Through Ecclesiastes 7 (p.840)

Proverbs 16
Preparations of the
heart, commit, mercy and truth,

:7 – I'm counting on that! When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
:28 – A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
~Many of these proverbs I believe will be wonderful prevention if used before strife or torment comes. Maybe even after it arrives.

Proverbs 17

:5 – Respect the poor...or to be more specific, avoid making fun of them. Even the homeless. It helps if you've been there.
:12 – What is a bear like that has been robbed of her cubs? How is a fool in his folly this way?
:27-28 – He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. ~I have certainly learned my lesson in this as of last week. It is amazing how people can judge your life for weird things. But our walk is before God. I know in the new testament there is a verse about living quietly...and even now we have read to enjoy the fruit of one's own lips and the water out of one's own cistern. I laugh at my own jokes. Does that count? Yes, but I will be thought very wise about the matters of my life from this point on...quietly.
Proverbs 18
The fool and his mouth!
:19 – Offended people are hard to win back. And yes, the offense is like bars of a castle...or prison. And those bars are visible to everyone but the offended.
:20 – being filled with the fruit of one's mouth
:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. ~ Does it here refer to the power of the
tongue? If so, that makes sense. If you realize the tongue or language has all that power, you will naturally watch your words and
enjoy the benefit of the power.

Proverbs 19

No slothfulness or laziness.

Proverbs 20

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. ~Yes, we all know the type. Sweet to your face, and otherwise to your back.
:27– Did you know that your spirit is God's candle? Wow!

Proverbs 21

:2 – True that, as we used to say. Everyone thinks their way is the right way.
:23 – Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
~ Perfect Proverb's summation.

Proverbs 22

True riches.
And the strange woman sneaks back in.

Proverbs 23

:2 – And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
~Am I the only one that is shocked this is in the Holy Bible?

:4 – Don't labor to be rich, but if you labor after God, He brings the riches.

Proverbs 24

:16 – For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
:26– Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right
answer.

Proverbs 25

The men of King Hezekiah copied these out.
:11 – Gold apples in silver pitchers. Must have been an OT fashion statement.
:19 – Yep. There can be no confidence in unfaithful people ever – but
especially in times of trouble.

Proverbs 26

Slothfulness, sluggards and strife.

Proverbs 27

:17 – Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. ~Famous.

Proverbs 28

:1- The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous
are bold as a lion.
:15– As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a
wicked ruler over the poor people. ~ No, I did not misspell ranging.
It is ranging, not raging...although both seem appropriate.

Proverbs 29

:15 – The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame. ~Need I say more?

Proverbs 30

This Proverb was written by Agur, son of Jakeh, and spoken to Ithiel and Ucal.
:7-8 – Two things? 1. Removal from vanity and lies, 2. Withhold poverty and riches, 3. Feed with convenient food. The punctuation looks as though 2 and 3 go together. Study further.

:26– conies = rock badgers

Proverbs 31

The virtuous woman.
She works and buys her own land! Women must have had that right back then.
Ecclesiastes 1
The Preacher speaks!
:2 – Vanity =
meaningless = everything. Amazing with all that wisdom that this is
his conclusion. Sounds like a cop out. Or depression. Or on the
other hand, perhaps freedom from worry.

Ecclesiastes 2
Incidentally, this
book is much easier for me to read than the Proverbs. It is more
story-like and flowing.
Ecclesiastes 3
A season for everything.
:14 – I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. ~So of course, what God does is not vanity.
:18- ...concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God
might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. ~Nebucadnezzar sure did see that manifest.
:20– All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. ~This must be where the famous funeral phrase “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust” comes from. Also, to one place?  Perhaps in the natural, but in the supernatural??
:21– Man's spirit goes upward, and the beast goes down to the
earth. Is that still one place? Out?
Ecclesiastes 4
:9 – Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ~I like it that there are no details about which 2 it should be. Same personality, same height, weight, race, age, nothing. Just more than one. Perhaps the only stipulation would be the same labour. And it better be after God's work, because all else is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 5

About keeping quiet even when you go to church. Also too many dreams isn't necessarily the utopia of a walk in God. This makes me feel better because so many people claim to hear from God and have visions every 30 minutes...but it has never happened that often for me. Never a multitude of dreams, but a magnitude of potency when one finally does arrive!
Ecclesiastes 6
:6 - ...do not all go to one place? ~On the hereafter. I certainly need to study this further.***
Ecclesiastes 7
:26 – And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her. ~If truly this was written by Solomon, it appears he is calling himself a sinner – having been consumed by women. How sad that he had such a bad time. Bitterness of the last one never gives you a good relationship with the next one.

~Alright,
Hallelujah! I had a successful day on the airplane this week getting
a lot of reading done, and now I am returning to type my responses on
the computer. This is working out to be a better plan for me to read
my actual book with pages while not in front of the computer. Plus,
it really helped me through all those delays and layovers! Praise
God! Maybe life is just one big layover? Ha! Maybe according to
Solomon.~