Skip to main content

A Hand Full, A Fist Full


“One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.”  (Ecc 4:6)

That’s how the verse reads in the New American Standard Bible.  Other versions are slightly different.  I’m not going to try to suggest which version appears to have the best translation.  I simply want to look at some of the word pictures the verse creates.

A hand full can have positive connotations.  When we need something and we open our hand to receive it, and we receive what we need, a hand full is wonderful thing.  The contrast is being empty handed or having only enough to fit in the palm of our hands. 

Fists tend to suggest demand or even aggression.  But perhaps more so, a fist full can also present a picture that our fingers have tightly closed over what is in our hands.  That can portray selfishness.

So why mention the word pictures?  Allow me to paint a bit further…

We should look to the Lord to meet our needs.  God Himself opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing (Psalm 145:16).  We should open our hands to gratefully receive what He provides.  His open hand is also a picture of how we should position our hands, not just open to receive but also open so that we can share with others.

If we do close our fingers over what we’ve received, it should not be out of selfishness but to protect what we’ve received.  We don’t want to drop it or have it snatched out of our hands.  Our fingers should open, when appropriate, to share with others or to invest well as wise stewards of what He has entrusted to us.

But, if you would prefer to view the verse as it appears to be presented to us, the notes in the NET Bible seem helpful.  Three approaches to labor:  (1) the competitive workaholic in 4:4, (2) the impoverished sluggard in 4:5, (3) the contented laborer in 4:6.  The balanced approach rebukes the two extremes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Year Trash or Treasure?

You probably know the old saying:  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  I am not going to try to prove or disprove it, just look at it from a different angle. Cheryl and I were recently walking on a beach in Florida .  A man was walking along with a bag and was picking up trash and putting it in the bag.  Was he picking up things of value? We also saw a different man walking along the same beach with a metal detector.  He would swing it back and forth and would occasionally stop and dig in the sand.  Was he looking for things of value? Both were intent.  Both were focused.  Both were diligent. I’m guessing that the one picking up trash was not looking for things of value.  I’m also guessing that, by picking up trash, he was valuing the beauty of the beach and didn’t want the trash to mar it.  The one with the metal detector, I’m guessing that he was not looking for metallic items of trash but was looking for...
1 comment
Read more

Don't Get Tripped Up

I do enjoy traveling and I keep an eye out for good prices. I also enjoy looking at trends in travel. For a while, the travel industry focused their advertising on taking those trips that might be on your bucket list.   That faded a bit and I started seeing ads about taking the trip of a lifetime. I guess both those campaigns have been waning since I’ve been seeing information about taking an “epic” trip.   Recently I noticed the phrase “unforgettable trip” in advertising.   More recently, I’ve been seeing promotions about taking “sustainable” trips and even “reconnecting to our roots” trips. As I’ve been pondering these advertising campaigns, I thought I’d consider what their ideas encompass and then look at them from a spiritual perspective: 1.   “ Bucket list trips ” are based on a list of the experiences a person might hope to have before they “kick the bucket” (i.e. die).   While I can certainly come up with a bucket list of trips, I’m thinking a bu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Above My Pay Grade!

We like things that we can study, know and understand.  Sometimes we find it difficult to accept that there are things that might be hidden from our knowledge and understanding. The Scriptures indicate that there are some things hidden by design:  “The Lord our God keeps certain things hidden. But he makes other things known to us and to our children forever. He does it so we can obey all the words of this law.”  (Deut 29:29) Some versions of the Bible translate the hidden things as “secret things”.  Regardless, there are things which have been revealed and things which are kept hidden from us and remain secret. We may chafe at having to deal with the fact that some things remain hidden, but that’s often when faith and trust come in.  The Psalmist wrote:   “O Lord , my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.”  (Ps 131:1) The Psalmist seem to realize that th...
Post a Comment
Read more