Daily Fountain Devotional 16 September 2020 for Anglican Communion
TOPIC: Sin Turns Blessing to Curse
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TEXT: Ecclesiastes 1:12-18(NKJV)
12. I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.
14. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all [is] vanity and grasping for the wind.
15. [What is] crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered.
16. I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.”
17. And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.
18. For in much wisdom [is] much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
STUDY: King Solomon, the writer of this scripture began his reign as a humble servant of the Lord, seeking God’s wisdom and help (1 Kings 3:5-15). In response to his humble prayer, God promised him both wisdom and wealth (1 Kings 3:3-15); and He kept His promise. As Solomon grew older, he turned away from the Lord to the false gods of the many wives he married from foreign lands (1 Kings 11:1). These marriages were motivated primarily by politics, not love, as Solomon sought alliances with the nations around Israel. In fact, many of the things Solomon did to bring glory to Israel were contrary to the Word of God (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
The passage today is a reflection of a miserable king in his latter years. God removed His hand of blessing (1 Kings 11), but only maintained Solomon’s throne because of His promise to David his father. There is no record that King Solomon repented and turned to the Lord, but his message in Ecclesiastes suggests that he did, because the book appears to be the kind a person would write near the close of life, reflecting on life’s experiences and the lessons learned. He probably wrote this during the years he faithfully walked with God, and near the end of his life.
Therefore, one thing is always constant: God is faithful no matter how we err from Him. But He is always waiting for His repentant child. The stupendous wealth and wisdom of Solomon could not give him joy anymore because God was not in them. Wealth and success can never bring fulfilment of life if Christ is lost. Many lose Christ when they seek these things. Seek first the Kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33)
PRAYER: Father, let me not derail from Your ways, so that Your blessings will not turn to curse in my life.
DAILY QUOTE: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 125:1)
Daily Fountain Devotional 16 September 2020 – The Church of Nigeria is the Anglican church in Nigeria. It is the second-largest province in the Anglican Communion, as measured by baptized membership, after the Church of England. It gives its current membership as “over 18 million”, out of a total Nigerian population of over 200 million.
