and

61

just kind of dissect a few things

'cause I have plenty of notes here.

62

If you guys can see as usual, plenty of

little things that I have written out.

63

but I don't wanna interrupt the flow

of what is being written on here.

64

So I'm just gonna read,

verses one through 29,

65

I'm going to get my glasses on

here just because I feel like I'm

66

getting old and my vision, my vision

needs some help, especially lately.

67

so let's begin.

68

Ecclesiastes chapter seven verse one.

69

A good name is better than a

precious ointment and the day of

70

death than the day of one's birth.

71

Verse two, better to go to

the house of mourning than to

72

go to the house of feasting.

73

For that is the end of all men, and

the living will take it to heart.

74

Verse three, sorrow is better than

laughter for by a sad countenance.

75

The heart is made better.

76

The heart of the wise is in the

house of mourning, but the heart

77

of fools is in the house of Mirth.

78

Verse five.

79

It is better to hear the rebuke

of the wise than for a man

80

to hear the Song of Fools.

81

Verse six, for like the

crackling of thorns under a pot.

82

Soul is the laughter of the fool.

83

This is also vanity verse seven.

84

Surely oppression destroys a wise man's

reason and a bribe to bases the heart.

85

Verse eight, the end of a thing

is better than its beginning.

86

The patient in spirit is better

than the proud in spirit.

87

Verse nine, do not hasten

in your spirit to be angry.

88

For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

89

Verse 10.

90

Do not say why were the former

days better than these for you.

91

Do not inquire wisely concerning this.

92

Verse 11.

93

Wisdom is good with an inheritance and

profitable to those who see the sun.

94

Verse 12, for wisdom is a defense

as money is a defense, but the

95

excellence of knowledge is that wisdom

gives the life to those who have it.

96

Verse 13, consider the work of

God for who can make straight

97

what he has made crooked.

98

Verse 14, in the day of

prosperity, be joyful.

99

But in the day of adversity, consider

surely God has appointed one as well

100

as the other so that man can find

out nothing that will come after him.

101

Verse 15.

102

I have seen everything

in my days of vanity.

103

There is a just man who perishes in his

righteousness, and there is a wicked

104

man who prolongs life in his wickedness.

105

Verse 16, do not be overly

righteous, nor be overly wise.

106

Why should you destroy yourself?

107

Verse 17, do not be overly

wicked, nor be foolish.

108

Why should you die before your time?

109

Verse 18.

110

It is good that you grasp this and also

not remove your hand from the other.

111

For he who fears God will escape them all.

112

Verse 19, wisdom strengthens the

wise more than 10 rulers of the city.

113

Verse 20, for there is not a just man

on earth who does good and does not sin.

114

Verse 21.

115

Also, do not take heart.

116

Everything people say, lest you

hear your servant cursing you.

117

Verse 22.

118

For many times, also, your own heart has

known that even you have cursed others.

119

Verse 23.

120

All this I have proved by wisdom.

121

I said I will be wise,

but it was far from me.

122

Verse 24.

123

As for that which is far off and

exceedingly deep, who can find it out?

124

Verse 25.

125

I applied my heart to know, to search

and seek out wisdom and the reason

126

of things, to know the wickedness of

folly, even of foolishness and madness.

127

Verse 26, and I find

more bitter than death.

128

The woman whose heart is snares and

nets, whose hands are fers, he who

129

pleases God shall escape from her, but

the sinner shall be trapped by her.

130

Verse 27, here is what I have found,

says the preacher adding one thing

131

to the other to find out the reason.

132

Verse 28, which my soul still

seeks, but I cannot find.

133

One man among a thousand

I have found, but a woman.

134

Among all these, I have

not found verse 29.

135

Truly this only I have found that

God made man upright, but they

136

have sought out many schemes.

137

There's a lot there.

138

And if.

139

Your understanding has

grown as much as mine has.

140

You would've caught a lot of these little

jab that Solomon was throwing here.

141

at least I felt like jab to me

because I have done many of these

142

things that he is talking about here.

