The Solomon Project: Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

This is the last week of postings so we will attempt to conclude with what we have set out to do. This has been an attempt to explore the ancient biblical book of Ecclesiastes as it applies to people who suffer from addictive and compulsive behaviors. As I have so often stated, I come at this from an orthodox evangelical point of view but have attempt[ted to broaden its application to all faiths and make it applicable to those within the twelve step community. To that end I hope it has been helpful.

This week we look at Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, verse 9 states: "Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs." (Ecc 12:9 NIV) This appears to be an editorial comment stating what the author of Ecclesiastes did. He was wise, he taught wisdom and he collected wisdom. This appears to be true from what we know of the wisdom literature of the Bible. Some portions of Proverbs was adapted of Egyptian wisdom literature. Certain portions of The Song of Solomon are Egyptian waisf poems.

Verse 10 states: "The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true." (Ecc 12:10 NIV) The commentator or editor here states that the teacher searched to find the wright words certainly he tried. Did he succeed? Many times they were troublesome and enigmatic causing one to mull over and ponder life from various aspects. What he wrote was upright and true from the aspect of the covenant of his God.

Verse 11 says: "The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails--given by one Shepherd." (Ecc 12:11 NIV) These two statements are similar parallelisms. Goads are sharp sticks used to prod cattle and other large domesticated animals. the use of sharply embedded nails could refer to the end of the goad. Proverbs are designed to work like that. They produce discomfort so that you will move along the path of life and make progress.

Verse 12 states: "Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body." (Ecc 12:12 NIV) This verse has been used by students over the years to ward off the excesses of studying. The "My Son" motif is quite common in ancient near eastern literature. It stands first for the mentoring of as son by the father and then a genre of literature that is a form of teaching literature. The editor I think is stating that beyond the collection of proverbs other knowledge is quite useless. If you look at the development of the Semitic body of knowledge and culture and the Greek body of knowledge and culture you see that they are quite different.

The editor begins the final emphasis here: "Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man." (Ecc 12:13 NET) He carries it on with the following verse.

"For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecc 12:14 NIV) We have certainly seen these things happen in this book. We have seen that good things happen to good people bad things happen to bad people bad things happen to good people good things happen to bad people uncertainties happen all the time. This is not the first time that Solomon or the editor has directed us to "fear God"(3:14, 5:7, 7:18, 8:12). But it is a fitting climax. Regardless of how life circumstances turn out this becomes the defining rule. God judges these these.

My life has been a series of ups and downs. every circumstance, every perceived blow, every perceived blessing, every person, male or female, apparently good or bad have all contributed to my growths or downfalls and my ultimate maturity. Proverbs says: "for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity." (Pro 24:16 NIV) That's more my life. Somewhere in this past year in this blog, I have likened my life not to the beautiful tapestry that looks beautiful on one side but looks like a a bunch of strings on the other, but to the rug made with rags. I have waited about six months to use this illustration. of Cal Rogers so here it goes.

Calbraith Perry ("Cal") Rodgers, an inexperienced 32-year-old pilot, in 1911 made the first transcontinental flight across the United States. He reached Pasadena, California, on November 5, 1911, and Long Beach, California, on December 10, flying between Sheepshead Bay, near New York City, New York, and the West Coast in a Wright EX biplane. He carried the first transcontinental mail pouch and was accompanied on the ground by a support crew that repaired and rebuilt the plane after its numerous rough landings and crashes

Rodgers was the grandson of the famed Commodore Oliver Perry of the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. He was an excellent football player, yachtsman, and automobile and motorcycle racer before becoming a pilot, all in spite of deafness that resulted from a childhood bout of scarlet fever. Somewhat of a risk-taker, Rogers had taken only about 90 minutes of flying instruction from Orville Wright in June 1911, at the Wright School in Dayton, Ohio, before attempting a solo flight. He carried out the first aerial photography of industrial plants and in August 1911, won an $11,000 prize in an international air endurance contest held in Chicago. He also was the first private citizen to purchase a Wright "aeroplane," a long-wing biplane Model B that was modified for his transcontinental flight and designated a Wright Flyer EX (for Experimental).

The $50,000 prize that renowned publisher William Randolph Hearst offered to the first pilot to fly across the United States within 30 days undoubtedly helped motivate Rodgers to tackle this formidable challenge. Air flight was new to the nation. There were no airports or aircraft mechanics along the way and no air navigation maps, control towers or beacons to warn of hazards or guide the pilot. Rodgers would have to follow railroad tracks, recognize landmarks, and talk with his ground crew during periods on the ground. Also, the venture would be expensive, and Rodgers needed a sponsor.

