And I said of frivolous fun, “They are only senseless
ideas”; and regarding selfish pleasure, “What purpose is this?”
Ecclesiastes 2:2 Modern English Version (MEV)
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I
said of laughter, it is mad,.... The risible faculty in man is given him for some usefulness; and
when used in a moderate way, and kept within due bounds, is of service to him,
and conduces to the health of his body, and the pleasure of his mind; but when
used on every trivial occasion, and at every foolish thing that is said or
done, and indulged to excess, it is mere madness, and makes a man look more
like a madman and a fool than a wise man; it lasts but for a while, and the end
of it is heaviness, Ecc_7:6. Or, "I said to laughter, thou art
mad" (x); and therefore will have nothing to do with thee in the excessive
and criminal way, but shun thee, as one would do a mad man: this therefore is
not to be reckoned into the pleasure he bid his soul go to and enjoy;
and
of mirth, what doth it? what good does do? of what profit and advantage is it to man? If the
question is concerning innocent mirth, the answer may be given out of Pro_15:13;
but if of carnal sinful mirth, there is no good arises from that to the body or
mind; or any kind of happiness to be enjoyed that way, and therefore no trial
is to be made of it. What the wise man proposed to make trial of, and did,
follows in the next verses.
(x) לשחוק אמרתי מהולל "risui dixi, insanis", Mercerus, Drusius, Amama;
"vel insanus es", Piscator, Schmidt, Rambachius.
John
Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
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Let’s be clear, there’s nothing wrong with having fun. A
little bit of downtime, recreation and relaxation is good for us. It becomes an
issue when it turns into an obsession for us. A stark example of that would be
the world of computer and online gaming. Lives are being consumed by it.
Playing games is fun. Forgetting to eat, sleep, and even ignoring basic bodily
functions is not.
Ecclesiastes 2:2 Modern English Version (MEV)
Anything can become an obsession. Just depends on our personal weakness, and the Lord's willingness to keep us away from it.
ReplyDeleteVery true.
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