The first two chapters of Song of Solomon introduce us to the leading lady and her lover. Solomon switches from her point of view to his point of view throughout the book, making it important to constantly re-evaluate who is speaking to whom as we read. Within these first chapters we find much inspiration and many lessons that apply to our own lives today.

When we read any book, we usually identify with the hero. the Bible is no different. We always think we would make the right choice. We think that put in the same situations as people like the young rich man of Matthew 19, we would make the right decision... But would we? Hindsight is 20/20 after all.

Song of Solomon is beautiful poetry. This book reminds us of why love and marriage is so beautiful! Solomon was the wisest man to live, yet he took the time to compose such beautiful poetry. He knew that the beauty of love is to be appreciated. Although we don't know the time period between Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes, love remains one of the few things Solomon never calls a waste of time or "vanity."

This post is a reflection of what I learned and took away from Ecclesiastes. Although Solomon starts off seeming to prove the pointlessness of life, we see exactly the opposite: everything in life always points back to a singular point. That is the purpose of life.

Ecclesiastes 12 is the final chapter in the book of Ecclesiastes and summarizes Solomon's thoughts on the purpose of life. Solomon summarizes his message by concluding that our sole duty is to respect God and follow His commandments. When put into words, it sounds easy, but in action, it's a lot harder!

Ecclesiastes is short but sweet. Solomon talks about youth, God's command of nature, and the inevitability of bad days. These topics may seem a bit disjointed, but they are deeply connected both literally and spiritually.

These 3 chapters of Ecclesiastes hold some oft forgotten wisdom along with a few popular quotes. My favorite quote from Ecclesiastes is found in chapter 9, verse 11: "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Ecclesiastes 7 continues Solomon's profound look at the purpose of life. Solomon ponders the difference between birth and death, emotions such as sadness, anger, and happiness, how to prolong our lives, and more.

Ecclesiastes 5&6 makes us reevaluate the way we look at religion and wealth. Without meaning to, we often take up secular attitudes and opinions toward these two topics, which can cause us to drift away from God. It's important to put everything in perspective. Remember, Solomon's main theme in Ecclesiastes, is if I died tomorrow, what then?

In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon reminds us of how much better life is with two (or more) people, rather than one. Friendship is the one trait, Solomon never writes off as vanity, which means it must be worth a lot! Before jumping into friendship, Solomon discusses power and watching the evils of the world.

Nothing in life worth having comes easy and the same is true for our relationship with God. What are you willing to leave behind to follow Jesus? If Jesus told you to sell all of your possessions, give them to the poor, and follow Him, would you go? Or would you stay behind in the safety of what you know?

What came first the law or Moses' hike up Mount Sinai? Many people would have you believe the law only applies to the Israelites and was first instantiated on Mount Sinai. However, there are examples of the law being enforced well before Moses' and the Israelites embarked on the Exodus. Let's look at some of these examples and discus what it means for us today.