by Charles Bertelsmeier
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Read Ecclesiastes 1:1–11
Although I can remember the names and a little about the lives of my grandparents, I would struggle to tell you the names of all my great-grandparents or anything about their lives.
Then I think about my grandchildren and realise they know virtually nothing about my parents and previous generations. I’m sure we could all agree with the sentiment expressed in today’s verse.
We will spend today and the next four days looking at the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Before you open your calendar app and set a reminder to resume reading LCA devotions next Saturday and skip these five days, let me encourage you to persevere. God has put every book of the Bible there for a reason and has a message for us. I pray that God has a message for you in what he gives me to write. You may also like to read the whole book before we proceed with these devotions.
The first verse of this book indicates that the author is King Solomon. God blessed King Solomon to be one of the wisest people in history. He is also believed to be the author of the biblical book Song of Songs and to have collected many proverbs.
In Ecclesiastes, the author conducts a series of scientific experiments to find the meaning of life. In reflecting on this, I think we are all doing the same, but probably not as scientifically as Solomon. As young children, we are absorbed in play. As teenagers, we are trying to discover who we are. As young adults, we seek acceptance through our friendship circles and employment. Then, we aim to perpetuate our identity through our children, moving on to get ourselves financially secure and finally retiring to contemplate what we have achieved with our lives. Maybe we will even write up our life stories to perpetuate our legacies.
Solomon tries a range of activities to find meaning and fulfilment but comes up empty each time. Most of these things are things we also do to try to discover meaning and purpose. Spoiler alert: The conclusion Solomon comes to is that we only find that meaning and purpose through our relationship with God and by surrendering our lives to the plans he has for us.
Most of us, me included, didn’t want to hear that when we were younger and tried looking elsewhere. I thank God he didn’t give up on me and gently led me to accept Solomon’s conclusion.
Heavenly Father, I accept that life without you is meaningless. Please help me to listen to your Spirit as we dive into the Book of Ecclesiastes and to find meaning and purpose in your plans for us. Amen.
Charles is a retired engineer who has worked on communications projects for the air force, army and navy. He lives in a retirement village in the outer north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife, Diane. Together, they have four children and eight grandchildren, all of whom they love spending time with. Charles keeps busy caring for their pot plants and a community vegetable garden, researching his family history and volunteering at LifeWay Lutheran Church.
Have mercy on me
by Maria Rudolph
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The poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought … It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him (2 Samuel 12:3).
Read 2 Samuel 12:1–14
Formerly a shepherd boy, King David is confronted with a parable about a beloved lamb being slaughtered unjustly in his darkest hour of sin. Nathan the prophet exposed his sin, adultery, deceit and murder. David would have felt the sting of this story acutely.
Psalm 51 flows out of David’s quill straight after that shocking visit from the prophet Nathan: ‘For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.’
We draw some of our Lutheran liturgy straight from that psalm:
Against you, you alone, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise (Psalm 51:4,10–12,15).
David was no stranger to sin, and neither are we. David knew that there was only one Good Shepherd who would make the sheep lie down in green pastures and help them not fear even in the valley of the shadow of death. Ultimately, from the line of David, Jesus would be born, only to lay down his life as the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world.
Cling on to Jesus today. His grace and redemption are bigger than your sins. Hand each of them over to Jesus, one by one. Join David in praying Psalm 51 in repentance, asking God to have mercy on you. For the sake of Jesus, you are restored, you are redeemed, and your sins are forgiven.
Read Psalm 51 and then pray this prayer:
Thank you, merciful God! I can breathe again. You have redeemed me. You have washed me in your blood, and I have come out whiter than snow. Through the waters of baptism, your mercies are new every morning, great is your faithfulness! Thank you for forgiving and loving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Maria serves at St John’s Lutheran Church Perth in Western Australia. She is blessed with her pastor husband, Michael, who serves at Concordia Lutheran Church, Duncraig. With God’s help, they navigate ministry across two parishes and life at home with two beautiful primary-school-aged kids and one amazing high schooler. Pastor Maria also serves the Lutheran Church on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
Restlessness
by Maria Rudolph
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One evening, David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful (2 Samuel 11:2).
