Solomon is known for being wise, of course. What comes through in Ecclesiastes 7 is that he is also very experienced. Many of his sayings are distilled from the years he has spent observing life. As he remarks, "In my vain life I have seen everything..." (vs. 15).
Of special note is verse 20: "Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning." This sentiment is in keeping with other verses we find in the Bible such as Romans 3:10-12 (which itself is drawn from Psalm 14 and 53). Paul writes, "As it is written, 'There is no one who is righteous, not even one; there is no one who has understanding, there is no one who seeks God. All have turned aside, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, there is not even one.'"
We understand the universality of evil in the heart of humanity to be part of the consequences resulting from the Fall. Because of original sin, there is no one who is enabled to live a perfectly righteous life before God.
Of course, every rule has its exception, right? As I compose this blog on Christmas Eve, I am reminded that there was indeed one (and only one) sinless individual who lived: Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He is one who, contrary to Solomon's experience, did good "without ever sinning." As Hebrews 4:15 tells us, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."
Jesus was not born under ordinary circumstances that he should live a normal (i.e. sinful) human life. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and was sinless throughout his earthly life. Yet that is why, when He died a cruel death though sinless Himself, He was able to save all those who were sinful by taking their offenses with him to the cross.
What Solomon didn't realize through his limited experience was that there would be a coming day when God would send a man to pay a debt he didn't owe because we owed a debt we couldn't pay.
No comments:
Post a Comment