Ecclesiastes 3:10 – I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
The travail of man can be seen in Solomon’s life. The book of Ecclesiastes could also be called the Book of Frustrations. You can tell as you read through the book that Solomon is frustrated with life. A lot of that could be due to the fact he put the flesh first (any man with 300 wives and 700 concubines would be categorized as putting the flesh first of he is just insane, one of the two). Later in life those wives turned his heart away from God with all their heathen practices. The problem is Solomon had a supernatural dose of wisdom from God at an early age. That wisdom constantly battled against his fleshly desires. I think that is where the Book of Ecclesiastes comes from this preacher.
The same could probably be said for the average fleshly Christian. They are constantly in termoil and travail because they are leading a double standard life, with the flesh and spirit constantly battling each other. Life is frustrating as Solomon clearly brings to light. Life is full of travails and troubles. Things are not always fair. Solomon was upset he was working hard, getting all this stuff and then he might end up leaving it to someone who would not appreciate it. It sounds a lot like Welfare in America. Some work hard and leave to others through taxes who do not appreciate it.
For the Chrsitian trying to live for God, life can be frustrating too. In this case he has the same issue of the flesh and spirit warring against each other, but hopefully the spirit is winning. God has a purpose to the travails of life this side of eternity. I am not sure we really understand it all the time. We are exercised in travail. That is really God’s purpose in life. He wants us to learn to depend on Him. He exercises our faith in the trials of life. That is one of the main reasons he keeps us in this world. He gets glory out of humble Christians seeking Him by faith. When we believe that “He is” and that “He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him,” we bring joy and happiness to our Lord. So let God exercise your faith today and bring you through the travails of life.
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