Babies, Milk, and the Bible

Ever seen a baby drink a bottle? Don’t get between a baby and his bottle! Babies love their milk. They are totally into that bottle. I guess babies don’t do a whole lot more than drink milk and sleep anyway, right?
The apostle Peter uses the idea of a baby and milk to illustrate how we ought to desire the Word of God. “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (1 Pet 2:2). The command here is to desire the Word of God like a baby desires milk. We should be as hungry to hear what God says to us in the Bible as a baby is for his next bottle!
Why should we desire God’s Word so much? The reason is given in the verse: so that we can grow. Why do babies want their bottle? Because they’re hungry! God made them hungry so they would drink their milk and grow up. In the same way, God has given each Christian a desire for His Word so that we won’t be baby Christians forever. As we long for and feed on the Bible, we will grow in our Christian lives. We will learn more about God, we will understand our responsibilities as Christians, and (hopefully) we will become more obedient to God!
Practically speaking, how can we desire God’s Word like a baby desires its bottle? Well, for starters, we can jealously guard our daily time in God’s Word each day. The time you spend each day reading the Bible should be a time that you refuse to give to anything else. It should be a priority— as important to you as eating! You should give your time in the Word your best hour of the day, whether that is in the morning or whenever. You should read with an alert mind and hungry heart. When you hear God’s Word explained at church, in Sunday school, in family devotions, your heart should be open and ready— just like a baby ready for his bottle!

The End of the Matter (Ecc 12:9–14)

Solomon, the Preacher, has been talking about the frustrating and confusing mysteries of life for twelve chapters. The book of Ecclesiastes takes a long, hard look at some of life’s enigmas that cause us to scratch our head and wonder. But Solomon, the wisest man this world has ever known, addressed these hard questions. Solomon, as we know, was famous for his proverbs, many of which are found in our Bibles (12:9). These are carefully stated truisms of life, which Solomon observed and captured in short proverbs (12:10).
Wise words are like goads, or pointed sticks used to herd animals (12:11). When an animal starts to go the wrong way, a herdsman might poke it until it turned back to the right way. In this way, Solomon’s proverbial sayings (which include the book of Ecclesiastes) are like little points in our minds and lives that stimulate our thinking. They help us think right, they make us uncomfortable when we are wrong, and they encourage us to think about many important areas of our lives. These are not questions that have never been asked before; rather, many men for thousands of years have asked and debated these ideas (12:12). You could wear yourself out trying to read what all these people have said.
The conclusion, according to Solomon, is this: Fear God, and keep his commandments (12:13). This is your responsibility as a human being. Because God made you, you are accountable to him (12:14). You may not understand everything about life. You may not always think things are “fair.” You may be confused at times. But you, as God’s creation, must submit to God as Creator. You must obey him. You must reverence him. You will stand before him as Judge one day. Fear God. Obey his commands.

Remember Now (Ecc 12:1–8)

Life is short. Life is uncertain. We aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow. One of the frustrating and confusing mysteries of life is that we have the most energy and enthusiasm when we are young. As we grow older, we grow wiser, but we find we no longer have the strength or ability to do the things we need to do. It’s almost not fair: the young have energy, and the old have wisdom, and both need what the other has!
Solomon’s answer is this: “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (12:1). While you still have ability and energy, give heed to this gem of wisdom: put God first in your life. Don’t wait until you are older and no longer have the strength to serve God. Don’t put off living a godly life. Do it now, while you’re still young.
Why now? Because you aren’t getting any younger. The older you get, the more your strength and energy will fail you. One day your eyesight won’t be as sharp or as keen as it is now (12:2). Some day your hands will tremble, your back will be bent over, and your teeth will fall out (12:3). Your hearing will begin to fade (12:4), and many new difficulties and fears will beset you (12:5). Your hair will turn white, your legs will be unsteady.
Life is short. You won’t live forever. The time will come when even you will grow old and eventually die (12:6). Your body will be buried, decompose, and eventually return to dust, and your God-given soul will live forever in heaven or hell (12:7). Life is short. This is one of life’s mysteries: you won’t live forever (12:8).
The Preacher’s conclusion is this: serve the Lord while you have the opportunity. Don’t put off godly living. Don’t mistakenly assume that you have many years to do right. Put God first in your life right now while you still have strength and energy. Do what is right now while you are still young. Remember your Creator now.

Known and Unknown (Ecc 11:1–10)

In the frustrating and confusing mysteries of life, we find that there are many things that are unknown. If you ever think you have amassed great wisdom, look around and think about all the things you don’t know. You will be amazed. The immensity of the unknown dwarfs even the collective knowledge of all mankind. There are many things we simply don’t know.
In the midst of life, which is often frustrating and puzzling, the Preacher advises us to be generous in our dealings, because we simply do not know if or how that might come back to us (11:1–2). Generally speaking, people who are generous find that others are generous to them as well. Since we do not know the future, we should live accordingly.
Weather patterns are fairly predictable, but sometimes even the meteorologists are surprised. Can you guarantee which way a tree will fall? We just don’t know (11:3). If you spend your whole life worrying about all of life’s uncertainties, you will be paralyzed with fear and never do a single thing (11:4)!
Nobody has ever seen an unborn child receive an eternal human spirit, and nobody knows everything that God does or why he does what he does (11:5). We simply don’t know. You don’t know which seeds that you plant will grow and thrive or which will be trampled or die of disease, so plant and work and trust the Lord for the rest (11:6). You just don’t know, so be faithful in what you should be. Enjoy life, but remember this: you don’t live forever (11:7–8).
As you live and pick your way through life’s unknowns, there is one thing that we do know and that should remain in the front of our minds: we are accountable to God for our actions (11:9). Use your youth wisely, for God’s glory, and not in a way that will cause you to look back some day with regret (11:10).

Wise Words for Living (Ecc 10:1–20)

In the frustrating and confusing mysteries of life, we find wise words for living in God’s Word. Ecclesiastes 10 is a collection of proverbs (similar to the book of Proverbs) that give various examples of wise living, truisms, and other observations about life. I encourage you to read this chapter along with my short synopses of each proverb.
While wise living takes years of hard work, it can all be ruined in a few moments of sinful folly (10:1). The heart of a man is the source of his actions, a truth that our society today would do well to learn (10:2). Foolish and sinful thinking affects every area of life (10:3). Remaining calm can diffuse a tense situation, while reacting in kind escalates an already sticky situation (10:4).
Foolish living is not limited to poor, underprivileged people; rather, it can be found throughout all strata of life (10:5–7). However, those who are unscrupulous in their dealings usually end up becoming a victim of their own cruelty (10:8–9).

Oftentimes brute force does the job, but skillful application of that force multiplies its effectiveness (10:10–11). The speech of a man reveals his character, often determines his course in life, and demonstrates whether he is wise or a fool (10:12–15). A country is happy when its leaders are wise and prudent in their dealings (10:16–17). Hard work is the answer for those who complain about being poor. Even a modest home can be well-repaired (10:18). The good things of life, God’s gifts, should be enjoyed as we go through life (10:19). Do not slander people because it will be your ruin (10:20).
As you read these proverbs, some seem a little random, but the underlying theme is that we have a responsibility in life: obeying God and living in a way that pleases him. There are many things about life that we cannot control, but we are responsible for our choices, actions, words, and thoughts before God.