Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 August 2026 Ecclesiastes 12:13.
Ecclesiastes 12:13. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
And I can just imagine the joyful shouts of our Friday Mantra that went up to heaven this beautiful Friday morning: ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here at long last!’ Yes, the weekend is one of the few promising things we have to look forward to throughout our long years of labouring under the sun. As Cousin Sol, writing as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes puts it: ‘What profit hath a man of (from) all his labour which he taketh (toils or labours) under the sun?’ (Eccl. 1:3) And that’s a very good question, which he proceeded to find an answer to by using his wealth and wisdom to build and plant and have all the nicest things possible.
As he says later on: ‘So I was great, and increased (excelled) more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy (pleasure); for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of (reward from) all my labour.’ (Eccl. 2:9-10) Wow! Can you imagine the things Cousin Sol did in search of enjoyment and pleasure and finding out the destiny of man!
And what did all of that seeking prove? Cousin Sol says in great disappointment: ‘Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured (toiled) to do: and behold all was vanity (futility) and vexation of spirit (a grasping for the wind), and there was no profit under the sun.’ (Eccl. 2:11) Ah friends how sorrowful that must be, doing all those things and in the end finding no real satisfaction. It’s as the scholars say: ‘Solomon pursued fulfillment through pleasure, wine, great works, wealth, aesthetic and artistic pleasures and fame. (Eccl. 2:1-9) All of these failed to bring lasting satisfaction to the wisest man of all time, yet people three thousand years later are still trying them in search of enduring fulfillment.’
And so we foolishly are! But the important word in it all my brethren is ‘enduring.’ No pleasure of this world can satisfy us forever. The only thing that can bring true and lasting satisfaction is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ because that lasts forever and provides salvation and eternal life! Now those are the two most important things our human soul requires, because when our bodies die, we leave everything of the world behind, except Jesus Christ. And that’s guaranteed in this promise Jesus made to John in Revelation.
‘And he (Jesus) said unto me, It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst (thirsty) of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.’ (Rev. 21:6-7) And what does all of the mean? Per the scholars: ‘It is done: The eternal purpose of God to gather a holy, devoted people for Himself has now been accomplished.’
And as per Alpha and Omega, this overview explains it thus: ‘The phrase “alpha and omega” means the beginning and the end. Alpha is the first letter and omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Used together, they describe the whole of something, meaning the complete package, the entirety, or “from A to Z”. Therefore the Lord is the Beginning and End of everything.
As the scholars declare: ‘Beginning means God is the origin and source of all things (cf. Is. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). End means He is also the goal or aim of all things (cf. Rom. 10:4) The water of life represents eternal sustenance and provision (cf. Rev. 22:1; Ps. 36:9; Is. 55:1; Jer. 2:13; John 4:14) available freely by faith (Rev. 22:17). He that overcometh is the one who has genuine, saving, persevering faith (cf. Rev. 2:11; 3:5; 1 John 5:4-5) He will inherit all that belongs to the him as a son of God (cf. John 1:12; Rom. 8:16-17; Gal. 3:29; 4:7).’
Now that’s certainly a lot of scriptures to look up, but if you truly want to understand what we’ve read, then I strongly advise you take the time and look them up. I just did, making the Bit even later than it already was, (smile) and I was surprised at how they dovetailed nicely with what is said in Revelation. But getting back to Cousin Sol and his search for fulfillment in earthly pleasures, we find him showing why he was considered the wisest man ever, that is before he turned away from the God of his forefathers, married numerous foreign wives and began worshipping their foreign gods.
His wise and poignant testimony still stands, as he says; ‘Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.’ (Eccl. 12:13-14) No wiser words can be spoken than those my people! And for our information, Deuteronomy 6:2; 10:12, and Micah 6:8, also detail that our bounden duty is to serve the Lord. So in our somewhat unsuccessful efforts to do our duty, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid to help us do better..
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. Heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Now my fellow believers, let’s not get too carried away with our supposed holiness and righteousness, because we also need to wake up and smell the coffee, since our witness for Christ is not as good as it ought to be! Much LOVE!
…life’s earthly pleasures leave us unfulfilled…but those of heaven endure forever…
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