Daily Devotions
Ecclesiastes
"What is crooked cannot be made straight"
Text: Ecclesiastes 1:15
FRUSTRATION FELT
There were negative feelings of frustration that were keenly felt by the Preacher.
“What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.”
Ecclesiastes 1:15
1. “What is crooked cannot be made straight”
a) Things which are crooked:
i) A tree that leans cannot be straightened.
ii) Wood that is warped by the sun.
iii) These are things in nature.
b) Crookedness in the human being:
i) Crooked thinking.
ii) Crooked behaviour.
iii) These are human traits that are difficult to change.
c) “Cannot be made straight”
i) This was a frustrating feeling felt.
ii) This was a reality that was humbling.
d) A sense of frustration
i) Man’s power is limited.
ii) He cannot effect changes in many instances.
iii) Man likes to feel that he has the ability and power to change things at will.
2. “And what is lacking cannot be numbered”
a) Lack is a practical reality of life:
i) Material lack
ii) Intellectual lack
iii) Spiritual lack
b) There are numerous areas of life that are found lacking:
i) These lacks are difficult to fill.
ii) Some are impossible to fill.
3. Limitations of a king
a) A good king may desire to rule well.
b) But at every turn he faces there are things he cannot change for the better.
i) Corrupt officials cannot be changed easily.
ii) Lazy people do not contribute much to the kingdom.
iii) Unwise people abound.
These things can cause a sense of despair in the heart!