143

But I'm not gonna go verse by verse by

verse how I've done in the past, just

144

like how I said in the previous episode.

145

I just wanna point out, I

think the main key points.

146

In my opinion, again, this is all

just my point of view, but I do wanna

147

go from beginning to end and just

highlight what it is that I found to

148

be most useful and most important,

and that truly spoke in this instance

149

when I was studying, chapter seven.

150

So first things first, when I read verse.

151

A good name is better than Precious

ointment and the day of death

152

than the day of one's birth, first

of all, to me that just screamed

153

integrity to have a good name.

154

Once we lie, once we break that trust,

we kind of lose our, our good name.

155

People just don't trust us anymore.

156

And same goes for, if we are gossiping,

that makes us lose integrity.

157

So we need to always, or we should

always, keep that good name per se,

158

not just for us, but for our family,

for our spouses, for our children.

159

There's nothing worse than walking

into a room and, you know, you

160

feel and see people like, ugh.

161

There they are again,

the gossipers or whoever.

162

And we all know people that have

done that, perhaps we have done that.

163

so a good name is indeed much better

than precious ointment, having

164

money in whatever you wanna, in this

case, call a precious ointment, but.

165

I also thought that this particular line

in verse one and the day of death than day

166

of one's birth, so a good name is better

than precious ointment and the day of

167

death better than the day of one's birth.

168

I, for some reason, I have just

found that a lot of things that are

169

written in Psalms, proverbs, even,

that I have read, have been a little

170

prophetic or sound a little prophetic.

171

Maybe I'm reading too into it.

172

Which is also very possible.

173

But that does sound a little prophetic to

me because it's unclear to me as of now,

174

and I can, I still have a lot to learn.

175

Did Solomon know that death was

going to be our greatest gift?

176

Because if we accept Jesus, which

I'm pretty sure he obviously did

177

not know Jesus at the time because

this was before the New Testament

178

times before Jesus and all of that.

179

So I do wanna point out.

180

There is that, however, did he

receive some sort of word where he

181

knew that the time of death was going

to be much better than life itself?

182

Because he has something to look forward

to already and I don't know, again,

183

I'm probably just reading too much

into it, but, and the day of death,

184

then day of one's birth, usually we

celebrate births, but in this case,

185

he's clearly saying that it's better.

186

The day of death, then

the day of one's breath.

187

So anyway, I'll leave that right there.

188

Moving on.

189

skipping over to verse four.

190

The heart of the wise is in the

house of mourning, but the heart

191

of fools is in the house of Mirth.

192

And I put here for the very first

part of verse four, like Jesus,

193

you feel at a deeper level.

194

So yes, the heart of the

why is once you have.

195

Uh, godly wisdom or

just wisdom in general.

196

You're a wise person because you've

exercised, you've learned from your

197

mistakes, and you exercise what you've

learned and you no longer do those things.

198

You become wiser.

199

So when you are wiser, you do feel

things on a much deeper level.

200

So you can, per se,

201

you know, in fact be in a house

of mourning, very literal there.

202

My interpretation of it, but.

203

So again, that was my humble

opinion and my take on that.

204

The heart of the Wise is in the

House of Mourning, but the heart

205

of Fools is in the house of Mirth.

206

And if you go back to the episode

where I talked about chapter two,

207

one of the things that I described

and actually defined was the word.

208

Murth and the word of murth again, means

a spiritual joy and superficial pleasure.

209

So, uh.

210

Our hearts.

211

The heart of the wise is in the house

of mourning, but the heart of fools

212

is in the house of mirth, the house

of spiritual joy that has to do with

213

superficial pleasures like money,

work, fame, all of those things.

214

Moving on to, uh, verse six, for

like the crackling of thorns under a

215

pot, so is the laughter of the fool.

216

This is also vanity.

217

My little side note there says.

218

Choosing crowds or foolish popularity.

219

the laughter of fools usually comes

from those people who are making fun

220

of people who are lower than them.

221

if you're listening the audio

version, I did like little air quotes.

222

So the only, the only people

that are lower than anyone

223

or us, we are beneath God.

