[ Ecclesiastes 9:7 - 9:10 ] - hymn 69 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. [ ECCLESIASTES 9:7] I recently read a novel about a woman who refuses to acknowledge she has terminal cancer. When Nicola¡¯s exasperated friends force her to face the truth, the reason for her avoidance emerges. ¡°I¡¯ve wasted my life,¡± she tells them. Though born with talents and wealth, ¡°I made nothing of my life. I was sloppy. I never stuck at anything.¡± The prospect of leaving the world now, feeling she¡¯d achieved little, was too painful for Nicola to contemplate.
I was reading Ecclesiastes around the same time and found the contrast stark. Its Teacher won¡¯t let us avoid the reality of the grave, ¡°the realm of the dead, where you are going¡± (9:10). And while this is hard to face (V. 2), it can lead us to value every moment we have now (V. 4), intentionally enjoying our food and families (VV. 7-9), working purposefully (V. 10), taking adventures and risks (11:1, 6), and doing it all before the God we¡¯ll one day answer to (V. 9 12:13-14).
Nicola¡¯s friends point out that her faithfulness and generosity to them proves her life hasn¡¯t been a waste. But maybe the Teacher¡¯s advice can save us all from such a crisis at the end of our lives: remember our Creator (12:1), follow His ways, and embrace every opportunity to live and love that today He provides. SHERIDAN VOYSEY | | [ Àüµµ¼ 9:7 - 9:10 ] - Âù¼Û°¡ 69 Àå ³Ê´Â °¡¼ ±â»ÝÀ¸·Î ³× À½½Ä¹°À» ¸Ô°í Áñ°Å¿î ¸¶À½À¸·Î ³× Æ÷µµÁÖ¸¦ ¸¶½ÇÁö¾î´Ù ÀÌ´Â Çϳª´ÔÀÌ ³×°¡ ÇÏ´Â ÀϵéÀ» ¹ú½á ±â»Ú°Ô ¹ÞÀ¸¼ÌÀ½À̴϶ó (Àüµµ¼ 9:7) ÃÖ±Ù¿¡ º»ÀÎÀÌ ¸»±â ¾Ï ȯÀÚ¶ó´Â »ç½ÇÀ» ÀÎÁ¤ÇÏÁö ¸øÇÏ´Â ¾î¶² ¿©ÀÚ¿¡ ´ëÇÑ ¼Ò¼³À» Àоú½À´Ï´Ù. °ßµð´Ù ¸øÇÑ ´ÏÄݶóÀÇ Ä£±¸µéÀÌ Çö½ÇÀ» Á÷½ÃÇ϶ó°í °¿äÇÏÀÚ ±×Á¦¾ß ±×Åä·Ï ÇÇÇÏ·Á ÇÑ ÀÌÀ¯°¡ µå·¯³³´Ï´Ù. ´ÏÄݶó´Â Ä£±¸µé¿¡°Ô ¡°³ª´Â ÀλýÀ» Çê»ì¾Ò¾î.¡±¶ó°í °í¹éÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ±×³à´Â Àç´É°ú Àç·ÂÀ» °¡Áö°í žÁö¸¸ ¡°³» Àλý¿¡¼ ¾Æ¹«°Íµµ ÇÑ °ÍÀÌ ¾ø¾î. ÇüÆí¾ø¾ú°í ¹«¾ð°¡¿¡ ºüÁ®º» Àûµµ ¾ø¾ú¾î.¡±¶ó°í ¸»Çß½À´Ï´Ù. ´ÏÄݶó´Â ÀÌ·é °Íµµ °ÅÀÇ ¾øÀÌ Áö±Ý ÀÌ ¼¼»óÀ» ¶°³ª¾ß ÇÑ´Ù´Â »ç½ÇÀÌ ³Ê¹« °íÅ뽺·¯¿ö ¾Æ¹« »ý°¢µµ ÇÏ°í ½ÍÁö ¾Ê¾Ò´ø °ÍÀÔ´Ï´Ù.
±× ¹«·Æ ³ª´Â Àüµµ¼¸¦ Àаí ÀÖ¾ú´Âµ¥ ´ÏÄݶóÀÇ »ý°¢°ú ¶Ñ·ÇÇÑ Â÷ÀÌÁ¡À» ¹ß°ßÇß½À´Ï´Ù. ÀüµµÀÚ´Â ¿ì¸®°¡ ¡°ÀåÂ÷ µé¾î°¥ ½º¿Ã¡±(9:10), °ð Á×À½ÀÇ Çö½ÇÀ» ÇÇÇÒ ¼ö ¾ø´Ù°í ¸»ÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ±× »ç½ÇÀ» Á÷¸éÇϱⰡ ½±Áö ¾ÊÁö¸¸(2Àý), ±×·³À¸·Î½á ¿ì¸®´Â ¿ì¸®¿¡°Ô ÁÖ¾îÁö´Â ¸Å¼ø°£À» ¼ÒÁßÈ÷ ¿©±æ ¼ö ÀÖ°í(4Àý), ¿ì¸® °¡Á·°ú ¸Ô´Â À½½ÄÀ» ÀǽÄÇϸç Áñ±æ ¼ö ÀÖÀ¸¸ç(7-9Àý), ¸ñÀûÀ» °®°í ÀÏÀ» ÇÏ°í(10Àý), ¸ðÇèÀ» ÇÏ°í À§Çèµµ ¹«¸¨¾²¸ç(11:1, 6), ¿ì¸®°¡ ¾ðÁ¨°¡ ¸¸³ª ¾Æ·Ü Çϳª´Ô ¾Õ¿¡¼ ±× ¸ðµç °ÍµéÀ» ÇàÇÏ°Ô µÉ °ÍÀÔ´Ï´Ù(9Àý 12:13-14).
´ÏÄݶóÀÇ Ä£±¸µéÀº ´ÏÄÝ¶ó°¡ ±×µéÀ» ½Å½ÇÇÏ°í ³Ê±×·´°Ô ´ëÇØÁØ °Í¸¸À¸·Îµµ ±×ÀÇ »îÀÌ ³¶ºñ°¡ ¾Æ´Ï¾ú´Ù´Â °ÍÀ» Áõ¸íÇÑ´Ù°í ÁöÀûÇÕ´Ï´Ù. ±×·¯³ª âÁ¶ÁÖ¸¦ ±â¾ïÇÏ°í(12:1), ±×ºÐÀÇ ±æÀ» µû¸£¸ç, ±×ºÐÀÌ Áֽô ÇÏ·ç ÇϷ縦 »ç¶ûÇÏ¸ç »ì±â À§ÇØ ¸ðµç ±âȸ¸¦ ºÙÀâÀ¸¶ó°í ÇÏ´Â ÀüµµÀÚÀÇ Ãæ°í°¡ ¾î¼¸é ¿ì¸®°¡ »îÀÇ ¸¶Áö¸·¿¡ ¸¶ÁÖÇÒ ±×·± À§±â·ÎºÎÅÍ ¿ì¸® ¸ðµÎ¸¦ ±¸ÇØÁÙ ¼ö ÀÖÀ»Áöµµ ¸ð¸£°Ú½À´Ï´Ù. |