Ecclesiastes 7:7  says, Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.  Matthew Henry discusses this two ways.  One is with the wise man being oppressed and the other as the wise man seeing the oppression of others.  I hadn't really thought of it from the point of view of the wise man being oppressed, but I can see this as a valid view.  There are many wise people today who live under oppression.  Not all rulers are wise people, especially in the eyes of God, which is where all wisdom comes from, and a person who is wise, especially in the eyes of God, will be made mad by living under such oppression.  Matthew Henry says that this could lead to a wise person acting foolishly.  Though I can see this view, I believe this speaks more to the wise man seeing the oppression of others.  So many people in the world today live under oppression that we as God's followers should be mad about it.  We too often look at the world and see only the threat of the oppressors and not the plight of the oppressed.  As long as we can get the oppressors, we don't care what happens to the oppressed.  If a new set of oppressors who are friendly to us are put in power, we aren't concerned.  This is not the way God calls His people to be.  Now, the second half of the verse says a gift destroys the heart.  I believe this is saying that if we are given enough personal gain, it can destroy our heart of compassion.  We begin to view life from the attitude of what is in it for me instead of from what would God want and what is best for others.  Verse eight says, Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  Those things gained by oppression will ultimately be gone, and in the end, God's will wins out.  We are called on to be patient in spirit and not proud in spirit.  Those who are proud in spirit see what they have as coming from their own wisdom instead of those things being a blessing from God.  We, as His followers, are to humbly realize that no matter how little or how much we have that is all a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 says, It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.  We like to hear people praise us, even if it is for the wrong reason.  We usually like to hear that we were the life of the party instead of the spoil sport.  Sometimes, the more foolish our behavior, the more those around us, who are acting foolish themselves, are apt to tell us how great we were.  Solomon warns us that it is better to hear someone who is wise, which I think means living under God's leadership, rebuke us than to be praised by those living under the power of sin.  We often hear people say that they don't want to listen to a Bible thumper, as if that is one of the worst things could ever happen.  Now, we don't want to beat people over the head with the Bible, as it were, condemning the sinner and not the sin, but we must stand against, or rebuke, sinful behavior.  If we are truly God's people, we will recognize the truth of the rebuke being better, and if we aren't, we will seek the praises of the world.  Verse six says, For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.  When we are trying to heat something on a fire, we don't want crackling and popping, but a slow, steady flame.  The crackling and popping contribute little to real heat, and actually may do more damage than good.  Solomon said that the laughter of the fool is the same way.  It contributes nothing of value to life.  We may want to excuse certain things as only talk, but the Bible teaches us that our words should bring glory to God.  Once again, we cannot divide life into the secular and the spiritual.  We cannot justify our words and actions in the world by claiming that they don't matter from a spiritual perspective.  As followers of Christ, everything we do is done from a spiritual perspective.  We cannot be popping off useless words and doing things contrary to God's teaching and leadership and contribute anything of real value to His kingdom.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.  I believe Solomon is saying that we should value our good name above the riches of the world.  He also says that leaving this world should be a more joyous occasion for a person than being born into it.  We gather around to celebrate a birth, but then gather to mourn a death.  If the person who died has a right relationship with God through Christ, we should rejoice that they are going home, because as a Christian, this world will never really be our home.  Verse two says, It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  We don't often think of a house of mourning as better than a house of feasting.  We look for pleasure in life when we look at the world from a materialistic view, but from a spiritual view, death releases us as followers of Christ to real happiness.  Those who are left behind at the day of mourning realize that this is their ultimate fate.  As followers of Christ, this shouldn't bring us sorrow, but for the lost it should and that should cause them to consider what life really is.  Verse three says, Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  This does not support what many want us to believe today.  We hear that God wants us to be happy, so He should gives us more of the things of this world.  Solomon said through sadness that our hearts are made better.  We should have a great sadness for the lost of the world and allow our hearts to go out to them.   Verse four says, The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.  I believe Solomon is saying that we learn more by having compassion and mourning with those in sorrow than we ever will by just living for the joys of this world.  In mourning, we realize that this life is but temporary and that God is eternal.  What we do for Him is all that really lasts.