224

We're beneath Jesus, the angels.

225

But on earth we are all the same.

226

We are all the same.

227

So.

228

Thorns under a pot.

229

So is the laughter of the fool.

230

This is also vanity.

231

So vanity is treating others

like they're lower than you.

232

And a lot of people unfortunately

do seek that kind of popularity.

233

And sometimes those groups of people just

are kind of nasty and rude and demeaning.

234

so being in the unpopular.

235

Crowd or just being, you know,

kind of a lone wolf sometimes

236

is not always a bad thing.

237

it may be wiser, it, well, in

fact, it is wiser in my opinion.

238

and clearly the opinion of Solomon.

239

But, just take that to heart.

240

So are you in those group of fools?

241

Take a look at your surroundings.

242

Moving on to verse eight, the end of

a thing is better than its beginning.

243

Okay.

244

The patient in spirit is better than

the proud in spirit, and I have a

245

little like arrow on the side of verse

eight that says, outcomes be patient.

246

So again, just to reiterate,

what I understood from there

247

is that we need to be patient.

248

We can't just make an assumption

at the very beginning of something.

249

Sometimes if we're quiet and

we just hold on and kind of

250

see how things, uh, turn out.

251

The outcome is what truly matters.

252

Why would you just jump into

a conclusion right away?

253

At the end of the day, you're

gonna be avoiding a lot of

254

problems and feelings and whatnot.

255

so yes.

256

Again, verse eight, the end of a

thing is better than its beginning.

257

The patient and spirit is better

than the proud and spirit.

258

And verse 10, oh, excuse me, I'm

gonna read, uh, verse nine and 10.

259

Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry.

260

For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

261

So verse nine, I just

want to define hasten.

262

So if you hasten you're like

rushing towards something,

263

you're moving out of fast pace.

264

So do not hasten in

your spirit to be angry.

265

Again.

266

I am super guilty of this.

267

Uh, still work in progress.

268

Uh, I believe in my heart.

269

I have improved in this area a little

bit, but I still need a lot of work to do.

270

And that and hastening towards

getting annoyed and angry and

271

upset and not drawing conclusions.

272

That's all me.

273

I'm still a Christian.

274

I'm still a believer of Jesus.

275

I'm still imperfect.

276

I'm still a sinner.

277

I try not to be, but the only

sinless human being was Jesus Christ

278

and is Jesus Christ still to this

day, all glory to God for that.

279

Thank you, Lord.

280

Anyway.

281

Moving on to verse 10.

282

'cause you know, I start rambling.

283

Do not say why were the former

days better than these for you.

284

Do not inquire wisely concerning us.

285

We all love to look back at our high

school days or when we were younger.

286

Oh gosh, I, you know, I really

miss being high school skinny.

287

I mean, that's definitely a girl thing.

288

I definitely miss these days

hanging out with my friends

289

or doing this or doing that.

290

We need to stop doing that.

291

We need to stop doing that

because at the end of the day, I.

292

Those things already served their purpose.

293

So analyze, what are you doing today that

will serve your purpose for the future?

294

And right now, in my case, serving the

Lord, doing what I can to bring people

295

closer to Christ and moving on to.

296

Verse 12 briefly, for wisdom is a

defense as money is a defense, but

297

the excellence of knowledge is that

wisdom gives life to those who have it.

298

And I put here on the side, you

can have money and still be a fool.

299

That's very true because wisdom is a

defense and money is also a defense.

300

But the excellence of knowledge,

so having that wisdom.

301

Is what gives life money,

does not give life.

302

You can buy your way out of

problems, but that doesn't mean that

303

your problem is going to be over.

304

So very important, and I

particularly love verse 13,

305

altogether by itself.

306

You know, if you pluck it away separately,

I just, I love it in general and it says,

307

consider the work of God for who can

make straight what he has made crooked.

308

And you can interpret that in many ways.

309

but I put, you can change God's will.

310

And we try and we try and we try to bend

the rules to get somewhere faster and, you

311

know, meaning as goals or what we wanna

do in life, but you can't change God's.