J. Ogden Armour, a Chicago meat packer, was willing to sponsor Rodgers in return for advertising his new grape soft drink "Vin Fiz." Rodgers printed Vin Fiz on the rudder and under-wing areas of the plane, and Armour paid him three to five dollars for each mile flown, providing a total of $23,000. Armour also provided and outfitted a three-car support train, which would prove vital to Rodgers' success. This train was loaded with a crew, including his wife, his mother, a close friend, two mechanics, and two assistants as well as supplies, fuel, repair parts to rebuild the plane, and even spare engines. One car had a much-needed repair shop, and the crew had the capability to rebuild the aircraft at least twice if necessary. All cars advertised the sponsor's product--Vin Fiz.

The Wright brothers' biplane that Rodgers flew was made with relatively light materials: a spruce airframe that was covered with canvas and linen and a small 35-horsepower (26-kilowatt) engine. The plane had two eight-foot (2.4-meter) push-propellers driven by a chain-drive transmission and could fly at 45 to 60 miles per hour (72 to 97 kilometers per hour). The Vin Fiz had no instruments, other than the reported use of a shoelace to indicate vertical and lateral motion, no heater, and no navigational aids. But with what proved to be considerable foresight, Rodgers had crutches strapped to a wing.

Rogers took off from Sheepshead Bay, New York, at 4:30 p.m. on September 17, 1911. He followed railroad tracks and avoided mountains, storms, and other hazards. Along the way, he landed around 70 times, which included at least 16 crashes some that put him in the hospital. Damage to the Vin Fiz was so extensive that the plane had to be rebuilt at least twice. Only a very few pieces of the original Vin Fiz made it all the way a vertical rudder, a couple of wing struts, and possibly the original engine oil pan.

Forty-nine days later, on November 5, Rodgers landed in Pasadena, California, He had missed Hearst's deadline by 19 days. So that he could say he had reached the Pacific Ocean, he took off again on November 12, to cover the remaining 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the ocean, only to be forced down twice, once suffering a broken ankle. But on December 10, 1911, he flew on to the beach at Long Beach, California, and taxied the Vin Fiz into the Pacific Ocean. The entire trip of approximately 4,000 miles (6,437 kilometers) (authorities differ on the exact number of miles) had taken 84 days, although only about 82 hours were spent aloft!

Rodgers' determination and thorough preparation for the flight enabled him to be the first to make his way across the country by air, even though he missed the time deadline for the $50,000.00 prize.

The public recognized his triumph over life-threatening challenges. The number of onlookers grew from a handful of people wishing him well at his initial takeoff, to newspaper reporters and crowds cheering him on as he crossed the continent, all the way to national celebrity status, with some 20,000 witnessing his November 5 landing in Pasadena.

But as was the case with so many early pilots, tragedy struck. Almost five months later, on April 3, 1912, while making a test flight in Long Beach, near the site of the end of his record-setting flight, he flew into a flock of birds--a problem still facing aviators today. One bird, probably a seagull, was believed to have stuck in his plane's controls, causing the plane to crash into the surf. When pulled from the wreckage, Cal Rodgers was dead of a broken neck.

quoted in its entirety from The U.S. Centennial Flight Commission
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/Vin_Fiz/EX6.htm

This is how I feel. The journey has hardly been what I thought it would be. I am not at the end yet. But certainly it is not what I thought it would be. Like Cal, I, we must have a huge support team around us. There are and will be crashes and we have to put ourselves back together. Solomon urges us at just the right moments in this book when he paints the bleakest pictures to accept and embrace the promises of God and find meaning in the God who contains meaning above the sun for us who "live under the sun."

What does this mean for those who suffer for addiction and compulsivity? if you are not in recovery. if you have not embraced sobriety. I urge you to to do wo now. addiction is a self diagnosed desease. Enter the recovery community. It will be a whole new way of life. Do something intentional everyday for your recovery. Deboroah Hazelton says: "Temptations are invitations to help me make sure I am serious about my desires and expectations. I won’t settle for less." I hope that those of you who read this blog this year found it helpful. I fhound it helpful in guiding my life and finding direction for myself. Thanks for taking the time to read it. God's blessing to you all.

Sorry this didn't get published December 31 2009. Tough day. here it is now. This blog will be temporarily suspended. Probably to be picked up in 2011.