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Describe the tension that exists between the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
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The book of Proverbs tells us the results of good and bad behavior. The book of Ecclesiastes talks about the meaninglessness of life and how trouble comes on the righteous and unrighteous alike. These are both true.
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Proverbs gives us a guide to helping increase the chances of good outcomes in our lives should we choose to follow its good advice. Ecclesiastes’ “advice” to us is that life itself is full of twists & turns and uncertainties, some of which we simply have no control over.
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Proverbs takes an if/then approach to life and Ecclesiastes take an if/who knows approach. They are at both ends of the spectrum and we should be somewhere in the middle knowing that yes there are some aspects of life we have no control over but at the same time we can live life in such away that it helps to increase the odds of the outcome
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Ecclesiastes teaches us that life can neither be understood nor controlled. Proverbs teaches us that life can be understood well enough to live wisely. They are on 2 different ends of a spectrum, but we can live both. We can be in the middle as we understand both of these.
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Proverbs tells us that through wisdom we can understand and control our lives and thereby it gives us hope.
Ecclesiastes tells us we cannot understand nor control life and makes life seem hopeless.
