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“Remembering And Forgetting”
Categories: Bible, Daily Living, Expository Study, Foolish, Gossip, Ignorance, King, New Testament, Obedience, Old Testament, Solomon, Temptation, Tongue, WisdomI have said from time to time that I tend to forget the things I need to remember and remember the things I need to forget. Does anyone else feel like this? Solomon said something like this in Ecclesiastes 9:14-16.
Just to see how well we remember the important things, please take a couple of short quizzes. Check your answers and see how you do.
Quiz #1 - Who:
- Invented the polio vaccine?
- Discovered pasteurization?
- Discovered penicillin?
- Invented the artificial heart?
- Wrote the book of Philemon?
- Wrote the book of Acts?
- Invented the incandescent light bulb?
Quiz #2 - Who:
- Won last season’s “Dancing With The Stars”?
- Won the 1990 World Series?
- Is Miss America?
- Is Carole Baskin?
- Is the “Tiger King”?
- Is Prince Harry’s wife?
- Drove #3 in NASCAR races until 2001?
How did you do on your quizzes? Did you get more correct answers in quiz #1 or #2? Did you have to “Google” anything? Perhaps this illustration will give us some insight into Solomon’s words (Ecc. 9:14-16). In the text, after the siege, men were more likely to remember the loser instead of the winner! Why is it that men tend to listen to a failed king rather than a winning wise man? How upside-down can we get?
This passage does not give reasons why men tend to remember the loser and the things of lesser importance rather than what is of greater importance? Could I suggest that perhaps men tend to remember the things they ought to forget because those things of lesser importance satisfy a lust (Jas. 1:14-15). Additionally, we know many love to gossip, and love to find out the latest “scandal.” Are there not plenty of things in this world that would scratch such an itch?
Often, our priorities are the polar opposite to God’s. Solomon understood that and said so in Ecclesiastes 9. Let us take a moment to examine ourselves (II Cor. 13:5). What can we do to get our priorities in line with God’s? Make that change today and forget what is not important but remember what is (Phil. 3:13-14)!
- Jarrod M. Jacobs