Ecclesiastes 6:8 says, For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?  I believe what Solomon is saying to us is that no matter how wise or foolish the world may view someone as being, life really comes down to meeting the basic needs of life, food, clothing, and a place to stay.  The world may place more value on clothes that have a certain name on them, but they still simply cover the body.  Some with a big name and price don't do that very well, but for some reason we, who consider ourselves to be wise, chase after them.  Then, Solomon continues by asking what do the poor that know to walk honorably among men have.  Even though they may have little in the eyes of the world, they do not deal with their neighbors in a way to simply gain more for themselves.  Verse nine says, Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.  Solomon is again speaking of being satisfied.  We should learn to live in satisfaction with the things that God has entrusted us with instead of having a wandering eye desiring more.  This is not just a warning to those we consider rich, but to everyone.  As long as we continue to live wanting more and more, we will never be satisfied.  Verse ten says, That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.  A person may be the most powerful person in the world, but that person is still but a human being.  We are all created in the image of God, to follow His leadership.  We tend to look around at those who are different than us and feel that they are of less value to God than we are, but all are created in His image.  Verse eleven says, Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?  There is so much in the world today for people to desire, whether it be a bigger house, a better car, or just to make oneself look better, but what does it all amount to?  In the end, we leave the world as we came into it, with nothing to carry with us, except the things done for God.  Verse twelve concludes the thought saying,  For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?  There may be those today who would tell us how to make life meaningful, based on materialism, but we as followers of Christ have to understand that the only true meaning and happiness comes from following the will of God.  Everything else amounts to nothing.

Ecclesiastes 6:4 says, For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.  Solomon continues to speak about the vanity of wealth.  We may come into the world feeling from the time that we are old enough to understand anything that somehow we deserve to have more materially than anyone else, but this amounts to nothing in God's eyes.  When we die, our names will be covered with darkness.  Even if we are one of the few who are remembered by most people, we still go away into death, or darkness in this world.  Verse five says, Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.  Matthew Henry says this applies to one who dies at birth.  They never see the sun, but they go to eternal rest without having to endure the pains of this world. Still, even with all the problems in life, we should thank God just for our life here on earth, and do our best to live for Him daily.   Verse six says, Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?  I have known a few people who lived to be over a hundred, but Solomon said even if a person lived two thousand years, they go to the same place as one who died at birth.  They go to the grave and then stand before God.  I cannot imagine living two thousand years and seeing nothing good, but if we remember that Solomon was talking about those who look to material things for purpose instead of looking to God, then no matter the number of years lived, they never see anything as good.  We will never find everlasting hope outside of the will of God.  Verse seven says, All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.  I believe Solomon is saying that if everything a person works for in this world is for material things, then that person is never going to be satisfied.  If we do nothing to feed the soul, then nothing in life is ever going to satisfy us.  As followers of Christ, we need to seek to feed the soul, the spiritual relationship with God, instead of concentrating on the physical.  Our ambition should be to live under the leadership of God.

Ecclesiastes 6:1 says, There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:  Solomon had just concluded that rich or poor, we are called on to put our faith in God to find happiness.  He was now again warning against seeing the blessings of God simply as being for our own satisfaction.  I personally believe we can apply this to people and to nations.  We must never assume that God wants us to grow fat and be wasteful while others starve.  Verse two says, A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.  I don't believe Solomon was saying that we should not share our blessings when he said a stranger shall eat thereof.  I believe he was saying that when we live only for riches and not for God's glory, that one day this life will be over and someone else will enjoy those riches, and the person themself will have nothing to show for this life.  Again, only those things done for God will last.  We tend to almost worship the rich, as though the are somehow more important than the poor. Now, the warning is not exclusively to those who are rich in our eyes, but to everyone.  It is an evil under the sun that we forgot to put God first, no matter our status in the eyes of the world.  Verse three says, If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.  I believe Solomon was again saying that a person with great material blessings, even children, who  doesn't have good, which is the will of God, as a guiding force, would have been better off to never have been born.  If we gain the whole world, we will one day leave it all behind.  If we spend our lives seeking and following God's will, then we never lose anything.

Ecclesiastes 5:17 says,  All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness. I believe that Solomon was saying that those who are living only for the things of this world would rather eat in darkness than to spend money to provide light to eat by.  Now we may see the very rich today spending a lot of money on themselves, but they still more often than not want to continue to accumulate more and more.  We can also interpret this as eating in spiritual darkness, because if the things of this world are all that matter, and a person has no time for God and His will, they truly are eating in spiritual darkness.  If a person like this becomes sick, that person becomes angry because they cannot gain more riches while sick.  They may also be angry because they realize that their life might soon be over and they will lose control of all they have worked for.  Verse eighteen says, Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.  I believe Solomon was saying that we are to enjoy the things God blesses us with.  We are not to starve ourselves or hoard what God blesses us with, but to use it under His guidance.  Too often we want our portion to be more than what God entrusts us with.  Verse nineteen says, Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.  If God does grant us riches, we are to eat, take our portion, and rejoice in our labor.  This does not say that our portion is increased and that we are to rejoice in our riches.  God does not bless us with riches to flaunt them, but to help others.  Verse twenty concludes the chapter with, For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.  If we are living for God, we will live with joy in our heart.  We will not much remember the work or the rewards, but our joy will be from serving God.