Read2 Samuel 11:1–27
King David had it all. A big palace. More than one wife. Riches. A nation at his feet. Success in battle. A good relationship with God. But somehow, David was restless.
This restlessness sent him roaming around on the roof of his palace in the middle of the night, which eventually led to adultery, deceit and murder. A slippery slope of sin begins for David. How did he go from beloved king to murderer of loyal Uriah? A mere moment of restlessness turned into a sinful thought, then into an action, and finally into deeper darkness.
All big things in our lives, and in the world, start with one small thought that turns into a small act, which then grows into a bigger and bigger thing.
This applies to bad, dark, sinful things and good, life-giving, godly things.
Paul gives great advice to the Christians in Ephesus when he says, ‘Do not give the devil a foothold’ (Ephesians 4:27). No matter how blessed we are at any given time, we are all prone to restlessness occasionally, either in real life or as we watch TV or spend time on the internet. Our eyes wander. Our minds might too. And just like that, we can find ourselves entangled in sin if we are not careful.
Paul instructs us to ‘put off [our] old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds … Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:22,23,32).
Loving God, make me new. Restore me and cleanse me from within. Remind me of my baptism. In my times of restlessness, let my mind safely rest in you and in your goodness. Draw my wandering eyes back to you and your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Pastor Maria serves at St John’s Lutheran Church Perth in Western Australia. She is blessed with her pastor husband, Michael, who serves at Concordia Lutheran Church, Duncraig. With God’s help, they navigate ministry across two parishes and life at home with two beautiful primary-school-aged kids and one amazing high schooler. Pastor Maria also serves the Lutheran Church on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.
From rags to riches
by Maria Rudolph
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Mephibosheth bowed down and said, ‘What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?’ (2 Samuel 9:8)
Read 2 Samuel 9:1–13
Before David became the esteemed king of Israel, he had a tender friendship with Jonathan, King Saul’s son. They were inseparable. In the end, Jonathan fell in the battle of Gilboa, along with his father and brothers.
Grief-stricken, David mourned him deeply (2 Samuel 1:26). When he became king, David actively sought ways to show kindness to Jonathan’s son. Crippled, disadvantaged, orphaned, at the mercy of other people’s charity due to his condition – Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth would have lived a sad life. King David showed him incredible grace: he made him the owner of much land and gave him servants to work for him for the rest of his days. He also invited him to feast at the king’s table forever.
Isn’t that exactly what Jesus has done for each of us? You and I were crippled in our sin, disadvantaged and cut off from God’s goodness. But by his grace, he adopted us as his children, gave us a seat at his table for eternity and provides for us forevermore!
What King David did for Mephibosheth, Jesus has done for us on the cross, and it has become ours through baptism. Does this astound you?
Along with Jonathan’s son, who exclaimed in surprise, ‘What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?’, we might wonder what God sees in us, to do such a great thing for us. Let us be humble like Mephibosheth today and bow our heads to Jesus and say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty’ (Luke 17:10b).
Merciful Jesus, you have redeemed me, you have called me by name, I am yours! Through your grace, I have become your beloved, precious child. You have even promised to me that I will feast at your table in eternity. Help me to be your worthy servant and to glorify your name now and forevermore. Amen.
Pastor Maria serves at St John’s Lutheran Church Perth in Western Australia. She is blessed with her pastor husband, Michael, who serves at Concordia Lutheran Church, Duncraig. With God’s help, they navigate ministry across two parishes and life at home with two beautiful primary-school-aged kids and one amazing high schooler. Pastor Maria also serves the Lutheran Church on the Commission on Theology and Inter-Church Relations.