312

Okay.

313

Had to take a brief pause there

because every time I start

314

recording, my neighbor just lets

their dog out, so I'm sorry guys.

315

Anyway, moving on to verse 16.

316

I put here on my little side

note, don't speak out of turn.

317

Don't be a smart mouth.

318

Verse 16 says, do not be overly

righteous, nor be overly wise.

319

Why should you destroy yourself?

320

And that question is very

important because I need to

321

ask myself that all the time.

322

Why are you gonna destroy

yourself by saying.

323

Again, I'm working on this.

324

That's why it spoke volumes to me when

I read full chapter seven here and I

325

was like, man, this is me in a nutshell.

326

But anyway, don't speak out of turn.

327

Don't hasten to anger.

328

Don't hasten to speak.

329

Just listen and especially

don't be a smart mouth.

330

According to Solomon, but that's

just my interpretation anyway.

331

Verse 17, do not be overly

wicked, nor be foolish.

332

Why should you die before your time?

333

And again, it's very similar to like

speaking, but this is just talking about

334

being foolish, making dumb decisions.

335

I put you lose integrity, you lose

allies, and you can lose good people.

336

And yes, that's in fact true.

337

Verse 19.

338

I have a big Amen in capital

letters written right beside it.

339

Verse 19 says.

340

Wisdom strengthens the wise

more than 10 rulers of the city.

341

Verse 20, I put facts, we are all sinners.

342

Verse 20 says, for there is not a just man

on earth who does good and does not sin.

343

Again, also amen to that and also facts.

344

We are all sinners.

345

I've done lots of good in my life,

I think, and that does not take away

346

the fact that I am also one of the.

347

Biggest sinners anyone will ever meet.

348

It's just how it is

sometimes, unfortunately.

349

But we have Jesus, we have our savior.

350

There is redemption through the cross,

and I am so grateful for this journey.

351

What I've learned and also what I'm

becoming because he does redeem,

352

he does restore, and I have all,

all of the faith and hope that.

353

The work that he is continuing to

do in me will be doing some good

354

that washes away in, in white, that

washes all that, that red and, and

355

turns it into white in my life.

356

So thank you Lord.

357

and I have here verse 21 and 22

have like a little bracket and I put

358

this, so let's see what that says.

359

Verse 21.

360

Also, do not take heart.

361

Everything people say, lest you're

here, you're servant cursing you.

362

Verse 22.

363

For many times, also, your own heart has

known that even you have cursed others.

364

Very important verse

21, do not take heart.

365

Everything people say.

366

We cannot take seriously the opinions of

every single person that we come across.

367

And for years, I wanna say for

probably like 34 years of my 35.

368

Years of life.

369

I cared so much about what everyone said.

370

I cared so much that my family was

judging me about how I was going

371

to church even before my walk.

372

I just cared so much about others'

opinions and we do not need that.

373

We do not need that in our lives.

374

So.

375

Also do not hasten towards

caring what people think.

376

'cause at the end of the day,

the only person who can judge

377

and will judge righteously is

God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

378

Verse 22, it said, for many times,

also, your own heart has known

379

that even you have cursed others.

380

Yeah.

381

Again, we can't take

what people say to heart.

382

You know, we can't be offended

because at the end of the day we've

383

also probably done the same thing.

384

And, uh, verse 23, I have this a little

part here circled, but it was far from me.

385

I have that fully circled.

386

All this I have proved by wisdom.

387

I said I will be wise,

but it was far from me.

388

Of course, we always think we

are wise, we always think we know

389

better, and it's far from us.

390

It is far from us.

391

The only truly wise person, again,

is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit,

392

but we can learn from our mistakes.

393

However, when we think we

know, we most certainly do not.

394

Moving forward to verse 25, I applied

my heart to know, to search and seek out

395

wisdom and the reason of things to know.

396

The wickedness of folly,

even foolishness and madness.

397

So here Solomon already starts, closing

shop on chapter seven, he starts

398

kind of like going into what his

conclusion of what his findings are.

399

So he was trying to seek.

400

Out wisdom.

401

He was trying to grow wiser and the

reason of things, why things happen.

402

And he wanted to know

wickedness and folly.

403

And again, folly is just, like a

mischievous, attitude or way of like

404

doing things, and just, uh, tumultuous.

405

You can just think of folia

and like those kinds of things.

406

Things are just tumultuous

and problematic.

407

Let's just leave it at that.

408

Anyway.

409

And then he even says to know the edness

of folly, even of foolishness and madness.

410

So yeah, that kind of wraps

up folly in a nutshell.

411

And continuing on verse 26, and

I find more bitter than death.

412

So even greater than death is the

woman whose heart is snares and nets.

413

I have never heard of snares.

414

other than like a musical instrument.

415

so I looked it up and snares and nets

refers to bi biblically, excuse me,

416

as immoral traps, immoral, like sinful

traps or a dangerous type of temptation.

417

So he's calling, here he is

basically calling women saying

418

that women's whose heart are

immoral or dangerous temptations.

419

And then he goes on to say,

whose hands are fetters?

420

Ooh, that was a little intense.

421

whose hands are fetters?

422

And I looked up fetters also 'cause I

have never heard that word in my life.

423

And fetters are shackles or chains,

something that can keep you from moving,

424

that restrain you down in a forceful way.

425

So again, and I find verse 26 and

I find more bitter than death.

426

So worse than death.

427

The woman whose heart is snares

and nets, whose hands are fetters.

428

Honestly, that really did feel like a,

a jab at me because knowing the type of

429

sins that I struggled slash struggle with,

430

you know, it's, it's hard

to read words like that.

431

It's true.

432

And if it jabs you, it's

because it's still not a

433

hundred percent, taken care of.

434

And, you know.

435

There's no shame in that.

436

There's no shame in knowing

that you are a sinner.

437

You recognize it, but you work towards

doing something about it and being

438

better, growing wiser from mistakes.

439

So thank you Solomon for that.

440

verse 26 finishes by saying he who

pleases God shall escape from her,

441

but the sinner shall be trapped by.

442

And the last thing that I have on

here is basically his conclusion.

443

I'm going to read through 27 and 29.

444

Again, just give my little

side note, verse 27.

445

Here's what I have found.

446

Says the preacher adding one thing to

other, meaning applying the sinful life

447

and growing wiser from the sinful life.

448

So that's what he's applying to the other.

449

Verse 28, which my soul still

seeks, but I cannot find one man

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among a thousand I have found.

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So he's been looking for righteous

people, for wise people, and he

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only found one among a thousand.

453

But then he goes on to say, but a

woman among all these I have not found.

454

So he still unfortunately seems like

he had horrible luck and he has not

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found a God-fearing woman, and he keeps

finding these women that makes death.

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Seem better than life, so it's crazy.

457

Anyway, to wrap it up, verse 29.

458

Truly this only I have found.

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The only thing he has found

that God made man upright.

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God made man good.

461

Those are facts.

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He made us good.

463

Solomon continues to say, but they

meaning man us, but they have sought out.

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Many schemes so that God made man upright,

but they have sought out many schemes.

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So what does that say?

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We are the problem.

467

It's not God.

468

It's us.

469

And with that, I want to wrap it up for

chapter seven in the Sound Mind series of

470

the reading of the book of Ecclesiastes.

471

There's a lot, a lot of stuff that

is very important in this chapter and

472

like always, I do want to have you.

473

Read on your own.

474

It is very important that you

interpret the word for yourself.

475

I can promise you, as I always

have said, that I can read this

476

again over and over, and it will

speak to me in many different ways.

477

Sometimes it'll download something

in my brain that I did not catch

478

the first or the second time.

479

So I really do encourage you guys to read.

480

The Bible for yourselves.

481

thank you guys for tuning in.

482

Thank you so much for your support.

483

Thank you for listening another week of

the Sound Mind series and my podcast.

484

I can't, he can.

485

I love you guys.

486

God bless you.

487

God favor you, God keep

you, God protect you.

488

Until next week, take care.

489

Okay.